BioRadar Co-Founder Dr. Nikki Romanik and Dr. Stephanie Psaki published a co-authored piece in Just Security on June 20, 2025, warning that dismantling CDC's global programs would directly undermine America's biodefense capabilities.

The piece argues that CDC's international presence — its partnerships, surveillance networks, and rapid response capacity in high-risk regions — represents the United States' earliest warning system for biological threats that could reach American shores. Cutting that infrastructure does not reduce America's exposure to those threats. It simply removes our ability to see them coming.

Dr. Romanik brings particular authority to the argument. During her tenures at CDC, HHS, and WHO, she was directly involved in building and strengthening the public-private partnerships and international surveillance systems the piece describes. She served as the CDC's COVID-19 Liaison to the White House and coordinated federal responses to multiple high-consequence biological events.

The piece was published as the Trump administration's budget request signaled intent to significantly reduce CDC's global health programs — a move both authors argue would leave dangerous gaps in America's biological threat detection infrastructure.

Read the full piece in Just Security