With the partial government shutdown stretching into its 11th day, a series of individual measures have been introduced in the US House of Representatives to fund certain key government functions, but some public health groups are lining up to oppose the efforts.
The developments are playing out against the backdrop of a multistate Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to raw chicken produced by Foster Farms facilities in California, which prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to call back some of its furloughed workers to help track the outbreak.
The Republican-led House of Representatives, largely along party lines, has passed about a dozen bills, called "mini appropriations," to fund some government agency functions. For example, on Oct 2 the House passed a bill (H.J. Res 73) to fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the middle of December. And on Oct 7 it passed a similar bill (H.J. Res 77) to fund the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, Senate Democrats and President Obama have rejected the efforts and have argued that the individual funding bills are an attempt to reduce the pressure on Republicans to resolve the shutdown.
Yesterday, Trust for America's Health (TFAH), a public health advocacy group based in Washington, DC, said it opposes a "mini continuing resolution" that has been proposed to fund the CDC. Jeffrey Levi, PhD, TFAH's executive director, said in a statement yesterday that the proposed funding bill doesn't comprehensively address the nation's critical public health needs.
"While it is encouraging that there is an acknowledgement of the importance of CDC, it is naive to think that piecemeal support can adequately protect the nation's health," he said.
TFAH said the CDC is one of several government agencies that play a role in protecting the nation's health. It noted that last week the CDC recalled 30 workers to assist in its response to the Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak. "But an effective response requires a broader network of experts at CDC, FDA and the USDA [Department of Agriculture] along with coordination with state and local agencies."
The group added that partial solutions and locking in sequester cuts don't support the nation's safety and health and leave Americans without the information they need to protect themselves and their families. It called on Congress to move quickly to fund all government agencies.
Albert Lang, a spokesman for TFAH, told CIDRAP News that the bill to fund the CDC, H.J. Res 92, would fund the agency at fiscal year 2013 pre-sequestration levels through Dec 15. He said it's not clear when the House may take up the bill, but there is speculation that representatives may address it within the next few days.
Meanwhile, the American Public Health Association (APHA), in an Oct 9 statement, called the House's actions a piecemeal approach, urged an end to the shutdown, and called for a comprehensive approach to funding all of the nation's public health agencies.
Georges Benjamin, MD, APHA's executive director, said in the statement that the NIH and FDA—two of the groups that were targeted for funding by the House bills—perform critical, life-saving functions, but they rely on shared resources to protect the nation's health. "This Salmonella outbreak is the latest twist in a dangerous game of chicken playing out on Capitol Hill," he said.
Earlier this week as the House was deliberating the bill to temporarily fund the FDA, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a food safety watchdog, sent a letter to the leaders of House Republicans and Democrats asking them to reject the bill and instead approve a resolution that reopens the whole government.
The CSPI said that food safety requires the concerted efforts of 13 different government agencies. For example, it noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors seafood safety and quality.
Michael Jacobson, CSPI's executive director, said in the statement, "While we appreciate that many in Congress recognize the agency's importance, we cannot support legislation that takes a piecemeal approach to funding the government and that would make support for FDA a partisan issue. In addition, FDA's growing responsibilities require a funding level higher than that proposed in the legislation."
See also:
Oct 10 TFAH statement
Oct 9 APHA statement
Oct 7 CSPI statement
Text of H.J. Res 73
Text of H.J. Res 77
Text of H.J. Res 92
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