- The Department of Health and Human Services is scaling back billions in pandemic-related funding. HHS has also directed agencies to review their spending and ensure its accuracy within the next 30 days.
- The CDC notes that these funds previously supported public health workforce expansion, COVID-19 response and research.
- As part of budget cuts, the Trump administration also ended 68 grants focused on health programs.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that billions of dollars allocated for pandemic response efforts are winding down. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funneled over $11 billion to state health departments, various organizations and international groups.
CDC to end pandemic-focused spending
In a statement to NBC News, HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon confirmed that with the official end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department would “no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.” Nixon added funds would now focus on President Donald Trump’s directive to address the nation’s chronic disease epidemic.
On March 25, HHS made its decision public. However, agencies that have relied on pandemic funding were notified Monday, March 24, to review their spending within the next 30 days to ensure accuracy and compliance.
The U.S. government officially declared an end to the COVID-19 health emergency in May 2023. The CDC reports that more than 1 million Americans died because of COVID-19. Although deaths and infections have substantially slowed compared to its peak, CDC data shows COVID-19 still claims lives every week in the U.S.
HHS implements massive spending cuts
The cuts have put HHS at the top of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaderboard for savings across federal agencies. Among the cuts, over $870 million is being pulled back from the state of Texas, though the specifics of what the money covered remain unclear. The cuts also affect health departments in other states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan.
The CDC notes the supplemental funding helped build, expand, train and sustain the public health workforce at state, tribal, local and territorial levels. This funding also supported COVID-19 prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, along with research programs aimed at creating antiviral drugs to prevent future pandemics, such as those through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
NBC reports that HHS scaled back COVID-19 funding based on grants and agreements that were no longer necessary as the need for pandemic-related resources diminished across the country.
As part of ongoing efforts to cut government spending, the Trump administration terminated 68 grants focused on areas such as HIV prevention, cancer and LGBTQ+ health last week.