WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is calling for a big boost for public health funding across the federal health department, but left out specific funding for Covid-19 activities.
In its budget request to Congress on Thursday, the White House asked for $20 billion over five years to support pandemic preparedness efforts at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration. The request aligns with the White House’s National Biodefense Plan.
Of that $20 billion, $6.1 billion would go to the CDC to modernize and build laboratory capacity, strengthen public health data systems, and enhance disease surveillance. The Biden administration’s CDC budget request overall increased from $11 billion last year to $13.1 billion this year. The CDC would set aside funds to help build public health capacity at the federal, state, and local levels. The administration proposes giving the CDC federal public health data reporting authority, which Director Rochelle Walensky has advocated for.
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