I shake my head in disbelief. Is this really happening in the United States? As a pediatrician and public health advocate, I believe we are witnessing the literal systematic dismantling of our health care system.
Case in point: the federal government’s mishandling of two recent lead contamination crises (in Michigan and Wisconsin). These failures not only expose children to preventable toxic harm, but also reveal a deeper breakdown in democratic accountability and responsible governance. This should alarm us all.
I am a pediatric cardiologist, a doctor who has committed my career to caring for some of the sickest children. In my field, it is often a matter of life and death. For three decades, I have always advocated for access to the best medical care available on behalf of critically ill infants and children. I have fought my share of battles against insurance companies and the bureaucratic inertia of our health care system. I can proudly say that I have never given up when my patient’s optimal health and safety was at stake. I do not settle for second best. I never thought I would witness the day when my own government would be among those standing in the way of critically needed medical and public health care. It is deeply painful to witness the callous recklessness of those chosen to lead our health care system.
In 2023, lead levels at the Okemos Public Montessori School (OPMS) in Michigan tested over three times the state’s action limit, the threshold beyond which the risk of harm to those exposed is significantly increased. In 2024, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) uncovered lead levels as high as 170 times the safety threshold. These numbers are not just shocking; they demand swift, expert intervention. Yet federal assistance has been entirely absent. The United States has a century-long history of grappling with lead toxicity. By the 1970s, evidence firmly established that even low-level lead exposure could cause irreversible harm, especially to the developing brains of children. The banning of lead-based paint in 1978 and the phaseout of leaded gasoline were milestones in a larger effort to protect the public. Central to that effort was the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, which supported surveillance, education, and community-level response. These efforts proved successful as the nation witnessed a dramatic decline in average blood lead levels among American children over the next several decades. But we never fully solved the problem. Lead still lurks in aging infrastructure. When schools like OPMS and MPS discover acute contamination, they need expert support now more than ever.
The original success story, however, is unraveling. In April 2025, just as communities like OPMS and MPS were seeking help and without consulting the public, the CDC’s lead prevention program was abruptly eliminated under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In Milwaukee, Health Commissioner Dr. Mike Totoraitis expressed shock at the sudden dismissal of federal lead experts, calling the decision “startling” and counterproductive to public health. I agree completely. Meanwhile, during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on May 20, RFK Jr. asserted that the CDC had a team “actively assisting” Milwaukee. Local officials immediately disputed this claim. Totoraitis clarified that the only CDC presence had been a short, prescheduled technical visit unrelated to the school crisis. In reality, Milwaukee has been forced to develop its own emergency infrastructure consisting of testing clinics and water line replacement plans while facing a $630 million funding gap. This dissonance between federal assurances and the reality facing Milwaukee is both misleading and dangerous.
In Okemos, Michigan, local leadership took a different approach. They stepped up when federal support collapsed. Superintendent John Hood candidly admitted the district’s delayed response, took full responsibility, and oversaw critical interventions including filtered water installations and system-wide testing. This is the kind of transparency and leadership we expect and urgently need at the federal level.
But I sense a deeper concern: How can communities protect themselves if they are not even informed that essential public health infrastructure has been dismantled? The CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was cut without public notice, which sets a dangerous precedent. It undermines the very democratic process of deliberation and open proceedings that is meant to safeguard community health. The government is violating its duty to protect, especially when it chooses ideology and cost-cutting over scientific expertise and public safety.
How much is a child’s life worth? To me, it is priceless.
And let us be clear: This is not an issue isolated to underserved communities. Meridian Township, where OPMS is located, is relatively affluent and well-educated, outperforming many Michigan regions on standardized testing. If a leading school in a high-income area can be abandoned during a public health crisis, we must all watch out for our safety. No community is immune. The erosion of science-based governance in favor of ideological decision-making is not just short-sighted, it is abusive. When so many people are harmed by those in power entrusted to serve the greater good, that is abusive. When leadership covers up bad decisions instead of taking responsibility, especially when people are in urgent need, that too is abusive. Public health must be equitably administered. It requires investment, transparency, and trust. When for political theatre those well off and least likely to suffer dismantle such systems in the guise of fiscal restraint, it is unethical and dangerous. It sacrifices the well-being of those most vulnerable and our children’s future. We are all being abused.
We need to face the fact that we are all interconnected in this democracy. What happens to a stranger will ultimately affect our own lives. This reality demands that we must advocate for everyone’s well-being. We must demand the immediate reinstatement of the CDC’s lead prevention teams, greater funding for lead remediation, and a renewed commitment to the principle that public health is a public right. As a pediatrician, my conclusion is clear: this is a dereliction of duty by the government, health care leaders and the general public if we remain silent. This situation has far-reaching health consequences beyond the lead contamination crises in these two states. As a citizen, I call on others to speak out and hold our leaders accountable: to reinvest in the public health systems that protect us today and into our future. Protecting our children should never be negotiable.
Eric Fethke is a pediatric cardiologist.
