For Immediate Release | Contact: |
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WASHINGTON—A statement from AFT President Randi Weingarten on the resignation of the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brenda Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald’s resignation comes on the heels of recent questions surrounding her financial conflicts of interest:
“This behavior is unacceptable and untenable; you cannot be the director of the CDC and buy stock in companies that have a track record of putting Americans at risk. President Trump promised to drain the swamp, but today’s resignation is another example of his doing anything but.” A statement from Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals President and AFT Vice President Candice Owley: “As healthcare professionals, we must either help, or do no harm to, the patient. Sadly, our CDC director doesn’t abide by this same principle. Her financial conflict of interests put the work of the CDC and our entire healthcare system at risk—in the midst of the worst flu outbreak in recent history and a growing opioid epidemic. “Over and over again, the Trump administration continues to nominate flawed candidates whose government positions are essential to the health, safety and well-being of our country’s families. We need to elect leaders willing to hold President Trump and his administration accountable, instead of those who roll over and stand idly by as the American people’s lives are put in jeopardy.” ### |
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The American Federation of Teachers is a union of 1.7 million professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do. American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO AFT Teachers • AFT PSRP • AFT Higher Education • AFT Public Employees • AFT Nurses and Health Professionals |