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A message of concern from the nation’s health professionals

We are doctors, nurses, researchers, and other health professionals alerting you that your health is in danger. The Trump Administration has taken an axe to most of the agencies and programs that protect medical care and public health in our country. It has slashed funding for health care, public health protections, and research. It has fired dedicated experts, removed health and safety regulations, and threatened medical training and scientific research.

It is abandoning support for veterans, children, families, and the elderly. It is rolling back protections of the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. The administration claims to want to “Make America Healthy Again” but these actions will do the opposite.

Huge cuts to federal health insurance programs are on their way. Congress is discussing deep cuts to Medicaid, which provides health insurance to 70 million Americans, including 40% of U.S. children and 60% of U.S. nursing home residents. If Medicaid funding decreases, many Americans may go without care and most of the clinics and hospitals across the country will suffer financially. Some will have to close their doors, especially in rural areas.

The quality of your medical care is also at risk. The Administration is halting efforts to improve the care you receive. It is slashing funding for medical research and is slowing the approval of new drugs, jeopardizing our ability to provide the best care that science recommends. Access to life-saving treatments may be delayed.

The Administration is dismantling monitoring programs and access to data that are vital for tracking diseases. In policies driven by ideology rather than science, the Administration is censoring information available to the public and terminating research on prohibited topics. Agency web pages that were go-to resources for accurate statistics are now gone or feature political statements.

Severe cuts have hit the federal agencies charged with ensuring that our air, water, food, drugs, medical devices, and workers are safe.  The Administration has canceled programs on vaccines, infant and maternal health, lead poisoning, oral health, mental health, the prevention of opioid overdoses, and suicide prevention. And the entire federal office that focuses on tobacco use – the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.—has been eliminated.

There is plenty to fix in the federal government. Change is needed for programs that are ineffective or wasteful. But intelligent redesign is done thoughtfully, by streamlining programs and finding efficiencies to improve service to the public, not by shutting down programs and abandoning the public.

As health professionals on the front lines, we have dedicated our careers to protecting the health of our patients and improving health in our communities and states. However, we cannot fill the void that is being created by these reckless and deep cuts, which are tearing apart crucial systems for protecting and promoting Americans’ health. We are certain this will cost lives.

Please join us in challenging these actions by the Trump administration. Write or call the White House. 

Use this link to contact your Senators and Congressional representatives.

Ask your state attorney general to join other states suing the Administration. Attend town halls. And vote for candidates who prioritize your health and well-being. The health of you, your family, your community, and your country are at stake.

We sign this statement as individuals, expressing our own views and not those of our institutions.

If you would like to see the current list of signatories, click here.