Proposal to eliminate syphilis prevention in six targeted areas comes as mother-to-child syphilis transmission spikes
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2026
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, [email protected], 919-749-7309
Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, an alarming expanded list of proposed federal grant eliminations was provided to Congress and circulated around Washington that provides details on targeted proposed grant eliminations aimed at cutting federal funding to some states. Among the proposed cuts are the core health department funds for prevention of sexually transmitted infections in Colorado, Illinois, and California, as well as those provided directly to three of the nation’s largest cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles County, and Chicago. The funds total $17,824,471 and are used for core disease surveillance, outbreak response, and prevention. The cuts come just months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released provisional 2024 STI data that show that congenital syphilis rose to a record high for a 12th straight year. Elizabeth Finley, Interim Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), issued the following statement:
“The proposed elimination of STI prevention funding in six targeted areas, including some of the nation’s largest communities, would be a devastating blow to the national fight against deadly mother-to-child syphilis transmission at a time when cases are spiking.”
“The only way to successfully fight congenital syphilis is with a robust prevention effort in every state and city in the nation, and the programs on the chopping block are the highly effective core government service we have relied on for decades to slow cases.”
“Common sense says that infections spread without any regard for state, city, or county lines – an unchecked outbreak in one town inevitably means an outbreak in another. Cutting all funding to regions that have nearly 20% of the cases nationwide will impact the entire nation’s ability to wrest control of the syphilis epidemic and protect women and babies from devastating consequences.”
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