1
Return

We Want to Put Them in Trauma: Administration's Attack on Government Health Agency Regulatory Authority

delete2026-04-01
delete0
PRE
AI
DOI:10.1215/03616878-12262624delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Throughout the first months of President Donald Trump's second term in office, his administration has taken swift action to undermine the role that government health agencies play in the health policy-making process. This article makes the case that the Trump administration's efforts to undermine government health agencies' regulatory authority reflect a dislike and distrust of the people who serve in key civil service roles. It also provides evidence that efforts to roll back regulatory authority are part of a long-standing political strategy to cater to public dislike and distrust of scientific, medical, and academic experts. While the public could provide policy makers with an incentive to protect public health agencies and the people who staff them, recent public opinion research shows that many Americans simply do not know or do not care enough about the Trump administration's actions to call for their elected officials to stop them. This article concludes by offering several health communication strategies and directions for future research (the science of standing up for science) that might inspire public concern about efforts to roll back government health agencies' regulatory authority and might motivate people to show support for the civil servants who staff those agencies.
Keywords:
health policy
US politics
Department of Health and Human Services
public opinion
health communication

Journal

J
Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law
IF:
2.8
Papers:
2.5K
Citations:
1.4K

Organization

B
boston university
Scholars:
3.7W
Papers: 3.2W
Citations: 67
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers