Bennet, Warnock, Colleagues Demand Secretary Kennedy Allow CDC Experts to Do Their Jobs Amid Global Health Emergencies

May 26, 2026 | Press Releases

The CDC's lack of communications response to the hantavirus and other infectious disease outbreaks has drawn criticismfrom public health experts; Reportsallege that Trump Administration political appointees have been suppressing communications by career CDC professionals.

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and seven colleagues to demand that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allow expert scientists and physicians at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to speak freely, candidly, and "without political interference" about the hantavirus threat to the public.

"Let us be clear: we have complete confidence in the career experts at CDC who are, and have been, working to respond to this potential threat," wrote the senators. "What concerns us is the Administration's potential hamstringing of those experts' ability to convey scientifically backed information to the public."

"The absence of a trusted voice allows conspiracy theorists and misinformation to fester, creating more panic," continued the senators. "Getting factual, real-time information gives the American people confidence in the U.S.'s ability to keep them safe."

Criticism of the CDC's lack of public response has been growing since news agencies first reported that six Americans and 30 passengers had been sickened with hantavirus aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The first death from the current outbreak occurred on April 11, 2026, with the second death occurring just two weeks later on April 26. The CDC did not issue an alert until May 8, nearly a month after the first reported death, roughly two weeks after the second death, and six days after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first notice about the potential outbreak on May 2.

At the same time, it is important for the public health experts to be able to share timely and factual information with the public - especially since last week Colorado saw its first death from hantavirus since 2024, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The lawmakers' letter comes on the heels of another global health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. As of May 25, the CDC has deemed the overall risk to the American public and travelers low.

According to numbers shared to Congress by HHS in April 2026, CDC has lost over 26 percent of its staff, or 3,369 employees, since January 2025, which raises questions whether the beleaguered agency and HHS can effectively fulfill its role of leading preparedness and response efforts to a larger outbreak or epidemic.

Bennet has constantly fought against Kennedy's anti-health and anti-science agenda. In April 2026, Bennet questioned Kennedy during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Kennedy's long-standing skepticism of childhood vaccines amidst the largest measles outbreak in over thirty years.

In March 2025, Bennet joined 12 of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Kennedy to demand HHS reverse changes to the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites that promote false and dangerous information about autism. In September 2025, he questioned Kennedy during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his actions undermining vaccine safety and access for American families. Bennet also joined members of the Senate Finance Committee in issuing a statement calling on Kennedy to resign due to the danger he poses to America's health, his lies to Congress, and his spread of disinformation.

In addition to Bennet and Warnock, U.S. Senators Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) signed the letter.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

Given the growing threat of hantavirus, we write with a simple request: let the experts speak. The Department of Health and Human Services and particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employ hundreds of infectious disease experts, and their knowledge is needed now more than ever. We have been alarmed by reports that political appointees have been muzzling CDC communications, and we urge you to allow our nation's expert scientists and physicians to speak candidly, without political interference. Given your previously expressed commitment to "radical transparency," we expect you will be able to easily honor this commitment.

The first death from this outbreak of the hantavirus was on April 11, 2026. The second death was two weeks later, on April 26. The World Health Organization (WHO) received notice about the potential outbreak on May 2. However, the CDC did not put out an alert on the Health Alert Network (HAN) to public health practitioners, officials, laboratorians and clinicians until May 8, nearly a month after the first death, nearly two weeks after the second death, and six days after the WHO received its first notification.

CDC held its first briefing on May 9, but only for invited press. According to reports, the invited media "could not cite the speakers by name under rules set by aides to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr." An open press briefing in Nebraska on May 11 provided more answers, and we urge you to give CDC experts the flexibility to share information as it changes.

Let us be clear: we have complete confidence in the career experts at CDC who are, and have been, working to respond to this potential threat. What concerns us is the Administration's potential hamstringing of those experts' ability to convey scientifically backed information to the public. The absence of a trusted voice allows conspiracy theorists and misinformation to fester, creating more panic. Getting factual, real-time information gives the American people confidence in the U.S.'s ability to keep them safe.

We also worry that this outbreak shows the gaps in our country's ability to respond to threats, considering the United States' recent withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, the CDC has been crippled by staffing cuts over the past year, which has undoubtedly weakened its ability to promptly respond to emerging health threats. According to numbers shared to Congress by HHS in April 2026, CDC has lost over 26 percent of its staff, or 3,369 employees, since January 2025. These reckless staffing cuts call into question whether the beleaguered agency and HHS as a whole can effectively fulfill its role of leading preparedness and response efforts to a larger outbreak or epidemic.

According to experts, the current strain of the hantavirus outbreak has historically required very close contact with symptomatic individuals. However, if this virus or a different virus with high transmission and case fatality rates circulates, the country's lack of involvement with WHO, staffing shortages at CDC, and absence of frequent communication from experts will be a recipe for disaster. The least this Administration can do is allow CDC to communicate publicly to build trust with the American people and to keep families safe.

We do not need a lengthy or extensive response to our request. We respectfully request a "yes" or "no" to the following question: With the growing threat of hantavirus, will you permit public health experts and scientists at the CDC, and not the Administration's political appointees, to make the final decisions on what is said to the public, when it is said, and through what manner, about the hantavirus and other infectious disease threats?

We also request a briefing on efforts to respond to this outbreak by CDC career subject matter experts within one week of receipt of this letter.

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