Osterholm Update Episode 180: The April Fool's Tragedy
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Apr 3, 2025 Cory Anderson, a CIDRAP researcher and co-director of the Chronic Wasting Disease Program, joins to discuss alarming budget cuts affecting public health services, highlighting the emotional toll on dedicated professionals. They tackle the measles outbreak in Texas driven by vaccine misinformation and urge for unified federal messaging. The conversation also touches on the importance of GAVI in improving children's health globally and ends on a motivational note, encouraging proactive community engagement and kindness in challenging times.
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Insignificant Savings
- Cutting federal employee salaries won't significantly reduce the federal budget.
- Federal salaries make up less than 1% of HHS expenditures.
Punitive Reassignments
- Some terminated NIH scientists were offered reassignments to remote Indian reservations.
- This was seen as a punitive measure, not a legitimate job offer.
Haphazard Layoffs
- The recent HHS layoffs lack strategic planning and resemble a chaotic "machete" approach.
- A business leader wouldn't last if they managed layoffs so haphazardly.