Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: James Gathany, CDC
Sens. Eric Schmitt and Mike Lee are due to introduce legislation Thursday that would limit CDC's public health authorities and impose new term limits for directors of federal health agencies.
Why it matters: Schmitt has close ties to the Trump administration, including with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., so his efforts around overhauling the public health system are worth watching.
What's inside: Text of the Public Health Improvement Act, first shared with Axios, would set term limits of 12 years for the CDC and NIH directors.
- It would also limit the scope of CDC's strategic plan by removing language giving the agency responsibility for noncommunicable diseases or occupational and environmental hazards.
- It would also allow Senate and House leaders and the comptroller general to appoint members of the CDC director's advisory committee.
The measure additionally would require Congress to approve any renewals of public health emergencies, and it would transfer several CDC offices to NIH.
- Affected offices include the CDC division for preventing HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs and tuberculosis, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
What they're saying: "The mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the draconian mandates, and the stifling of free speech brought Americans trust in public health institutions to an all-time low," Schmitt said in a statement.
- "These key changes will help ensure congressional oversight of the CDC and NIH, as well as begin the rebuilding of trust in these institutions."
What we're watching: This legislation is the first of multiple public health reform–related bills that Schmitt plans to introduce, per his office.
- HELP Chair Bill Cassidy last week launched a Senate Republican working group to investigate how to reform the CDC through potential legislation, which includes Lee as a member.
