Washington, D.C. — A cascading series of recent federal policy rollbacks, executive actions, and budget cuts under the second Trump administration has begun dismantling the United States’ public health infrastructure—severely undermining national health security. Underpinning many of these policy changes is the explicit targeting of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
A new analysis from the Center for American Progress in collaboration with the Rutgers School of Public Health breaks down the tangible economic, workforce, health, and national security impacts of dismantling diversity programs and initiatives from the American ecosystem. The authors also offer federal policy recommendations to reverse this damage and strengthen the nation’s health security infrastructure.
Key findings from the analysis include:
- Public health interventions are increasingly being driven by political agendas rather than grounded, scientific metrics.
- Eliminating health tracking programs—on maternal mortality or environmental contamination, for example—leaves the United States without vital early warning systems able to detect emerging threats.
- The loss of preventive infrastructure shifts the national economy into an expensive crisis response mode.
“Choosing political ideology over scientific evidence doesn’t just hurt marginalized communities—it dismantles the infrastructure keeping all of us safe,” said Mariam Rashid, associate director of Racial Equity and Justice Policy at CAP and co-author of the report. “By going down that road, we’re leaving Americans exposed to longer disease outbreaks, higher costs, and preventable crises.”
Read the analysis: “How Federal Attacks on Diversity and Inclusion Policies Have Dismantled Public Health Infrastructure and Threaten National Health Security” by Mariam Rashid and Perry N. Halkitis
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Mishka Espey at [email protected].