In the first weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has already issued sweeping executive orders that strike at pillars of national public health. Changes like deleted data, disappearing webpages and the dismissal of a global group are more than mere bureaucratic shifts. By isolating both Americans and the United States itself, the Trump Administration’s policies threaten to majorly compromise national health and safety.
So far, Trump’s policies have already adversely impacted many instruments of public health. On Jan. 21, a memo ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all external communications until Feb. 1, plunging agencies into chaos and the general public into a federal health information blackout. The depth of this disruption was signaled by a historic forced hiatus of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s primary scientific voice, which had not been interrupted since 1952.
In the face of continuous health threats, withholding such information from the public is exceedingly dangerous. The current bird flu outbreak has resulted in sky-high egg prices and millions of infected birds slaughtered. Out of 70 confirmed human cases nationwide — including one death — 38 belong to California; Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to address the flu. As the virus continues to spread and the risk of a human pandemic increases, access to up-to-date information from credible sources is crucial for protecting community and individual health.
“Data sets that track public health are so important,” said Dr. Janet Coffman, professor of health policy at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s important to know the prevalence of infectious diseases, where there are more or less severe outbreaks and if they are more common among younger people or older people, or certain racial and ethnic groups.”
Additionally, the National Institute of Health announced dramatic cuts for indirect costs, which support medical research through expenses like lab maintenance and safety protections for human subjects. Slashing support so vital to research institutions like the UC system will devastate scientific progress and the scientists who foster it.
“If they get no federal funding, new faculty will have a difficult time building labs or getting their research programs off the ground, which will mean that they won’t be able to get academic or tenured positions,” said Dr. Miranda Worthen, professor of public health at San José State University. “I think there’s a pipeline that we’ll see play out for a long time, even if someone can flip the switch and restore funding and the workforce to an appropriate level.”
The Trump Administration’s policies of erasure are significant for all Americans, but especially for marginalized Americans disproportionately suffering certain health issues. Federal health agency websites were “modified to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders,” including those that terminate diversity, equity and inclusion and “gender ideology” initiatives. Webpages mentioning topics from LGBTQ+ rights to HIV temporarily vanished, then reappeared with lasting changes: the CDC’s AtlasPlus, which tracks sexually transmitted diseases, remains stripped of race and ethnicity data. Still, the full extent of modification remains unknown.
On Jan. 31, the CDC mandated that pending scientific manuscripts be stripped of terms like “gender,” “transgender” and “nonbinary.” However, these terms are critical for addressing the health issues of different populations, like the disproportionate effects of HIV on transgender communities. Data illuminates; if the government only distributes resources and funds in the dark, public health threats could spiral out of control and worsen healthcare disparities, especially in marginalized populations.
“The research that we put out there as scientists relies on trust,” said Dr. Marcelle Dougan, associate professor of public health at SJSU. “In order for us to be a well-functioning society, we need to have that transparency and trust. You also can’t conduct research using faulty data. That means your findings are faulty, and that means any kind of intervention you make as a result of those findings will be faulty as well.”
The consequences of these public health mandates are already rippling across the globe and will eventually return to the United States itself. Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order mandating a 90-day aid freeze has crippled foreign initiatives that globally address critical health issues. Another order to withdraw from the World Health Organization, where the U.S. supplies 16 to 18 percent of its revenue, threatens to do the same. These efforts immediately impact populations around the globe, such as a halt in the supply of lifesaving medications. They also foster research that informs U.S. progress in pertinent areas like infectious disease.
Trump’s approach to public health, though perhaps halted temporarily by federal court rulings, now reveals only a glimpse of the potential havoc of the next four years. With vital health information and processes under attack, staying informed, protected and engaged is more crucial than ever. As reliable resources dwindle, misinformation has room to abound; as such, health information should be critically evaluated and fact-checked with trusted sources, like healthcare providers and scientists. Basic protocols, like handwashing and keeping up with recommended vaccines, can protect immensely against current and emerging disease threats. These practices safeguard both individuals and wider communities, which can provide networks of support and facts. Contacting elected representatives and other forms of personal advocacy can fortify local and state protections. The dangers and disruptions of the Trump Administration should not be underestimated, but neither should the efficacy of our own actions.
“We can do our own research on things like new diseases around the world,” said Elvis Hou, senior and vice president of Stanford Team Hepatitis B Virus’s Lynbrook chapter. “It’s important for us to continue to stay educated.”
