CDC's New Director Is Pressed to Do Something About Agency's Zombie Programs
(MedPage Today) -- The CDC still has an Alzheimer's disease program. Congress appropriated $41 million to it this year. There's just no one staffing it. Then there's the agency's Office on Smoking and Health. Congress allocated $246 million for...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been left with several programs without staff due to the Trump administration's decision to lay off thousands of employees in April 2025. These programs, often referred to as "zombie programs," continue to receive funding from Congress but are essentially defunct as the experts who once ran them have been left without work.
These programs include the Office on Smoking and Health, which received $246 million in funding, and the Alzheimer's disease program, which had $41 million appropriated for the year. Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, the new CDC director, faces pressure from Congress to revive these programs, as they have been subject to lawsuits and calls from legislators to bring them back to life.
Democrats argue that the situation violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which prevents the president from spending appropriated funds without Congress's approval. However, with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate, there has been little appetite to challenge the Trump administration on this issue.
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