Fund America’s Early Warning ‘Pandemic Detector’ Before It’s Too Late
Reading the headlines lately, it seems like every week a new disease emerges somewhere around the world that threatens the health and safety of Americans. During his first administration, President Trump launched a cost-effective prevention technology at his Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to protect against infectious diseases. This new technology has already saved countless lives. But now, money for this important program — the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) — has run out. Without Congressional action, we will lose America’s early warning “pandemic detector” at a time when new pathogens are emerging more quickly than ever before.
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Wastewater monitoring is a simple approach to a complex problem. Across the country, hundreds of wastewater treatment plants analyze community sewage for the prevalence of pathogens — all without requiring individual testing. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) analyzes the data and trends, giving families and school districts early warning about when and where the next outbreak might strike, allowing communities to respond quickly, schools to make informed decisions about closures, and parents to take steps to keep their families safe. (RELATED: Global Health Officials Caught Off Guard By Major Ebola Outbreak In Africa)
This is an efficient and that saves American taxpayers’ dollars. In the event of another pandemic, wastewater monitoring is estimated to save almost $1,500 per person. This is roughly equivalent to the economic stimulus President Trump provided to citizens struggling because of the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Importantly, wastewater monitoring is not invasive – it’s not a house-by-house inspection of your toilet. Regular nasal swabs of every American child with so much as a sniffle at their annual well-child visit, with their personal information and family health history associated with each test, are invasive. Wastewater monitoring is a decentralized system that collects community-level data that allows health officials to make informed decisions about how to best protect families in their communities.
Wastewater monitoring ensures that school districts don’t face the devastating shutdowns that harmed our children during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing educators and administrators to make informed decisions about how to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases like measles.
In March, Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott took the first step toward making sure Americans won’t lose access to wastewater monitoring by introducing the PREDICT Act, which authorizes funding for the NWSS and increases the capacity of our current system.
The Trump Administration, too, recognizes the need for wastewater monitoring. In a hearing on Capitol Hill, when asked about the PREDICT Act, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., emphasized his support for the program, saying, “It’s something that’s very personally important to me, to have more wastewater surveillance.” (RELATED: RFK Jr. Brings Receipts, Drops Fact Check On Purple-Haired Dem During Hearing)
President Trump also recognizes the utility of wastewater monitoring as a tool in other arenas. includes a proposal to monitor the drug epidemic sweeping the country using wastewater monitoring.
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Even the U.S. military is on board. The FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act included provisions for the installation of wastewater monitoring at four military bases across the country to “to identify the prevalence of infectious diseases among members of the Armed Forces.”
You wouldn’t dress your children or take them to school without first checking the weather. The NWSS serves as a sort of disease “weather forecast,” allowing everyone to assess their family’s risk levels and make their own decisions about what is best for them and their children.
We’re at a tipping point. Letting the wastewater monitoring system go dark, which Congress would be doing if they do not include wastewater testing in FY2027 Appropriations, would be a travesty for the millions of Americans, including doctors, nurses, school officials, and parents, that rely on this system to keep our country running.
Wastewater monitoring is a smart investment to protect the health and safety of American families. Congress should fully fund this vital system now.
Terry Schilling is the president of American Principles Project. Follow him on X @Schilling1776.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.
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