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HAVERSTRAW, NY – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester) was joined today by health experts and medical professionals at Hudson River Health Care (HRHCare) in Haverstraw to speak out against the deadly cuts to vital public health investments in President Trump’s budget proposal, and to send a message that as Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee she is committed to securing necessary federal funding and resources to protect public health.
Joining Congresswoman Lowey at the press conference were Anne Kauffman Nolon, MPH, President and CEO of HRHCare; Dr. Sophia McIntyre, Chief Medical Officer of HRHCare; and Dr. Sherlita Amler, Westchester Commissioner of Health.
“The President’s budget request is an embarrassment,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “It neglects the ongoing public health needs of this country and leaves us more vulnerable to illness and disease. It is unfathomable, at a time when 4,000 Americans are dying of flu-related illnesses each week, that the Trump Administration would attempt to weaken our ability to confront this epidemic by proposing to cut the CDC by hundreds of millions of dollars, including a cut for immunizations. The Administration needs to get its act together. With 1 in 10 American deaths currently flu-related, we cannot waste a day or turn our backs on investments that protect public health.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the lead federal agency tasked with preparing for and preventing epidemics like the flu, by working with state and local partners and health providers to get the best information out to the public and to support immunizations to keep Americans safe. President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget request, released on Monday, would cut the CDC by $729 million—a cut of more than 10% of its current funding level. It would also cut immunization programs by nearly $90 million, reducing access to vaccines that could prevent serious illness, such as the flu, or death.
The president’s proposed cuts to these vital public health investments come as flu cases in New York reach record numbers. According to the New York State Department of Health, as of February 10, 14,354 people have been hospitalized with the flu in New York this season, and there have been five pediatric flu deaths. Westchester County had 1,172 confirmed cases of the flu in the week ending February 3 (120 cases per 100,000 residents), while Rockland County had 144 cases for the week (44 cases per 100,000 residents).
“We are pleased to have this opportunity to highlight the importance of preserving critical public health functions related to disease surveillance, prevention, and treatment,” said Hudson River Healthcare President and CEO Anne Kauffman Nolon, MPH. “At Hudson River Health Care, we have built strong partnerships with the Rockland County Department of Health, and similar departments across the Hudson Valley and Long Island, to ensure that our patients receive the highest-quality care, as well as the resources they need to prevent diseases in the first place. In this epidemically bad flu season, these partnerships are even more critical, and the federal cuts to public health programs that are being considered will deeply harm our communities.”
As Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey was instrumental in securing $7.163 billion in federal funding for the CDC in the Fiscal Year 2017 omnibus spending bill.
“The President has the power to propose a budget, but the Constitution gives Congress the power to allocate federal resources,” added Congresswoman Lowey. “As the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, I will fight these budget cuts and ensure that the CDC has the resources to fully combat threats to public health. American lives are literally at stake.”
