Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33), and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (TX-37) led their colleagues in the Texas Democratic Delegation in a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Dr. Susan Monarez expressing concern over the measles outbreak in Texas and across the country.  The lawmakers requested an urgent, detailed report on the CDC’s efforts to contain the outbreak, combat vaccine misinformation, and assess the impact of workforce reductions on the outbreak response.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 279 confirmed cases of measles, including 34 hospitalizations and the tragic death of an unvaccinated school-aged child. The outbreak has disproportionately impacted school-aged children.

“As local pharmacies report shortages of MMR vaccine doses, the Administration has shipped doses of Vitamin A to Texas, endorsing its use in addition to cod liver oil to reduce the outbreak, neither of which are scientifically proven to reduce the spread of the disease,” the members wrote.  “We are concerned that, while the CDC has explicitly stated its efforts are “science-based” and “data-driven,” recent actions have suggested otherwise.

“We are further concerned that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has undertaken reckless actions that are obstructing the CDC’s public health response,” the members continued.  “On February 13, 2025, your agency announced the mass layoff of 1,300 CDC employees.10 To date, at least 750 employees have been laid off, which include key scientists tasked with helping state and local officials respond to outbreaks like the one Texas is experiencing right now.  We believe these indiscriminate mass firings have weakened the nation’s ability to contain the current measles outbreak. Despite a small number of CDC employees being asked to return, looming layoffs impart uncertainty for remaining CDC employees, which may cause officers to seek out other jobs, further reducing our capacity to respond in real-time to disease outbreaks.

“Additionally, we are deeply troubled by the CDC’s delayed and insufficient updates on the scope of the current measles outbreak,” the members concluded.  “On January 31, 2025, several critical CDC webpages were taken down.  The agency’s decision to temporarily provide monthly updates, rather than weekly, resulted in delayed information necessary to stop case spread.  While the agency has returned to weekly reports, a month of no information or guidance hampered local efforts to contain the outbreak. These delays and discrepancies are not merely technical failures; they reflect a broader problem of insufficient transparency.  Timely reporting is critical for controlling outbreaks, and the inability to respond in real time to the urgent needs of communities only delays crucial interventions.”

Congressmembers Al Green (TX-09), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), and Greg Casar (TX-35) joined Congresswoman Fletcher, Congressman Veasey, and Congressman Doggett in this letter request.

To view the full text of this letter, click here.