Shutdown puts the public's health at risk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Media Relations

We urge Congress to come together and pass legislation to reopen the federal government  

With the government shutting down, we renew our call on Congress and the president to work in a bipartisan manner to pass a short-term continuing resolution that, at a minimum, fully funds all critical public health agencies and programs, holds the administration accountable for spending both FY 2025 and FY 2026 funds as directed by Congress and includes provisions to permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. 

The direct and immediate health impacts of the impasse and shutdown include the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Food and Drug Administration. Experts from these agencies will not be available to provide guidance to state and local health departments implementing many programs to protect the public’s health, including food and drug safety efforts, opioid overdose prevention and HIV prevention activities, among others. An ongoing shutdown would also put the employment, food, health and housing security of hundreds of thousands of federal employees in jeopardy as they work and hope to manage their bills and eventually return to their jobs and be paid. As the White House has announced it will likely move forward with another round of RIFs, we are concerned this could further reduce the workforce at key federal health agencies, including CDC. The plight of federal contractors is more perilous, as they will likely never receive back pay for lost work time.  

We call on Congress and the administration to immediately begin negotiations to develop a bipartisan plan that fully funds federal public health programs, ensures that funding is spent as intended by Congress, and includes an extension of the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits to protect consumers from dramatic increases in cost of health coverage and prevents the estimated 3.8 million individuals from losing their health coverage if the credits are allowed to expire. 

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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.