Since dismantling the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, or OPPR, the Trump administration has been tested by a record-breaking measles outbreak, a cruise-ship hantavirus outbreak, an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a lettuce-dwelling parasite that sickened thousands.
The White House recently staffed the office, which at its peak in 2024 had 15 employees, with just one health official, along with a second biosecurity specialist at the National Security Council. Former government health officials say that is far from where the office needs to be to effectively combat dangerous pathogens.
“That is a start, but it is not nearly enough,” said a former White House official familiar with the health security functions of the National Security Council and OPPR, who requested anonymity to speak freely about their former employer.