Congress: Stop the Dismantling of Public Health Now

Since President Trump’s return to office, key public health offices created by Congress have been gutted or shut down. The Office of Long Covid Research, the Office of Health Equity, and the Firefighter Cancer Registry have been emptied of staff, leaving millions of Americans without federal programs designed to protect their health (Politico, May 2025). Under the Department of Government Efficiency, the administration has eliminated around 10,000 health jobs, including 2,400 at the CDC. Programs focused on HIV prevention, chronic disease, and environmental health are no longer functioning. This is not government reform—it’s sabotage of our health system and a dismissal of congressional authority (Politico, April 2025). These offices were created by law because they serve critical needs. Shuttering them is not only a betrayal of public trust, it directly threatens the lives of people who rely on them. Closing the Office of Long Covid, for example, leaves millions of Americans without a coordinated response to a still-growing health crisis. Congress must act now. Investigate these closures, restore funding, and prevent any further dismantling of our public health protections. Lives are on the line.