Proposed CDC Science Office Would Tighten Political
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- CDC's proposed Executive Advisory, Science, and Operations Unit would review scientific publications including the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report intended for peer-reviewed journals, as well as briefings by the director on preparedness activities.
- The new office would report up to Matthew Buzzelli, the CDC's chief of staff, placing the review function under a political appointee rather than career scientists.
- Three people familiar with the planning told STAT the office is currently not part of the agency's structure and no available funding has been identified after months of internal effort, leaving the proposal in limbo.
- In April, the CDC published a notice seeking contractors to support the proposed office's creation, indicating the agency is still advancing the plan despite the funding gap.
- The proposal appears poised to give political appointees more control over information coming out of the CDC, according to STAT's reporting based on sources who spoke anonymously.
Why it matters: The proposed structure would shift vetting of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and director preparedness briefings from career scientists to the chief of staff's office, a political appointee. After months of internal effort with no funding identified, the plan is stalled but signals an active push to restructure how scientific information flows out of the agency.
