In a startling turn of events, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declined a request from Milwaukee officials for emergency support in addressing hazardous lead levels in several city school buildings.

The reason? The federal agency says it no longer has the staff to respond.  The request, made on March 26, sought aid through the CDC’s EpiAid program, which historically deploys public health experts to assist local communities during urgent health crises. But last week, Milwaukee was informed that the CDC’s Lead Program had been entirely dismantled due to federal downsizing.  “I sincerely regret to inform you that due to the complete loss of our Lead Program, we will be unable to support you with this EpiAid request,” wrote Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The letter, dated last week, was obtained by CNN. 

The denial follows the April 1 layoff of 10,000 federal health employees — part of a sweeping government reorganization that has deeply affected public health infrastructure. Milwaukee’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Mike Totoraitis, had been coordinating with the CDC for two months on the lead issue when he was informed that his main point of contact at the agency had lost their job.  “My entire division was eliminated today,” a CDC epidemiologist wrote in an email to CNN.

The agency assigned new contacts, but according to Totoraitis, they were unable to confirm what kind of assistance, if any, could be offered.  The city had hoped federal experts could assist in analyzing and responding to the discovery of dangerous lead levels in multiple school facilities — a grave concern given that even minimal exposure to lead can cause irreversible damage to children’s developing brains. Lead exposure is particularly common in older buildings with pre-1978 lead-based paint or aging infrastructure. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hinted that some terminated programs might be reinstated, saying on April 3, “There were a number of instances where … personnel that should not have been cut were cut.” He suggested the lead prevention program might return.  However, hours later, Milwaukee received an official denial of CDC support.  “While we’re disappointed, the Milwaukee Health Department’s work has not stopped,” said department spokesperson Caroline Reinwald.

“This only underscores the importance of the role local public health plays in protecting communities — and the challenges we now face without federal expertise to call on.”  As Milwaukee continues to confront its lead crisis without the CDC's immediate support, the situation highlights a broader concern over the nation's capacity to respond to public health emergencies in the wake of deep federal health workforce cuts