The CDC's Floundering Leadership: Dr. Mandy Cohen and the Agency's Ongoing Failures
Dr. Cohen was brought in to revive the CDC’s image and tarnished reputation, yet the agency continues to push mass vaccination and cater to pharmaceutical companies.
By Megan Redshaw
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), once hailed as a crucial U.S. public health agency, has faced a barrage of criticism over the years for its conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies and mishandling of several critical health issues.
However, the longstanding issues with the CDC were brought into stark public view with COVID-19, when the agency's pandemic response led even its staunchest defenders to label its efforts as inept.
The appointment of CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen was touted as a move to restore credibility and public trust in the agency. Yet, despite the fanfare surrounding her leadership, the CDC’s shortcomings have not only persisted but arguably worsened under her tenure. The agency’s continued lack of transparency, failure to address critical threats, and controversial attempts to silence dissenting voices suggest it is more concerned with its image than safeguarding public health.
“The CDC is compromised by powerful pharmaceutical conflicts of interest, which is what drives its failure at protecting the public. The CDC continues to push COVID-19 mRNA injections for everyone six months and older despite a mountain of safety signals. They have not made any sufficient attempt at acknowledging vaccine injuries but continue to suppress them,” epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher told Reform Pharma.
A New Face, Same Old Problems
The Biden administration in 2023 appointed Cohen to lead the CDC and rehabilitate its tarnished reputation. The CDC’s credibility took a significant hit during the COVID-19 pandemic when its botched messaging on masks, vaccines, and lockdowns led to widespread confusion and mistrust.
As North Carolina’s Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Cohen was praised for her communication skills and handling of the state’s pandemic response. The hope was that her experience would translate into a revitalized CDC, one that could regain the public’s trust after its disastrous handling of the pandemic.
"Trust is absolutely foundational," Cohen said during a 2023 press event. "It is something that I talked about at my very first all-hands meeting when we brought thousands and thousands of CDC employees together. I said trust is absolutely foundational to our ability to help Americans and those around the world protect themselves."
"And trust is not just a feeling, it's an intentional plan," she added.
But any hope quickly gave way to disillusionment. Instead of charting a new course, Cohen’s leadership has been marred by the same issues that plagued her predecessors.
Despite her background, Cohen has failed to address the CDC’s most pressing problem: a pervasive lack of transparency. The agency’s continued opacity and efforts to illude accountability have not only failed to rebuild trust but have deepened public skepticism, fueling the notion that the CDC is more interested in managing its reputation than in being honest with the American people.
A prime example is the CDC’s reluctance to fully disclose data on vaccine efficacy and adverse events, such as myocarditis. Rather than taking the opportunity to set the record straight, Cohen’s CDC has chosen to keep the public in the dark, reinforcing the belief that the agency cannot be trusted. Moreover, the agency continues to promote mass vaccination as the solution to potential threats.
"The CDC has mass vaccination as its major aim for every emerging infectious disease issue,” Dr. Peter McCullough, a cardiologist, internist, and epidemiologist, told Reform Pharma.
“Dr. Cohen has not embraced the fundamentals of risk stratification and early treatment for those at highest risk (COVID-19, influenza, Monkeypox). Instead her first instinct is to promote unnecessary vaccination to a large number of individuals who are not at risk for, and will not develop the illness,” McCullough said.
“We should never position vaccination as the primary method of pandemic management since it will promote resistant strains, fail quickly, have side effects, and prolong the crisis,” he added.
This lack of transparency is not merely a public relations issue—it has real consequences for public health and continues to erode trust in public health institutions.
The ICAN Lawsuit: A Battle Over Free Speech
The CDC’s reluctance to engage with critics, as evidenced by a recently filed lawsuit, suggests a deeper problem within the agency—a culture that prioritizes maintaining control over the narrative rather than fostering open dialogue. This approach is counterproductive and dangerous in a constitutional republic with a democratic system of governance like the United States—where public institutions are accountable to the people.
For instance, the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), on July 30, 2024, filed a lawsuit against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Cohen for unconstitutionally blocking Americans on the CDC’s official X account.
Plaintiff Lindsay Jones alleges that the CDC, under Cohen’s leadership, violated her First Amendment rights after the agency allegedly blocked her account after she posted several tweets that were critical of the CDC’s actions, particularly its handling of public health information and vaccine policies.
Jones, a journalist with a substantial following, argues that this blocking constituted unconstitutional viewpoint-based censorship, preventing her from accessing or engaging with public health information shared by the CDC on its official X account.
According to ICAN, this move constitutes a violation of free speech rights, especially when the blocked accounts attempt to engage in public discourse on matters of significant public interest.
The lawsuit has brought to light the CDC’s strained relationship with the public, especially with those who question its authority. While social media has become a crucial platform for public health communication, it has become a battleground for the CDC, where dissenting voices are often met with resistance rather than engagement.
The CDC’s alleged actions on X have been perceived by many as an attempt to silence critics rather than address their concerns. This approach damages the agency’s credibility and contradicts the principles of transparency and accountability that were supposed to be at the forefront under new leadership.
Secret Bioweapons Lab in California: A Glaring Oversight
Another egregious failure under Cohen’s leadership is the CDC’s response—or lack thereof—to the 2023 discovery of a clandestine bioweapons lab in Reedley, California. The lab, which was operating under the radar, was found to be handling a variety of dangerous pathogens, including those associated with COVID-19, HIV, Ebola, and other lethal diseases. The discovery of the lab raised immediate concerns about public safety, regulatory oversight, and the potential for bioterrorism.
Local authorities and the FBI took the lead in investigating the lab, but the CDC remained silent for months, raising serious questions about its ability—or willingness—to confront real threats and its commitment to transparency and public safety.
By failing to address the situation head-on, the CDC not only jeopardized public safety but also underscored its own ineptitude. Cohen’s leadership was supposed to bring accountability and responsiveness to the agency, but the Reedley case suggests that the CDC is still more concerned with its image than fulfilling its mission.
CDC Ties to Big Pharma
Cohen's tenure as the director of the CDC has increasingly come under scrutiny, with critics arguing that her role seems more aligned with serving the interests of pharmaceutical companies than safeguarding public health. Throughout her career, Cohen has consistently endorsed and promoted pharmaceutical solutions, often at the expense of transparency and comprehensive public health strategies.
Her close ties with pharmaceutical companies, which have been lucrative beneficiaries of CDC policies under her leadership, raise significant concerns about her objectivity and the true motivations behind her public health directives.
Rather than advocating for a balanced approach that considers a range of preventative measures and treatments, Cohen's actions suggest she is more focused on pushing pharmaceutical products. Whether it’s promoting the widespread use of vaccines without sufficiently addressing safety concerns or pushing new drugs with little discussion of alternatives, her policies often seem to favor the profit margins of pharmaceutical giants over the well-being of the public.
This has led many to view Cohen less as a public health official and more as a de facto sales representative for Big Pharma, casting a long shadow over the CDC's mission to protect and promote the health of all Americans.
The CDC Needs “Complete Restructuring”
The path forward for the CDC is fraught with challenges, but one thing is clear: the agency cannot continue on its current trajectory under Cohen’s leadership. Her tenure has failed to deliver the transparency, accountability, and responsiveness the American people deserve from their foremost public health institution.
The CDC's repeated failures—from its lack of transparency to its attempts to silence critics—show the agency is fundamentally out of touch with the people it is supposed to serve.
“In my opinion, Dr. Cohen has not made a meaningful difference. We need a complete restructuring of the CDC to solve these issues,” Hulscher told Reform Pharma.
For the CDC to truly regain public trust and fulfill its mission, it needs new leadership—someone willing to confront the agency's deep-seated issues head-on and prioritize the public's right to clear, honest communication.
Cohen, despite initial promises, has not brought about the necessary changes. For the sake of the CDC’s future and the health of the nation, the agency needs fresh leadership that can restore its credibility and put public health back at the center of its mission.