It has been a busy September for CSTE and lawmakers in Washington, DC. Here is a quick update on what’s going on and some of CSTE’s recent educational efforts of policy makers.

This fall, CSTE prioritized engaging with legislators to provide education about what applied epidemiologists in states and jurisdictions do every day to protect the health of communities. As we near the end of the federal fiscal year, Congress has yet to come to an agreement on Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding and health departments across jurisdictions continued to face uncertainty in accessing appropriated FY 2025 funding. CSTE members met recently with congressional offices to ensure they understand how critical federal funding – specifically CDC funding - is to state, territorial, local, and Tribal (STLT) public health efforts—epidemiology programs are funded 90-95% from CDC. Congress must now make critical decisions on FY 2026, funding and efforts like public health data modernization and the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program need substantial investment. CSTE talked about progress in both of those areas and how the work is making a difference in STLT to responding to health threats everyday. CSTE also discussed the need to ensure the health and safety of the public health workforce and the importance of maintaining the scientific integrity of CDC.

Zooming out, Congress returned from August recess facing a tight deadline in the bigger funding picture: funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 must be approved before October 1—tomorrow—to avoid a government shutdown. Reminder, the appropriations process provides federal funding for all federal government agencies and programs, including the CDC and other federal health agencies. If Congress fails to pass a spending package by midnight tonight, federal funding will lapse, and many programs could pause, creating uncertainty for public health departments across the country.

With the risk of a shutdown on the table, CSTE prioritized additional education for policymakers—particularly members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees—to emphasize the importance of sustained federal public health funding. CSTE shared information about how federal dollars support disease surveillance, outbreak response, and workforce capacity across every jurisdiction.

CSTE met with 34 offices—including several key leadership offices—to highlight the consequences of delayed awards, reduced capacity, and funding uncertainty. We reminded Congress that about 80 percent of STLT health department’s budgets come from the CDC. CSTE also shared real-world examples from the field and strengthened relationships with congressional offices, educating staff on the critical role applied epidemiologists and other public health workers play in keeping communities safe.

So, where do things stand on FY 2026 appropriations? Both the House and Senate released their versions of the Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) appropriations bills earlier this year. The Senate proposed a bipartisan bill with strong overall funding for CDC, while the House bill is detrimental to CDC overall, it includes key increases for priority programs such as Public Health Data Modernization and the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program. Despite this progress through committee action, the process is not far enough along to pass final bills before the end of the fiscal year.

On September 19, the House narrowly passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the government running through late November and continue certain health programs, including telehealth and community health centers. Democrats proposed an alternative CR that included additional health care protections—including extending subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans. As expected, both the House-passed CR and the Democratic alternative failed to advance in the Senate.

With tonight’s deadline, the risk of a government shutdown is very real. Adding to the uncertainty, House Republican leadership announced that members will not return to Washington until the Senate passes their CR bill, leaving little opportunity for negotiation and prompting blame-shifting among lawmakers. To complicate matters further, federal agencies have been told to prepare lists of employees who could be furloughed or laid off if the government closes. While this may be a negotiating tactic, real lives and real jobs are in the balance.

As the process moves forward, CSTE urges Congress to avoid a shutdown to allow for ongoing negotiations for final FY 2026 funding that includes robust overall funding for CDC and retains the House’s proposed increases for data modernization and ELC. The road ahead remains uncertain, but CSTE will continue communicating with lawmakers to ensure Congress understands the real-world impact a government shutdown would have on public health efforts in every community across the country.

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