The American Heart Association is no fan of President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget. It includes recommendations they have condemned the past two years. Concerns include deep cuts to medical research, preventive measures, affordable access to health care and food nutrition programs. Of more pressing concern to the AHA is the lack of focus on cardiovascular disease (CVD).
“The president’s proposed budget includes massive funding cuts for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. If enacted as is, this budget could have a serious impact on the nation’s heart health,” Ivor J. Benjamin, M.D., FAHA, president of AHA said in a news release.
“The proposed cut of $ 4.9 billion to NIH funding is shocking for many reasons – from the disregard for health research to the negative economic impact it would have. While the budget messaging proudly touts increases to certain areas of NIH funding, the proposal completely neglects to support stroke and heart disease research. In fact, the plan proposed slashes the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s funding by nearly $500 million. Investments in NIH are economic drivers in communities across the country and essential to ensuring the future health of our nation.”
The association issued a call for Congress to not only reject the president’s proposal but to go further by increasing investment in chronic disease prevention. By supporting preventive measures, not only would it increase the condition of public health but potentially could save money not only for the federal budget, but state and local public health costs also.
“The American Heart Association has identified that almost half of the population have some form of CVD. After decades of a steady decline in the U.S., CVD deaths are on the rise, which points to the great and urgent need for more research. This budget proposal blatantly ignores the health needs of Americans and the great importance of prevention efforts in reducing heart disease and stroke rates. We need a budget that addresses the health and economic crisis that CVD poses to our nation, and this plan simply fails to prioritize health care, research, and prevention,” according to Benjamin.
AHA did see at least one item in the budget they can support, by and large, the organization is otherwise unimpressed. The proposed $643 million for the Food and Drug Administration funding increase is welcomed. Another item of interest is the addition of a new user fee for e-cigarettes in light of the growing popularity of vaping with young people, which has led to growing concerns that nicotine addition will begin to rise again.
Other targets facing budget cuts
Heart health initiatives are not the only concerns AHA is speaking out on. Proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP are alarming to the association. Stating the importance of health care for low income individuals and those with disabilities, the proposed budget is seen as a renewed attempt to cut block grants and other measures aimed at serving this community.
“Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would also face a $219 billion cut over the next ten years. SNAP plays a key role in addressing food insecurity and poor nutrition in this country. In addition, this budget proposal eliminates the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant program, which will undermine the ability of schools to adequately fund their physical education activities,” Benjamin concluded.
.){kind=link}