Washington, D.C. — After massive cuts last spring, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is pressing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Erica Schwartz to restore maternal and infant health programs that have been decimated over the last year. Sen. Ossoff is launching an inquiry with Director Schwartz following staffing reductions over the last year that have negatively impacted CDC maternal health programs, as Georgia continues to experience one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the Nation. In March 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reduced the CDC’s workforce by approximately 2,400 employees. As has been widely reported, these reductions negatively impacted the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health, both of which support efforts to identify and prevent pregnancy-related deaths. Sen. Ossoff is pressing Director Erica Schwartz on what actions the CDC is taking to ensure maternal mortality research and prevention efforts continue despite these reductions, and how the CDC will continue to support states, physicians, and hospitals working to reduce preventable maternal deaths. “Every maternal death is a tragedy. Far too many women continue to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or the year following pregnancy from causes that medical experts have determined can often be prevented,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to CDC Director Schwartz. “It is unconscionable to continue to allow CDC’s maternal health…
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