Trump Administration Fired Epidemic Intelligence Service "Disease Detectives"

The Trump Administration fired 5,200 HHS employees, including many "Disease Detectives" training to investigate major public health threats.

Our Analysis

The Trump Administration fired thousands of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees, including gutting the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS).

The EIS was founded in 1951 to train and deploy disease detectives to investigate major public health threats.

With the great damage created to American society and economy during the COVID-19 pandemic of Trump's first administration, having well-trained experts who can investigate and help alleviate pandemics is critical.

Trump's firings destroyed the future generation of this team.

Sources

	‘Wrecking ball’: RFK Jr. moves to fire thousands of health agency employees

Both sides aren't the same:

What the "other side" did

President Biden invested $7 billion in hiring and training public health workers to limit the damage future pandemics could cause, including creating a Public Health AmeriCorps and expanding the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS).

Sources

	FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration to Invest $7 Billion from American Rescue Plan to Hire and Train Public Health Workers in Response to COVID-19