Over 100 Public Health Leaders—Including Former HHS Secretaries, CDC Directors, U.S. Surgeon General, Governors, and State Health Officials—Urge Congress to Reject Trump Administration’s Dismantling of CDC and Public Health Programs
Date: April 2, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: APHA Media Relations
Contact: For Our Health Media Relations
News — Washington, D.C. — More than 100 of the nation’s most respected public health leaders—including former U.S. Secretaries of Health and Human Services, a former U.S. Surgeon General, multiple former CDC directors, former Governors, and retired state health directors and commissioners of health, as well as corporate and non-profit leaders—have issued a forceful open letter urging Congress to stop the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to dismantle the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and undermine the country’s public health infrastructure.
, organized by For Our Health, was released in direct response to drastic actions recently announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy. The administration’s plan would eliminate 10,000 full-time public health positions, restructure core CDC functions and transfer key responsibilities to a newly created “Administration for a Healthy America”—a move public health leaders warn will seriously compromise the nation’s ability to prevent and respond to health emergencies.
The signatories span political administrations and levels of government, having served under Presidents Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush, Biden and the first Trump administration. Their message is unified and urgent: the Trump administration’s actions pose a grave threat to the health and safety of the American people.
“This is a moment of profound danger for public health,” said Dr. Mary Pittman, co-founder of For Our Health and former President & CEO of the Public Health Institute. “The dismantling of CDC is not just an internal agency matter—it will leave states, communities and American families without the support they need to protect themselves from disease, misinformation and chronic illness.”
The letter highlights growing crises—including an avian influenza outbreak impacting livestock and food prices, and a growing measles epidemic fueled by plummeting vaccination rates and rising disinformation. The signers also raise alarm about the erosion of injury control and chronic disease prevention programs, public trust in science and the draining of expert talent from key federal and state agencies.
The letter calls on Congress to:
- Hold immediate oversight hearings on the restructuring of CDC and other HHS agencies
- Reinstate critical funding for public health programs, including funding for state, local and tribal public health departments
- Strengthen vaccination efforts and counter misinformation
- Protect evidence-based public health programs, including those addressing chronic diseases, injury control, and environmental threats
“Public health is not a partisan issue—it is a core responsibility of government,” the letter reads. “Neglect, misinformation and political interference put American lives at risk. Congress must act now.”
The full letter and list of signatories is available at .
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