AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Report Warns Public Health System Faces Deep Cuts

Ebony McMorris
June 3, 2026

FILE - A doctor uses a hand-held Doppler probe on a pregnant woman to measure the heartbeat of the fetus on Dec. 17, 2021, in Jackson, Miss. COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims, according to a report released Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

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(AURN News) — I’m Ebony McMorris.

A new report warns America’s public health system is being dismantled, and researchers say the consequences could be deadly.

According to the Center for American Progress, the Trump administration has eliminated more than 1,700 NIH research grants and supported nearly $783 million in federal health research cuts tied to diversity and equity programs.

Among the most alarming findings, a federal maternal health tracking system that monitored disparities for 38 years has now been suspended.

Researchers say the same data found discrimination likely contributed to nearly 30% of pregnancy-related deaths.

The report also says an entire CDC team focused on maternal mortality was laid off.

At the same time, America already faces a shortage of nearly 200,000 nurses, while projected shortages of social workers could hit 74,000 every year over the next decade.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

https://aurn-news.simplecast.com/episodes/report-warns-public-health-system-faces-deep-cuts

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.