DeLauro Introduces Legislation to Bolster Government Response to Public Health Emergencies

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today introduced legislation to bolster the government’s response to future public health emergencies. The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act would provide $5 billion for the Public Health Emergency Fund.

“As we have seen with the recent Ebola outbreak, a robust public health infrastructure is critical to responding to public health emergencies. Unfortunately my Republican colleagues have refused to make this a priority, putting our public health at risk. We need to fully fund the Administration’s Ebola request and provide the resources to respond to future threats, through legislation like the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act.

“The Public Health Emergency Fund has largely been ignored, and that needs to end. Not using every resource available to deal with issues like H1N1, Ebola, or Enterovirus D68 is an abdication of our responsibilities. I have introduced the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act to ensure that, even when naysayers claim we do not have a penny to spare, our public health infrastructure has the support it needs to protect the American people.”

The Public Health Emergency Fund was established in 1983 and has only been funded twice. Resources in the fund are to be disbursed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services upon declaration of a public health emergency, similar to how the Disaster Relief Fund alleviates state and local needs after a natural disaster.

DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She has repeatedly called for increased funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and other critical pieces of our public health infrastructure. Since 2010, both of those agencies, as well as the HHS Hospital Preparedness program, have seen cuts to their budgets, once adjusted for inflation. A table of the cuts can be viewed here.


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