The Executive Attack on Public Health

By: Simi David

Background 

Upon his return to office, Trump has commenced a wide-spanning, overwhelming assault on public health. On his very first day, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO), a preeminent UN agency that functions to strengthen global access to health services and advise international response to health crises such as COVID-19 (Nater, 2025). At the educational level, Trump has worked to dramatically constrain universities’ access to federal research funding, which the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has felt particularly prominently. Over 59 percent of the HSPH’s operating budget derives from government funding, leaving the school’s research projects and efforts at a stalemate. A number of the terminated grants at HSPH financed vital studies on vaccine wariness, HIV-related care, LGBTQ health, and the effects of racial inequity on health outcomes (Mao & Paulus, 2025). As of March 27th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will discharge approximately 10,000 workers and shut down several agencies, many of which provide addiction services and act as community health centers throughout the nation (Burdette et al., 2025). And while it has yet to fully materialize, the Trump Administration has expressed consideration to enact devastating cutbacks on CDC HIV Prevention Programs. For over four decades, the CDC has been a leading actor in mitigating the impact of HIV, facilitating its devolution from a deadly epidemic into a manageable condition while simultaneously contracting infection rates (Wolf, 2025). 

The Aftereffects: The Immediate and The Foreseeable 

The repercussions of this nationwide attack on public health infrastructure are not to be taken lightly. Withdrawing from the WHO places the U.S. in a position of isolationism and detachment from the international community, leaving the country us misguided and poorly informed on infectious diseases as well as potential future epidemics. The extensive cutbacks and threats to cut back on federal funding situate universities and institutions in a very difficult and stagnant position. They are left, or will be left, with miniscule fiscal capacity to continue their vital research and service efforts which have–for years–been momentous in combating infectious diseases, providing critical health assistance, and illuminating disparities within the healthcare system. And of course, shutting down state agencies and departments across the country leaves thousands of Americans unemployed, raising questions of an economic recession. All in all, the executive attack on public health will further devastate public health resources, exacerbate health inequities, and erode science and scientific expertise (Public Health Under Threat, 2025). At this precarious moment in time, during which measles and the bird flu loom over the U.S. and the rest of the world, the capability of our nation to respond to public health crises effectively and sensibly is in grave jeopardy. It is of the essence, now more than ever, to organize and protest against this immensely oppressive federal campaign, whether that is by joining the American Public Health Association (APHA), rallying through the Stand Up For Science initiative, or organizing at a school-wide or community-wide level (Stand Up For Science, 2025). 

Sources:

APHA . (2025). Public health under threat. APHA: American Public Health Association . https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/public-health-under-threat

Burdette, S., Brown , B., Warren , M., & Yee, C. (Eds.). (2025, March 27). Donald Trump: Breaking news & latest updates. AP News. https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump

Mao, W. C., & Paulus , V. H. (2025, March 25). As Trump slashes federal grants, the Harvard School of Public Health has the most to lose. The Harvard Crimson. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/25/HSPH-Loses-Trump-Cuts/

Nater, O. (2025, January 28). And so it begins: Trump’s attacks on health, rights and the environment. Population Connection. https://populationconnection.org/blog/and-so-it-begins-trumps-attacks-on-health-rights-and-the-environment/

Stand up for Science. STAND UP FOR SCIENCE. (2025). https://standupforscience2025.org/

Wolf, B. (2025, March 19). Trump administration considers catastrophic slashes to CDC HIV Prevention Programs. HRC. https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/trump-administration-considers-catastrophic-slashes-to-cdc-hiv-prevention-programs

Image Source: https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/public-health-under-threat