815: Government Shutdown Looms, PH Approach to Firearm Injury

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, December 20, 24. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

As we approach a possible government shutdown, we ask, how did we get here, and what comes next? Luckily, ASTHO's, Carolyn Mullen joins us in this week's View from Washington report to explain.

Carolyn Mullen, happy to have you here this morning. I know it's been a busy week for you and your team, because federal funding for the government expires on December 20, when this is airing. And I was wondering if you could kind of take us through what exactly has happened this week.

CAROLYN MULLEN:

So, good morning to you. And it's really important to note to our listeners that we are recording this on Thursday [Dec. 20] at noon. So, this will either be a time capsule of what happened in the past 24 hours, or it will portend what may happen in the future. Things are extremely fluid and extremely unpredictable. At this moment, in the last 24 hours, a bipartisan budget deal was released. ASTHO went through the 1500 pages of documents and analyzed and issued a Legislative Alert. We were really optimistic about it, because a bipartisan deal means that there is many months of negotiations that went on, and when bill text is released, it typically means the votes were whipped and it could pass. And then at 4 p.m. yesterday, everything imploded, and the budget deal that was brokered absolutely tanked, and we have no idea what the path is forward. Importantly, this budget deal was going to extend federal funding at current levels through March 14, and also reauthorize a number of important public health programs, such as the All Hazards and Pandemic Preparedness Act, we have no idea what's going to happen next.

SILVERS: 

Absolutely. And so, this next question might be a little tricky, but that really is, what is next? With so much unknown, do we know anything of steps forward, or what our members might be looking at in the next week or two, or even just today?

MULLEN:

Let's focus on the facts first. The fact is, federal funding expires at midnight, so if there is not a bipartisan budget deal struck, the government will shut down. That's a fact. How this deal comes together in the next couple of hours. I have no idea, but it would be really sad to have a government shutdown right before the holiday season, when people are trying to get on planes to visit their loved ones and when federal employees are waiting for their paychecks. So, I really don't know. It's a very sad state of affairs, what's happening right now, but I really, I remain optimistic that Congress will hopefully figure it out so that we don't have a government shutdown.

SILVERS: 

And then lastly, just from that member's perspective, I wanted to know, what should they be doing? Is there anything they should be thinking about and keeping top of mind about this government shutdown?

MULLEN:

Absolutely. So, it's important for our members to be prepared in case there is a government shutdown. So, we are encouraging them to review the HHS contingency plans. Those are very detailed documents that walk through what will happen if there's a lapse in federal funding and what services will be deemed essential. So, I can't go through all the specific details. Our members got a lot of federal funding from a lot of different places, but to really spend some time with their teams looking over it, so that if a shutdown happens over the weekend, they are prepared. But again, I'm hopeful that we won't have a shutdown and Congress will figure it out.

SILVERS: 

Carolyn, as always, thank you so much for joining us and guiding us through these uncertain times, and thank you and your team for the work that you do.

MULLEN: 

You're welcome. Have a great day.

ALISON MAFFEY: 

I do want to acknowledge the pain and shock that the country is still experiencing; the same week of yet another school-related mass shooting.

SILVERS: 

In the wake of another school shooting, ASTHO's Ali Maffey wants the people of Madison and all of Wisconsin to know that ASTHO was with them as they begin to heal. Maffey says these events are an important reminder of why a comprehensive and public health approach to preventing firearm-related harms is so important.

MAFFEY: 

ASTHO recently launched a brief outlining efforts across four jurisdictions to launch statewide firearm injury prevention surveys.

SILVERS: 

The goal of the surveys was to learn as much as they could.

MAFFEY: 

Each of the four jurisdictions sought to better understand knowledge of firearm laws, firearm safety practices, and who some of those trusted messengers could be for communicating about how they might reduce firearm-related harms in their area.

SILVERS: 

Read ASTHO's full report on the surveys by clicking the link in the show notes.

An ASTHO committee of CFOs and senior deputies recently met with the CDC. Here's Catherine Donald with the Alabama Department of Public Health, who is a member of that committee.

CATHERINE DONALD: 

While no meeting has occurred yet with the incoming administration, it was helpful for us to hear that they have been through this several times before, and they're preparing information and information packages for the incoming administration to showcase the positive work that CDC does through the jurisdictions.

SILVERS: 

The in person-discussion spanned a number of topics.

DONALD: 

We did a lot of talking about unobligated funds that are on the FFRs -- and an FFR, as many may know, is the Federal Financial Report -- and how we handle those obligated funds on those FFRs.

SILVERS: 

Of course, the topic of the potential funding cliff was also brought up.

DONALD: 

As we move further away from the pandemic, these funds will begin to go away; dry up, in essence. So, jurisdictions are very concerned about that, as are CFOs, and what we need to do is plan for when that happens.

SILVERS: 

That'll do it for today, and we will be taking a break over the holiday, but we'll be back in your podcast feed bright and early on Monday, January 6 with more ASTHO news and information.

Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode, and you can join us as soon as we return.

I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great holiday.