March 16, 2017
WASHINGTON – Today, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) released the following statement on President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget outline.
“The budget is an indication of our nation’s priorities, and as such, we express serious concerns over the significant reductions in federal spending for discretionary programs and elimination of key programs,” said Kathy Ko Chin, APIAHF President and CEO. “The budget proposes drastic cuts to the agency charged with protecting and advancing our nation’s health—the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—at a time when we are experiencing record improvements in expanding access to coverage, addressing public health challenges like the zika virus and opioid epidemic, and positioning our systems for changes and improvements in quality.”
The budget outline is the starting point for working with Congress, which controls annual appropriations. The President’s budget would reduce discretionary spending by $462 billion and would, among other things:
- Reduce funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by 17.9% or $15.1 billion dollars.
- Consolidate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the National Institutes of Health.
- Seek additional funding to build a border wall and bolster immigration-enforcement related provisions that threaten to hamper communities around the country.
- Reduce the National Institutes of Health funding by 19%.
- Eliminate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Community Service Block Grant.
- Create a new Federal Emergency Response Fund and $500-million-dollar block grant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the context of significant funding reductions and reforms.