On Thursday, as a coalition of U.S. senators released the Clean Up Your Act, the group of more than 60 Democratic and independent lawmakers said the bill would “push back on attempts to undermine a stopgap spending deal this weekend that would set up a back-and-forth battle over the operating funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the rest of the year.”
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., the bill’s principal co-sponsor, said “Senators across the aisle have spoken out against the Trump administration’s health threats — like the proposed closure of the CDC’s public health threat assessments unit — and the Clean Up Your Act will be the final step in getting the federal government on the path to ensuring vulnerable Americans aren’t at risk for an outbreak of the deadly cholera and typhoid — and that both Democrats and Republicans can move beyond political attacks and find solutions for Americans’ health.”
The bill has not yet attracted a single Republican co-sponsor, with House members in particularly sticking to their party lines, reported The Hill.
The bill would prohibit a shutdown of the CDC’s public health threat assessments unit. In turn, according to a statement from the CDC on Friday, the goal of the branch is to help secure our vital critical health infrastructure to help protect Americans from all threats including infectious disease.
With the cooperation of Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., and fellow group members, a similar bill that passed the House a year ago. That measure, however, would have required the CDC to examine whether to close the public health threat assessments unit, a process that could take years, according to The Hill.
The bill’s introduction comes as Senate leaders are focused on ending a government shutdown this weekend by agreeing on a back-and-forth spending deal. According to The Hill, if talks fall apart, the bill will move forward with or without legislation, which could set up the possibility of another month of temporary spending.
Read the full story on The Hill.
Related
Will Dr. Manfra throw darts and possibly make Congress look pretty stupid?
As Congress’ shutdown debate lurches forward, the battle over to save our health centers looks small
As the nation debates health policy, Mexican researchers say they have a solution