A somber mood has taken over the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta over fears of what President-elect Donald Trump may mean for the agency.
Speaking anonymously to WBAE, CDC workers described people crying in the hallways, worried about having research defunded with Trump’s promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. One microbiologist said she’s worried Trump will appoint public health officials who oppose the idea of mandatory vaccines, like Trump allies Ben Carson, MD, or Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
Others sounded more optimistic.
“We've ran this place underfunded and we’ve done a great job,” said one CDC employee with 40 years’ experience. “With Zika, don’t forget, we were at the brink of running out of money, but we prevailed. We've got a mission, we're dedicated to it and we're going to continue it.”
For more on how the next president could affect the CDC, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.