Joe Friday and Congressman Steve Pearce

I loved Joe Friday on the old 50's TV Show 'Dragnet".  He always said, "I want just the facts ma'am....just the facts."  And so in case the pea brained republicans, like Congressman Steve Pearce, are wondering where the response capabilities to the Ebola virus is, here is a reminder of what they have done with the budget sequestration.  One item, a 98 million dollar cut in emergency response should give some clues to how things have worked out.

0. On March 1, 2013, as required by statute, President Obama signed an order initiating sequestration. The sequestration requires CDC to cut 5 percent or more than $285 million of its fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget. CDC applied the cut evenly across all programs, projects, and activities (PPAs), which are primarily CDC national centers, offices and centers. This means every area of CDC was affected. In addition, the Prevention and Public Health Fund allocation in FY 2013 was almost $350 million below FY 2012. In total, CDC’s program level, including the Vaccines for Children mandatory program and other external sources, was almost $1 billion (or 10%) below FY 2012.
   The reductions to CDC’s funding accounts are as follows:
   
•   Immunization = $100 million
  
•   HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STI and TB Prevention = $62 million
  
•   Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases = $13 million
  
•   Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion = $195 million
  
•   Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities = $7 million
  

•   Environmental Health = $17 million
  
•   Injury Prevention and Control = $7 million
  
•   Public Health Scientific Services = $19 million
  
•   Occupational Safety and Health = $9 million
  
•   Global Health = $18 million
  
•   Public Health Preparedness and Response = $98 million
  
•   Cross-cutting Activities and Program Support = $35 million
  IMPACTS OF FUNDING LEVELS IN FY 2013 (COMPARED TO FY 2012) INCLUDE:
  Reduced ability to ensure global disease protection:
  

 Jeopardizes polio eradication efforts:
o Sequestration forced CDC to reduce support to purchase oral polio vaccine by over 40,000,000 doses.
o Cuts to UNICEF funding jeopardize plans for vaccination rounds later in 2013 and into 2014 to respond to ongoing outbreaks in Syria, Horn of Africa, and Cameroon along with planned aggressive campaigns during the December – April low transmission season in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan unless other resources can be identified and secured.

•   $25 million cut to global efforts to eliminate polio, prevent measles outbreaks, malaria, and pandemic flu.
  
•   $13 million in cuts to our efforts to prevent and respond to outbreaks of other emerging infectious diseases, such as the MERS-Coronavirus emerging globally now.
  Reduced support for state and local public health efforts:
  

•   $160 million less in funding to on-the-ground public health in the United States, a system
  already strained by state and local budget cuts.
  
•   CDC's ability to support state, local, and international health departments was reduced.
  
•   $33 million will be cut from state and local preparedness ability to respond to natural and man-made disasters.
  Reduced ability to prevent domestic HIV/AIDS:
  

 $40 million reduction in HIV prevention.
o 175,000 fewer HIV tests would be conducted.
o $7 million reduction to CDC’s HIV testing activities.
Reduce ability to prevent the leading causes of illness and death:
 Programs to prevent cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes are being cut by almost
$200 million due to sequestration and Prevention and Public Health Fund allocations. 

And here is a good post this morning from Bubba Munster.