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Health
If we are going to protect ourselves from chronic disease, we need to identify the environmental exposures that are causing it and eliminate them. “ Secretary Kennedy
The reality? Trump, Musk and Kennedy cut billions for testing, staff and funding up to 67% and elimination of environmental assessment programs
The Cdc, under HHS divisions like the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) that directly assess environmental hazards and pollution got an axe. The NCEH evaluates risks from factors like lead exposure, air pollution, and water contamination. What happens to it now? ELIMINATED! CLOSEd! So far we have to see if anything will emerge from some obviously corrupt part of the agencies but perfectly useful programs are closed while vaccine and biologics including mRNA platform is growing and supported under Trump, Kennedy.
Now National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, and the Global Health Center are being shuttered. The NCEH’s closure directly eliminates a key HHS component for assessing environmental hazards and pollution.
The CDC’s public health preparedness programs are also being shut down.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)loses $1.7 billion, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also faces cuts
Both NOAA and HHS play key roles in assessing environmental hazards and pollution, but their budgets are being drastically cut under Trump’s plan—NOAA’s OAR by $314 million (65% reduction) and HHS by 26% overall, including $3.6 billion from the CDC. These cuts severely limit their ability to conduct assessments, shifting more responsibility to states and other entities.
NOAA plays a significant role in assessing environmental hazards and pollution, particularly in areas related to weather, climate, oceans, and atmospheric conditions.
NOAA’s Environmental Compliance Program (EC Program)manages requirements for a wide range of environmental factors, including:
NOAA’s budget is being significantly cut, a specific reduction of $314 million to the OAR, effectively dismantling its climate, weather, and ocean research capabilities. This significantly limits NOAA’s ability to assess environmental hazards and pollution.
The CDC oversees programs like the National Toxicology Program (NTP), which identifies carcinogenic hazards The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, part of the CDC under HHS, assesses occupational environmental hazards, such as toxic exposures in workplaces (e.g., for firefighters). While NIOSH focuses on occupational settings, its work overlaps with broader environmental hazard assessments. NOAA:
To summarize,
HHS
The closure of the NCEH eliminates a primary HHS component for assessing environmental hazards like lead exposure, air pollution, and water contamination.
NOAA and HHS cuts shift more responsibility to states and local governments . However, states may lack the resources to fully replace federal assessments, especially with reduced federal support (e.g., EPA loans for clean water projects cut by $2.5 billion,
NOAA assesses environmental hazards and pollution through its Environmental Compliance Program (e.g., NEPA projects, hazardous waste management) and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) which studies climate, weather, and ocean-related hazards.
NOAA’s budget is being cut, with the OAR’s funding slashed by $314 million from $485 million to $171 million, effectively eliminating its research capabilities and surveillance programs !
HHS assesses environmental hazards and pollution through the CDC (e.g., National Center for Environmental Health, National Toxicology Program) and NIOSH focusing on public health risks from environmental factors like chemical exposures and pollution. Almost all environmental toxic surveillance programs under these agencies effectively shut down! Or significantly reduced in its capacity for environmental hazard assessments.