HHS proposes new CDC programs, including hepatitis B screening

Jessica Nix, Bloomberg News on Nov 19, 2025

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The Health and Human Services Department is proposing new initiatives for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including a program to increase hepatitis B screening for pregnant women, as part of a broader push to restructure the agency, according to an internal document viewed by Bloomberg News.

Leading five of the 16 initiatives is Sam Beyda — a carryover from the Department of Government Efficiency — who was recently named deputy chief of staff at the CDC, according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak on the subject.

The new programs are not yet formalized, with details to be settled before they are rolled out to the CDC in January, the document said. The list was developed over the last several months in collaboration with HHS senior advisers and CDC leadership. It includes strategic reviews on existing initiatives.

The hepatitis B program comes as the administration is moving away from the vaccine in favor of more screenings.

In September, the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee discussed delaying the first dose of the hepatitis B shot to be given to babies in the first month after birth rather than 24 hours after they’re delivered. The committee ultimately decided to postpone the vote but did vote to recommend all pregnant women test for hepatitis B. An upcoming December draft agenda says the committee plans to discuss the vaccine again.

HHS confirmed Beyda is the deputy chief of staff at the CDC, but did not comment on the document. Beyda did not respond to a request for comment.

The new programs come as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looks to reorganize the public health agency.

The CDC has been thrown into chaos this year. Waves of workforce reductions cut key programs and thousands of employees. A gunman motivated by Covid vaccine misinformation fired hundreds of rounds into the Atlanta campus in August; staff at HHS blamed Kennedy for spreading the false information that provoked the shooter. Former CDC director Susan Monarez was ousted just weeks into her tenure after a clash with Kennedy over vaccine policy.

According to the 21-slide deck, two initiatives set to be led by Matt Buzzelli, the CDC’s chief of staff, will focus on improving campus security and attracting and training the “next generation of public health leaders.”

Other plans include implementing a biothreat intelligence hub, improving data visualization on the CDC’s website and advancing diagnostics for disease pathogens.

The document indicates the programs are core to the CDC’s mission and separate from other agencies and their strategies. Instead, they are intended to be “aligned with CDC and HHS guidelines” — measurable programs with deliverables and a mix of new and ongoing work, the document said.