Your voice makes a difference! As we turn our attention to FY2019 funding, IDSA and HIVMA will continue to work and report from the front lines of policy and funding. Just as in 2018, Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents about the importance of ID and HIV priorities.
Forceful IDSA and HIVMA advocacy efforts with your members of Congress over the last year were rewarded Friday with robust funding in the FY 2018 Omnibus spending bill that the President signed Friday. Several needs remain including adequate funding with which to detect, prevent, and respond to infectious diseases at home and abroad, and to fight against growing antimicrobial resistance. We will continue to advocate for the need to fund the research and development of diagnostic tools, medicines and vaccines, and to control and end the impacts of HIV for FY 2019. For FY 2018, the following funding levels were granted:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- $614.572 million for the Center for Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases, a $38 million increase above FY17 funding.
- $168 million for the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative program, a $5 million increase above FY17.
- $488.6 million for the Center for Global Health, a $53.5 million increase in funding over FY17. The increase in funding will support the Global Health Security Agenda, which will run out of funding in September of 2019, if additional resources aren’t committed to maintain current programs.
- $1.127 billion for the Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, TB Prevention, a $10 million increase in funding over FY17.
- $610.828 million for the CDC’s immunization programs, which is level funding compared to FY17.
- $1.450 billion for the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response, which is a $450 million increase over FY17.
Health Resources and Services Administration
- $2.319 billion in funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which is funding equal to the FY17 level for the program.
National Institutes of Health
- $37.084 billion for the NIH overall, a $3 billion increase over FY17. This includes a $50 million increase in funding to address AMR.
- $5.260 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is an $354 million increase above FY17.
- $75.733 million in funding for the Fogarty International Center, which is $3.5 million above FY17.
Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
- $536 million for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is a $25 million increase over FY17.
- $250 million for pandemic influenza response, which is $178 million above the FY17 level.
Department of State and US Agency for International Development
- $4.320 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is level with FY17.
- $1.350 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is also level with FY17 funding and meets the U.S. pledge to the Global Fund.
- $330 million for USAID’s HIV/AIDS Program, which is level with FY17.
- $261 million for USAID’s global TB investments, which is a $20 million boost in funding above FY17.
- $172.6 million for USAID’s global health security activities, of which $100 million comes from unspent emergency Ebola funding, and is $100 million above FY17.
Please continue to educate your members of Congress about the importance of ID/HIV programs and the need for investment.
Please email your Representative and Senators to let them know how critical full funding for ID/HIV programs at CDC, NIH, HRSA, the State Department, and USAID are for you, your colleagues, the patients you serve, and your community. For more information on federal funding and more advocacy opportunities, contact Lisa Cox, lcox@idsociety.org, or 703-299-0202 or George Fistonich, at gfistonich@hivma.org or (703) 740-4957.