How APHA Is Protecting Public Health (Updated November 12, 2025)

APHA has been part of successful litigation and action challenging some of the biggest threats to public health. Read the latest testimony, comments and briefs and read all public letters to congress and federal agencies from APHA, including:

Government shutdown ends with new CR but no deal on ACA tax credits

The 2025 federal government shutdown, the longest-running shutdown in U.S. history, came to an end on Nov. 11 as the House of Representatives passed legislation to extend federal spending through Jan. 30, 2026. The measure also included three full-year FY 2026 spending bills covering agriculture, military construction, veterans, and legislative branch operations. The shutdown, which began on October 1, lasted for a record 43 days, with many federal government operations coming to a halt. Before the passage of the bill to reopen the government, APHA issued a statement urging Congress to work in a bipartisan effort to reopen the government and ensure all critical public health activities are adequately funded in any final FY 2026 funding bill. APHA also issued a statement rebuking the administration's actions to lay off hundreds of CDC employees during the shutdown, highlighting the negative impact the ongoing attacks on CDC programs and its staff will have on the public’s health. Importantly, the legislation, in addition to extending most funding until Jan. 30, would also require the reinstatement of any federal employees who were fired during the shutdown.

On Oct. 30, APHA led a letter from the CDC Coalition to House and Senate Appropriations leaders encouraging them to follow the Senate’s lead and work together in a bipartisan manner to provide adequate funding for CDC in any final FY 2026 spending bill. APHA also led a letter from the Friends of HRSA coalition urging leaders to also provide adequate funding for HRSA’s programs in any final FY 2026 spending agreement.

While the new CR ensures federal government operations will continue at least through Jan. 30, APHA is urging Congress to pass a full-year FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill that would adequately fund all HHS agencies, including CDC, HRSA, NIH and others, providing funding through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2026. APHA is also continuing to urge Congress to permanently extend the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits, which will expire at the end of the year and will lead to significant increases in monthly premiums for individuals enrolled in coverage through the ACA federal marketplace. APHA members and other public health advocates can contact their members of Congress, urging them to prioritize public health funding as they work to finalize the FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill by visiting APHA’s action alert site.

Additional information about the FY 2026 annual appropriations process can be reviewed in APHA’s Sept. Legislative Update. HHS has also released a contingency plan for each HHS agency outlining how various staff and programs will be impacted during a lapse in funding.

APHA joins nutrition groups in urging priorities for an upcoming Farm Bill

Safety net nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC help support families across the nation with access to affordable, healthy food. Unfortunately, these programs are critically under attack right now from the legislative front – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slashed $186 billion from SNAP over the next decade – as well as facing looming funding deadlines due to the ongoing government shutdown. 

APHA continues to work with the National Alliance on Nutrition and Activity and the Center for Science in the Public Interest to support policy priorities for passage of a Farm Bill – a full Farm Bill hasn’t been passed by Congress since 2018 – to help increase access to healthy food and fight food insecurity. 

One of the main priorities is to strengthen the SNAP program, avoid imposing barriers on SNAP participants, and to restore the cuts made to SNAP by the OBBB. Other priorities include eliminating the five-year waiting period for lawfully present immigrants to access SNAP, increasing the availability of nutritious foods in school and retail settings, reducing food loss and waste, and investing in nutrition research.

Watch: Making sense of the buzzwords and protecting public health

You’ve probably heard the buzzwords — "Big Beautiful Bill," "Reconciliation," "FY 2025," "FY 2026," "Rescission Package." What do these terms mean, and how could they impact public health funding in your community?

Watch: When Cutting Costs, Costs Health: What You Need to Know about Federal Policy Changes

In June and July, the U.S. Congress passed two large bills that formally upend decades of public health work in the U.S. and abroad. To pay for tax cuts, Congress - with pressure from the President - changed eligibility criteria for Medicaid, SNAP, and codified funding cuts for global health and democracy programs and public broadcasting.