SOT Members Urged to Support Increasing the CDC's Budget

March 30, 2009

Dear SOT Members:

I am writing to invite you to consider adding your support to an effort to increase the budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by $2 billion dollars. You can take action by asking your member of Congress to co-sign the McGovern/Granger/Roybal-Allard letter that calls for this increase to CDC’s discretionary budget from today's $6.6 billion to $8.6 billion by FY2010.

These members of Congress, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Study Group on Public Health, began circulating this letter March 26. Until the deadline for submitting sign-on letters to the Committee arrives on Friday, April 3, they will be asking other members of Congress to join them on this letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee.

This Congressional Study Group letter states that "Supporting proven research-based public health and prevention efforts saves lives, prevents needless disability and suffering, and may help keep health care costs down. While the payback for public health funding may not always be seen in a five-year budget chart, we view increased funding for the CDC as a much-needed down payment on our nation's future health status." To read the full McGovern/Ranger/Roybal-Allard letter click here.

To take action now, go to the Web site.

Sincerely,

Kenneth S. Ramos
SOT President