People should not expect the Biden administration to solve problems with the healthcare system anytime soon.

In fact, the president’s 2023 budget exacerbates some healthcare challenges. Policies contained in Biden’s budget continue to cater to a far-left agenda and perpetuate leading from behind on COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have mismanaged their response to recent COVID-19 variants and handed down confusing, inconsistent guidance on masking, quarantining, and testing. As a result, trust in the CDC has declined from 69% in April 2020 to 44% in January 2022. Instead of implementing increased oversight at the CDC, the Biden administration proposes to give $9.9 billion of discretionary funding to “build up capacity.” This is a $2.8 billion increase over the 2021 enacted level and is proposed at a time when the agency is performing a sweeping review of its processes. A better approach would be to restore confidence and enhance pandemic preparedness through responsible use of public health dollars.