As Erie County faces two cases of measles this month, the first cases in eight years, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer on Monday stood with public health officials, concerned parents, and doctors and demanded that the Trump administration take immediate action to address measles outbreaks across the country.

Schumer will explain that under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s leadership, the Trump administration has facilitated the rapid growth of measles cases after it gutted funding for vaccine awareness and public health, destabilized HHS’s infectious disease workforce, and continues to sow doubt about the safety of the measles vaccine. For the second year in a row, there have been more than 2,000 cases of measles nationwide, which is why Schumer demanded that Secretary Kennedy bring back CDC experts fired by ‘DOGE,’ restore measles-related grants, and boost funding for public health programs to keep Western New York kids safe from measles.

“The Trump administration has taken a wrecking ball to programs that keep New Yorkers safe from measles, and Erie County is paying the price. For eight years, Erie County has been measles-free, but just this month we’ve already seen two cases, with experts fearing more to come,” said Senator Schumer. “That’s because under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, the Trump administration has walked our country into the nation’s largest surge of measles outbreaks in 33 years. Firing vaccine experts, gutting public health funding, and undermining vaccines isn’t reform. It’s reckless, radical, and rooted in conspiracy, not science. Today, I am here to launch a three-pronged push to get the Trump administration to bring back CDC experts, restore measles-related grants, and boost federal funding for public health programs so we can prevent more cases before the disease spreads.”

Schumer explained earlier this month that the first Erie County resident in eight years tested positive for measles in a case connected to international travel. A week later, a second Erie County resident who had not reported travel out of the county tested positive for measles in an unrelated case. Because of the second case, Erie County’s Health Commissioner raised concerns that there are probably more unreported cases. This brings the total number of measles cases in New York state to 13 after a sky-high 48 cases last year. Nationwide measles cases have surpassed 2,000 for the second year in a row, more than any other year since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000. Across the country, doctors have seen more cases of serious illnesses that vaccines have long helped prevent, including measles, due to declining vaccination rates.

Schumer said under Kennedy’s leadership, the Trump administration has failed to slow the growth in measles cases. The senator last summer called on the Trump administration to take the rising number of measles cases seriously, and since then, it has only gotten worse. The Trump administration fired one-third of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s workforce, including leaders in measles response, as part of ‘DOGE’s broader mass federal firings. Secretary Kennedy oversaw the cancellation of grants to combat vaccine hesitancy and billions of dollars in grants to help state and local public health departments prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Despite having his own family vaccinated for measles, Secretary Kennedy has also stoked fears about the vaccine, leading to vaccination rates plunging far below the herd immunity threshold, putting New Yorkers at risk every single day.

Schumer said, amid this major surge in measles cases, the Trump administration must take immediate action to protect Western New Yorkers – especially kids. Schumer today launched his three-pronged push to fight the measles crisis, which includes:

— Re-hiring CDC experts: The Trump administration and ‘DOGE’ fired one-third of CDC’s workforce, including leaders in measles response and members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), who are vital to curbing the measles outbreak.

— Restoring and supporting measles-related grants: Restore all 40 grants focused on combatting vaccine hesitancy and the $11.4 billion in pandemic response funds utilized by state and local public health departments to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like measles.

— Supporting funding and staff for public health programs: Support full staffing and continued funding for programs like the Wastewater Monitoring Program, including through the renewal of a CDC lab contract, which supports 200 measles testing sites across the country, including two in Upstate New York.