The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday that it will be rescinding $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funding from health departments, nongovernmental organizations, and international recipients.

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The move marks a significant shift in the federal government’s approach to managing the pandemic and its aftermath.

According to Andrew Nixon, the Director of Communications for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the decision reflects the administration’s recognition that the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

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“The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” Nixon stated in a message to NBC News.

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He added that HHS is now focusing its resources on addressing the country’s chronic disease epidemic, aligning with President Trump’s goal to “Make America Healthy Again.”

This shift comes after HHS also closed the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, further signaling that the current administration may be scaling back most COVID-19-related initiatives.

A memo obtained by Politico, announcing the closure of the office, noted that while the office had made progress in advancing understanding, resources, and support for people living with Long COVID, the administration was reorganizing and moving away from such efforts.

The termination of funding for COVID-19 initiatives aligns with broader cuts within the federal government.

Newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also canceled millions of dollars in grants for research related to vaccines and disease prevention.

According to reports, notices of termination sent to grantees on Monday explained that the grants were no longer necessary as their purpose had been fulfilled following the end of the pandemic.

While the COVID-19 crisis may have officially ended, the virus continues to affect people across the country.

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Since 2020, over a million Americans have allegedly died from the virus.

The funds that the CDC is pulling back were primarily used for efforts such as tracking the virus, vaccinating the public, supporting community health workers, and addressing health disparities related to COVID-19, particularly in high-risk and underserved populations. These efforts also included global COVID-19 response initiatives.

State health officials have raised concerns about the impact of the funding cuts on local efforts to monitor and control the virus.

Kristina Iodice, Communications Director for Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment, expressed worries that the sudden loss of federal funding could jeopardize the state’s ability to track COVID-19 trends and respond to new outbreaks.

“We are concerned that this sudden loss of federal funding threatens Colorado’s ability to track COVID-19 trends and other emerging diseases, modernize disease data systems, respond to outbreaks, and provide critical immunization access, outreach, and education—leaving communities more vulnerable to future public health crises,” Iodice told NBC News.

Lori Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County & City Health Officials, echoed similar concerns. She noted that while much of the funding was expected to expire soon, the abrupt cancellation of these resources was “cruel and unusual behavior.”

Freeman questioned the timing of the decision, stating, “It’s ending in the next six months. There’s no reason — why rescind it now?”

The COVID-19 funding cuts come at a time when the country is still facing outbreaks of other diseases, such as measles.

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A recent measles outbreak in Washington D.C. raised alarms, with potential exposures in areas like Union Station and Adams Morgan.

The funding that is being pulled from CDC programs was also used to track and respond to other infectious diseases like measles, further complicating the public health response as resources are pulled.

As the CDC redirects its focus to chronic disease prevention and other health initiatives, the decision to rescind the COVID-19 funding is likely to continue to spark debate.

Local health officials and public health organizations are expressing concern about the potential consequences of this shift, especially as the country continues to recover from the ongoing effects of the pandemic and faces new public health challenges.

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