One of the most alarming things about what’s happening to public heath under Trump’s administration isn’t just the budget cuts or staffing shortages. It’s the thought process behind them.
The assumption is that expertise is optional. Why invest in epidemiologists when you can have political appointees? Why maintain disease surveillance programs when you can cut their budgets so we can spend more on Trump’s birthday party?
But then an actual outbreak happens. A parasitic illness spreads across dozens of states, thousands of people get sick, and state health departments scramble to identify the source while federal officials struggle to mount a response because the teams designed to handle these situations were dismantled months earlier.
That’s the part we miss about public health — when it’s working, you barely notice it. But this administration loves attention more than us. So, was this cyclospora outbreak an isolated failure, or was it the first real showing of RFK Jr.’s war on competence?
Watch Sam’s and Dr. Rob’s conservation and leave your thoughts in the comments.
