AACC Backs Increase in CDC Funding

View Letter

Dear Chairwoman DeLauro, Chairman Blunt and Ranking Members Cole and Murray:

The undersigned 158 members of the CDC Coalition and other supporting state and national organizations urge you to provide at least $8.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s programs in the FY 2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. We believe that Congress should prioritize funding for all of the activities and programs supported by CDC which are essential to protect the health of the American people. We are grateful for the important increases Congress provided for CDC programs in FY 2020. We urge you to build upon these investments to strengthen all of CDC’s programs and to reject the $693 million in cuts proposed for CDC in the president’s FY 2021 budget proposal. We also urge your continued support of the Prevention and Public Health Fund which currently makes up more than 11% of CDC’s budget and provides funding for critical public health and prevention activities.

The CDC Coalition is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations committed to strengthening our nation’s public health infrastructure and prevention programs. Our mission is to ensure that health promotion and disease prevention are given top priority in federal funding, to support a funding level for CDC that enables it to carry out its prevention mission and to assure an adequate translation of new research into effective state and local programs. Coalition member groups represent millions of public health workers, researchers, clinicians, educators and citizens served by CDC programs.

CDC serves as the command center for the nation’s public health defense system against emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. From aiding in the surveillance, detection and prevention of the current novel coronavirus outbreak globally and in the U.S. to playing a lead role in the control of Ebola in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to monitoring, investigating and helping to control the recent measles outbreaks in the U.S., to pandemic flu preparedness, CDC is the nation’s – and the world’s – expert resource and response center, coordinating communications and action and serving as the laboratory reference center. States, communities and international partners rely on CDC for accurate information, direction and resources to ensure they continue to be prepared in a crisis or outbreak.

CDC is faced with unprecedented challenges and responsibilities ranging from combating the opioid, tobacco, vaping and obesity epidemics to emergency preparedness and chronic disease prevention. CDC funds programs for injury control and violence prevention; global health security; health promotion in schools and workplaces; the prevention of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, lung disease and other chronic diseases; tobacco prevention and control; nutrition and physical activity; immunizations; HIV, STI and hepatitis prevention; prevention of vector- borne diseases; environmental health, including the prevention of childhood lead poisoning; oral health; reducing health disparities; preventing infant mortality and birth defects; preventing antimicrobial resistance; preventing prescription drug overdose; improving the health and quality of life of individuals with disabilities; Alzheimer’s disease prevention and awareness; vision and eye health and public health research and health statistics. It is notable that more than 70 percent of CDC’s budget supports public health and prevention activities by state and local health organizations and agencies, national public health partners and academic institutions.

In addition to ensuring a strong public health infrastructure and protecting Americans from public health threats and emergencies, CDC programs are crucial to reducing health care costs and improving health. Despite the progress CDC has made to meet these needs, the agency’s programs have been woefully underfunded. We urge you to support a funding level of at least $8.3 billion for CDC’s programs in FY 2021

.

Sincerely,

1,000 Days
Addiction Professionals of North Carolina
Allergy & Asthma Network
Alzheimer's Association Alzheimer's Impact Movement
America Optometric Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Clinical Chemistry
American Association for Dental Research
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine
American Association on Health and Disability
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American College of Preventive Medicine
American Dental Education Association
American Diabetes Association
American Heart Association
American Liver Foundation
American Lung Association
American Psychological Association
American Public Health Association
American Sexual Health Association American Society for Clinical Pathology
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Nutrition
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
American Society of Hematology
American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene
American Thoracic Society
Arizona Public Health Association
Arthritis Foundation
Association for Clinical and Translational Science
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries
Association of Accredited Public Health Programs
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Minority Health Professions Schools
Association of Pathology Chairs
Association of Population Centers
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Autism Society of America
Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation
CAEAR Coalition
California Consortium of Addiction Programs & Professionals
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Child Neurology Foundation
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation
Children's Environmental Health Network Climate for Health, ecoAmerica
Clinical Research Forum
Coalition for Clinical and Translational Science
Colorado Public Health Association
Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service, Inc. (COA)
Connecticut Public Health Association
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Cooley's Anemia Foundation
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Endocrine Society
Entomological Society of America
Epilepsy Foundation
Eta Sigma Gamma
Family Voices
GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
Health by Design
Healthy Teen Network
Hepatitis B Foundation
HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute
HIV Medicine Association
Idaho Public Health Association
Illinois Association of Behavioral Health
Illinois Public Health Association
Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness
Immunize Nevada
Indiana Public Health Association
International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium
Jeffrey Modell Foundation
Lakeshore Foundation
Louisiana Public Health Association
Maine Public Health Association
March of Dimes
Maryland Public Health Association
Massachusetts Public Health Association
Medical Library Association
METAvivor
Minnesota Public Health Association
Mississippi Public Health Association
Missouri Public Health Association
Montana Public Health Association
NASTAD
National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS)
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Blood Clot Alliance
National CMV Foundation
National Coalition of STD Directors
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention
National Fragile X Foundation
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Kidney Foundation
National Network of Public Health Institutes
National Pancreas Foundation
National Recreation and Park Association
National Safety Council
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
NC Public Health Association
Nevada Public Health Association
New Hampshire Public Health Association
New Jersey Public Health Association
New York State Public Health Association
North Dakota Public Health Association
Oregon Public Health Association
Patient Services, Inc.
Pennsylvania Public Health Association
Population Association of America
Prevent Blindness
Prevent Blindness Georgia
Prevent Blindness North Carolina
Prevent Blindness Wisconsin
Prevent Blindness Ohio
Prevention Institute
Project Sleep
Public Health Institute
Puerto Rico Public Health Association
Research!America
Rhode Island Public Health Association
Safe States Alliance
SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators
Sleep Research Society
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
Society for Public Health Education
Spina Bifida Association
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
Tennessee Public Health Association
The AIDS Institute
The Immunization Partnership
Tourette Association of America
Trust for America's Health
Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
US Hereditary Angioedema Association
Vaccinate Your Family
Washington State Department of Health
Welcome Back Initiative
Wisconsin Public Health Association
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
Wyoming Public Health Association
YMCA of the USA