How the budget bill will harm public health

The 2026 budget bill is more than numbers on a page. It’s a direct hit to American’s health.

This isn’t politics. It’s about every family waiting for a cure, every patient counting on science and every community depending on protection from disease.

Public health isn’t partisan. Disease doesn’t check party lines. These cuts put every American at risk.

The budget eliminates the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. This unit is responsible for prevention, early detection and survivor support nationwide. Ending it means fewer screenings, weaker support and more lives lost.

Fighting cancer should never be optional.

The National Diabetes Prevention Program built a network across 46 states to help tens of thousands of at-risk adults. Eliminating it means more diabetes, higher medical costs and preventable suffering.

The Global Health Center sounded the alarm on HIV, tuberculosis and new viruses before they reached our shores. Without it, the U.S. risks losing its early warning system and the teamwork needed to stop the next pandemic.

Public Health Preparedness programs will be slashed by 55%. The administration says states can take over responsibility. But with budgets already stretched, how can states shoulder a national crisis with fewer resources?

Nearly $18 billion, 40% of NIH’s budget, will vanish. That means stalled progress on cancer, Alzheimer’s and chronic disease research. It would also cripple America’s role as a global leader in biomedical innovation.

The truth is clear. These cuts will harm families, weaken prevention and stall the science that saves lives.

NIH research has consistently delivered breakthroughs that save lives and boost the economy. Cutting it now isn’t reform, it’s sabotage. Slashing programs for cancer, chronic diseases and prevention directly undermines the nation’s fight against the very illnesses driving health costs and suffering.

Bottom line, the President’s 2026 health budget is reckless, contradictory and dangerous. It will result in slower economic growth, fewer protections against infectious and foodborne disease, and it opens the door to global health threats.

This isn’t just bad policy. It’s a gamble with America’s future health, and it’s a bet no nation can afford to lose.

Becky Birch

Marengo