GLENDALE, AZ, AUGUST 23: 

Republican presidential nominee Dona

Located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the White House office responsible for pandemic preparedness has recently focused on the escalating avian flu outbreak in the U.S., coordinating responses with various state and federal agencies as the virus spreads from animals to humans.

By Inauguration Day, a significant portion of the office’s staff, the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR), will depart. Over half of its 18 employees, including the director and deputy director, will leave. Several career staffers with temporary assignments will return to their original agencies. This leaves the incoming Trump administration with several key pandemic response positions unfilled.

Experts have expressed concern regarding the implications of a Trump presidency for national pandemic planning. The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary has garnered significant attention. The uncertain future of the OPPR, a crucial component of federal pandemic response, further fuels these concerns. Trump’s transition team did not respond to requests for comment on his plans for the office.

Trump previously eliminated a similar White House office in 2017, a decision health experts believe contributed to the federal government’s initially disjointed response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During the pandemic, Trump downplayed the virus’s severity, even suggesting unproven remedies.

Biden’s 2021 executive order reinstated the office, with Congress providing additional resources and formally naming it the OPPR. However, Trump previously dismissed the office as a vehicle for wasteful spending, stating he would likely disband it again, believing sufficient lessons had been learned.

Biden administration officials express apprehension that a Trump administration may underinvest in pandemic preparedness. The OPPR plays a vital role in coordinating interagency and state efforts. Its absence would be detrimental.

The office’s annual operating cost was approximately $2 million, with Biden requesting $6.2 million in additional funding for 2025. While Congress formally established the office, Trump cannot unilaterally abolish it, but he could severely limit its effectiveness by defunding it or leaving key leadership positions vacant.

OPPR’s recent work addressing the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, initially detected in U.S. dairy cattle in March, highlights its importance. While human-to-human transmission remains limited, there have been at least 66 reported human infections and one death in the U.S.

The office organized the federal response, coordinating efforts across agencies like the CDC, HHS, and the Department of Agriculture. The outgoing director stated that the office coordinated an interagency response to protect public health, the food supply, and prevent the spread of the avian flu.

Federal response measures included monitoring farms for outbreaks, compensating farmers for culling infected livestock, and providing protective gear. OPPR also collaborated with states to enhance milk surveillance for early detection of infected cows.

While the CDC assesses the risk to the general public as low, the office prioritizes community health and safety.

The White House office has also prepared for a potential bird flu pandemic vaccine response, overseeing vaccine stockpiling and collaborating with Moderna on a potential updated vaccine. A pandemic expert emphasized the urgency of maintaining such an office.

The office has also collaborated internationally on responding to outbreaks of Marburg virus, mpox, and Lassa fever.

The OPPR will continue operations after Trump’s inauguration, but its future staffing and resources remain uncertain. A White House spokesperson highlighted the Biden administration’s prioritization of biological threat preparedness and advocated for its continued importance.