ASTHO Statement on House FY25 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill

June 28, 2024

ARLINGTON, VA—Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH, issued the following statement on the House Fiscal Year 2025 Labor Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS) appropriations bill, which was marked up and passed out of the House Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee.

“The Fiscal Year 2025 LHHS appropriations bill approved this week, with counterproductive eliminations and funding cuts proposed for key public health programs, is highly concerning and woefully inadequate to the task of ensuring the public’s health is protected. While modest proposed increases in funding for public health infrastructure, substance use and mental health, and strategic preparedness are wise and welcomed, a more than 6% cut to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including a 22% cut to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would weaken efforts to protect health at a crucial time for our nation.

ASTHO looks forward to working with members of Congress to ensure that state and territorial health departments are provided with appropriate resources to fulfill their vital mission of protecting the health of all Americans.”

Learn more from ASTHO’s summary of the FY25 house appropriations bill.

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ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.