Who is in charge at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? | Trump administration
Who is responsible for the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? The answer is more complicated than it might seem.
With no confirmed manager or CDC, Robert P. Kennedy Junior He has direct control of the agency, which allows him to register – or not – on vaccine recommendations, according to legal experts.
However, Kennedy, Secretary of the United States health Humanitarian services (HHS), which witnessed before the Senate Committee in May that another person runs the agency – which creates jamming that may lead to legal challenges.
“There is no manager at the Disease Control Center or Acting Director. Basically, RFK JR is the director of the Center for Disease Control,” said Paul Ofit, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, Perman.
René Landers, a professor and director of the Health Law Program at the Law Faculty at Suffolk University in Boston, said Kennedy now has a greater opportunity to actually influence the results of these decisions and take measures in the absence of a confirmed director of the Senate.
17 independent vaccine advisers rejected and replaced them with Less experienced advisersLanders said that some of them have a history of anti -vaccine activity, “raises anxiety”, especially given Kennedy’s rejection of the theory of germs and its anti -vaccine activity.
On Thursday, independent vaccine consultants are Kennedy Voice to ban themeosalA portfolio (also known as theodamel) with a clear safety record, from 4 % of influenza vaccines in the United States.
The remaining 96 % of the influenza vaccines, as well as all other childhood vaccines, were already empty of thymeosal from an abundance of caution, despite contracts of research indicating the safety of preservatives. This step will make it difficult for some people to reach the influenza vaccine.
The recommendation is usually submitted by the Director of the Disease Control Center, either to reject, or implement as fees, instructions from the agency. But at the present time, these decisions go directly to Kennedy, who has already practiced these capabilities before.
On May 13, “with a commentary of a new CDC commentator,” the Minister of Health approved recommendations of Chikungunya vaccines that CDC officially recommended, According to To the agency website.
Kennedy did not sign the votes of the committee for two other benefit Rsv And meningitis.
These vaccines, which were recommended in April by independent advisers who Kennedy rejected this month, did not obtain official recommendations for the Center for Disease Control; It is not clear whether they will get or when.
Kennedy also recently directed the center of diseases control to change the recommendations of the Covid vaccine, soften the recommendation for children and end it completely to pregnant people, although strong evidence that pregnancy is a major risk factor for severe diseases and death.
Landers said: “It is exciting to leave the energy vacuum opens his ability to make these decisions that are inconsistent with the scientific consensus,” Landers said.
Congress submitted a new law in 2023, the managers of the Center for Disease Control now must be subject to the confirmation of the Senate. This date is the first time that CDC manager has passed this process.
Landers said: “It is a little immovable water,” Landers said.
David Wildon was He was nominated for the first time Then he withdrawn hours before the Senate confirmation session in March.
Susan Monarerez, Acting Manager from January 23 until she was nominated on March 24, and at this stage she stepped down. Once someone is nominated for the director, they cannot work as a prosecutor.
In the Senate confirmation session on Wednesday, Monarerez witnessed a session on Wednesday, but it is not clear when legislators will vote for the nomination,
In the absence of a prosecutor, HHS president takes control of the agency, according to the Federal Vacancies Law for 1998.
Anne Joseph Ocunil, a professor at the Faculty of Law at Stanford University, said that the signature – or no – on the recommendations of the Disease Control Center cannot be “delegated” to other officials under the vacancies law. “It can only rise” to the HHS secretary.
“What is unusual in this position is that we generally believe that” exclusive duties “reach the agency’s head when there is a good level of vacancy. But here many do not trust the secretary of these matters.”
Kennedy placed a different name for those responsible for the Center for Disease Control in May in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Racing Pensions Committee.
“Who is the director of the Acting Disease Control Center?” Lisa Blant Rochester asked the democratic Senator from Delaware.
Kennedy said: “She was the director of acting Susan Monarerez, but she is now a permanent director, so she was replaced by Boujili’s flashes,” describing Bouzli as a “public health expert.”
But there is no indication that Buzzelli, a lawyer Running As the chief of staff in the office of the Director of the Disease Control Center, he is the Acting Director, and he is not eligible for this position.
“Buzzelli cannot be the Acts CDC,” said Okoniel. He is not the first assistant director of the Center for Disease Control, and he has not been confirmed in the Senate, and he did not serve 90 days in the year before the last director of the Centers for Disease Control, Ocunel said: “There is no room for kicking.”
Experts said that the lack of clarity is exacerbated by the lack of compliance with the Trump administration of information requirements. Disease Control Center, along with other agencies, is required to update the employee management office every year location About who holds jobs, the deadline that agencies missed in March.
Buzzelli “Some of the duties of the Director of the Disease Control Center have been implemented as a senior official, and this is a necessity, and is surrounded by medical professionals and highly qualified medical advisors to help in fulfillment of these duties as necessary”, Andrew Nixon, HHS, Director of Telecom, He said Statistics News in May. (HHS did not respond to the real media.)
Such procedures can open officials to legal challenges. Without official documents, the name of Buzzelli and other decision makers to official positions will not have the designated authority to make certain decisions, which means that their actions can be challenged.
For example, they may not be allowed to enter into new contracts or to end the previous agreements early with local, tribal and regional governments – which are likely to open any such procedures to lawsuits.
“The person who takes the action should be legally appointed to this position,” Landers said.
