WEEKLY UPDATE: 05/01/25
On Tuesday, April 29, a panel of physicians, including Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, testified before congressional Democrats on the potential impact of federal funding cuts. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, called the hearing to elevate concerns around proposed Medicaid reductions, massive layoffs across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the rescission of more than $11.4 billion in public health grants nationwide.
During her opening remarks, DeLauro thanked the experts for helping lawmakers “sound an alarm on the consequences for the health and well-being of the American people of what the Trump administration is doing, dismantling and destroying our nation’s public health system.”
Juthani explained Connecticut has lost about $150 million earmarked for the Departments of Public Health (DPH) and Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), halting DPH’s data modernization efforts, such as whole genome sequencing, and forcing the state to issue stop-work orders to local health partners and contractors.
“The recent abrupt and surprising funding decisions and the reductions enforced throughout the federal government shine a spotlight on the major role that the federal government plays in foundational public health and its infrastructure,” she stated.
The commissioner also decried workforce cuts within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and warned that gutting federal public health agencies could unravel years of progress. For example, she credited the Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) for driving tobacco prevention and intervention initiatives that have significantly curbed tobacco use in Connecticut.
“With no expertise at the federal level to help inform state and local public health policies, I fear that we will slide backwards in this remarkable public health achievement that will undoubtedly result in more chronic conditions and higher healthcare costs,” Juthani said.
Following the federal termination of public health grants in late March, the Lamont administration detailed the projected impact on DPH’s Infectious Disease Branch and the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory, anticipating widespread disruptions to disease outbreak surveillance, newborn screenings, childhood immunizations, testing for viruses and other pathogens, perinatal behavioral health screenings, and more.
On Wednesday, April 16, the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) joined DeLauro for a press conference at the New Haven Health Department to discuss federal threats to public health. The members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation have been unwavering in their efforts to protect healthcare, working tirelessly in Washington to prevent reductions to vital programs like Medicaid.
CHA continues to monitor federal developments and is in contact with DPH and Connecticut’s congressional delegation to assess the impact of these cuts and the state’s response.
