Senators Reverend Warnock, Ossoff, and 28 Senators pressed Senate Appropriators stressing the need for full funding for the Georgia-based CDC to protect the centers’ national security and public health work

Earlier this year, Senator Warnock led the charge in demanding answers about the termination of 20,000 full time staff at HHS, including thousands of CDC employees

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led 29 Senate colleagues in urging Senate leadership to work across party lines and protect the mission of the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by providing at or near $9.683 billion in support of the agency. In a letter sent to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Senators Warnock, Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and 28 other Senate colleagues stressed the importance of protecting the CDC’s national security and public health work.

“During the first several months of 2025, the Trump administration fired thousands of dedicated public health professionals who have devoted their life’s work to the health, safety, and security of our constituents. These mass terminations not only destabilize our country’s public health infrastructure, but they also put our economy at risk when people get sick, and no one is there to respond,” the senators said.

“These cuts will not make American’s healthy. The CDC must remain the world’s preeminent public health agency and to do so, the CDC must have the tools it needs to continue its work. We support robust funding for CDC’s response efforts to domestic health threats, much of which flows through state and local public health agencies,” they continued.

At the conclusion of the letter, the Democratic senators emphasize their willingness to work with their Republican counterparts on legislation that can pass the Senate.

“In 2023, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, affirmed the importance of CDC by requiring its director to be confirmed by the Senate, which was a critical step to bolstering the public’s trust in the CDC. By prioritizing funding for its essential programs, including non-communicable disease prevention, global health initiatives, data modernization, and workplace safety, Congress can ensure that the CDC will continue to protect and enhance the health and safety of all Americans,” the senators closed.

Senator Warnock has repeatedly stood up in defense of CDC workers, including joining them at a rally, delivering a floor speech opposing Secretary Kennedy’s nomination, demanding answers from administration nominees at Congressional hearings, and more. Since the CDC and its employees became a target of this administration, Senator Warnock has led several efforts defending their employment and the crucial role they play in keeping the nation safe. Earlier this year, Senator Warnock sent a letter to President Trump and Secretary Kennedy requesting additional information about the termination of 20,000 full-time staff and organizational restructuring at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

In addition to Senators Warnock and Ossoff, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Peter Welch (D-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

Read the full letter HERE, and the text is below

Dear Chairwoman Capito and Ranking Member Baldwin,

As you consider the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we thank you for your strong commitment to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and to the nation’s public health security. We respectfully request that you protect the mission of CDC by providing robust funding at or near the level of $9.683 billion for the agency.

In recent months, President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have taken a hatchet to our public health agencies by massively reducing or eliminating programs historically authorized and appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis. During the first several months of 2025, the Trump administration fired thousands of dedicated public health professionals who have devoted their life’s work to the health, safety, and security of our constituents. These mass terminations not only destabilize our country’s public health infrastructure, but they also put our economy at risk when people get sick, and no one is there to respond.

The President’s FY26 Discretionary Budget Request proposes drastic reductions to CDC’s budget of nearly 44 percent, despite rising rates of measles, STIs, maternal deaths, and chronic diseases. The elimination of the CDC’s chronic disease prevention office also contradicts the Administration’s stated goal of addressing the chronic disease epidemic in our country. These cuts will not make American’s healthy. The CDC must remain the world’s preeminent public health agency and to do so, the CDC must have the tools it needs to continue its work.

We support robust funding for CDC’s response efforts to domestic health threats, much of which flows through state and local public health agencies. Our public health departments use this funding to provide access to vaccines, STI testing, disease outbreak tracing, and general improvements to health care access. Continued investment in the CDC will have a direct, positive effect on the economy, since healthy people means a healthy economy. Additionally, the return on investment for public health funding results in savings over the long-term

Without funding appropriated to and administered by the CDC, many of our state and local public health agencies would be critically underfunded or worse, nonexistent. We request that the committee support the public health workforce and public health departments by fully funding Public Health and Preparedness programs, including programs that prevent HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STI and TB, as well as the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion program and the Public Health Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSF). In particular, the National Center on Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion must be fully funded, unlike the President’s FY26 Budget Request, to allow CDC to respond to the chronic disease crisis.

Another longstanding mission of the CDC is its Global Health Securityprograms, and we are concerned by the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent CDC researchers and officials from working directly with non-government organizations and global public health organizations. More than 70 percent of the world remains underprepared to respond to a public health emergency, and with our globally-connected society, disease outbreaks around the world pose threats to the U.S. We urge continued funding for global health programs at the CDC, so the agency can continue to work with other countries to build capacities in surveillance, disease detection, and outbreak response to stop deadly diseases at their source.

We also encourage funding for Public Health Data Modernization efforts. Enhanced data systems enable the CDC to better track health trends, identify emerging threats, and allocate resources efficiently. Policymakers and researchers rely on precise data to make informed decisions and provide sound health guidance to the public. Modernized data infrastructure supports interoperability between agencies, facilitating collaboration and improving the overall quality of health information. The CDC should have the necessary data authority to access the information required for effective decision-making, ensuring public health strategies are based on the most reliable data available. Investing in data modernization not only strengthens domestic health security but also enhances global health initiatives by enabling swift responses to international health challenges.

We also strongly support keeping all Centers at the CDC fully operational and funded, including the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The NCIPC helps CDC address public health challenges like opioid use disorder, child abuse, drowning, falls in the elderly population, and domestic violence. The NCIPC, which was eliminated in the President’s FY26 Discretionary Budget Request, will make our country healthier and safer. Additionally, NIOSH benefits from the CDC’s comprehensive public health infrastructure, facilitating collaboration and resource sharing that enhances its research and intervention capabilities. Continued funding for NIOSH supports its mission to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses, ultimately contributing to a healthier, more productive workforce and reducing healthcare costs associated with occupational hazards.

The CDC is the cornerstone of public health in the United States and the world. In 2023, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, affirmed the importance of CDC by requiring its director to be confirmed by the Senate, which was a critical step to bolstering the public’s trust in the CDC. By prioritizing funding for its essential programs, including non-communicable disease prevention, global health initiatives, data modernization, and workplace safety, Congress can ensure that the CDC will continue to protect and enhance the health and safety of all Americans.

Your support in maintaining and expanding these vital resources will empower the CDC to effectively address current and future health challenges. Thank you for considering this request, and for your commitment to advancing public health through robust funding support of the CDC.

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