Amid Ebola and Hantavirus Outbreaks, Democrats Blame Trump's Health Cuts for Weakening U.S. Response

The Trump administration's deep cuts to federal health agencies have become a political liability following a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship and the spread of Ebola in Africa, Democrats charge. They argue the U.S.

is ill-prepared to respond to outbreaks after President Donald Trump slashed jobs and funding for public health infrastructure and pandemic preparedness. Infectious disease specialists have called on the White House to reverse cuts and rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO).

The White House is on the defensive, trying to reassure the public that the federal government can still mount effective responses.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) underwent massive layoffs as part of an effort led by billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which also canceled billions in federal contracts and grants. "These outbreaks are unfolding at a time when the U.S.

public health infrastructure is under significant strain," said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency medicine physician and former Baltimore health commissioner.

"The CDC currently lacks a director, the FDA lacks a director, there is no surgeon general, and many leaders with outbreak response management experience have left the federal government."

The U.S. government has ordered quarantines and is monitoring potential exposures to hantavirus after an outbreak on the MV Hondius, an expedition ship that left Argentina on April 1 with nearly 150 people aboard.

The earliest cases, including two deaths, were reported to the WHO on May 2. Three of 11 infected passengers have died.

Hantavirus is typically spread from rodents, but this version, the Andes virus, can be transmitted person to person.

The Ebola outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain with no proven vaccines or treatments, has grown to more than 1,000 suspected cases in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. No cases have been confirmed in the U.S., but seven Americans, including a doctor exposed to the virus, were evacuated to Germany by the State Department.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about the "scale and speed" of the outbreak.

Democrats are pressing the administration to rejoin the WHO and restore funding to federal agencies. A lawsuit is ongoing over the dismantling of the U.S.

Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded outbreak detection and prevention in vulnerable regions, including Congo. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for rehiring fired outbreak-response workers and restoring CDC and HHS funding.

"The Trump administration's gutting of America's public health preparedness has made the recent hantavirus outbreak even more alarming," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Federal agencies pushed back, with HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard calling claims that cuts imperiled the response "completely inaccurate." The CDC and State Department said they are ensuring rapid viral testing for Ebola and deploying resources in Congo and Uganda. Dr.

Satish Pillai, leading the CDC's Ebola response, said, "I want to assure you that CDC and our federal partners are working around the clock."

Public health officials also criticized the cuts. The International Rescue Committee said funding cuts in March 2025 prompted a reduction in disease surveillance in the Ebola epicenter.

Heather Reoch Kerr, the committee's country director in Congo, said, "Years of underinvestment and recent funding cuts have left many health facilities without adequate protective equipment." Former Ebola czar Ron Klain noted that during the 2014-15 outbreak, the U.S. deployed military personnel and USAID teams, contrasting with the current response.

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said USAID was "a key support for programs" and that the U.S. ability to respond to a pandemic is "a mess" due to cuts and the administration's stance on mRNA vaccines.

The CDC's response to hantavirus also drew criticism. The agency issued a health advisory on May 8, but after some passengers had already arrived in the U.S.

on commercial flights. The first news conference on May 9 came five days after the WHO alerted the public.

Dr. Wen said, "The first press conference was after this was international news." The CDC defended its response, requiring passengers to quarantine and assuring the public the risk is low.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of CMS, said, "The country is prepared.

The CDC is focused on it."