The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for failing to adequately staff the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR), which was set up by Congress in 2022 in response to the criticisms surrounding the national preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially established with a team of around 20 personnel to coordinate the US response to threats such as bird flu, the office has dwindled in resources, leaving only one staff member as of this week, raising serious concerns about the continuity of efforts against potential pandemics.
Dr. Paul Friedrichs, the former director of OPPR, highlighted that the office operated effectively behind the scenes, combining efforts from various government agencies to manage public health threats. However, much has changed since the transition to the Trump administration. Notably, the current response strategy appears more focused on economic ramifications, such as stabilizing egg prices—a product significantly affected by a resurgence of avian flu—rather than the public health aspect of potential virus outbreaks.
The origins of OPPR can be traced back to when President Trump disbanded a similar pandemic unit in 2018, a controversial move that has drawn criticism during subsequent health crises. Trump’s perspectives on pandemic preparedness surfaced again when he suggested that he might dismantle OPPR in the future, branding it as potentially wasteful without proper prediction of pandemics, despite its earlier contributions to pandemic response infrastructure.
OPPR had been funded through a series of temporary government resolutions, and while Congress recognized the need for pandemic preparedness funding, the office has never been fully appropriated for its operations, as per estimates around $6.8 million. Currently, with most of its original personnel having moved to other opportunities, the office’s functionality is seen to have significantly diminished under the present administration.
Although Trump cannot legally disband OPPR due to its congressional establishment, the lack of staffing and funding effectively curtails its intended impact. The implications of this shift in focus to more economically driven responses could undermine public health safety measures, as pointed out by various health officials and lawmakers alike.
Amidst these ongoing challenges, Dr. Gerald Parker was appointed as a senior director for biosecurity and pandemic response, where he is expected to address bird flu-related issues. Nonetheless, examples of significant coordination between agencies have substantially decreased, raising concerns about the US preparedness for future biological threats. Experts now worry that without a well-staffed agency dedicated to pandemic response, the nation risks becoming ill-prepared for unforeseen outbreaks that could evolve from current health threats.