The AP reports that the GOP's plan to repeal and replace Obamacare would also cut away another key provision of the law: $1 billion granted each year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fund public health programs.
- Removing the fund would cut 12% of the CDC's core budget.
- The money is used to fund vaccination programs, upgrade state labs that monitor infectious diseases, and support public health campaigns — plus, it provides all of the funds for the CDC's lead poisoning prevention program.
- "The elimination of the fund would be devastating to state and local health departments," said the chief of government affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
- Republicans say tough luck: Rep. Andy Harris blamed local public health officials for "not lobbying their legislatures adequately" for the funding they need.