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Trump Calls for Health Cuts During Measles Outbreak [1]

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Date: 2025-05-14

Editor’s Note: This post is from our data newsletter, the Rural Index, headed by Sarah Melotte, the Daily Yonder’s data reporter. Subscribe to get a weekly map or graph straight to your inbox.

Measles infections are on the rise as Trump calls for cuts to federal health programs, a move that would disproportionately hurt rural communities.

Over the past several months I’ve been nervously checking the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports on the increasing number of measles cases in the United States. I don’t worry so much about myself (I’m healthy and vaccinated), but I’m concerned about anything that threatens rural communities like mine in Western North Carolina.

Rural healthcare systems are already underfunded, understaffed, and strapped for resources. And the Trump Administration seems intent on pushing for changes that would exacerbate the problem, from Medicaid cuts that would squeeze rural hospitals, to slashing tax credits in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace.

A measles outbreak is a good example of how national health emergencies can put extra strain on rural communities. This spring the number of measles cases in the United States surpassed 1,000 for the first time in five years. What started in a small Mennonite community in West Texas is now a national outbreak with cases in at least 28 states. There are over 700 cases in Texas but the outbreak has spread to several other states, with New Mexico and Ohio coming in second and third, respectively, for the highest number of cases.

In rural Texas, where this outbreak originated, a lack of public health resources makes it hard for local leaders to respond appropriately to infections, reported Pooja Salhotra for the Texas Tribune. Primary care shortages and aging infrastructure are common concerns in rural communities, along with long distances to testing clinics.

Measles is an extremely contagious viral infection that causes rashes and flu-like symptoms. The disease can be particularly harmful to young children and immunocompromised individuals.

The good news is that two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles infections. Vaccination campaigns led to the elimination of measles in 2000, and public health experts say the solution to the current emergency is to continue encouraging vaccinations.

But vaccine hesitancy has been on the rise in recent years, spurred in part by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), who is infamous for spreading misinformation about the efficacy of vaccines.

Last month RFK Jr. falsely stated that the measles infection rate was flattening. Public health experts in Texas refuted his claim, stating that cases were on the rise and that the actual number of infections is likely much higher than the reports show.

The consequences of this medical disinformation will be felt by rural and other under-resourced communities as they are left to struggle with more outbreaks – potentially with fewer funds, if the Trump Administration gets what they want in the 2026 budget.

I’ve reported on a variety of healthcare inequalities that plague rural communities, from civic infrastructure, to maternal care deserts, to access to abortion clinics, and more. During the Covid pandemic, I helped Daily Yonder editor Tim Marema report on weekly infection and death rates, culminating in over 100 weeks of data on the devastating impacts of the pandemic on rural America.

In addition to the challenges these communities are already facing, a 2024 report from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projected that by 2037, there will be a shortage of more than 87,000 full-time primary care providers across the country, a trend that will be most pronounced in rural areas.

Despite all of this, the Trump Administration wants to cut the CDC budget from $9.6 billion in fiscal year 2025, to $4 billion, according to a letter from the White House regarding the 2026 budget. The discretionary funding changes would eliminate key programs like the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion and the National Center for Environmental Health, among others.

If there is one thing I’ve found to be true throughout my reporting on rural America, it’s this: Anything that hurts Americans in general disproportionately harms rural Americans in particular. I hope I’m wrong this time.

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[1] Url: https://dailyyonder.com/trump-calls-for-health-cuts-during-measles-outbreak/2025/05/14/

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