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Dear Chairwoman Lowey, Chairman Shelby, Vice Chair Leahy and Ranking Member Granger:

As you work to finalize the FY 2021Labor,Health and Human Services,Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, the undersigned members of the CDC Coalition and other supporting organizations urge you to support at least the House level of$7.926billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s programs in any final FY 2021spending package and to oppose any efforts to reduce or eliminate funding for any of CDC’s critical programs.We also urge you to provide additional emergency supplemental funding to ensure our federal,state and local health departments and agencies have the resources they need to protect the public from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including adequate resources for vaccine allocation, distribution and administration.

The CDC Coalition is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations committed to strengthening our nation’s public health infrastructure and prevention programs. Our mission is to ensure that health promotion and disease prevention are given top priority in federal funding, to support a funding level for CDC that enables it to carry out its prevention mission and to assure an adequate translation of new research into effective state and local programs. Coalition member groups represent millions of public health workers, researchers, clinicians, educators and citizens served by CDC programs.

CDC serves as the command center for the nation’s public health defense system against emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. From playing a leading role in aiding in the surveillance, detection and prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic both globally and in the U.S. to playing a lead role in the control of Ebola in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to monitoring, investigating and helping to control the recent measles outbreaks in the U.S., to pandemic flu preparedness, CDC is the nation’s –and the world’s –expert resource and response center, coordinating communications and action and serving as the laboratory reference center. States, communities and international partners rely on CDC for accurate information, direction and resources to ensure they continue to be prepared in a crisis or outbreak.

In addition to playing a leading role in protecting the public’s health from COVID-19, CDC is faced with many other unprecedented challenges and responsibilities ranging from combating the opioid, tobacco, vaping and obesity epidemics to emergency preparedness and chronic disease prevention. CDC funds programs for injury control and violence prevention; global health security; health promotion in schools and workplaces; the prevention of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, lung disease and other chronic diseases; tobacco prevention and control; nutrition and physical activity; immunizations; HIV, STI and hepatitisprevention;prevention of vector-borne diseases;environmental health, including the prevention of childhood lead poisoning;oral health; reducing health disparities; preventing infant mortality and birth defects; preventing antimicrobial resistance; preventing prescription drug overdose;improving the health and quality of life of individuals with disabilities;Alzheimer’s disease prevention and awareness; vision and eye health and public health research and health statistics. It is notable that more than 70 percent of CDC’s budget supports public health and prevention activities by state and local health organizations and agencies, national public health partners and academic institutions.

In addition to ensuring a strong public health infrastructure and protecting Americans from public health threats and emergencies, CDC programs are crucial to reducing health care costs and improving health. Despite the progress CDC has made to meet these needs, the agency’s programs have been woefully underfunded. We urge you to support a funding level of at least $7.926 billion for CDC’s programs in any final FY 2021spending bill and to provide additional emergency supplemental funding needed to protect the public from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including adequate resources for vaccine allocation, distribution and administration.

Please contact Don Hoppert at [email protected] 202-777-2514 with any questions regarding our request.

Sincerely,

1,000 Days

Addiction Professionals of North Carolina

Allergy & Asthma Network

Alzheimer's Association

Alzheimer's Impact Movement

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Association for Clinical Chemistry

American Association for Dental Research

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine

American Association on Health and Disability

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Physicians

American College of Preventive Medicine

American Dental Education Association

American Diabetes Association

American Heart Association

American Liver Foundation

American Lung Association

AmericanOptometric Association

American Psychological Association

American Public Health Association

American Sexual Health Association

American Society for Clinical Pathology

American Society for Microbiology

American Society for Nutrition

American Society for Reproductive Medicine

American Society of Hematology

American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene

American Thoracic Society

Arizona Public Health Association

Arthritis FoundationAssociation for Clinical and Translational Science

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries

Association of Accredited Public Health Programs

Association of American Medical Colleges

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Association of Minority Health Professions Schools

Association of Pathology Chairs

Association of Population Centers

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Autism Society of America

Avery’s Angels

Gastroschisis Foundation

CAEAR Coalition

California Consortium of Addiction Programs & Professionals

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Child Neurology Foundation

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation

Children's Environmental Health Network

Climate for Health, ecoAmerica

Clinical Research Forum

Coalition for Clinical and Translational Science

Colorado Public Health Association

Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service, Inc. (COA)

Connecticut Public Health Association

Consortium of Social Science Associations

Cooley's Anemia Foundation

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Endocrine Society

Entomological Society of America

Epilepsy Foundation

Eta Sigma Gamma

Family VoicesGO2

Foundation for Lung Cancer

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Health by Design

Healthy Teen Network

Hepatitis B Foundation

HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute

HIV Medicine Association

Idaho Public Health Association

Illinois Association of Behavioral Health

Illinois Public Health Association

Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness

Immunize Nevada

Indiana Public Health Association

International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium

JeffreyModell Foundation

Lakeshore Foundation

Louisiana Public Health Association

Maine Public Health Association

March of Dimes

Maryland Public Health Association

Massachusetts Public Health Association

Medical Library Association

METAvivor

Minnesota Public Health Association

Mississippi Public Health Association

Missouri Public Health Association

Montana Public Health Association

NASTAD

National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS)

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Blood Clot AllianceNational CMV Foundation

National Coalition of STD Directors

National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association

National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention

National Fragile X Foundation

NationalHealth Care for the Homeless Council

National Kidney Foundation

National Network of Public Health Institutes

National Pancreas Foundation

National Recreation and Park Association

National Safety Council

National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable

NC Public Health Association

Nevada Public Health Association

New Hampshire Public Health Association

New Jersey Public Health Association

New York State Public Health Association

North Dakota Public Health Association

Oregon Public Health Association

Patient Services,Inc.

Pennsylvania Public Health Association

Population Association of America

Prevent Blindness

Prevent Blindness Georgia

Prevent Blindness North Carolina

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin

Prevent Blindness Ohio

Prevention Institute

Project Sleep

Public Health Institute

Puerto Rico Public Health Association

Research!America

Rhode IslandPublic Health Association

Safe States Alliance

SHAPE America -Society of Health and Physical Educators

Sleep Research Society

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Society for Public Health Education

Spina Bifida Association

Suicide Awareness

Voices of Education

Tennessee Public Health Association

The AIDS Institute

The Immunization Partnership

Tourette Association of America

Trust for America's Health

Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance

US Hereditary Angioedema Association

Vaccinate Your Family

Washington State Department of Health

Welcome Back Initiative

Wisconsin Public Health Association

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Wyoming Public HealthAssociation

YMCA of the USA