Deregulation Nation: Health and Safety Are Not Optional
How Trump is dismantling the public health state—from the CDC to your kitchen table.
This Deep Dive is part 3 of our ongoing series: Deregulation Nation.
In a functioning democracy, public health and safety agencies exist for one reason: to protect people. To track and stop disease outbreaks. To regulate food, water, and drugs. To ensure workers return home from their jobs in one piece. These aren’t political luxuries; they’re the foundation of a livable society.
And they’re being dismantled in real time.
In Donald Trump’s second term, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has turned its attention to agencies that protect your body, your home, and your life. The CDC, FDA, OSHA, and USDA—institutions built from hard lessons and public tragedy—are being slashed, sidelined, and repopulated with ideologues. This isn’t just bad governance. It’s a public health emergency.
From vaccine disinformation being legitimized at the federal level, to the collapse of food safety systems, to the erosion of disease surveillance while measles spreads in Texas, this wave of deregulation is as invisible as it is deadly.
This article explores what happens when science is replaced with politics, safety is sacrificed for profit, and truth is treated as the enemy of power.
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CDC: Silenced Science, Forgotten Lessons
Founded in 1946 to combat malaria in the American South, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evolved into a global leader in public health, spearheading vaccination campaigns and outbreak response worldwide. However, under Trump’s second term, the CDC has been hollowed out by design.
DOGE cuts have gutted funding for vaccination programs, outbreak response, and epidemiological research. In February, the CDC announced it could no longer provide grants to contain the measles outbreak in Texas.
In March 2025, the administration ordered the CDC to launch a federally sanctioned study on the debunked theory linking vaccines to autism. Pediatricians and public health officials condemned the move as a direct capitulation to anti-vaccine extremism.
“This isn’t about science,” said one CDC researcher. “It’s about appeasing a political base that doesn’t want to believe in public health.”
Meanwhile, the CDC has removed dozens of pages from its website, including resources on outbreak tracking and pandemic preparedness. With surveillance systems neglected, experts warn that the U.S. may already be missing the next epidemic.
We’ve previously reported on our concerns for the leadership and programs under the current CDC leadership:
USDA: Safety Off the Table
While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was established in 1862 to support American farmers, its modern food safety mission was forged in the early 20th century, after The Jungle exposed horrific conditions in the meatpacking industry. But in 2025, that mission is being abandoned.
The Trump administration eliminated two long-standing food safety advisory committees—NACMCF and NACMPI—just as avian flu spread through poultry farms and food recalls began to spike.
DOGE also slashed USDA enforcement funding. Plant inspectors report being overworked or reassigned, with compliance violations ignored in the name of “efficiency.”
This story ties closely to our earlier reporting:
FDA: Fast-Tracked and Unchecked
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traces its origins to the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, passed after public outrage over contaminated food and medicine. Today, its independence is under assault.
In March, Dr. Peter Marks, the agency’s top vaccine official, resigned following pressure to approve experimental drugs without full data. His departure was quickly followed by the confirmation of Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, both of whom hold anti-regulatory, anti-vaccine positions.
We explored the implications of their appointments in:
Meanwhile, DOGE reforms now limit clinical review windows, weaken post-market surveillance, and reduce whistleblower protections. The administration also ordered the FDA to participate in the CDC’s vaccine-autism study, further politicizing agency credibility.
“This is what it looks like when you turn science into a campaign platform,” said one former FDA official.
OSHA: No Safe Work
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 in response to a rising wave of workplace fatalities and injuries. Its mission was to ensure safe, healthful working conditions across American industries. That mission is unraveling.
In February 2025, DOGE dissolved regional enforcement offices and revoked pandemic preparedness rules for employers.
Inspections are down 40%. Penalties are lighter. Employers are essentially self-regulating.
“This administration isn’t just ignoring workplace safety—it’s making it optional.” — Worker advocacy coalition
OSHA has also been instructed to avoid terms like “climate risk” and “public health hazard” in official reports. With extreme weather on the rise, this deregulatory silence puts workers directly in harm’s way.
We reported on the attacks on OSHA previously. As this reporting is more than 45 days old, it is available in our archive for paid subscribers. Consider subscribing for $1 per week to see stories such as this:
The Silencing of Science: NACMCF and NACMPI Eliminated
In February, the Trump administration disbanded NACMCF and NACMPI, two scientific committees that had advised the USDA and FDA on food safety for over 30 years, dating back to the Reagan and George H.W. Bush eras.
Their removal came without warning or replacement, at a time of increasing outbreaks and rising recalls. Their absence means no formal mechanism remains to independently review or update national food safety standards.
“We’re flying blind now,” said a former committee member. “It’s not just about policy. It’s about knowing what’s in your fridge.”
The Consequences: Outbreaks, Illness, and Disinformation
The fallout is measurable:
Avian flu is spreading.
Measles is back.
Food recalls are spiking.
Listeria and E. coli cases are climbing.
Fluoride bans are spreading at the state level, backed by pseudoscience.
Federal websites have been scrubbed, surveillance tools are fading, experts are quitting or silenced, and Americans are being forced to navigate health crises without credible guidance, oversight, or leadership.
This is what deregulation looks like when it reaches your bloodstream.
Conclusion: Health and Safety Are Not Optional
This isn’t a debate over bureaucracy.
It’s the dismantling of the systems that protect lives.
Agencies like the CDC, FDA, OSHA, and USDA were built from the ashes of past crises—outbreaks, poisonings, and preventable deaths. To see them stripped down, politicized, and discarded is more than a policy failure. It’s a moral one.
This administration isn’t just pulling back regulations. It’s making science subordinate to loyalty, and safety subordinate to speed. It’s hollowing out every system meant to keep us safe, and calling that “efficiency.”
But health and safety aren’t optional.
They’re the minimum.
And they’re vanishing.
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Bibliography:
How could federal health agency cuts affect Texas? Here's what to know. Houston Chronicle. March 31, 2025.
More than 1,900 scientists write letter in 'SOS' over Trump's attacks on science. The Guardian. March 31, 2025.
US pulls back $12 billion in funding to state health departments. Reuters. March 26, 2025.
How RFK Jr. could threaten vaccine markets. Axios. March 28, 2025.
Antivaxer to lead US study of link between vaccines and autism. The Times. March 26, 2025.
Exclusive: US CDC plans study into vaccines and autism, sources say. Reuters. March 7, 2025.
Trump administration axes COVID funding for state, community health departments. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. March 27, 2025.
Health officials say federal cuts will hurt Texas' measles response. The Texas Tribune. March 26, 2025.
Trump Administration Slashes New York Public Health Funding. The City. March 27, 2025.
Trump Administration Slashes Pledged Funding that Would Protect Illinoisans from Infectious Disease Outbreaks. Illinois Department of Public Health. March 26, 2025.
CDC to study potential links between vaccines and autism despite research showing no connection. The Guardian. March 7, 2025.
Trump CDC Cuts Will Undermine Response to Outbreaks in Rhode Island, Health Officials Say. Rhode Island PBS. March 31, 2025.
New friction surfaces over replicating research. Axios. March 24, 2025.
Trump administration to cut $11.4 billion in COVID funding from local health departments. CBS News. March 26, 2025.
My child has autism. Trump and RFK Jr linking it to vaccines scares parents like me. The Guardian. March 29, 2025.
Haven't various Presidents deregulated before? Hasn't that effort always ended in disaster which led to new regulation? It seems like every time financial institutions and consumer protections are deregulated we end up with a financial crises. Anyone remember "too big to fail"? That led to government bailouts of some financial institutions, which led to the corrupt financial institution CEO's awarding the bailout money to senior officers as bonuses...
It can't be understated. We are getting ready to navigate a world that is more dangerous than we have seen in our lifetimes. We are only a little over 2 months in. Personally, I've already seen mold in fruit and bad meat in our groceries within the last 2 weeks. With the measles outbreak and the bird flu, our next pandemic could prove to be even more deadly than the last.