Last week, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stepped into the acting director role at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Reuters reported. Bhattacharya will remain head of the NIH and serve as CDC director until President Donald Trump appoints a permanent leader. The CDC director also requires Senate confirmation.

Per federal law, Bhattacharya can act as CDC director only until late March unless Trump nominates a full-time nominee to the U.S. Senate.

Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, who has served as acting CDC director since August, will leave both roles as part of a department-wide leadership restructuring ahead of the midterm elections. O’Neill will move outside the agency to become the National Science Foundation director.

Bhattacharya gained prominence as a critic of lockdowns and widespread COVID-19 restrictions. He already leads the nation’s medical research agency, based in Maryland, overseeing a nearly US$50 billion budget and funding thousands of scientific projects. The CDC is based in Atlanta, and about two-thirds of its budget supports public health and prevention activities of state and local health agencies.

As CMM previously reported, the CDC has faced significant turmoil, including budget cuts, staff reductions, and controversies under the leadership of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist.

Additionally, the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee will not meet this week as planned, CNN reported.

New York has taken another major step toward making climate change information public. The New York Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (S9072A) has passed the State Senate and is expected to be signed by the New York Governor Kathy Hochul. If enacted, the law will require companies with more than US$1 billion in annual revenue doing business in New York to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, including Scope 1, Scope 2, and, eventually, Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions, beginning in 2027, ESG Today reported.

The bill requires annual reporting aligned with recognized greenhouse gas accounting standards, includes phased implementation and third-party assurance requirements, and provides for a transition period.

With New York moving forward and joining states like California that already have similar climate rules, two of the biggest U.S. economies are now requiring companies to report on climate issues. Together, these states account for a large share of the U.S. economy, underscoring that this is not a small issue but a significant market shift. Still, California’s climate reporting laws are being challenged in court by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Trump administration also has pulled back on federal regulations aimed at providing transparency into corporate and industrial emissions, according to ESG Today.

While the New York law is aimed at large companies, its effects will also reach their suppliers, including the cleaning industry, said Stephen Ashkin, Green2Sustainable CEO and Co-Chair of the ISSA Sustainability Committee. Large customers, such as companies, hospitals, universities, property managers, and government agencies, will have to report their emissions. Once supply chain reporting is fully in place, these companies will need reliable emissions information from their suppliers, including those who provide cleaning products and services.

Climate-risk transparency is shifting from voluntary to expected. Companies that build practical emissions reporting capabilities now will be better positioned to support customers, strengthen relationships, and differentiate in a competitive marketplace, Ashkin said. Reporting on sustainability is increasingly about managing risks, retaining customers, and staying in the market.