WASHINGTON — Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s flaws have never been more public or politicized, and the agency’s director wants to seize this moment to overhaul the agency, making it more nimble and responsive to public health emergencies.
But there’s one major problem — she needs Congress’ help. And she is losing key allies.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky argues that in order to make her agency more effective, it needs expanded authorities and capabilities. But congressional Republicans say they want more oversight.
Walensky said she’s amenable to such oversight and will testify whenever called. But she also wants to prove to lawmakers the importance of long-term public health funding.
This is the agency’s moment to “rebrand,” Walensky told CQ-Roll Call in a recent interview.
GOP members in both the House and Senate are loath to provide the agency with more money after several years of redirecting emergency funds to prop up pandemic efforts.
They say the agency mismanaged the vaccine rollout, masking guidelines and return-to-school policies, among other things. The CDC has admitted mistakes but argues it did the best it could under unprecedented circumstances.
In the House, the new Republican majority plans to subject Walensky to a barrage of scrutiny not previously seen from Democrats. Across the Capitol, the departure of Sen. Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the lead Republican on the key Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, leaves the agency without a key Republican champion.
A CDC overhaul, announced in August, aims to revamp the large agency and streamline communication. It’s a long-term effort, and the agency has brought in new staff to begin implementing the changes.
But the mission is daunting: The United States is 80,000 public health workers in deficit, has crumbling public health laboratory infrastructure and poor data-sharing capabilities, Walensky said.
Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a Senate committee hearing on the ongoing federal response to COVID-19 on June 16 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
The agency has had to repeatedly ask Congress for emergency pandemic funding, and Congress is increasingly reluctant to fulfill those requests. Most recently, the Biden administration asked for $10 billion more for short-term needs — the fourth request the administration has made this year alone. Like the prior three requests, there’s little momentum in Congress to fulfill that ask.
Walensky said she doesn’t want to keep asking Congress for emergency funding. Instead, she argues, Congress should commit to steady annual public health funding.
“The fascinating thing about public health is that what works, it shouldn’t be part of your everyday dialogue. And that is a hard way to get funded,” Walensky said.
At its core, the CDC is an agency charged with protecting American public health and tracking the spread of diseases. But now, as the agency looks to reorganize and correct mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unlikely to shed its reputation as a political agency, experts say.
The agency’s troubles preceded the Biden administration. Former President Donald Trump’s laser focus on the public health agency, and occasional public chastising of scientists, planted a seed of mistrust in the agency.
But public trust in the CDC continued to decline between December 2020 and April 2022, according to polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Walensky knows regaining that trust will take work.
“A lot of what I feel like the work of moving forward is to demonstrate where we are in the science, where we are in delivering to the American people and redeveloping that trust,” Walensky said
Before the pandemic, the CDC enjoyed relatively high levels of support among the American public, but the challenges that stemmed from the pandemic could impact its long-term credibility, said J. Stephen Morrison, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a national security-focused think tank. Morrison is currently researching the CDC reorganization effort.
“They’ve lost a lot of trust with the American people that they need to come clean,” said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a prominent Republican on the HELP Committee and reliable adversary of Walensky’s. “And the bottom line is people need to have some answers.”
Incoming HELP ranking Republican Bill Cassidy, R-La., is less critical than Paul. He questions some of the agency’s internal workings, like its remote work policy, but said his goal is to help the agency succeed.
“I’m very amenable to working with CDC. But there has to be more accountability, more than ‘trust us,’” Cassidy said.
The CDC needs Congress’ help — and money — to fix some internal issues, especially when it comes to collecting data, Walensky said.
She points to the U.S. response to mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, as evidence. The U.S. reported its first case of mpox on May 17 and the agency had its vaccination strategy in place by June 28, but it took until Sept. 1 for the agency to access data on how the vaccination had been administered.
That’s because the agency had to work individually with the legal offices from 61 states and jurisdictions before collecting vaccine data.
“Nine weeks. We were allocating a scarce resource without seeing who was getting it. That’s too long,” Walensky said.
Congress has already provided the agency a total of $1.1 billion to update its data capabilities since the start of the pandemic, via two different COVID-19 relief bills.
Cassidy knows the agency wants more money to update its data streams and says he will work with them to get it done. But he said the agency needs to first demonstrate what it’s been doing with the money it’s been given.
“There needs to be a little bit of transparency with what they’ve done. … I mean, if you want more capabilities, you should be able to open up your books and say, “This is what we’re doing,” Cassidy said.
-
Jeanann Dorobis via AP
That sax in the corner. The piano that looks so nice in the living room but was rarely played. People picked up their instruments again, some after decades, to flex their musical muscles.
They’re not looking for concert careers, but they’re dedicated in their rediscoveries.
Bob Dorobis in Middletown, New Jersey, worked intensely to improve his guitar fingerpicking during the pandemic after a long break. Now, the 70-year-old software developer is looking forward to more practice time in retirement.
“When your fingerpicking sounds good it’s very rewarding,” he said. “I finally realized the only way for me to like it better is to learn it better.”
Jeanann Dorobis via AP
That sax in the corner. The piano that looks so nice in the living room but was rarely played. People picked up their instruments again, some after decades, to flex their musical muscles.
They’re not looking for concert careers, but they’re dedicated in their rediscoveries.
Bob Dorobis in Middletown, New Jersey, worked intensely to improve his guitar fingerpicking during the pandemic after a long break. Now, the 70-year-old software developer is looking forward to more practice time in retirement.
“When your fingerpicking sounds good it’s very rewarding,” he said. “I finally realized the only way for me to like it better is to learn it better.”
-
The post-lockdown economy wasn’t kind to Peloton when its stock tanked as many pandemic newbies lost their mojo. Many, but not all. We’ve got newcomers seriously spinning on.
Amid all the spinning, folks who hadn’t worked out in years are now committed to running, working up to half-marathons and beyond.
We have bicycle enthusiasts who hadn’t ridden since childhood. And we have walkers who mapped out where to find the best cats to visit and are steadfast in their feline wandering on foot.
Beth Lehman, a Greenville, New York, nanny, hopped on a bike for the first time in years while teaching one of her young charges during the pandemic. Now, the whole family she works for rides with her, including a grandfather in his mid-80s.
“I faked confidence,” she said of taking to two wheels again.
The post-lockdown economy wasn’t kind to Peloton when its stock tanked as many pandemic newbies lost their mojo. Many, but not all. We’ve got newcomers seriously spinning on.
Amid all the spinning, folks who hadn’t worked out in years are now committed to running, working up to half-marathons and beyond.
We have bicycle enthusiasts who hadn’t ridden since childhood. And we have walkers who mapped out where to find the best cats to visit and are steadfast in their feline wandering on foot.
Beth Lehman, a Greenville, New York, nanny, hopped on a bike for the first time in years while teaching one of her young charges during the pandemic. Now, the whole family she works for rides with her, including a grandfather in his mid-80s.
“I faked confidence,” she said of taking to two wheels again.
-
John Pasamonte via AP
Craving company, we stood on lawns, sidewalks and cul-de-sacs to check in with each other. We brought homemade soups to senior shut-ins. We turned over armfuls of fresh-cut flowers from our gardens. We lingered for a socially distanced chat.
Commitments to random acts of kindness directed at the elderly living alone continues, with neighborly schedules made for snow shoveling and pies delivered for the holidays.
Lisa and Larry Neula in Sacramento, California, shared the gift of aloha with their neighbors. She was a competitive Hawaiian dancer and hula instructor and he’s a member of the famous Lim Family singers of Kohala.
Together, they entertained their neighbors during the pandemic from their driveway and continue their performances there today.
“If you get one person who shows they want to be social, then the other people catch on. It gets to be contagious,” Lisa said. “I don’t want to take all the credit, but it makes me a better person.”
John Pasamonte via AP
Craving company, we stood on lawns, sidewalks and cul-de-sacs to check in with each other. We brought homemade soups to senior shut-ins. We turned over armfuls of fresh-cut flowers from our gardens. We lingered for a socially distanced chat.
Commitments to random acts of kindness directed at the elderly living alone continues, with neighborly schedules made for snow shoveling and pies delivered for the holidays.
Lisa and Larry Neula in Sacramento, California, shared the gift of aloha with their neighbors. She was a competitive Hawaiian dancer and hula instructor and he’s a member of the famous Lim Family singers of Kohala.
Together, they entertained their neighbors during the pandemic from their driveway and continue their performances there today.
“If you get one person who shows they want to be social, then the other people catch on. It gets to be contagious,” Lisa said. “I don’t want to take all the credit, but it makes me a better person.”
-
Paul Terhaar via AP
Gardening turned into restful curation. It also was a way to get some extra exercise and grow fresh food.
That meant bushy old shrubs that were once a chore became manicured assets that are a joy to tend. More grass lawns were ripped up to plant native-plant gardens and wildflower meadows, and vegetable gardening saw a boom.
Gardening has new, lasting lovers.
“Now, I rarely watch TV,” said Kelly Flor-Robinson in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
Paul Terhaar via AP
Gardening turned into restful curation. It also was a way to get some extra exercise and grow fresh food.
That meant bushy old shrubs that were once a chore became manicured assets that are a joy to tend. More grass lawns were ripped up to plant native-plant gardens and wildflower meadows, and vegetable gardening saw a boom.
Gardening has new, lasting lovers.
“Now, I rarely watch TV,” said Kelly Flor-Robinson in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
-
Isabella Jaymes Perez via AP
Some women tossed the hair dye. Some their blow dryers.
They’ve chosen to embrace their inner curliness and gray. Today, they can’t be bothered going back after nearly three years of natural hair.
“In March 2020, right after everyone was basically in lockdown, I ignored the reminder in my calendar to do the root touch-up, and I ignored the next and the next and so on,” said Susan Cuccinello in Ossining, New York.
“I remember when salons started opening back up and several of my friends were so relieved they could get their hair and roots colored again. That didn’t sway me one bit. And my hair is actually thicker and healthier. Plus it’s great to smash another relic of the patriarchy!”
Others gave up makeup and underwire. They once considered both a necessity but were freed in isolation. They’re still happily going without.
Isabella Jaymes Perez via AP
Some women tossed the hair dye. Some their blow dryers.
They’ve chosen to embrace their inner curliness and gray. Today, they can’t be bothered going back after nearly three years of natural hair.
“In March 2020, right after everyone was basically in lockdown, I ignored the reminder in my calendar to do the root touch-up, and I ignored the next and the next and so on,” said Susan Cuccinello in Ossining, New York.
“I remember when salons started opening back up and several of my friends were so relieved they could get their hair and roots colored again. That didn’t sway me one bit. And my hair is actually thicker and healthier. Plus it’s great to smash another relic of the patriarchy!”
Others gave up makeup and underwire. They once considered both a necessity but were freed in isolation. They’re still happily going without.
-
-
Matthew Peyton via AP
With a newfound embrace of the outdoors, some sports attracted new enthusiasts.
Pickleball picked up players, growing its fan base and expanding the demand for courts. That has upset a tennis player or two, or four.
For others, it was golf.
In Maplewood, New Jersey, Matthew Peyton and his son, Julian, discovered golf together. Julian, pictured, now works as a fitter in a sports shop and is eyeing college golf programs. They had never played before.
“So there I am. Single dad with a 15-year-old, active teenage boy who won’t be going to school for two years,” he said. “We don’t know what’s safe. We don’t touch door knobs or go to the store. But the golf course is our refuge. You’re 300 yards away from anyone else all by yourself. It’s like a private oasis.”
Matthew Peyton via AP
With a newfound embrace of the outdoors, some sports attracted new enthusiasts.
Pickleball picked up players, growing its fan base and expanding the demand for courts. That has upset a tennis player or two, or four.
For others, it was golf.
In Maplewood, New Jersey, Matthew Peyton and his son, Julian, discovered golf together. Julian, pictured, now works as a fitter in a sports shop and is eyeing college golf programs. They had never played before.
“So there I am. Single dad with a 15-year-old, active teenage boy who won’t be going to school for two years,” he said. “We don’t know what’s safe. We don’t touch door knobs or go to the store. But the golf course is our refuge. You’re 300 yards away from anyone else all by yourself. It’s like a private oasis.”
-
Andre Neyrey via AP
We’re still logging lots of Zoom time for work, book club, family visits and meetups with old friends. But there are other lasting uses that were born of pandemic necessity.
Bridal couples streaming their weddings, for instance, or Zoom memorials for lost loved ones.
Non-work Zooms today, with real-life back in swing, have thoroughly committed devotees. So do webinars, from art history to virtually exploring an exotic locale.
Samantha Martin, who splits her time between New York and West Palm Beach, Florida, relied a lot on Zoom and WhatsApp to visit with loved ones back home in Hong Kong and around the world. That morphed into “Sunday stories,” a practice she continues today.
“Every Sunday night I have dinner or breakfast, depending on the time difference, with a friend or family member around the world,” Martin said. “The calendar is full one to two months in advance.”
Andre Neyrey via AP
We’re still logging lots of Zoom time for work, book club, family visits and meetups with old friends. But there are other lasting uses that were born of pandemic necessity.
Bridal couples streaming their weddings, for instance, or Zoom memorials for lost loved ones.
Non-work Zooms today, with real-life back in swing, have thoroughly committed devotees. So do webinars, from art history to virtually exploring an exotic locale.
Samantha Martin, who splits her time between New York and West Palm Beach, Florida, relied a lot on Zoom and WhatsApp to visit with loved ones back home in Hong Kong and around the world. That morphed into “Sunday stories,” a practice she continues today.
“Every Sunday night I have dinner or breakfast, depending on the time difference, with a friend or family member around the world,” Martin said. “The calendar is full one to two months in advance.”
-
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
The world shut down, and that included a lot of after-school soccer, chess and Mandarin for kids. For some families, the slower pace stuck and they’re down to maybe one extracurricular a week.
The opposite is true for other families. Some kids picked up new activities because they were available during the pandemic and are thrilled to keep them going.
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
The world shut down, and that included a lot of after-school soccer, chess and Mandarin for kids. For some families, the slower pace stuck and they’re down to maybe one extracurricular a week.
The opposite is true for other families. Some kids picked up new activities because they were available during the pandemic and are thrilled to keep them going.
-
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Curbside pickup. Grocery delivery. Those mainstays of pandemic life are new priorities for some former in-store enthusiasts.
“I used to enjoy food shopping, but this saves so much time and overspending on my part so I stuck with it,” said Amanda Sheronas Spencer in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
“If I do go in person, I have to stick to my list, which is difficult for a person who loves food and cooking! Grocery stores are like shiny objects to me.”
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Curbside pickup. Grocery delivery. Those mainstays of pandemic life are new priorities for some former in-store enthusiasts.
“I used to enjoy food shopping, but this saves so much time and overspending on my part so I stuck with it,” said Amanda Sheronas Spencer in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
“If I do go in person, I have to stick to my list, which is difficult for a person who loves food and cooking! Grocery stores are like shiny objects to me.”
