E-Newsletter

Some in the media would have you believe that the Trump Administration’s recent attempts to reform the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an attack on American science.

This narrative became apparent when several CDC officials resigned their posts. One of those officials, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, cited his concerns about CDC policies shifting away from scientific reality and hurting public health.

If Dr. Daskalakis was actually paying attention, he would have noticed that the Biden CDC revealed itself to be a broken agency.

First, there was their failed COVID-19 test.

Then, the Biden CDC ignored what actual science showed and instead peddled recommendations based on political objectives. 

Look no further than the Biden CDC’s “Stop the Spread” campaign in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notwithstanding that most children were not at risk from COVID-19, the CDC misled families and pressured children into believing that if they got the COVID-19 vaccine, they prevented viral transmission, schools could reopen and life would return to normal.

One faulty Biden CDC advertisement in 2021 claimed: “if you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities without wearing masks or maintaining physical distance.” 

These erroneous conclusions differed from the scientific conclusions of the Food and Drug Administration as well as vaccine manufacturers. Biden CDC Director Rochelle Walensky touted these claims even though CDC scientists warned that the claims could not be verified.

Walensky also bypassed the science when she allowed the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to rewrite portions of the Biden Administration’s school reopening guidance. **

The above actions reflected a deeply politicized agency that operated with little respect for the actual science.

The Biden CDC’s misguided responses to COVID-19 ultimately spelled trouble for the country. 

Their actions inflicted widespread learning loss through their school closure guidance. My children suffered, as did yours. 

The Biden CDC exacerbated mental health struggles and damaged the agency’s credibility with the American public.

Public dissatisfaction over their actions played a role in Virginia when we elected a Republican governor in 2021 (the first Republican to win statewide in Virginia in 12 years). 

Discontent over lockdown policies and vaccine/mask mandates also seemed to prompt the election of a Republican majority to the U.S. House in 2022 and a Republican sweep in 2024.

It makes sense for Republicans in Washington to deliver on promises made to the American people and to attempt to restore trust in the CDC. 

So far, actions from President Trump’s team have shown progress.

When a measles outbreak spread in West Texas, our public health leaders did not sit on the sidelines. 

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (a vaccine sceptic) even directed the CDC to deploy its measles task force to deliver thousands of doses of the MMR vaccine and provide greater resources to help control the outbreak.

In May 2021 when I visited a migrant intake facility in Fort Bliss, Texas, I found it interesting that while they were giving COVID-19 vaccines, they were not giving other vaccines at that time.

It is also interesting that Texas, the U.S. state that saw the most amount of illegal border crossings under Biden-Harris open borders policies, was the scene of this outbreak.

Was this a coincidence? I think not. 

Some of my doctor friends believe the migrant surge played a role because most illegals are not vaccinated.

But Trump shut down the flood of illegal migrants coming across the border and fortunately last month, Texas officials announced the end of the measles outbreak in West Texas.

I believe Biden-Harris open border policies threatened our national security and public health security, and I support President Trump’s measures to reverse those harmful policies. 

The Trump CDC is focused on protecting Americans from other infectious diseases and health threats as well.

Through new investments, the Trump CDC will create a preeminent biothreat radar detection system.

This system will establish screenings for previously undetected infections, devise mitigation strategies and keep Americans safer from infectious diseases entering the country. 

Also, the CDC is using enhanced sewage inspection tools to help identify dangerous viruses and bacteria in the community.

As we saw during COVID-19, the CDC failed miserably and its public perception suffered accordingly. 

It is only right to correct the Biden CDC’s failures and deliver meaningful reforms to CDC’s operations so we can rebuild the CDC to be a better, more respected and more trusted institution.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments about my constituent services, feel free to contact my office.  You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives. 

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** “We Can Do This: An Assessment of the Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID19 Public Health Campaign.” https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/We_Can_Do_This_NIH_PR_Campaign_Report_PUBLIC_82616d81eb.pdf.