It Doesn’t Matter — Until It Does

You know the feeling — tossing out those mystery charging cables, the extra screws from who-knows-what and keys to nowhere. There’s something satisfying about decluttering, letting go of the unnecessary, and finally reclaiming some space.

Until one day… you need that one thing you threw away. Most of the time, it’s just a minor regret — a grumble and maybe an eBay search.

But what happens when what’s thrown away isn’t a dusty drawer of stuff, but programs and people who keep the country’s health and safety systems running?

Trimming the Fat — or Cutting to the Bone?
No one likes waste. Cutting government bloat? Sounds good! The Trump administration has tasked a team — including Elon Musk, and DOGE — to do just that across government agencies.

This month, that effort hit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where 10,000 employees are being laid-off. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the downsizing is part of the plan to shift HHS’ focus to core health threats — food safety, clean water, and environmental toxins. He is calling the effort Making America Health Again (MAHA).

But critics say what’s happening isn’t strategic — it’s sweeping. And what’s getting swept away are the very systems that help identify, track, and prevent public health crises. It’s like tossing out the toolbox because you couldn’t find the right screwdriver.

What’s Gone? More Than You Think
Longstanding HHS programs are gone and more are likely to be cut. Gone are the teams that tracked HIV transmission, syphilis outbreaks, and cancer rates among firefighters. Programs monitoring childhood lead poisoning, asthma hospitalizations, and intimate partner violence? Eliminated.

The team behind the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which has informed substance use and mental health policy for over 50 years?  Laid-off.

And it doesn’t stop there.

At the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), around 850 of its 1,000 staff are out. These were the scientists behind crucial research on workplace dangers like asbestos, black lung, and bloodborne pathogens. They researched wildfire smoke exposure and heat-related illness. They worked on injury prevention for construction workers, nurses, miners, and more. Now, much of that is gone — or hanging by a thread.

Ripple Effects You Can’t See — Yet
The impact of cuts is already spreading. The Consumer Product Safety Commission just lost access to hospital data that helped track injuries from cars, drugs, and more due to CDC staff cuts, The CDC teams that maintained databases on accidental deaths, poisonings, and sexually transmitted diseases? Gone.

And at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? It’s ending requirements for power plants and refineries to report greenhouse gas emission, And the EPA’s pollution mapping tool that let you see what toxins were in your neighborhood? That’s been taken offline.

A Promise or a Punchline?
Secretary  Kennedy’s MAHA promise sounds appealing — who doesn’t want a healthier country? Healthier workers and their families may lower health care costs for plan sponsors.

But here’s the catch: how can we fix what’s making us sick if we’re cutting the programs that help us see the problem?

Health isn’t just kale and clean eating. It’s research, data, prevention, and the systems that catch early warning signs. Without that foundation, we’re flying blind. And once it’s gone, it’s not easy — or cheap — to rebuild.

Sometimes, what we throw away really does matter. And by the time we realize it, it might be too late to get it back.
Happy reading,

Suzanne Daniels

Enjoy the weekend!

Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]