Trump Speech Recap: Public Health in the Crosshairs

by Mandy Morgan March 5, 2025

Trump’s address to Congress made it abundantly clear that federal public health efforts are being dismantled under the guise of “efficiency” and “common sense.” The newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is tasked with eliminating waste, but as Trump noted, this includes funding for programs that address structural inequities. He explicitly celebrated cutting programs such as “$8 million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho” and “$101 million for DEI contracts at the Department of Education.” These eliminations signal a broader retreat from addressing public health through a social justice lens.

Side note: The good people of Reddit have noted that since Elon is specifically called out as head of DOGE, this opens a fresh avenue of legal action.

Trump’s claim that “we have removed the poison of critical race theory from our public schools” and that “there are only two genders: male and female” suggests a direct challenge to health equity initiatives. Public health efforts aimed at addressing systemic disparities—from maternal health to chronic disease—will struggle under an administration that frames equity work as ideological extremism.

A Workforce Hollowed Out

Federal workers have already been facing unjust firing, with thousands more expected as the administration moves to purge what it calls the “deep state.” Trump reinforced this by stating, “any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately.” This is an intentional hollowing out of agencies responsible for everything from environmental health to disease prevention.

Additionally, Trump’s reversal of remote work policies (“They will either show up for work in person or be removed from their job”) is likely to further erode the workforce, making it harder to recruit and retain top talent in agencies already struggling with morale. These policies set up a dangerous precedent where expertise is devalued in favor of political loyalty.

Science in Retreat

Trump’s rhetoric around science has always been transactional, and this speech was no different. The administration’s emphasis on deregulation, paired with its opposition to international cooperation, will have long-term consequences for scientific progress. With phrases like “we withdrew from the corrupt World Health Organization” and “we ended Biden’s environmental restrictions,” the administration is signaling that science—particularly when it involves climate change or global health—is an afterthought.

The appointment of RFK, or as Trump calls him, “Bobby”, as the leaders of HHS aligns with Trump’s broader attack on evidence-based health policy. His vague but ominous claim that “one in 36 children has autism, think of that” is a dog whistle to anti-vaccine movements and a precursor to policies that could undermine public trust in immunization programs.

Trump’s economic policies will also have a chilling effect on scientific funding. His insistence that “we will not be doing that any longer” when referring to government subsidies and research programs suggests that federal investment in health and biomedical research could decline sharply, with cascading effects for public health innovation.

The Road Ahead

This administration has made clear that its priorities are tariffs, border crackdowns, and cultural grievance politics—not public health or science. For those in public health, this means preparing for budget cuts, legal battles over DEI and reproductive rights, and a renewed push for community-led solutions. The Trump administration’s approach—gutting regulatory agencies, purging workers, and weaponizing scientific misinformation—will make the work of public health professionals harder, but not impossible.

The next four years will test the resilience of evidence-based policymaking. The question is not just how the field will survive, but how it will fight back.

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