{"id":80,"date":"2026-05-26T10:40:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=80"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:40:42","slug":"hantavirus-ebola-highlight-political-division-over-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=80","title":{"rendered":"Hantavirus, Ebola highlight political division over disease"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Trump administration\u2019s shake-up of the United States\u2019 public health apparatus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has public health experts concerned about the country\u2019s ability to respond to emerging disease outbreaks like hantavirus and Ebola.<\/p>\n

Whether that\u2019s a concern for Congress, however, often depends on the member\u2019s party \u2014 a reaction that should be familiar to anyone who lived through the highly partisan response to the pandemic.<\/p>\n

There are 41 Americans being monitored for hantavirus, a highly deadly pathogen, after an outbreak on a cruise ship off the coast of West Africa. And at least one American has tested positive for Ebola and six Americans had a high-risk exposure after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that is suspected of killing 223 people as of Monday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.<\/p>\n

The overwhelming message is that Americans are at very low risk from these diseases. But some say lawmakers\u2019 ad hoc funding of some public health programs, the expiration of others, and the Trump administration\u2019s significant cuts at CDC aren\u2019t helping.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere might be misconnections or missed opportunities for information sharing, which can add up to delays and response or understanding what\u2019s happening on the ground,\u201d said Josh Michaud, associate director for global public health policy at KFF. \u201cThose kinds of things in an outbreak situation can be dangerous.\u201d <\/p>\n

Democrats and public health organizations are raising concerns that the country\u2019s public health apparatus is leaderless, underfunded and unprepared if hantavirus or Ebola spreads further.<\/p>\n

Republicans largely say it\u2019s no sweat, noting that the risk to the American public is low.<\/p>\n

Read more At the Races: Choosin\u2019 Texas<\/a><\/p>\n

CDC cuts<\/h2>\n

This partisan division over infectious disease appears here to stay. Study after study shows that U.S. elected leaders and the general public are quarantined from each other based on political affiliation when it comes to public health, and that alone can lead to poorer health outcomes.<\/p>\n

Two-thirds of Republicans and three-quarters of self-identified MAGA-supporting Republicans say they trust the Trump administration for reliable health information, according to polling from KFF. But just one-third or fewer of independents and Democrats say the same.<\/p>\n

Attrition, retirements and cuts by the administration have put staffing at the Centers for Disease Control and Protection lower by 25 percent to 33 percent, according to some estimates. The agency has been without a permanent director essentially since Trump regained office.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod save us if there is another pandemic. These guys can\u2019t organize themselves out of a paper bag,\u201d said Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. <\/p>\n

National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the country, is concerned that the U.S. is less prepared to fight infectious diseases now than it was at the start of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump administration has purposely taken a sledgehammer to that infrastructure over the past year,\u201d the organization said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he is \u201cvery nervous\u201d about agency vacancies and the U.S. no longer being part of the World Health Organization after Trump withdrew from the international body last year. Public health advocates say that could lead to delays in sharing of epidemiological data with other nations and limiting U.S. participation in contact tracing of infected people. The CDC now must rely on direct country-to-country partnerships.<\/p>\n

Kaine said concerns he\u2019s brought to Trump officials about leaving WHO have gone unaddressed. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe leadership of the nation\u2019s public health agencies is so up in the air between people getting fired, people being nominated and having their nomination retracted, that\u2019s taking a lot of energy right now. Like who\u2019s leading this effort?\u201d Kaine asked. <\/p>\n

Read more Funds to combat child exploitation added to reconciliation bill<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018A lot of lessons\u2019<\/h2>\n

The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act expired in 2023, though some of its provisions have been renewed through short-term extensions in continuing resolutions. Others expired at the end of the 2025 fiscal year, including authorizations to temporarily reassign state and local personnel during public health emergencies and authorizations for national advisory committees for at-risk populations.<\/p>\n

That may make it difficult for the CDC and state public health departments to make long-term plans to address biosecurity and supply chain issues.<\/p>\n

Kaine said he \u201cwouldn\u2019t be surprised\u201d if the outbreaks reignite efforts at a long-term authorization of the pandemic law.<\/p>\n

But that stands in contrast to the reaction from many Republicans.<\/p>\n

Rep. Earl L. \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter, R-Ga., said the country is in a better place on preparedness than before the COVID-19 outbreak because health officials have \u201ca lot of lessons\u201d since then. He noted some hantavirus patients are being treated in his state, at a biocontainment unit at Emory University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure you can ever go far enough, it\u2019s always open for scrutiny and or criticism, but I think that we\u2019re in better shape than we were,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that we should just monitor it, make sure that it doesn\u2019t get out of hand and do everything we can to keep it under control.\u201d<\/p>\n

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said weeks ago that he had discussed the hantavirus outbreak with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services deputy administrator Chris Klomp and that he \u201chas his hand on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel confident about what we\u2019re doing now, but we\u2019re obviously going to keep an eye on it,\u201d Guthrie said. \u201cThe oversight staff is really focused on this and talking to HHS everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outbreaks are coinciding with some lawmakers\u2019 efforts.<\/p>\n

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., on May 19 reintroduced a bicameral bill to address risks to maternal health during public health crises.<\/p>\n

The bill would authorize funding for CDC programs that support maternal and infant health to improve their pandemic response services, communication and data collection. Health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic health emergencies push our already-broken health care system to the brink, and it\u2019s pregnant women and moms who pay the price. We can\u2019t get caught flat-footed by the next pandemic or health crisis,\u201d Warren said in a statement. <\/p>\n

Lia DeGroot and Valerie Yurk contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Blanche says he won\u2019t recommend pardoning Maxwell<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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