The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced it will cut $11.4 billion in COVID-19 funds that were earlier given to state and local public health departments. These funds had been supporting COVID testing, research, and community health jobs.
Officials say the decision was made because “the COVID-19 pandemic is over”, and they no longer want to spend money on what they called a “non-existent pandemic”.
What Will Be Affected by This Cut?
The money being withdrawn helped fund many important programs, not just for COVID-19 but also for other public health efforts. These include:
- Wastewater monitoring, which helps detect viruses like measles
- Immunization programs for children
- Tracking respiratory illnesses like flu and COVID
- Reducing health inequalities in vulnerable communities
Dr. Céline Gounder, a medical expert and CBS News contributor, explained that state and local health departments heavily depend on CDC funding, and in many cases, it makes up 90% of their budget.
Why Health Officials Are Worried
Health experts say the cuts are not only sudden but also dangerous. Many state health departments were still using the funds for important work.
For example, Dr. Brooke Cunningham, Minnesota’s Health Commissioner, said the state had $226 million in grants canceled immediately. She called the decision sudden and unexpected, and warned that it would affect contracts and ongoing health work.
In California, health officer Dr. Erica Pan said the funding had helped the state fill gaps in its health systems during the pandemic. Losing this money would harm efforts to respond to diseases that still require vaccines and testing.
Funding Was Already Promised, Say States
Many state health leaders are also confused because they believed this money was already given to them.
Lori Freeman, head of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said the money was authorized and released by Congress. States had already received it, and they were using it to fund local health programs.
She added, “The funding was basically out the door. So why take it back now?” Calling the move “cruel and unusual,” Freeman stressed that it would disrupt many programs still in progress.
More Cuts to COVID Support Programs
This isn’t the only rollback of COVID-related programs. Earlier in the month:
- The covidtest.gov website, which allowed Americans to order free COVID tests, was shut down
- More than two dozen research grants related to COVID were canceled by the National Institutes of Health
Even though the U.S. has officially declared the public health emergency over, COVID-19 is still killing people. According to the CDC, around 458 people are dying each week from the virus.
What Happens to the $11.4 Billion?
The HHS said the $11.4 billion is “undisbursed,” meaning it had not yet been fully spent. But health experts argue that many states had already received or allocated the money.
The government has not clearly explained how it plans to recover the funds, or what happens to the local programs that were depending on them.
The sudden cut of $11.4 billion in public health funds has shocked many health officials across the U.S. While the federal government says the pandemic is over, the effects of COVID-19 are still present, and many local health departments are still using this funding to support critical health services.
The move could slow down disease monitoring, affect vaccine programs, and leave communities without the tools they need to stay healthy. For many, it feels like a decision made too soon and without enough warning.