Since January, staff at the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are rolling up thousands of colleagues due to shooting, effective reductions and acquisitions.

According to a February executive order, part of the Trump administration is to “significantly reduce the size of the federal government” with its stated goal of minimizing waste and abuse. Trump's rally on May 29 celebrated extensive shootings by government workers, his first hundred days in office. "We are stopping their gravy trains, ending their power trips, and telling thousands of corrupt, incompetent and unnecessary deep state bureaucrats that you're fired. Start here," he said.

Public health workers felt depressed and said there appeared to be little consideration of how the CDC works, cutting cuts, thus reducing the country's ability to track and respond to health threats. Current and former CDC employees told NPR that this makes Americans more vulnerable to dangers from lead poisoning to asthma, some of which are cancers, toxic chemicals and deadly infectious diseases and other things.

The government has restricted communication with domestic and global partners and strictly restricted the purchase of supplies and employment of personnel. Programs and departments include programs and departments targeting injury prevention, sexual, reproductive and oral health and reducing workplace hazards, with recent budget and staff cuts.

“It’s five alarm fires,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who retired in 2021 after 33 years at the agency. “The changes that are happening will take decades to recover, and many people will die from these disturbances.”

HHS spokesman Emily Hilliard defended these changes: “During the transition of the sector, CDC remains committed to maintaining continuity of operations and fulfil its core mission to protect the U.S. public from health threats. The agency’s restructuring is a necessary strategic effort to align with evolving public health needs – a plan that reflects responsibility and progressively, not instability,” she wrote NPR. “Throughout the process, leadership continues to support the workforce with transparency and active participation. ”

Newly trained health leaders face "demolition" of public health infrastructure

Against this backdrop, the CDC held its annual meeting in late April to celebrate the work of its pandemic intelligence service, a highly selective training program for “disease detectives” who responded to outbreaks in the United States and around the world.

The meeting was hardly held. According to staff, the plan appeared to be in the chopping block in February and they saw the expected cut list, but survived.

“We have been given late approvals given the changes in management,” said Eric Pevzner, head of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Agency. “What is usually planned for six months, (the CDC staff) did it in about six weeks.”

The agency trained for two years in disease detectives before continuing as a national public health leader. More than 4,000 alumni received this advanced training and returned year after year.

The conference speech was a pass-through ceremony for officials who completed the scholarship and was packed with a four-day event schedule. "It's great to see science continue, work continues, and dedication continues. But the imminent moment ahead is not very promising."

"Many people in public health are anxious about the budget and staff cuts that lead to the "demolition of public health infrastructure", Castro said, "What will their future be?" This is uncertain. What will the people who have just finished the training do? This is uncertain. This is the challenge we face. "The challenges we face."

As someone who has attended this meeting several times, Castro can see what is missing. “Many people who were supposed to be here were taken action,” he said. Those who still feel like they were watched — which is why the ironic revue of this year’s meeting was cancelled: “(officials) felt too vulnerable to make fun of any authority figures. For me, it’s part of the terror reign we live in,” Castro said.

It often feels like a family gathering, he said—but this time.

Cut down the "bone" of scientific personnel

A few miles down the street, on the main gate of the CDC campus, former employees held weekly protests to protest the agency’s cuts.

Dr. Daniel Pollock, an EIS alumnus in 1984, said: “It’s so badly disrupting people’s lives, agencies, tasks.

Pollock was one of about 60 people outside the CDC late Tuesday afternoon, holding signs, playing drums and leaving workers at the end of the day.

“I know a lot of friends and colleagues who are still working there, a lot of friends and colleagues who have been fired, and a lot of friends and colleagues have retired in the last few months. Foot.”

Across the street, Michael Beach wore a sun hat and hiking boots, marked with the “Save CDC.” As a former deputy director of Foodborne, Waterborne and environmental illnesses, he wore button-up shirts and casual pants and worked behind these doors for years. “It’s the most satisfying piece you can imagine and you make a difference every day,” he said.

The beach retired in 2021 and he was shocked by what colleagues at the agency heard. "To cut off scientific personnel, close laboratories, cut off all data on maternal health, violence, environmental health, prevention of HIV and STDs and tuberculosis, these things will have a huge impact on the health of this country," he said.

Counter-protesters support Robert F. Kennedy

Although protests against CDC cuts have been going on for several months, Mike Arnold, an advocate against vaccines, has been released here for years.

On a recent Friday, he stood on the same street at the entrance to the CDC, surrounded by more than a dozen signs. Many of them have shown his opposition to vaccines against new health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., others, claiming they cause autism — a view that has been debunked.

Arnold said he was confused about the layoffs. "I don't want to see executives fired, security personnel, maintenance personnel, I feel sorry for them, scientists and doctors - no, I have some regrets about them."

Public health experts warn that many people will get sick or die due to cuts in CDC programs such as those used for lead poisoning, asthma, disease testing, and programs that promote safe delivery and vaccines.