The Biden finances would give the CDC its largest increase in funding in practically 20 years

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will receive an update on battling the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic when they visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on March 19, 2021 , visit.

Carlos Barria | Reuters

President Joe Biden’s first budget proposal would give the agency the biggest boost in funding in nearly two decades, which is most closely tracking the coronavirus pandemic, his administration said Friday.

The 2022 fiscal year budget would include $ 8.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to budget documents shared by the Office of Administration and Budget.

The agency said the budget increase would build on the CDC investment made available in the American Rescue Plan, the $ 1.9 trillion Covid relief plan signed by Biden in March.

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The new funds would be used to “help improve core public health capacities in states and territories, modernize the nationwide collection of public health data, train new epidemiologists and other public health experts, and restore international capacity.” build to identify emerging global problems, prepare for and respond to threats, “OMB said.

While the CDC funding proposal represents a huge increase over the past few years, it covers only a small portion of Biden’s $ 6 trillion budget proposal for 2022. The proposal includes funding for a double multi-billion dollar economic overhaul plan previously unveiled by the president Year.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, more than 33 million Covid infections and at least 593,466 deaths have been reported in the United States.

Before Covid was officially classified as a pandemic, the CDC issued guidance on how to slow or prevent the spread of the virus in various settings, from summer camps to nursing homes. The agency has now issued and updated more than 200 guides, as its website shows.

However, the budget proposal would go beyond funding the agency’s disease-oriented work.

According to budget materials, $ 153 million would be allocated to CDC’s Social Determinants of Health program to work on “improving health equity and data collection for racial and ethnic groups.”

The government would also allocate $ 100 million to the CDC’s climate and health program to invest $ 1.2 billion in building resilience to forest fires, floods, droughts, and other climate-related disasters.

The budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services would double research on gun violence prevention at the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.

Overall, HHS is filing for $ 133.7 billion in discretionary funding – an increase of $ 25.3 billion, or 23.4%, from the approved fiscal 2021 budget.