One year ago, we jointly submitted our resignations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each of us had been tested as we tried to protect our communities and the agency we loved, but we realized we could no longer remain quiet under this administration.
But the political interference and scientific integrity issues we warned about were not isolated. They exposed vulnerabilities that still exist, and will remain after today’s leaders are gone. The answer is not simply to restore the CDC to what it was, but to build a stronger and more resilient public health institution for the future. That requires safeguards so that no administration, Republican or Democratic, can replace independent public health decision-making with partisan ideology.
