Budget and Appropriations

The waiting game continues!

FY18: Lawmakers have just one week remaining before the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on March 23.  The FY18 funding bill was not filed this week as House GOP leaders had hoped.  Rumors are that more time was needed to work out unresolved funding and policy issues and the bill may be released over the weekend or maybe even not until Monday!

In order for a bill to be finalized by the House and Senate before March 23 (averting another government shutdown), a deal must be reached and a bill released by early next week.  If this deadline is missed, another CR will have to be passed to provide more time!

FY19: Although FY18 funding is STILL not finalized, members of Congress are in the process of developing FY19 funding bills, including negotiating funding for DSTDP.  On the House side, Representative Cicilline from Rhode Island, with support from NCSD, wrote a letter to fellow members asking the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services to support $227.3 million for sexually transmitted disease prevention at the CDC.  That letter closed yesterday and we will give you an update on it later this month.

We hope that as soon as FY18 funding is finalized, another letter will be circulated on the Senate side and we will let you know when that is happening so you can reach out an encourage your Senators to sign on!

President’s FY19 Budget Request

As you remember, President Trump’s FY19 budget proposal was released a few weeks ago.  HHS Secretary Azar appeared before the House Labor-HHS Committee to speak on the president’s budget yesterday.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers voiced support for continued public health and emergency preparedness funding including addressing infectious disease outbreaks, as did Secretary Azar.  Azar also said he supports an idea raised by subcommittee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), which would create a federal emergency response fund to address public health emergencies.

While there was not specific reference to the rising rates of STDs, it was good to see reference to funding for public health emergencies and we will continue to connect STD levels into this conversation!