CDC Reclaims $11B in Covid Funding as Pandemic Response Ends

The CDC is pulling back $11.4 billion in Covid response funds from health departments and organizations, citing the pandemic’s official end.

 

Washington, D.C. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reclaiming $11.4 billion in Covid-19 response funding previously allocated to state and community health departments, nongovernmental organizations, and international recipients. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed the move on Tuesday.

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon stated. The department says it is refocusing efforts on chronic disease prevention under President Trump’s health policy initiatives.

 

Funding recipients were notified this week and given 30 days to reconcile expenditures. The cutback affects grants used for Covid testing, vaccinations, community health initiatives, and efforts to address health disparities in underserved populations.

 

The move follows other cuts under new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including the cancellation of research grants on vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ health, and HIV prevention. Notices sent to grantees stated that “grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out.”

 

While Covid-19 has become less severe, CDC data shows it still claims hundreds of lives weekly, and long Covid continues to impact some individuals. Many state health departments had repurposed Covid funds for broader public health initiatives, and officials now worry about the potential consequences of the sudden funding withdrawal.

 

“We are concerned that this sudden loss of federal funding threatens Colorado’s ability to track COVID-19 trends and other emerging diseases, modernize disease data systems, respond to outbreaks, and provide critical immunization access, outreach, and education,” said Kristina Iodice, spokesperson for Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment.

 

Nine state health departments confirmed they received notice of the funding recall, including Mississippi and Utah, both of which are currently assessing the impact of the cuts.

 

The HHS budget reductions align with broader Trump administration efforts to shrink federal spending. The agency has already canceled major grants, including $877 million allocated to Texas and $482 million to Florida, according to the Department of Government Efficiency.