Trump administration blocks funding for CDC health programs: Report

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is blocking funding for a swath of public-health programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.

These include youth violence prevention programs, research on preventing gun injuries and deaths and efforts targeting diabetes, chronic kidney disease and tobacco use, according to the report.

The money withheld could not be determined, but it could be as high as $200 million, the WSJ reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.


The CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The White House has previously stated its intention to reduce U.S. health spending by more than a quarter next year, with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facing the brunt of billions of dollars in cuts.

Earlier this week, Susan Monarez was

confirmed

as CDC director to lead a downsized agency as the White House moves to slash its budget by nearly $3.6  billion, reducing it to about $4  billion.

The cuts follow a layoff plan enacted by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that eliminated 2,400 positions in CDC, though roughly 700 of those workers have since been rehired.