Trump’s Former Surgeon General Leads Call for Drastic Change in Administration Health Policies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A series of speakers led by Dr. Jerome Adams, U.S. Surgeon General in the first Trump administration, called for drastic changes in the public health policies being pursued by the second Trump administration in a media briefing today hosted by Defend Public Health, a national network formed earlier this year.

Introducing the discussion, Elizabeth Jacobs, Professor Emerita of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Arizona and member of the Defend Public Health Coordinating Committee, called out the administration’s “anti-science, anti-public health agenda,” and expressed the concern that “the destructive aspects of this administration’s actions may not have yet reached the American public,” causing the group to hold the briefing.

While the National Institutes of Health – now under the purview of HHS secretary and longtime anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – has recently canceled over 40 studies of vaccine hesitancy, and NPR has reported an internal NIH email stating that “it is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated,” Adams argued strongly that such research is urgent: “First,” Adams said, “we must address vaccine hesitancy as a top priority. If we don’t tackle this issue, no other health initiative will effectively improve life expectancy in our country. Vaccination is not just a personal choice; it is a public health imperative.”

Dr. Adams also focused on the need to address what are known as “social determinants of health” – factors like living conditions, discrimination and access to good food that allow people to stay healthy – saying, “Federal policies need to focus on addressing systemic inequities that disproportionately affect marginalized populations. We must design targeted initiatives that consider the unique challenges these communities face.” Such an effort would have to reverse administration moves to bar federal government references to “woke” realities like racial disparities and gender identity.        

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, founder and executive director of Moms Rising, highlighted the devastating effects of cuts to Medicaid required by Republican budget plans. “If the $880 billion in Republican-proposed cuts to Medicaid happen,” she said, “it would threaten healthcare access for the 72 million people across America who are on Medicaid, including seniors living in long-term care, children, low-income families, pregnant people, and people with disabilities. Rural communities, which face greater healthcare challenges such as higher rates of chronic disease, tighter hospital budgets, and provider shortages are especially vulnerable to Medicaid cuts. About 47 percent of children in rural America have health coverage through Medicaid.”

Leslie Frane, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, noted that Trump administration policies also endanger the men and women that Americans depend on for their care. “During the COVID pandemic, no one experienced more trauma, loss, and burnout than frontline healthcare workers,” Frane said.  “It is gut-wrenching to see the Trump administration announce policy after policy that puts those very workers—and the people they care for—at risk of more pain and suffering.”

George Washington University medical student Sriha Srinivasan, also an activist with the #FreeThePill youth council and creator of @sexedu on TikTok, discussed the millions of students like her, including future doctors, who could lose access to their educations if the Department of Education is destroyed and discussed the impact of research cuts. “Patients in clinical trials today—patients who pinned their hopes on cutting-edge treatments—are being told that their trials are ending because the funding is gone. Promising research in reproductive health, in novel cancer treatments, in life-saving therapies for rare diseases—cut off. And for the scientists behind these grants? Every single one of my peers who were set to conduct research at the NIH this summer had their positions taken away with a single email.”

Srinivasan also touched on recent executive orders affecting reproductive health and gender-affirming care, noting, “Here in DC, the impacts of Executive Order 14187, which restricts access to gender-affirming care for transgender young people, are already being felt: Children’s National and George Washington Hospital have halted care, with providers forced to cause physical and mental harm to their patients. The message this administration is sending to young people is clear: Your future does not matter.”