Trump's hiring freeze has left nearly 700 positions unfilled at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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published 19 May 2017

President Trump's continued hiring freeze at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is adversely affecting operations at the agency tasked with preventing global disease outbreaks, officials told The Washington Post. The freeze, which was implemented by Trump in an executive order signed Jan. 22, has left "nearly 700 positions vacant," which is taking a toll on programs that support "local and state public health emergency readiness, infectious disease control, and chronic disease prevention," the Post reported.

The CDC isn't the only Health and Human Services agency affected, even as physicians and public health emergency responders are exempted from the freeze. At the National Institutes of Health, the freeze has hampered clinical work and patient care. At the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response — which the Post noted "regulates some of the world's most dangerous bacteria and viruses and manages the nation's stockpile of emergency medical countermeasures" — several positions remain unfilled.

The freeze is part of Trump's push for government agencies to slim down staff as he prepares to roll out a pared down budget, due out next week.