1. United States
2. Neb.
3. Letter

Today was a shameful massacre across HHS, where thousands of workers found out they and their programs were gutted when they lost access to their building. It is disgusting and shameful that this is allowed to happen while Russel Vought and RFK Jr are cheering this on. Do we really want to be a nation that cuts vital public health services and gets rid of scientists rather than a nation that leads research and preparedness? The cuts at the CDC targeted programs that address all aspects of American lives. This will lead to worse health outcomes. We already lag behind other industrialized nations in health outcomes. There has been no effort to allow staff to transfer projects, programs or responsibilities. The cuts will have immediate impact. At the division for HIV prevention, half the staff were fired. The division reduces HIV-related infection and death rates in the U.S. States rely heavily on federal funds for public health initiatives. The funds helped pay for PrEP meds for high-risk patients, distribute funds for testing, and keep track of tests and diagnoses. The DEHSP was slashed in its entirety. This division includes the asthma and air quality branch, the climate Ave health activity branch, the emerging environmental hazard branch, the environmental public health tracking branch, the lead poisoning surveillance project, and the water, food and environmental health services branch. The layoffs also included the staff at major aging, disability,, and anti-poverty programs. The Administration fur Community living, which distributes 216 million meals to older and disabled people, was gutted. It improves the lives of tens of million of older adults and people with disabilities and their families and caregivers. Every staffer from the division of energy assistance was fired. The program helps millions of low-income households pay their heating and cooling bills, and pay for repairs that boost energy efficiency. The cuts also affected NIH, which funds cancer, Alzheimer’s, and HIV research. Thousands of grants to scientists were cut. Cuts were made to scientists involved in brain research, computer specialists and nearly the entire communicative staff. We are drifting further and further into ignorance and isolation. Why is nothing being done to stop billionaires and grifting conspiracy theorists? What is the end benefit of firing scientists and gutting entire divisions dedicated to Americans’ safety, health and welfare? How does this make America great?