Announced a few weeks ago, but seemed kind of important to acknowledge, considering how fucked it is.
The CDC is cutting money for state childhood vaccination programs, according to KFF Health News, which cites an agency email it obtained.
The cut comes from a federal immunization grant, given in the last year, that supports childhood vaccines. Agencies are reporting the cut amounts to 10% or more of their previous year’s award.
It’s a “significant change to your budget,” said the email, which was dated June 27 and signed by two CDC officials, KFF reported.
The email was sent to “immunization managers” who are public health officials that direct state, territorial, and local programs to promote vaccinations for measles, chickenpox, and other infectious diseases.
“There will be no easy solution for this,” said the CDC email. “We know that this change will require some tough decisions.”
CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund told KFF, “The budgetary impact is still being worked out.”
The budget cut will affect programs that identify communities vulnerable to disease outbreaks, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.
Totally rational and definitely not depraved to cut budget for this program, especially coming off the heels of a devastating (and ongoing) pandemic.
Military budget still the highest of any country of all time.
ShowMilitary budget as % of nominative industrial sector of GDP by country:
China (2023): US$224 billion / US$7730 billion = 2.9%
America (2023): US$858 billion / US$5075 billion = 16.9%
Proposed America (2025): US$1716 billion / ~US$5200 billion = ~33.3%
USSR (1980s): Something like 15%? Hard to find the numbers.
If we don't do the stupid thing now we will have to do something twice as stupid later, sweaty
Listing off all the nearly nonexistant illnesses that are about to make a come back
Gotta love how this country is just eating itself. It's barely handled the Covid pandemic. If the medical system is already at its limits then surely this won't do anything to help the situation. Backward ass country.
Agency officials linked the reduction to the debt ceiling deal recently struck by the Biden administration and Congress. The cut may result in less complete reporting on vaccinations, the CDC said.
The debt deal rescinded about $27 billion in unspent federal money that had been allocated to fight covid. It also led the CDC to remove $400 million in funding to states for workers who fight the spread of sexually transmitted infections, according to an email obtained by CQ Roll Call.
I spent like 15 minutes trying to make some sort of snarky comment linking defense spending and this, but while I was reading through articles I just kept getting too angry to actually do it.
I just...
remember it's just Republicans that are anti-healthcare, and it's anyone in a red state's own fault that they don't have it