FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations
Statement from APHA Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD
The American Public Health Association strongly applauds today’s House Appropriations Committee passage of important and significant funding increases for key public health agencies and programs included in the FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
Importantly, the legislation would boost funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by more than $2 billion in fiscal year 2023, for a total of more than $10.4 billion. This funding will strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure and workforce and support other critical programs to address many of our most pressing public health challenges including environmental health threats, violence prevention, health disparities and inequities. APHA welcomes the important investments made in this bill including:
- $750 million in flexible funding for state and local public health infrastructure needs, a $550 million increase over FY 2022 and $106 million, a $45 million increase over FY 2022, for strengthening the public health workforce;
- $75 million for CDC’s Climate and Health Program, an increase of $65 million over FY 2022;
- $35 million to conduct gun violence prevention research, an increase of $22.5 million over FY 2022. The National Institutes of Health would also receive $25 million for gun violence prevention research for a total of $60 million;
- $100 million, for community and youth violence prevention, an increase of $85 million over FY 2022;
- $100 million to address the social determinants of health, an increase of $92 million over FY 2022; and
- $250 million for the ongoing effort to modernize data systems at CDC and state and local health departments, an increase of $150 million over FY 2022.
The bill would also provide an increase of almost $700 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration for a total of almost $9.3 billion in FY 2023. Key increases for HRSA include:
- $1.9 billion for the Health Centers program, an increase of $198 million over FY 2022, including $100 million to support school-based health centers and $25 million to expand access to contraceptive care;
- $2.7 billion for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, an increase of $200 million over FY 2022;
- $422 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative;
- An increase of $171 million for programs to improve maternal and child health;
- $500 million for the Title X Family Planning program, an increase of $214 million over FY 2022;
- $25 million to establish the Public Health Loan Repayment program.
Adequate funding for these programs will help ensure a robust, well-trained workforce, a critical component of responding to public health emergencies like COVID-19 and ensure we are better prepared for the next pandemic or other public health emergency.
We are also pleased that the bill does not include the so-called Hyde amendment language that has prohibited women who rely on federal Medicaid coverage from accessing abortion services in most cases, a policy that disproportionately impacts low-income women and women of color.
We thank Chair Rosa DeLauro for leading the effort to provide these important increases and we thank the members of the committee who supported the bill. We look forward to working with the House and Senate to ensure the highest possible funding levels for CDC, HRSA and other important public health programs as Congress continues its work on the FY 2023 appropriations process.
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The American Public Health Association champions the health of all people and all communities. We are the only organization that combines a 150-year perspective, a broad-based member community and the ability to influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.