Bennet Leads Senate Democrats in Calling on CDC to Remove Unnecessary Eligibility Requirements for Contact Tracing Positions

Current Required Qualifications May Slow Contact Tracing Efforts and Exclude Americans Best-Equipped to Fight COVID-19 in Their Communities

Washington, D.C – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet led a group of nine Senate Democrats in calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reconsider its decision to require applicants to the CDC Foundation’s Contact Tracer position to possess a bachelor’s degree, which excludes recent high school and associate’s degree graduates who are entering an unforgiving job market.  

“In order to fight this virus and offer good-paying job opportunities to Americans, contact tracing jobs should be open to every individual who can do the work,” wrote Bennet and the senators in their letter to CDC Director Robert Redfield and CDC Foundation President Judy Monroe. “We are dismayed to have learned that the CDC is requiring applicants to the CDC Foundation’s Contact Tracer position to possess a bachelor’s degree. This decision excludes individuals who would be well-equipped to excel in such a position and may slow down the agency’s efforts to scale up its contact tracing force to the levels that are desperately needed. We firmly believe that these positions should be open to a broader set of applicants, including those with a high school degree, a GED, or an associate’s degree.” 

To reopen the economy, experts believe the country needs hundreds of thousands of contact tracers to successfully track and limit the spread of the virus. Highly experienced nonprofits like Partners in Health have run successful contact tracing programs without requiring contact tracers to possess a bachelor’s degree. Removing this requirement would not only help ensure the CDC Foundation has the workforce it needs to conduct effective contact tracing, it would also expand opportunities for good-paying jobs to more Americans.  

In the letter, Bennet and the senators also emphasize that because the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disproportionately impacted low-income communities and communities of color, “Excluding a large share of the individuals who best understand these communities will limit our ability to contact trace effectively where it is most needed.” 

In addition to Bennet, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).      

The text of the letter is available HERE and below. 

Dear Director Redfield and President Monroe: 

We write regarding the CDC Foundation’s required qualifications for prospective Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) contact tracers. Establishing a robust public health workforce is essential to responding to the COVID-19 crisis effectively. Experts agree that to reopen the economy, we need as many as 300,000 individuals to serve as contact tracers to track and, consequently, limit the spread of the virus. Investing in a dedicated public health workforce will not only allow for us to fight the virus effectively, but it will also provide much-needed job opportunities for the 26 million Americans who have lost their jobs in the last five weeks. 

In order to fight this virus and offer good-paying job opportunities to Americans, contact tracing jobs should be open to every individual who can do the work. Indeed, highly successful contact tracing programs run by non-profit organizations with deep experience responding to epidemics, such as Partners in Health, do not require applicants to possess a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, we know that recent high school or associate’s degree graduates will be entering a job market that is unforgiving and, given a limited work history, will be unable to receive unemployment compensation. We also know that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color. Excluding a large share of the individuals who best understand these communities will limit our ability to contact trace effectively where it is most needed.  It will also deny a foothold in a health career to people from underserved communities who are critical to fill the future health workforce gaps across the country.  

We are dismayed to have learned that the CDC is requiring applicants to the CDC Foundation’s Contact Tracer position to possess a bachelor’s degree. This decision excludes individuals who would be well-equipped to excel in such a position and may slow down the agency’s efforts to scale up its contact tracing force to the levels that are desperately needed. We firmly believe that these positions should be open to a broader set of applicants, including those with a high school degree, a GED, or an associate’s degree. Anyone who is able to do the job, should be eligible to do the job. 

We strongly urge the CDC to reconsider its decision and broaden the criteria for those applying to contact tracer positions. 

Sincerely,