National Monkeypox Working Group Letter Voices Support for White House
Monkeypox Funding Request

For Immediate Release: September 12, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, EFinley@ncsddc.org, 919-749-7309

Washington, DC – The National Monkeypox Working Group, a collaborative group of the nation’s leading public health organizations, medical societies, and HIV organizations, released a letter on Monday supporting the White House’s $4.5 billion request for emergency monkeypox funding. As the U.S. outbreak has grown to more than 22,000 cases, clinics, providers, and organizations on the front lines have struggled to cover the costs of serving patients. The White House request would help cover emergency front-line costs, as well as critical vaccine, data collection, research, and reach costs. The Monkeypox Working Group formed in June as a collaborative body to elevate funding and policy needs to the administration and Congress in response to the then emerging and now growing outbreak.

The full text of the letter is included below and can be downloaded here.

Dear Chairs Leahy and DeLauro, Vice Chair Shelby, and Ranking Member Granger,

As nonpartisan national, state, and local public health and LGBTQ organizations, the undersigned members of the National Monkeypox Working Group write in full support of the White House’s additional request for $4.5 billion to meet the critical needs of monkeypox (MPV). We urge you to provide these funds to support the domestic and international response to the current MPV emergency and ensure the United States is prepared for future infectious disease outbreaks.

America’s public health system is, once again, responding to a public health emergency without sufficient resources; and the severity of the MPV outbreak has further exacerbated the chronic problems that were exposed by COVID-19, caused by decades of underfunding. Recently, one sexual health clinic shared that they are as strained responding to MPV as they were in the early days of COVID: forced to do more with less but, this time forced to go it alone without federal support.

It is possible to end this outbreak, but not without comprehensive support from Congress. The public health infrastructure needs sustained, predictable, and flexible funding. The longer we go without funding, the more people are exposed to this painful and dangerous disease and the more strain we put on America’s public health system.

Given the current outbreak’s severity, the burden it has placed on our chronically underfunded public health system, and the unacceptable prevalence of racial/ethnic and environmental inequities, people and organizations working on the front lines need immediate federal support for testing, vaccine administration, treatment, clinical support, community outreach and education, coordinated surveillance, wrap-around services, financial assistance for patients in isolation, and research.

As you begin to craft the Continuing Resolution to address the critical needs of MPV, we would appreciate your support in providing these additional funds not only to address the current monkeypox outbreak, but future infectious disease threats. Thank you for your consideration. For additional information, please reach out to the National Coalition of STD Directors’ director of federal policy, Rachel Deitch at rdeitch@ncsddc.org.

Signed,

AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC)
AIDS United
American Academy of HIV Medicine
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
APLA Health
Association of Immunization Managers
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Big Cities Health Coalition
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Georgia AIDS Coalition
HIV Medicine Association
Human Rights Campaign
Infectious Diseases Society of America
NASTAD
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Coalition of STD Directors
NMAC
PCAF
PrEP4All
Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition
Safer Together
San Francisco Community Health Center
The AIDS Institute
Treatment Action Group
Trust for America’s Health