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The new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gotten a big salary reduction. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that Dr. Robert Redfield Jr.'s new salary will be $209,700, down from $375,000. The previous figure was at least $150,000 more than any previous CDC director had received. (5/8)

“Dr. Redfield did not want his compensation to become a distraction from the important work of the CDC and asked that his salary be reduced,” said Caitlin Oakley, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC. “Dr. Redfield is being paid in accordance with the formula used to pay the prior three CDC directors. Using that formula, his compensation for this year will be $209,700.” (Sun, 5/8)

The unusually high rate was granted under a provision known as Title 42, which permits the Department of Health and Human Services (and the Environmental Protection Agency) to pay more than the approved government rate if the candidate fills a specific scientific need that cannot otherwise be met. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, questioned the use of the exemption in this case, suggesting last month that it might not have been appropriate. She asked the health and human services secretary, Alex M. Azar II, who oversees the C.D.C., to describe the “extensive and exhaustive effort” that was supposed to be made to find a director before hiring Dr. Redfield at the unusually high salary. (Kaplan, 5/8)