In its 78-year history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has evolved from its origins tackling malaria to an agency that aims to safeguard almost every aspect of Americans' health. But the CDC's sprawling mission could be in for some big changes in the new Trump administration. House Republicans have called for cuts to the CDC's budget, and former Trump administration officials have suggested restructuring the agency in ways that would diminish its reach and influence.
Some of the agency's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including shifting recommendations on masks, unpopular travel restrictions and controversies over guidance to schools sparked criticism and a backlash. In the midst of the pandemic, there was a wide gap in trust in the CDC by party affiliation. Only 27% of Republicans had a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of trust in CDC compared with 76% of Democrats, according to a poll conducted in early 2021 by NPR, the Harvard T.
H. Chan School of Public Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. One response: For the first time, the president's pick for CDC director will require Senate confirmation.
Republican lawmakers had pushed for the change , which became law in 2023. President-elect Donald Trump didn't say much about CDC on the campaign trail. But those advising him — such as noted vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr .
— have long pushed for a shift in how the nation approaches vaccines, science and public health. The Trump transition team h.