The article, titled “The Gutting of the Administrative State, Universities, and Expertise Mirrors the Cultural Revolution,” was published in The Nation on April 10, 2025, under the Politics section. It provides an analysis of the unprecedented actions by the U.S. government to dismantle key health institutions and their impacts.
The report highlights the termination of grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with the firing of thousands of staff across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These actions have severely affected state and local health departments and educational institutions, jeopardizing public health initiatives and advancements in disease treatment and prevention.
The article explores the rationale behind these cuts, noting how they have been presented under agendas such as “Make America Healthy Again” and government downsizing. However, it suggests that these changes align more with historical purges, like China’s Cultural Revolution, aiming to eliminate expertise and reshape institutions under a radical ideology.
In this transformed environment, individuals who question established science, especially regarding COVID-19 and vaccines, have gained influence over critical organizations like the NIH and FDA. The piece predicts lasting detrimental effects due to these policies, as many experts have left government positions or are deterred from entering the field.
Efforts by some academic institutions to resist these changes have been described as self-damaging, while pseudoscience is reportedly on the rise, with serious public health consequences such as the resurgence of measles outbreaks.
Furthermore, under the current administration, spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., there has been a promotion of anti-vaccine sentiment, potentially leading to harmful public health outcomes. The dismantling of established science systems is causing widespread concern among experts about the nation’s future capabilities in science, healthcare, and public health.
The article concludes by emphasizing the urgency of the situation, indicating that upcoming elections may come too late to prevent further damage to American science and healthcare systems. The piece suggests that these actions are intended to inflict long-term harm, regardless of the personal motivations of those in power.
