Trump and His Officials Target Fed and CDC, Long Seen as Above Politics

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long been the place Americans turned to for data-driven information to help make health decisions.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics was the source of nonpartisan jobs numbers by which Americans could judge the status of the economy.

And the Federal Reserve was the independent central bank that often bucked the short-term demands of presidents with an eye toward the country’s long-term economic health.

Now the independence of each of these American institutions is in question after President Trump, in a push to root out pockets of independence of government, has fired or taken steps to fire their leaders.

In doing so, critics say, the Trump administration is risking the credibility of agencies that were long respected as above politics and play a vital role in providing information needed to guide major decisions about the nation’s course.

“These are places are not supposed to be partisan,” said Chris Edelson, an assistant professor of government at American University. “The biggest danger is the institution loses credibility, and people can’t count on it.”