Congress must fund CDC at no less than $10.45 billion in FY23

November 11, 2022

Dear Chairwoman DeLauro, Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Granger and Vice Chairman Shelby:

The undersigned 156 members of the CDC Coalition and other supporting state, national and academic organizations urge you to include at least $10.45 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s programs in any final FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill. While we believe our initial request of $11 billion for CDC in FY 2023 is still needed, we urge you to support no less than $10.45 billion. Strong funding for CDC is critical to supporting all of CDC’s activities and programs, which are essential to protect the health of our communities. Due to years of underfunding, many CDC programs have not received the resources that are needed to address the many health challenges we face as a nation, resulting in many of CDC’s most effective prevention programs not reaching all states and communities. We also believe that it is critical for Congress to quickly finalize the FY 2023 appropriations process to avoid lengthy continuing resolutions that bring uncertainty and make it more difficult for the agency and its grantees to protect the public’s health.

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 ensure an adequate translation of new research into effective state and local programs. Coalition member groups represent millions of public health workers, researchers, clinicians, educators, academic institutions, patients and individuals and families served by CDC programs.

CDC serves as the command center for the nation’s public health defense system against emerging and reemerging infectious diseases as well as man-made and natural disasters. From playing a leading role in aiding in the surveillance, detection and mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and globally, to monitoring and investigating the current monkeypox outbreak and other disease outbreaks in the U.S. and internationally, to pandemic flu preparedness, CDC is the nation’s – and a global – 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 can prepare, respond and recover from a crisis or disease outbreak.

While CDC is playing a leading role in protecting the public’s health from COVID-19, it is faced with many other unprecedented challenges and responsibilities ranging from chronic disease prevention to combating the opioid, tobacco, e-cigarette and obesity epidemics to emergency preparedness. CDC funds programs for strengthening public health infrastructure at all levels; strengthening and expanding the public health workforce; injury prevention; research into gun violence prevention; suicide 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 and addressing the health impacts of climate change; oral health; reducing health disparities; preventing maternal and infant mortality and birth defects; sickle cell disease data collection; 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, public health research and health statistics and harmonizing clinical laboratory test results. It is notable that more than 70% of CDC’s budget supports public health and prevention activities through 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 our communities 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 remain woefully underfunded. We urge you to include at least $10.45 billion for CDC’s programs in any final FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

Please contact Don Hoppert at donald.hoppert@apha.orgor 202-777-2514 with any questions regarding our request.

Sincerely,

Accessia Health
AHUS Action Network
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Clinical Chemistry
American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine
American Association on Health and Disability
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American Heart Association
American Liver Foundation
American Lung Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Public Health Association
American Society for Clinical Pathology
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
American Society for Microbiology
American Society of Hematology
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
American Thoracic Society
Arthritis Foundation
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
Association for Clinical and Translational Sciences
Association for Professionals in Infection Control
and Epidemiology
Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Black Cardiologists
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS)
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of Public Health Nurses
Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Big Cities Health Coalition
BU CTSI
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Celiac Disease Foundation
CFC International
Child Neurology Foundation
Children’s Environmental Health Network
City of Kansas City MO Health Department
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Clinical Research Forum
Coalition for Clinical and Translational Sciences
Coalition for Skin Diseases
Colorado Public Health Association
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association
Digestive Disease National Coalition
Dup15q Alliance
Dystonia Advocacy Network
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
Endocrine Society
Entomological Society of America
Epilepsy Foundation
Epilepsy Leadership Council
Futures Without Violence
Gaucher Community Alliance
GBS|CIDP Foundation International
Good Days
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
Hawaii Public Health Association
Healthy Teen Network
Hepatitis
B Foundation
Hereditary Angioedema Association
HIV Medicine Association
HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute
Hope Charities
Hope for HIE
Illinois Public Health Association
Indiana Public Health Association
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Interstitial Cystitis Association
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine
Kansas Public Health Association
Lakeshore Foundation
Louisiana Public Health Association
Lymphatic Education & Research Network
Maine Public Health Association
March of Dimes
Maryland Public Health Association
Medical Library Association
METAvivor
Michigan Public Health Association
Minnesota Public Health Association
Mississippi Public Health Association
Missouri Public Health Association
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)
Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California
NASTAD
National Alopecia Areata Foundation
National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS)
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Local Boards of Health
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials
National Eczema Association
National Environmental Health Association
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention
National League for Nursing
National Network of Public Health Institutes
National Pancreas Foundation
National Recreation and Park Association
National Safety Council
National Scleroderma Foundation
National TB Controllers Association (NTCA)
NC Public Health Association
NephCure Kidney International
Nevada Public Health Association
New Hampshire Public Health Association
New York State Public Health Association
NJ Public Health Association
Ohio Public Health Association
Oregon Public Health Association
Pennsylvania Public Health Association
Prevention Institute
Project Sleep
Public Health Institute
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Rare Epilepsy Network (REN) Coordinating Committee
RASopathies Network
Research!America
Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation
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 Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Women’s Health Research
South Carolina Advocates For Epilepsy
Tennessee Public Health Association
The AIDS Institute
The American College of Preventive Medicine
Tourette Association of America
Trust for America’s Health
TSC Alliance
US Hereditary Angioedema Association
Vaccinate Your Family
Vermont Public Health Association
Virginia Public Health Association
WAIHA Warriors
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Washington State Public Health Association
Wisconsin Public Health Association
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
YMCA of the USA