showtime I Was a Whistle-Blower Under Trump. Here’s What’s at Risk for Public Health.
Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House in 2025 poses a grave risk to our nation’s security. As the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a Health and Human Services officeshowtime, I witnessed firsthand how the Trump administration systematically undermined America’s health infrastructure. My experience during his time in office, which led me to file a whistle-blower complaint, provides a stark warning of what a second Trump presidency could mean for public health.
In early 2020, as Covid began its relentless spread, I and other public health experts urgently warned the Trump administration and senior advisers about critical shortages in medical supplies and the desperate need for a coordinated national response. Our recommendations, grounded in decades of pandemic preparedness planning, were not just ignored — they were actively suppressed.
When I opposed the administration’s reckless promotion of the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment I faced swift retaliation. I was removed from my position, silenced and sidelined at a time when experienced leadership was crucial. This wasn’t just a personal injustice; it was a microcosm of the administration’s broader war on scientific expertise. (Under the Trump administration, Health and Human Services officials denied any wrongdoing; my whistle-blower complaint was settled under the Biden administration.)
The consequences of this approach became tragically apparent as the pandemic unfolded. By the time Mr. Trump left office, over 400,000 Americans had died of Covid-19. Hydroxychloroquine was ineffective for Covid, and studies have suggested that its use was harmful. Had more mitigation efforts been made early on, including recognizing airborne spread, studies suggest more lives could’ve been saved.
One of the great wins of the pandemic — the Covid vaccines produced through Operation Warp Speed — happened under Mr. Trump. And yet, he doesn’t seem to want to talk about it.
The bungling of the pandemic response has roots in the early days of the Trump administration. Mr. Trump’s early budgets proposed devastating cuts to critical institutions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faced a proposed 17 percent budget cut of $1.2 billion, which would have left it with its lowest funding in 20 years. This threatened efforts to combat diabetes, heart disease and stroke — leading causes of death that touch nearly every American family. The National Institutes of Health was targeted for an 18 percent reduction of $5.8 billion, including $1 billion from the National Cancer Institute, threatening critical breakthroughs in treating cancer, heart disease and emerging infectious threats. While initial cuts to the Food and Drug Administration were less severe, the agency faced relentless pressure to speed up drug approvals, potentially compromising safety standards that protect millions of Americans.
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