By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, April 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not only lost nearly a fifth of its workforce, it has also been directed to slash $2.9 billion in contract spending.
That’s about 35% of its total contract budget. The agency has been ordered to comply by April 18.
These cuts come on top of the loss of 2,400 employees, The New York Times reported.
On Tuesday, more staff were fired, including scientists who worked on environmental health, asthma, injuries, lead poisoning and climate change.
“Sure, any manager can find small savings and improvements, but these kinds of demands are of the size and speed that break down organizations,” Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, told The Times.
“This is not the way to do good for the public or for the public’s health,” he added.
The CDC’s largest contract — about $7 billion a year — is for the Vaccines for Children Program, which provides vaccines for families who can’t afford them.
That program is required by law and will not be affected, officials said.
But other contracts that pay for computer systems, security, cleaning and research projects could be cut. Some contracts also support COVID-related work, which may also be at risk.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also stopped $11.4 billion in CDC grants to states that were using the money for tracking diseases, mental health and addiction treatment.
Some contracts may not move forward at all because the people in charge of them have already been let go.
The administration also told the CDC to cut grants to Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania due to concerns about how the schools handled antisemitism on campus.
“Funding grants and contracts are the mechanism by which we get things done,” one CDC scientist who asked to remain anonymous because of a fear of retaliation, told The New York Times.
“They are cutting off our arms and legs.”
More information
The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax policy group, is tracking ongoing federal budget cuts.
SOURCE: The New York Times, April 2, 2025
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