The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services,and is headquartered in Atlanta,Georgia.
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security,military,and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House,it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States,and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of the U.S. people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health,safety,and well-being of America". Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979,it was called the Department of Health,Education,and Welfare (HEW).
The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS),originally called the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS),is the United States' national repository of antibiotics,vaccines,chemical antidotes,antitoxins,and other critical medical supplies. Its website states:
"The Strategic National Stockpile's role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled,as well. The supplies,medicines,and devices for life-saving care contained in the stockpile can be used as a short-term stopgap buffer when the immediate supply of adequate amounts of these materials may not be immediately available."
Alex Michael Azar II is an American attorney,businessman,lobbyist,and former pharmaceutical executive who served as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021. Azar was nominated to his post by President Donald Trump on November 13,2017,and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 24,2018. He was also chairman of the White House Coronavirus Task Force from its inception in January 2020 to February 2020,when he was replaced by Vice President Mike Pence.
Sylvia Mary Burwell is an American government and non-profit executive who has been the 15th president of American University since June 1,2017. Burwell is the first woman to serve as the university's president. Burwell earlier served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. President Barack Obama nominated Burwell on April 11,2014. Burwell's nomination was confirmed by the Senate on June 5,2014,by a vote of 78–17. She served as Secretary until the end of the Obama administration. Previously,she was the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2013 to 2014.
Brett P. Giroir is an American pediatrician. He was formerly the U.S. assistant secretary for health,a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and an acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner.
The administrator of the United States Agency for International Development is the head of the United States federal government's Agency for International Development (USAID).
Deborah Leah Birx is an American physician and diplomat who served as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator under President Donald Trump from 2020 to 2021. Birx specializes in HIV/AIDS immunology,vaccine research,and global health. Starting in 2014,she oversaw the implementation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program to support HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs in 65 countries. From 2014-2020,Birx was the United States global AIDS coordinator for presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and served as the United States special representative for global health diplomacy between 2015 and 2021. Birx was part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force from February 2020 to January 2021. In March 2021,Birx joined ActivePure Technology as Chief Medical and Science Advisor.
Adam Seth Boehler is an American businessman and government official who was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the first CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. He is currently the CEO of Rubicon Founders,a health care investment firm based in Nashville.
Operation Warp Speed (OWS) was a public–private partnership initiated by the United States government to facilitate and accelerate the development,manufacturing,and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,therapeutics,and diagnostics. The first news report of Operation Warp Speed was on April 29,2020,and the program was officially announced on May 15,2020. It was headed by Moncef Slaoui from May 2020 to January 2021 and by David A. Kessler from January to February 2021. At the end of February 2021,Operation Warp Speed was transferred into the responsibilities of the White House COVID-19 Response Team.
Rick Arthur Bright is an American immunologist,vaccine researcher,and public health official. He was the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) from 2016 to 2020. In May 2020,he filed a whistleblower complaint,alleging that the Trump administration ignored his early warnings about the COVID-19 pandemic and illegally retaliated against him by ousting him from his role and demoting him to a position at the National Institutes of Health. On October 6,2020,Bright resigned from the government. On November 9 he was named a member of President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus advisory board.
Andrea Joan Palm is an American government health advisor who is the United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration. Previously,Palm served as secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services from 2019 to 2021 in the administration of Governor Tony Evers,an office she was never sworn into due to Republican opposition in the Wisconsin Senate.
Christi A. Grimm is an American government official who has served as the Inspector General in the United States Department of Health and Human Services since February 2022.
The federal government of the United States initially responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with various declarations of emergency,some of which led to travel and entry restrictions and the formation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. As the pandemic progressed in the U.S. and globally,the U.S. government began issuing recommendations regarding the response by state and local governments,as well as social distancing measures and workplace hazard controls. State governments play a primary role in adopting policies to address the pandemic. Following the closure of most businesses throughout a number of U.S. states,President Donald Trump announced the mobilization of the National Guard in the most affected areas.
Mandy Krauthamer Cohen is an American internist,public health official,and healthcare executive serving as the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since July 10,2023. She was previously the executive vice president at Aledade and chief executive officer of Aledade Care Solution,a healthcare company.
Sarah Bianchi is a political advisor and former investment analyst serving as deputy United States trade representative for Asia,Africa,Investment,Services,Textiles,and Industrial Competitiveness. Prior to her confirmation as deputy USTR,she was a senior managing director at Evercore ISI,a global investment banking advisory firm.
During his term as president of the United States (2017–2021),Donald Trump and his administration repeatedly politicized science by pressuring or overriding health and science agencies to change their reporting and recommendations so as to conform to his policies and public comments. This was particularly true with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States,but also included suppressing research on climate change and weakening or eliminating environmental regulations.
The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7,2020 and ended on January 20,2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions,which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week of November and the inauguration on January 20,Biden's presidential transition was shortened somewhat because the General Services Administration under the outgoing Trump administration did not recognize Biden as the "apparent winner" until November 23.
Elizabeth Cameron is an American national security expert specializing in biosecurity,biodefense,and bioterrorism. She is a professor at the Pandemic Center of the Brown University School of Public Health. Previously,she served as Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense on the White House National Security Council staff.
