NCSD Responds to Senate GOPs Early Criticisms of Critical MPV and Covid-19 Funding Package; Urges Funding to Support Public Health Landscape 

For Immediate Release: September 8, 2022
Contact: Alyssa Villanueva, [email protected], 732-895-5268

WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, the Biden Administration requested $22.9 billion in funding to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the growing monkeypox (MPV) outbreak, the largest in U.S. history. In response, Senate Republicans criticized the decision, stating “there’s zero interest [to include] Covid or monkeypox” funding in the stopgap bill — set to be voted on early next week. In response, David C. Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, released the following statement lambasting Senate Republicans for their opposition to funding a robust response to this ongoing public health emergency:

“For the past three months we have been sounding the alarm, calling on the Biden Administration to take action and allocate critical funding to the STI field, which has been battling a triple threat of public health emergencies: a global Covid-19 pandemic, an out of control STD epidemic and ongoing MPV outbreak. 

“Firefighters are not expected to fight fire without water nor are members of the military expected to fight wars without weapons. Yet, for the past three months, we have been on the frontlines pleading with officials for the support our network so desperately needs in order to respond to the worst outbreak of MPV our country has ever seen. Now, with over 20,000 confirmed cases, we are reaching an inflection point. 

“In recent weeks, a troubling vaccination gap has appeared between Black and Brown communities in rural areas and their white counterparts in major cities. We have seen this song and dance before. Without equitable vaccine distribution, we are doomed to repeat the failures of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw woefully unequal vaccination rates and, in turn, poorer health outcomes for Black and Brown communities. This was unacceptable then and remains unacceptable now. 

“We cannot take our foot off of the gas simply because major cities have the means to mount a robust response, leaving smaller, rural communities to fend for themselves. Rather, it’s time to accelerate our response and urgently fund state and local health departments and STI and sexual health clinics to combat this outbreak and prioritize public health.”

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About The National Coalition of STD Directors 

The National Coalition of STD Directors is a national public health membership organization representing health department STD directors, their support staff, and community-based partners across 50 states, seven large cities, and eight U.S. territories. Our mission is to advance effective STD prevention programs and services across the country. NCSD does this as the voice of our membership. We provide leadership, build capacity, convene partners, and advocate. Go to ncsddc.org for more information.