In 2025, the Trump administration enacted massive cuts to federal health agencies in the name of government efficiency, claiming the vital functions of government would not be curtailed. However, as it fired and pushed out thousands of federal workers, ProPublica was inundated with hundreds of tips detailing how the cuts were not eliminating waste or bloat, but instead destroying the fundamental public health responsibilities of the federal government. These tips sparked months of deep reporting, during which ProPublica reporters sought to identify not just the hardest hit agencies, but also understand the trickle-down consequences.
