Is the US prepared to deal with another pandemic or widespread health crisis?

Based on recent assessments, the picture is decidedly mixed, with significant experts and reports expressing concern that the U.S. is currently less prepared than it was a few years ago, even as some structural improvements remain in place.

Signs of Weakened Preparedness

Federal funding and workforce cuts. A major driver of concern is a wave of cuts to federal public health infrastructure in 2025–2026. The President's proposed FY 2026 budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amounts to a 53 percent reduction in funding as compared to FY 2024. Within that, CDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness program faces a 52 percent funding reduction, and over 100 public health programs and funding lines would be eliminated under the President's proposed FY 26 budget.

While Congress ultimately did not adopt the deepest cuts — the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 maintained the CDC's program-level funding at approximately $9.1 billion, essentially flat with FY 2025, and rejected many of the administration's deepest proposed cuts — the damage from earlier actions has already been done. CDC lost approximately one quarter of its civilian workforce between fiscal years 2024 and 2026, with reductions spanning global health, health promotion, scientific research, and communications. Similarly, the Health Resources and Services Administration, which funds Federally Qualified Health Centers and healthcare workforce development programs for underserved areas, lost approximately one quarter of its staff.

Loss of COVID-era funding and countermeasure research. The March 2025 termination of more than $12 billion in COVID-19-era grants had broadened to support infectious disease monitoring, laboratory capacity, emergency preparedness, and mental health services. Litigation over this remains unresolved. On top of this, the cancellation of nearly $500 million in contracts funding mRNA vaccine research and development in August 2025 represents a potential disruption to the research, development, and deployment of countermeasures needed for the next public health emergency.

Reduced global coordination. The U.S. has also stepped back from international collaboration: the U.S. formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization in January 2026, reducing access to global data sources that support outbreak tracking.

Leadership gaps. At the White House level, the dedicated pandemic office has been left without leadership — in 2025, Gerald Parker resigned as head of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, leaving the office with no employees.

Overall assessment from public health experts. Trust for America's Health, which tracks this closely, concludes bluntly: America's public health system is at an inflection point. Decades of chronic underinvestment, compounded by workforce reductions, funding disruptions, and institutional uncertainty during 2025 and 2026, have weakened the system's capacity to protect communities from preventable disease and injury.

Where Things Still Function Reasonably Well

State-level variation. The 2026 "Ready or Not" report evaluates readiness across 10 indicators and finds real disparities: access to paid sick leave varies widely across U.S. regions—from 98 percent of workers in Pacific states to 67 percent in East South Central states—and gaps are most concentrated among low-wage, part-time, and service-sector workers. The report emphasizes that national preparedness depends not only on state-level capacity, but also on strong and stable federal systems, sustained intergovernmental coordination, and long-term investment in public health infrastructure.

Ongoing scientific/vaccine development work. Some federal biodefense R&D continues. For example, formulations of BPL-1357 are poised to be tested in Phase 2 trials in early 2026 while further Phase 1b trials evaluating additional dosing strategies are being developed, and agencies continue to pursue advanced nanoparticle-based vaccine candidates for both pandemic and seasonal strains of influenza by evaluating in phase 1 clinical trials.

Recent stress-tests already occurred. It's worth noting that 2025 wasn't hypothetical stress-testing — the system was already strained: in 2025, the country faced the most severe flu season in nearly a decade, rising measles outbreaks, continued H5N1 avian influenza activity, and a growing number of extreme weather events—all while the federal systems built over decades to help states prepare for and respond to emergencies came under significant strain.

Looking forward, there's added budgetary risk. The proposed FY 2027 budget would eliminate the Hospital Preparedness Program entirely and cut the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement by approximately 52 percent, suggesting the pressure on preparedness funding is not a one-time event but an ongoing trend.

Bottom Line

Most independent public health experts and organizations tracking this issue — including Trust for America's Health, the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and biodefense analysts — conclude that the U.S. is currently less prepared for a major pandemic than it was in the immediate post-COVID years, largely due to sustained federal workforce and funding cuts, cancelled countermeasure research, withdrawal from WHO coordination, and leadership vacancies in pandemic policy roles. While some funding was restored by Congress and certain scientific/vaccine programs continue, the consensus among preparedness-focused institutions is one of significant concern rather than confidence.