Baldwin Statement on Reports Secretary Kennedy Allegedly Rehired CDC Staff, Including Lead Prevention Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), released the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration reinstated some of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff that were previously fired as part of the administration’s mass layoffs across HHS:
In Milwaukee, lead exposure has shuttered six Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and displaced 1,800 children. However, after applying for support from the CDC to help mitigate the lead found in school classrooms, MPS was notified that their request for support was denied because the Trump administration fired the agency’s entire Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Surveillance Branch.
Senator Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) demanded that the Trump Administration reinstate the fired CDC lead poisoning experts and approve Milwaukee’s plea for federal assistance to help keep children safe. Senator Baldwin also pressed Kennedy on the firings at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. Senator Baldwin visited Milwaukee Public Schools’ Frances Starms Discovery Learning Center to meet with parents whose children’s health was at risk and whose schools were closed this year because of lead hazards. Yesterday, Senators Baldwin and Jack Reed (D-RI) demanded written answers from Secretary Kennedy in response to detailed questions on the Trump Administration’s firing of childhood lead experts at CDC.
Local officials continue to confirm that the requested aid is not being provided, and Secretary Kennedy has provided no documentation that the fired employees have been rehired, as Senator Baldwin demanded.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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