Allison Neitzel
@alineitzelmd.bsky.social
whowhatwhy.org/author/allison-neitzel/
Pinned
I wrote about the GOP-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which appears to be following a "road map" from the Heritage Foundation behind Project 2025.
whowhatwhy.org/politics/us-...
whowhatwhy.org/politics/us-...
Don’t Let House Republicans Rewrite Trump’s Pandemic History
The GOP COVID-19 subcommittee appears to have followed a script from the Heritage Foundation that’s behind Project 2025.
whowhatwhy.org
Expect to see a lot of people who helped Trump fuck up the initial COVID-19 response installed in leadership positions at public health institutions under the umbrella of the HHS in Trump 2.0.
Bleak shit ahead.
Bleak shit ahead.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
A reminder that: @science.org's Trump Tracker provides updates several times a day about the crisis in US science.
Latest update: European science groups ‘deeply concerned’ about threats to U.S. academic freedom. www.science.org/content/arti...
Latest update: European science groups ‘deeply concerned’ about threats to U.S. academic freedom. www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump Tracker: Firings, lawsuits, and U.S. science in chaos
Follow President Donald Trump’s impact on U.S. research and science globally
www.science.org
February 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
A reminder that: @science.org's Trump Tracker provides updates several times a day about the crisis in US science.
Latest update: European science groups ‘deeply concerned’ about threats to U.S. academic freedom. www.science.org/content/arti...
Latest update: European science groups ‘deeply concerned’ about threats to U.S. academic freedom. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
Baldwin: "Last night, the president said 'I'm not touching Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, VA, I'm not touching them.' By this morning, he endorsed the House budget resolution which paves the way for massive cuts to Medicaid."
February 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Baldwin: "Last night, the president said 'I'm not touching Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, VA, I'm not touching them.' By this morning, he endorsed the House budget resolution which paves the way for massive cuts to Medicaid."
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
What I’ve been saying (screaming). Now there’s data.
The DOGE firings have nothing to do with “efficiency” or “cutting waste.” They’re a direct push to weaken federal agencies perceived as liberal. This was evident from the start, and now the data confirms it: targeted agencies overwhelmingly those seen as more left-leaning. 🧵⬇️
February 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
What I’ve been saying (screaming). Now there’s data.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
It’s the dark money. A coordinated, global right-wing campaign to weaponized disinformation and the internet—particularly social media—to politicize public health and sow distrust and doubt.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
How COVID Pushed a Generation of Young People to the Right
Research suggests that pandemics are more likely to reduce rather than build trust in scientific and political authorities.
www.theatlantic.com
February 20, 2025 at 6:21 AM
It’s the dark money. A coordinated, global right-wing campaign to weaponized disinformation and the internet—particularly social media—to politicize public health and sow distrust and doubt.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
Tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas
Measles outbreak in Texas
Bird flu - first death among humans
But yes, by all means, please fire CDC, NIH, and other scientists
Everything will be fine
Measles outbreak in Texas
Bird flu - first death among humans
But yes, by all means, please fire CDC, NIH, and other scientists
Everything will be fine
February 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas
Measles outbreak in Texas
Bird flu - first death among humans
But yes, by all means, please fire CDC, NIH, and other scientists
Everything will be fine
Measles outbreak in Texas
Bird flu - first death among humans
But yes, by all means, please fire CDC, NIH, and other scientists
Everything will be fine
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
“We appreciate all your efforts, especially your focus on providing care to those who are struggling. You embody the mission and vision of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
140-plus Obama and Biden appointees, including Sebelius + Becerra, sign a thank-you letter to career staff at HHS.
140-plus Obama and Biden appointees, including Sebelius + Becerra, sign a thank-you letter to career staff at HHS.
THANK YOU!
The following is a “thank you” letter from the political appointees who served alongside the tens of thousands of dedicated civil servants at HHS during the Obama and Biden presidencies. It is signed…
jeffnesbit.medium.com
February 17, 2025 at 2:09 AM
“We appreciate all your efforts, especially your focus on providing care to those who are struggling. You embody the mission and vision of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
140-plus Obama and Biden appointees, including Sebelius + Becerra, sign a thank-you letter to career staff at HHS.
140-plus Obama and Biden appointees, including Sebelius + Becerra, sign a thank-you letter to career staff at HHS.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
New: Last night, hundreds of CDC post-doc fellows were fired, including all in the group who call themselves the "disease detectors," and are the future of public health lab leaders. One senior official told me, "It is going to cripple public health for decades."
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
CDC 'disease detectors' among hundreds fired as Trump administration ramps up agency cuts
Administration officials last week informed CDC leaders of plans to cut up to 10% of its workforce as it targeted federal probationary employees.
www.nbcnews.com
February 17, 2025 at 1:59 AM
New: Last night, hundreds of CDC post-doc fellows were fired, including all in the group who call themselves the "disease detectors," and are the future of public health lab leaders. One senior official told me, "It is going to cripple public health for decades."
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
So it begins: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as HHS Secretary and immediately starts dismantling US federal science infrastructure sciencebasedmedicine.org/so-it-begins... via @sciencebasedmedicine.org @gorskon.bsky.social
So it begins: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as HHS Secretary and immediately starts dismantling US federal science infrastructure | Science-Based Medicine
RFK Jr. was confirmed as HHS Secretary and didn't wait long to start dismantling federal science programs, complete with a commission to draw up a battle plan.
sciencebasedmedicine.org
February 17, 2025 at 4:49 PM
So it begins: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as HHS Secretary and immediately starts dismantling US federal science infrastructure sciencebasedmedicine.org/so-it-begins... via @sciencebasedmedicine.org @gorskon.bsky.social
"The very fact that I am having to publish this anonymously in a country that has the right to free speech written into our Constitution is an indictment of what is happening."
www.bmj.com/content/388/...
www.bmj.com/content/388/...
Anger, despair, and defiance from a voice within the US federal research system
People around the world are watching with disbelief as the new US government closes down its aid programme, withdraws from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris agreement on climate change...
www.bmj.com
February 17, 2025 at 4:33 AM
"The very fact that I am having to publish this anonymously in a country that has the right to free speech written into our Constitution is an indictment of what is happening."
www.bmj.com/content/388/...
www.bmj.com/content/388/...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
'Physician Senators, What Have You Done?
They have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath in voting to confirm RFK Jr.'
👇🏻
They have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath in voting to confirm RFK Jr.'
👇🏻
Opinion | Physician Senators, What Have You Done?
They have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath in voting to confirm RFK Jr.
www.medpagetoday.com
February 16, 2025 at 1:27 PM
'Physician Senators, What Have You Done?
They have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath in voting to confirm RFK Jr.'
👇🏻
They have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath in voting to confirm RFK Jr.'
👇🏻
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
“I never thought antivaxx policies would be put first in MY state,” sobs man who single-handedly cleared the way for antivaxxers to dictate health policy for the entire country
February 16, 2025 at 10:38 PM
“I never thought antivaxx policies would be put first in MY state,” sobs man who single-handedly cleared the way for antivaxxers to dictate health policy for the entire country
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
I wrote about how RFK Jr. is targeting SSRIs in his first 100 days plan, and his history of spreading disinformation about antidepressants. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
RFK Jr. is already taking aim at antidepressants
The new HHS secretary has made baseless claims that the drugs are addictive and cause violent behavior.
www.motherjones.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I wrote about how RFK Jr. is targeting SSRIs in his first 100 days plan, and his history of spreading disinformation about antidepressants. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
NEW: Marocco has tried shutting down nearly all USAID programs & freezing foreign aid. He’s led the charge to place nearly all USAID staff on administrative leave.
Officials said they see the move as retribution against those who opposed his earlier work.
By @annamaria.bsky.social + Brett Murphy
Officials said they see the move as retribution against those who opposed his earlier work.
By @annamaria.bsky.social + Brett Murphy
Trump Official Destroying USAID Secretly Met With Christian Nationalists Abroad in Defiance of U.S. Policy
Now one of the most powerful people in the U.S. government, Peter Marocco’s turbulent tenure during the first Trump administration sheds light on his current efforts to dismantle the American foreign ...
www.propublica.org
February 16, 2025 at 2:02 AM
NEW: Marocco has tried shutting down nearly all USAID programs & freezing foreign aid. He’s led the charge to place nearly all USAID staff on administrative leave.
Officials said they see the move as retribution against those who opposed his earlier work.
By @annamaria.bsky.social + Brett Murphy
Officials said they see the move as retribution against those who opposed his earlier work.
By @annamaria.bsky.social + Brett Murphy
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
"If we don’t continue to fight against the attacks on science and the budding authoritarian regime we are living through right now, I am afraid of the future. My past teaches me what it’s like. And I don’t want to live through it again in the US. Never forget."
President Trump and Musk's Onslaught Reminds Me of Brazil's Dictatorship
We're living in a budding authoritarian regime.
blog.ucsusa.org
February 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
"If we don’t continue to fight against the attacks on science and the budding authoritarian regime we are living through right now, I am afraid of the future. My past teaches me what it’s like. And I don’t want to live through it again in the US. Never forget."
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
The most fitting end to a day in which the regime just curbstomped our outbreak response capacity: an H5N1 patient in a hospital that’s also presumably full of seasonal flu patients.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Wyoming identifies first human case of bird flu
The Wyoming Department of Health said on Friday it has identified its first human case of H5N1 bird flu in the region, making it the third confirmed instance of hospitalization related to the infection in the United States.
www.reuters.com
February 15, 2025 at 4:50 AM
The most fitting end to a day in which the regime just curbstomped our outbreak response capacity: an H5N1 patient in a hospital that’s also presumably full of seasonal flu patients.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
"the extremely strong desire is to just punish universities [..] It’s not based on any kind of coherent policy agenda. It’s just a desire to inflict pain."
This, is critical to understand. Pointing out "it's hurting us" won't do, since it's the whole point.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
This, is critical to understand. Pointing out "it's hurting us" won't do, since it's the whole point.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
Opinion | Trump Wants to Destroy All Academia, Not Just the Woke Parts (Gift Article)
The administration’s war on universities defies rational self-interest.
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2025 at 1:54 PM
"the extremely strong desire is to just punish universities [..] It’s not based on any kind of coherent policy agenda. It’s just a desire to inflict pain."
This, is critical to understand. Pointing out "it's hurting us" won't do, since it's the whole point.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
This, is critical to understand. Pointing out "it's hurting us" won't do, since it's the whole point.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
What is going on at NIH and CDC is horrific. Young scientists summarily fired during the PhDs and Postdocs. Whole sections bullied into resigning. All pandemic and surveillance programme shut in the middle of a cattle flu outbreak that is infecting more people.
What is going on at NIH and CDC is horrific. Young scientists summarily fired during the PhDs and Postdocs. Whole sections bullied into resigning. All pandemic and surveillance programme shut in the middle of a cattle flu outbreak that is infecting more people.
Musk’s takeover of US health agencies raises pandemic threat, experts warn
Doge wreaks havoc on HHS and CDC as Trump seeks to grant committee sweeping governmental powers
www.theguardian.com
February 15, 2025 at 10:00 PM
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
What is going on at NIH and CDC is horrific. Young scientists summarily fired during the PhDs and Postdocs. Whole sections bullied into resigning. All pandemic and surveillance programme shut in the middle of a cattle flu outbreak that is infecting more people.
What is going on at NIH and CDC is horrific. Young scientists summarily fired during the PhDs and Postdocs. Whole sections bullied into resigning. All pandemic and surveillance programme shut in the middle of a cattle flu outbreak that is infecting more people.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
Termination notices going out this afternoon to more than 300 employees of the National Cancer Institute. Access likely ends today. Four weeks paid leave and that’s it.
Strong power move for Team Cancer.
Strong power move for Team Cancer.
February 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Termination notices going out this afternoon to more than 300 employees of the National Cancer Institute. Access likely ends today. Four weeks paid leave and that’s it.
Strong power move for Team Cancer.
Strong power move for Team Cancer.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
Texas measles outbreak doubled, now into 4 counties www.houstonchronicle.com/health/artic...
February 14, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Texas measles outbreak doubled, now into 4 counties www.houstonchronicle.com/health/artic...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
‘Wrecking ball’: RFK Jr. moves to fire thousands of health agency employees | Science | AAAS brought to you by @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
‘Wrecking ball’: RFK Jr. moves to fire thousands of health agency employees
Supervisors deliver bad news across NIH, CDC
www.science.org
February 14, 2025 at 11:43 PM
‘Wrecking ball’: RFK Jr. moves to fire thousands of health agency employees | Science | AAAS brought to you by @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
But RFK Jr PROMISED Senate Republicans he would leave vaccines alone.
The promise was broken less than 24 hours after taking over at HHS.
The promise was broken less than 24 hours after taking over at HHS.
Today's executive order from President Trump is intended to halt federal funding for schools and universities with covid vaccine mandates, White House official says.
Breitbart first reported the planned executive order.
Breitbart first reported the planned executive order.
Exclusive: Trump Expected to Halt Federal Funding to Schools with COVID Vaccine Mandates
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Friday halting federal funds for schools and universities that require students to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
www.breitbart.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:54 PM
But RFK Jr PROMISED Senate Republicans he would leave vaccines alone.
The promise was broken less than 24 hours after taking over at HHS.
The promise was broken less than 24 hours after taking over at HHS.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
An absolutely scorching OpEd by Harold Varmus, Nobel laureate, on Trump's destruction of the vaunted US scientific & biomedical enterprise & on Trump's kooky picks to lead the US health & science agencies
Gift link to share far & wide
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
Gift link to share far & wide
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
Opinion | American Science is Under Attack (Gift Article)
The Trump administration hobbles research and endangers the public health.
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2025 at 8:14 PM
An absolutely scorching OpEd by Harold Varmus, Nobel laureate, on Trump's destruction of the vaunted US scientific & biomedical enterprise & on Trump's kooky picks to lead the US health & science agencies
Gift link to share far & wide
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
Gift link to share far & wide
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
We are used to assuming that legal decisions are at least partly shaped by partisan identity. It would be nice if we could assume they were not also shaped by threats and intimidation from the leader of an online far right movement.
JUST IN: Judge Bates (who Musk has been relentlessly attacking on X since he ordered CDC to restore deleted health websites) just sided with DOGE and rejected an emergency effort to bar Musk allies from accessing systems at Labor, HHS and CFPB.
February 15, 2025 at 2:15 AM
We are used to assuming that legal decisions are at least partly shaped by partisan identity. It would be nice if we could assume they were not also shaped by threats and intimidation from the leader of an online far right movement.
Reposted by Allison Neitzel
To be clear- this will cost lives, severely weaken public health (and global health), cause more distrust in federal response, and ultimately undermine all the advancements in health we’ve made in recent decades.
HHS to lose thousands of workers under Trump administration probationary job cuts
Department of Health and Human Services officials expect most of the agency’s roughly 5,200 probationary employees to be fired.
apnews.com
February 14, 2025 at 10:28 PM
To be clear- this will cost lives, severely weaken public health (and global health), cause more distrust in federal response, and ultimately undermine all the advancements in health we’ve made in recent decades.