Senate Appropriations Committee Acts to Protect Public Health by Funding CDC’s Chronic Disease and Tobacco Control Programs
Statement of Yolonda C. Richardson, President and CEO, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
August 01, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Appropriations Committee has taken a critically important step to protect public health by approving an FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that preserves the CDC’s chronic disease prevention and health promotion programs, including the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. The Committee’s 26-3 vote demonstrates the strong, bipartisan support for these programs, which are proven to save lives and health care dollars.
We applaud and thank the Senate Appropriations Committee leaders who recognized the importance of these programs, including Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee; Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of the Committee; Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Chair of the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee; and Senator Tammy Baldwin, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Dick Durbin led an appropriations letter in support of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health that was signed by 27 Senators.
The Committee’s action recognizes both that the fight against tobacco use must remain a national priority and that the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health plays an essential leadership role in this effort. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S., killing nearly 500,000 Americans every year and costing over $241 billion in annual health care expenses, more than 60% of which is paid by taxpayers through government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Cigarette smoking is a primary driver of chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD and diabetes.
The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health plays a vital role in preventing youth tobacco use and helping tobacco users quit. It is the only dedicated source of federal funding for state tobacco prevention and cessation programs. It also provides critical support for quitlines and other services to help smokers quit and conducts the Tips from Former Smokers media campaign, which has helped more than 1 million people quit and saved an estimated $7.3 billion in health care costs. The CDC has also conducted the National Youth Tobacco Survey and other surveys that track trends in tobacco use.
We urge the House Appropriations Committee, as well as the full Senate and House, to also support funding for these lifesaving programs.