The American Heart Association is speaking out against budget cuts made by Congress to large institutions and health programs, citing detrimental effects on cardiovascular disease.
The House Appropriations Committee approved legislation for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Departments which would "weaken public health infrastructure, stunt progress on lifesaving biomedical research, drain resources from tobacco prevention and control efforts and undermine programs to strengthen the health care workforce," according to the July 17 AHA news release.
"We are disappointed by how this bill devalues and undercuts vital health, research and public programs in the fiscal year 2024 budget. The bill makes major cuts to—or worse, proposes the complete elimination of—important programs that support the equitable health and well-being of people nationwide," the AHA said in the letter.
The authors cited cuts to tobacco prevention programs at a time when CDC data showed an increase in e-cigarette sales. The letter also expressed concern over the cuts made to some large institutions, like the National Institutes of Health.
"While the bill keeps funding for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute level, we are troubled to see dramatic cuts in other areas of HHS, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and other institutes under the NIH umbrella. We must continue to encourage, not hinder, the advancement of new scientific research to better understand heart disease and stroke and new treatments for these deadly and debilitating conditions. We also are disheartened by the many harmful riders included in the legislation."
The letter calls for Congress to prioritize health and provide appropriate funding to federal agencies and programs in the 2024 budget.