Washington has been consumed with the Trump-Musk fracas and the Congressional debate over President Trump’s “big beautiful” tax and spending bill, which the Congressional Budget Office says will push an estimated 11 million Americans off health insurance rolls. But another major development has received less scrutiny: the administration’s quiet release of its agency-by-agency plans for drastically cutting support for the environment, science, schools, and public health.
Issued on May 30, 2025, the blueprint eliminates critical environmental programs, shutters public health initiatives, and guts K-12 education funding.
EPA: indoor air research scrapped. At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the budget zeroes out environmental education and axes all research funding—previously $88 million—for reducing risks from indoor air pollution, a major trigger of asthma and other chronic illnesses as Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. The agency’s science staff would face a 35% payroll reduction, with overall science funding slashed by 43%, and support to state & tribal environmental programs cut by 44%.
CDC: public health programs cut. Public health fares no better. Despite rising concerns about chronic diseases among children and numbers of children in poverty, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would see its budget more than halved—from $9.2 billion in FY 2024 to just $4.3 billion under the Trump proposal. Among the casualties: CDC’s lead poisoning prevention program and center for chronic disease prevention, which were proposed for complete elimination. Earlier in May, CDC confirmed the elimination of 2,400 staff positions as part of restructuring efforts.
Education: the big target. The administration’s proposed budget would reduce the federal Department of Education’s overall funding by 15%—a $12 billion rollback. And this massive cut is only the beginning—the administration still plans to dismantle the department altogether.
The kids are not all right under Trump’s plan. While the full impact of these proposals remains uncertain, the signal is unmistakable: under the Trump plan, environmental protection, public health, educational equity, and children’s health are not priorities. In fact, the administration even shortchanged kids in its “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report. As we noted in our last NewsSlice, the report says next to nothing about school environments—the place where kids spend the most time, other than home. Or common childhood conditions linked to unhealthy indoor air, such as asthma. Moreover, the very tools the government could use to improve children’s health are slated for elimination under the administration’s budget plan. How will this make children healthier?
Healthy Schools Network will continue to raise the alarm—and push back—as Congress re-takes center stage in the debate over agency budgets. Congress can, and must, exercise common sense. Healthy children need health care, they need food and shelter, they need an education, and they need healthy places to live and learn. In the weeks ahead, we will keep you up-to-date on funding bills and offer opportunities to weigh in at key points in the Congressional budget process.
Other News
US EPA resource: protect yourself from wildfire smoke
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has traveled deep into the US, and we can expect more fires in the months to come. In early June, EPA issued a bulletin on how to prepare, including steps to reduce impacts on indoor air. This practical, crucial resource is just one example of EPA’s vital work—and a reminder of why we’re fighting so hard to protect it. Read the bulletin here.
Congratulations again to National Healthy Schools Hero Dr. Frederica Perera!
On April 15, Dr. Frederica “Ricky” Perera received the Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Columbia’s Center for Children’s Environmental Health, where she was a founding director, for her pioneering research on environmental threats to children’s health, among other accomplishments. We agree that Dr. Perera has been a leader in protecting children’s health—in fact, Healthy Schools Network awarded her a Healthy School Heroes award back in 2008. Thank you, Dr. Perera, for your tireless advocacy for children!
Dr. Perera, standing front row, fourth from left, next to Claire Barnett, former executive director, Healthy Schools Network, standing front row, third from left.
New York City panel discussion and reception, Oct 2008, at the New York Times Center
