Seven Days In June: Health is Primary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]

NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION ANNOUNCED FOR JUNE 1–7, 2026

The health of Americans is on the ballot in 2026. Health touches every person, family, employer, community and local economy; it is not a niche issue. 

A growing coalition of national and community-based organizations has announced the launch of Seven Days in June: HEALTH IS PRIMARY, a decentralized, nonpartisan, grassroots-driven campaign to focus attention on how over $1 trillion in health funding cuts, as well as policy and regulatory changes, will devastate local communities and economies across the country.  

The national week of action is set for June 1–7, 2026. Local groups and advocates will organize and participate in town halls, panel discussions, candidate forums, demonstrations, marches, rallies, candlelight vigils, inter-faith services, AIDS Memorial Quilt displays and social media campaigns in rural towns and urban neighborhoods across the country.  

Medical research, affordable access to healthcare, vaccines, and treatment, and strong public health systems are fundamental to quality of life, economic stability, workforce strength and national security. Budget cuts to Medicaid, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are threats to the health of all Americans. The cuts passed by Congress last year will not go into effect until after this fall's election, when they will also cause harm local economies and the loss of more than one million jobs and billions in tax revenue. 

Initial organizing partners for the weeklong series of actions include UNITE HERE, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Teachers, Defend Public Health, Metropolitan Community Churches, American Public Health Association, National Nurses United, NMAC, National Public Health Coalition, and Vivent Health. More supporters will be announced in the coming weeks. 

At sunset on Friday, June 5, communities everywhere are encouraged to gather for a moment of national unity at candlelight vigils, to honor those already lost and the millions more whose lives are at risk if funding is not restored. 

“Hospitality workers know that healthcare is a human right. We fight for life-saving medical insurance in every union contract and each organizing drive because all workers and their families deserve a healthcare system that works for them, not one that is being dismantled piece by piece for a budget line," said Nia Winston, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE. "Seven Days in June is about making sure every candidate in 2026 knows that we are watching, we are organized, and we will not let them gut the systems our communities depend on to survive.” 

Seven Days in June participating organizations and event hosts will demand that candidates for federal, state and local offices in 2026 clearly articulate how they will: 

• Improve affordability and access to care and treatment 
• Sustain and strengthen biomedical research 
• Protect and modernize domestic and global public health infrastructure 
• Provide stability for seniors, veterans, rural communities, people with disabilities, working families and others reliant on accessible, affordable healthcare 

"I have known my whole life that when government decides that some lives are not worth saving, we all have to fight back. I have fought against AIDS for 45 years, and I continue to fight it today," said human rights advocate Cleve Jones. "These cuts are not abstractions. They are death sentences handed down quietly, in budget line items to the most vulnerable amongst us. We refuse to be quiet about it. The health of Americans is on the ballot in 2026, and Seven Days in June will demand that every candidate up and down the ballot tell us where they stand." 

Chronic diseases, which directly affect nearly 75% of Americans, account for the majority of U.S. health spending. Preventable conditions which are too often detected late and compound costs and suffering, have re-emerged as vaccination rates have declined. Strained public health workforces and disease surveillance systems are already at a breaking point, cuts biomedical research funding slows innovation and threatens future advances in prevention and treatment, and community hospitals and safety-net providers face mounting financial pressure. Short-term politics should not undermine long-term health security. 

"I didn't leave public health. Public health was taken from me," said Abby Tighe, former CDC Public Health Advisor and co-founder of the National Public Health Coalition. "With every budget cut there is a person who won't get the care they need, a family that won't get the warning they deserve, and a community that’s left to face a health crisis alone. This is the moment to make your voice heard.” 

"The evidence is unambiguous. Defunding public health does not save money. It costs lives, it costs communities, and it costs this country far more in the long run," said Dr. Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist, long-time activist and member of Defend Public Health. "We must hold our leaders to the evidence. Health is not just a budget line. It is the foundation of a functioning society." 

The goal of Seven Days in June is to establish a civic expectation that health must be treated as a core governing responsibility, regardless of ideology or party, and to raise awareness and preparedness for the impact of the coming $1 trillion in cuts. 

Health is not ideological. HEALTH IS PRIMARY.

Learn more about how to get involved, host events, endorse the week of action, and find events in your community at www.sevendaysinjune.org. 

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The American Public Health Association champions optimal, equitable health and well-being for all. With our broad-based member community and 150-year perspective, we influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.