The New York City Health Department submitted a declaration from Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse in support of the Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 other states and the District of Columbia challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ illegal termination of more than $100 million in grants to the NYC Health Department. The grants were set to expire in 2026 and 2027.
“When federal policies directly impact our city, we have been, and will continue to be, the first and loudest to advocate for New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “These funds are crucial in protecting public health, and the reversal will have serious consequences for communities across the five boroughs.”
“Stripping New York City of more than $100 million in infectious disease prevention funds will have far-reaching and devastating consequences for the city both immediately and long term,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. “It is penny wise and pound foolish to defund public health efforts. We are currently seeing greater infectious threats from measles, tuberculosis, and avian flu. This funding supported the long-overdue modernization of the city’s infectious disease work to prevent and quickly respond to future public health emergencies. Without this funding, New York City’s ability to identify and respond to infectious disease outbreaks will be greatly diminished.”
Congress appropriated this funding for COVID-19 prevention and recovery and to strengthen core public health capacity to respond to current and future threats. Taking into account all the lessons learned from the COVID-19 response, these grants support initiatives to enhance, modernize, and strengthen core public health infrastructure to prepare and protect New Yorkers in the face of increasingly frequent and complex public health threats.
These funds are used to advance the NYC Health Department’s capacity to detect, investigate, and respond to cases and outbreaks of infectious diseases, and to prevent infections through vaccination and other public health interventions. Losing these funds will reduce New York City’s capacity to conduct infectious disease surveillance and effectively respond to public health threats.