CDC's Ability to Prevent Injuries Severely Compromised by Trump Cuts

Strategic Insights -

The systematic dismantling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the Trump administration has had a profound impact on the nation's ability to prevent injuries and keep Americans safe. As a public health expert who spent 18 years as a scientist at the CDC, I witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of these cuts. The elimination of programs aimed at preventing unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle crashes, drowning, and traumatic brain injuries, has left significant gaps in the nation's ability to protect its citizens. These injuries affect people of all ages, with more Americans dying from injuries and violence in the first half of life than from any other cause, including cancer, HIV, or the flu.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control has lost more than half of its staff through layoffs alone and as many as two-thirds when other reductions are accounted for.
  • Injuries affect people of all ages, with more Americans dying from injuries and violence in the first half of life than from any other cause, including cancer, HIV, or the flu.
  • The mass layoffs carried out in 2025 struck at the core of the injury center's programs on violence prevention and eliminated the work being done to prevent unintentional injuries like drowning, traumatic brain injuries, falls in older adults, and motor vehicle crashes.
  • The elimination of the CDC's injury prevention team will undoubtedly result in a loss of progress in preventing these avoidable injuries and leave gaps in states whose coaches are unable to fulfill their training requirements.
  • Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and fatal and nonfatal drownings cost the U.S. $56 billion each year.
  • At a cost of just $110 per child, teaching a child to swim reduces their risk of drowning by up to 88%.
  • A CDC program known as STEADI provides educational materials to make preventing falls a routine part of clinical care that doctors provide, and staff cuts resulted in the elimination of STEADI.
  • In the U.S. $2 out of every $3 of the $80 billion spent in medical costs on falls are paid by Medicare, representing 9% of the total Medicare spending on older adults.
  • Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death, killing more than 100 people every day and over 40,000 people each year, with an estimated $457 billion in medical costs and expenses in 2023.
  • Before the elimination of the CDC's injury prevention program, CDC experts created resources for parents of teen drivers like the author to keep their teens safe on the road and shared information to improve the safety of child passengers and older adult drivers.
  • The CDC's clinical guidance helped improve diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injuries in children and teens and has guided doctors in emergency rooms and clinics to provide consistent, high-quality care to their patients.

Statistics:

  • More than 40,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year.
  • Motor vehicle crashes result in an estimated $457 billion in medical costs and expenses in 2023.
  • Fatal and nonfatal drownings cost the U.S. $56 billion each year.
  • Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children ages 1 to 4.
  • 1 out of 4 older adults falls each year, resulting in hospitalizations, hip fractures, and traumatic brain injuries.
  • The CDC's injury prevention team lost 80% of its staff due to layoffs by 2022.

Sources:

  • The Conversation -- USA (3) -- By Greta Massetti, Professor of Population Health Sciences, Georgia State University