Public health is facing a serious and recurring threat: the potential loss of a vital source of funding, the Prevention and Public Health Fund (prevention fund). The prevention fund is a dedicated funding stream created by the Affordable Care Act in 2010 to improve the nation’s public health system by supporting activities such as chronic disease prevention, immunization, tobacco control, lead poisoning prevention, and infectious disease response. It was originally intended to help improve health outcomes and reduce long-term health care costs, by preventing diseases and conditions that are costly to treat and that reduce the quality of life for millions of Americans. However, the prevention fund now also makes up a significant portion of CDC’s budget as it has been used to fund core CDC activities when base funding increases were not possible.

Unfortunately, the prevention fund has been reduced by Congress several times in recent years and is vulnerable to further budget cuts and transfers as it is seen by some policymakers as an available pot of money. Trust for America’s Health has numerous resources on their website, like this chart below:

The prevention fund provides essential resources to state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) health departments to protect communities from infectious diseases and many other public health threats. Any cuts to the fund would jeopardize our already-underfunded public health infrastructure.

The latest proposed cut to the prevention fund comes from a provision included in H.R. 485 , the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act, which passed the House in a 211-208 vote on February 7. The Senate has not acted on the bill. H.R. 485 uses the prevention fund as a pay-for to address unrelated changes to federal health care programs. The cuts would result in $1.19 billion in cuts over Fiscal Years 2025-2029, which is about a 13% reduction over that period. CSTE joined more than 170 organizations in sending a letter to Congress opposing these wrongheaded proposed cuts.

Importantly, one of the programs funded by the prevention fund is the foundational Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) funding line, which provides flexible resources to STLT health departments to enhance their capacity to prevent and control infectious diseases. This flexible ELC funding is crucial for the public health system’s ability to detect, investigate, and respond to outbreaks that may not be addressed by disease-specific funding. However, the ELC funding line could be at risk if the latest proposed cuts to the PPHF are enacted. This would have negative consequences for public health and the health and well-being of our nation. While CSTE continues to advocate for increased funding for ELC, some voices in Congress are threatening to reduce critical prevention fund resources that aid public health in their own communities.

The prevention fund affects every state—including yours! Check out the details by visiting Trust for America’s Health’s (TFAH) prevention fund page , which shows how many grants are funded in each state through the various programs supported by the prevention fund.

The prevention fund is under constant threat and needs your advocacy to ensure their continuation. That’s why we urge you to act today and call on your legislators to protect the prevention fund. Now is the time to speak up for the health and safety of our communities. Together, we can make a difference for public health.

Victoria Barahona is policy associate at CRD Associates, LLC, which represents CSTE’s interests on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.