Louisiana will no longer promote mass vaccination, according to a New York Times article that quoted state surgeon general Ralph Abraham as saying Louisiana’s COVID-19 efforts were “tyrannical” and “an offense against personal autonomy”. Overall, the US is less prepared for another infectious disease outbreak as vaccination rates for measles in 36 states have fallen below the 95% required to maintain ‘heard immunity’.
The Trump administration is making it worse with restrictions on CDC publications that the medical community relies on to manage public health issues such as bird flu. In addition, the administration has promised to cut the CDC’s budget which is the source of funding for local health departments, health data collection and guidance. Trump has also pulled the US out of the World Health Organization, further hampering our effectiveness in stopping disease outbreaks.
Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has come under fire for destructive changes to the agency including: forcing out senior leaders, replacing all 17 members of the CDC’s key Advisory Committee with vaccine skeptics, changing vaccine guidelines such as restricting COVID-19 shorts for lower-risk people and reducing the list of universally recommended immunizations for children (NYT, 12/30/25).
Nine former leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have spoken out against Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, publishing an open letter that criticizes his policies – including restricting vaccines, pulling funding for research, and firing thousands of healthcare workers (BBC, 9/2/25).