Senate Appropriations bill would increase CDC’s budget authority by nearly a quarter—representing the largest increase in nearly two decades
Murray has repeatedly stressed the need to rebuild our public health infrastructure and workforce, and is pushing for additional investments in the Build Back Better plan and her Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act
Senator Murray: “This pandemic has shown us time and time again how dangerous it is to leave our public health system unprepared and underfunded.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) subcommittee, released the following statement on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding level proposed in the fiscal year 2022 LHHS bill announced today. The bill would increase budget authority for the CDC by $1.85 billion, for a total of $9.7 billion. The bill includes $600 million, $200 million above the President’s budget request, to strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure and provides $106 million, a $50 million increase, to rebuild the depleted public health workforce.
“From the struggle to ramp up testing capacity, to the chaos caused by outdated data systems, to the strain put on an already dwindling public health workforce, to the damage done by longstanding health inequities—this pandemic has shown us time and time again how dangerous it is to leave our public health system unprepared and underfunded,” said Senator Murray. “If we are going to save lives when crisis strikes, we need to learn our lesson and make bold investments in public health, so I’m glad the funding bill released today reflects that reality. I’m going to keep pushing to get this increase signed into law and seizing every opportunity I can to end the cycle of crisis and complacency in public health funding for good.”
Senator Murray has championed bold investments in public health for years, particularly in light of the challenges that have exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic like outdated data systems, a public health workforce shortage, and deep seated health inequities. Earlier this year, Senator Murray chaired a hearing focused on the issues the pandemic has highlighted in our public health system. She has also introduced the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act, legislation that would end the cycle of crisis and complacency in public health by providing $4.5 billion in sustained, annual funding for public health, and has been pushing to make sure the Build Back Better budget also includes funding to build the nation’s public health system.
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