I Was a Whistle-Blower Under Trump. Here’s What’s at Risk for Public Health.
By Rick Bright
“Dr. Bright is a virologist and a former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House in 2025 poses a grave risk to our nation’s security. As the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a Health and Human Services office, I witnessed firsthand how the Trump administration systematically undermined America’s health infrastructure. My experience during his time in office, which led me to file a whistle-blower complaint, provides a stark warning of what a second Trump presidency could mean for public health.
In early 2020, as Covid began its relentless spread, I and other public health experts urgently warned the Trump administration and senior advisers about critical shortages in medical supplies and the desperate need for a coordinated national response. Our recommendations, grounded in decades of pandemic preparedness planning, were not just ignored — they were actively suppressed.
When I opposed the administration’s reckless promotion of the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment I faced swift retaliation. I was removed from my position, silenced and sidelined at a time when experienced leadership was crucial. This wasn’t just a personal injustice; it was a microcosm of the administration’s broader war on scientific expertise. (Under the Trump administration, Health and Human Services officials denied any wrongdoing; my whistle-blower complaint was settled under the Biden administration.)
The consequences of this approach became tragically apparent as the pandemic unfolded. By the time Mr. Trump left office, over 400,000 Americans had died of Covid-19. Hydroxychloroquine was ineffective for Covid, and studies have suggested that its use was harmful. Had more mitigation efforts been made early on, including recognizing airborne spread, studies suggest more lives could’ve been saved.
One of the great wins of the pandemic — the Covid vaccines produced through Operation Warp Speed — happened under Mr. Trump. And yet, he doesn’t seem to want to talk about it.
The bungling of the pandemic response has roots in the early days of the Trump administration. Mr. Trump’s early budgets proposed devastating cuts to critical institutions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faced a proposed 17 percent budget cut of $1.2 billion, which would have left it with its lowest funding in 20 years. This threatened efforts to combat diabetes, heart disease and stroke — leading causes of death that touch nearly every American family. The National Institutes of Health was targeted for an 18 percent reduction of $5.8 billion, including $1 billion from the National Cancer Institute, threatening critical breakthroughs in treating cancer, heart disease and emerging infectious threats. While initial cuts to the Food and Drug Administration were less severe, the agency faced relentless pressure to speed up drug approvals, potentially compromising safety standards that protect millions of Americans.
Although Congress blocked some of these cuts, there was still damage. Key public health agencies entered the Covid-19 pandemic weakened, understaffed and demoralized. By 2020, the C.D.C.’s funding for state and local preparedness continued its downward slide, reaching a 20 percent reduction from 2003 levels. This systematic erosion of our public health infrastructure left us woefully unprepared for the challenge of a generation.
Now Mr. Trump seeks to return to power with a potentially more aggressive agenda to reshape our health institutions. Proposals supported by conservative initiatives like Project 2025 aim to split the C.D.C., stripping its ability to issue critical vaccine guidance, weaken the F.D.A.’s approval processes for key medical products and further slash N.I.H. funding. Some of these proposed changes, should Mr. Trump decide to embrace them, would require congressional approval. Yet a determined president could do a great deal of damage to our public health infrastructure through the installation of loyalists in key positions, redirection of funds and agency restructuring via executive actions.
The ramifications of such changes are profound. A weakened C.D.C. would struggle to provide unified guidance during health crises. N.I.H. cuts would impede crucial medical breakthroughs, jeopardizing advancements in cancer treatments, vaccines for diseases like Ebola and vital research on heart disease. A compromised F.D.A. could lead to hasty approvals of unproven treatments, eroding public trust in medical interventions. Furthermore, undermining these institutions would diminish America’s role in global health initiatives, leaving us more susceptible to international health threats.
The conservative policy agenda also seeks to minimize the influence of experts within health agencies, deferring more decisions to local and nonexpert entities. This approach disregards the critical role of people with knowledge in public health successes, such as eradicating polio and developing lifesaving vaccines.
America faces numerous infectious disease threats right now: continued Covid-19 cases, the looming specter of H5N1 avian influenza with pandemic potential, the ongoing challenge of mpox, the persistent threat of West Nile virus and the deadly but underappreciated danger of Eastern equine encephalitis. Our capacity to detect, respond to and safeguard Americans from these threats is at great risk.
These challenges require a resilient and well-funded public health infrastructure. We need health care systems capable of rapid expansion during crises, a skilled public health work force, cutting-edge technology, advanced surveillance systems, transparent communication channels and robust global collaboration.
Mr. Trump’s return, coupled with plans to debilitate critical agencies, threatens to leave us perilously exposed. His antagonism toward science and expertise also jeopardizes public trust in health institutions. During his tenure, political interference repeatedly disrupted scientific communications, undermining public health messaging and breeding confusion during critical times.
As Election Day grows near, the United States is at a crossroads: We can either fortify our public health infrastructure or watch it deteriorate; embrace scientific expertise or yield to dangerous misinformation; prepare for future health crises or leave ourselves vulnerable. The choice we make will determine our nation’s ability to face the next pandemic — which is inevitable — and address the daily health challenges of millions of Americans.
For the well-being of our nation, the safety of our loved ones and the security of future generations, we must reject Donald Trump and any other candidate who threatens to undermine our public health institutions.“
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