Clinics that work to combat measles are feeling the squeeze of funding cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. On Monday, the Trump Administration directed federal agencies to pause the disbursement of $11.4 billion in loans and grants, according to The Hill. In Texas, where the recent outbreak has hit hardest, 50 vaccination clinics have been closed as a result, and more than 20 public health workers have been laid off. The Texas Department of State Health Services has identified 422 cases since late January; 42 patients have been hospitalized and one school-aged child has died. Nationally, three separate outbreaks have affected 483 people in 2025. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), run by vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., oversees health initiatives. He suggested Thursday that some of the agency’s fired employees would be asked to return. “Some programs that were cut, they’re being reinstated,” Kennedy told reporters. “Personnel that should not have been cut were cut. We’re reinstating them.” It comes after he announced plans last month to slash up to 10,000 employees.
