Jody Serrano
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Cases of diarrhea and vomit across the seas may become more common in the future, at least on cruise ships that dock at U.S. ports.
Cuts by the Trump administration have gutted the government’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The layoffs come amid a rising level of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on the ships under its jurisdiction.
The cuts. The Trump administration recently laid off all of the full-time employees in the Vessel Sanitation Program, CBS News reported. The cuts are part of a plan by Robert F. Kennedy, the Health and Human Services Secretary, to address the “waste” in his department and “eliminate redundancies.”
Kennedy’s plan calls for eliminating 20,000 of the department’s 82,000 full-time employees, which is expected to save $1.8 billion per year. Importantly, the Vessel Sanitation Program is not funded by taxpayer dollars, but rather by fees paid by cruise ship companies for the program.
The Vessel Sanitation Program. Designed to prevent large numbers of people from getting sick, the Vessel Sanitation Program carries out health inspections in several areas, including medical centers, potable water systems, galleys and dining rooms, swimming pools, and pest management.
When analyzing potable water systems, for instance, inspectors review the potable water system to ensure it’s safe. In the galleys and dining rooms, meanwhile, they check to make sure food is being stored, handled, and served safely and evaluate employees’ health and personal hygiene.
According to CBS News, the CDC serves as the only health department to regulate these issues for many ships. The program carried out roughly 200 inspections on cruise ships during the last fiscal year.
Questionable timing. The cuts to the Vessel Sanitation Program come at a questionable time. The cruise industry is booming, with more 19 million Americans expected to take a cruise in 2025, according to AAA. This year is expected to mark the third straight year of “record cruise passenger volume,” the group said.
But passengers aren’t the only thing that’s increasing: Gastrointestinal illnesses are, too. With 16 reported outbreaks, CDC data revealed that 2024 had been the worst year for stomach bugs on cruise ships, such as norovirus and E. coli, in over a decade.
2025 isn’t faring much better. There’s already been 12 reported outbreaks on cruises this years, CDC data show.
Assurances and doubts. Although all the program’s full-time employees have been let go, including the epidemiologist in charge of leading outbreak response, the Trump administration has insisted that the CDC’s program will continue to be able to inspect cruise ships.
An administration official stated that many commissioned officers with the U.S. Public Health Service had not been affected by the layoffs. However, former CDC employees are skeptical that the Vessel Sanitation Program can work as it was intended to now.
"None of the civilian staff are there to support them. So, I don't know how long they will be able to sustain their mission alone without any support," Erik Svendsen, the former head of the CDC’s Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice. Svendsen’s division was recently eliminated in the cuts.
Images | Peter Hansen | Sheila Jellison
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