Stop the Reckless Attack on State & Local Health Services

The Trump administration’s decision to slash more than $1.1 billion in funding for state and local health departments is reckless and dangerous (Reuters, March 26, 2025). These cuts will severely damage public health infrastructure—weakening disease prevention, emergency response, vaccination programs, and access to vital mental health services. At a time when Americans are already grappling with medical debt, rising suicide rates, and widening health disparities, this is a direct attack on the wellbeing of our communities. Local and state health departments are often the front line in protecting families from outbreaks, managing chronic illness, and offering crucial mental health support. Cutting their budgets will cost lives. Public health officials across the country have already warned that the system is overstretched. These funds help deliver care in rural and underserved areas, support school-based health programs, and offer crisis support for those battling addiction and depression. Removing this funding means leaving vulnerable Americans behind—especially those with the fewest resources to navigate an already broken system. This isn’t about efficiency. It’s about dismantling the very institutions that keep Americans safe and healthy. The Biden and Obama administrations expanded public health investments in response to clear data and medical consensus. Under Trump, we are seeing a political power play that places ideology above science and survival. Eliminating these funds now will cost the country far more in the long term—through preventable disease, mental health crises, and avoidable deaths. I urge you to take a stand—Democrat, Republican, or Independent—against this short-sighted attack on public health. Reinstate full funding for state and local health departments, and protect mental health services before more lives are lost. The American people are watching. This is not leadership. It’s sabotage.