GOP aims to cut unspent COVID-19 funds, what’s at risk?

What You Need to Know About the Public Health Dollars on the Chopping Block

With reclaiming unspent COVID-19 funds being one of the few points of compromise in debt ceiling negotiations between House Republicans and the White House, here is what to know about the public health dollars on the chopping block.

Dollar for Dollar

The Congressional Budget Office projected that $56 billion is all that remains unobligated of the $4.62 trillion that the Government Accountability Office estimated was appropriated by Congress in the six pieces of COVID-19 response legislation in 2020 and 2021. Only 1.2% of what has been appropriated by Congress would be reclaimed by the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which is the GOP’s legislation to raise the debt ceiling while cutting spending.

Programs Taking the Biggest Hit

The programs funded by COVID-19 appropriations bills that would take the largest hit under the Republican plan are only tangentially related to public health. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, for example, would lose $1 billion for disaster relief efforts, exacerbating its already projected $12 billion 2023 shortfall. The Emergency Connectivity Fund, a $760 million project of the Federal Communications Commission that provides internet access and devices to “students, school staff, and library patrons,” would also be eliminated entirely under the Republican plan. The largest singular category in DeLauro’s report, $6 billion, is earmarked for the Department of Transportation to provide for state and local governments to maintain transportation infrastructure, including airports, trains, and roadways.

Public Health Measures Seeing Cuts

The CBO said a significant amount of the rescinded funds would come from locally administered but federally funded projects, including rental assistance and support programs for underdeveloped health systems. Some public health experts are concerned that reclaiming unused COVID-19 funds means that this money can no longer be spent on preparing health systems for future epidemics, such as rising rates of sexually transmitted infections.

Likely to be Kept in the Compromise

Reclaiming unspent COVID-19 funds is one of the few areas of bipartisan support, with Biden earlier this month stating that he is willing to negotiate on that point. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra stressed that COVID-19 preparedness continues to be a top priority for his department despite the end of the public health emergency earlier this month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said earlier this month: “If the money was authorized to fight the pandemic but was not spent during the pandemic, it should not be spent after the pandemic is over.”

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