Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us...
Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us on a busy few weeks in Washington, D.C. that have a direct impact on public health; an article in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice discusses the role of state and territorial health agencies when it comes to supporting healthy aging; and Dr. Puthiery Va, the director of the Maine CDC and an ASTHO member, was a guest speaker for the Maine Health Care Association’s “Remember Me” ceremony.
World Health Organization Web Page: World No Tobacco Day
Tobacco Control Network Web Page: The Future of Tobacco Control Relies on OSH Funding
ASTHO Blog Article: Tobacco Policy Roundup: Smoking Rates Down but Youth E-Cigarette Use Rising
Maine Health Care Association Web Page: Remember ME 2025 – Celebrating Lifetime Achievements!
ASTHO Legislative Alert: Public Health Implications of House-Passed Reconciliation Bill
ASTHO Web Page: Subscribe to Legislative Alerts
SUMMER JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, May 30, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
BRIAN KING:
So, there's three main factors that are going to drive youth use of tobacco products, I like to say, "The advertising will lead a horse to water, the flavors will get them to drink, and the nicotine will keep them coming back for more."
JOHNSON:
Tomorrow is May 31 and that's World No Tobacco Day. Brian King, with Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, says state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention.
KING:
These programs are the boots on the ground, if you will, and they conduct a variety of activities, including monitoring tobacco use trends, conducting public education campaigns about the risk of tobacco products, and also, importantly, implementing community-level interventions to prevent initiation, particularly among kids, and also to promote cessation among everyone.
JOHNSON:
King does worry about recent cuts, including the elimination of CDC, Office of smoking and health.
KING:
So, bottom line is the ultimate casualties of these cuts at CDC and FDA are really the American people and their wallets. The math is really quite simple. Less tobacco control work equals more tobacco-related disease, death, and financial cost to society.
JOHNSON:
We have more information about World No Tobacco Day in the show notes. Click the link to learn more.
It's been a busy week for public health in our nation's capital. ASTHO's Jeffrey Ekoma is here to update us this morning about the Fiscal Year '26 budget proceedings, reconciliation, and more. In this week's View from Washington, D.C. report.
Hi Jeffrey, it's always great to see you. Let's get right into it. The last time we spoke with you, you discussed recent hearings that the HHS Secretary had participated in, related to the FY26 budget. Since then, there's been a Senate hearing. Tell us about that one.
JEFFREY EKOMA:
Yes, in addition to the Secretary appearing before the House Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee and the Senate HELP Committee, he also appeared last week before the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee. Some things that emerged from the hearing were discussions around recent organizational changes at HHS, reduction in force efforts, proposed cuts to public health funding for biomedical research, Alzheimer's research, rural health, and the current response to the measles outbreak. Now, most of these themes were explored in previous hearings. The chair of the full House Appropriations Committee has indicated that the Subcommittee on Approps will mark up their bill on Monday, July 21. We're also meeting with appropriations staff to not only discuss our FY26 funding request, but also to share information on what is happening on the ground in public health departments.
JOHNSON:
We're hearing a lot about reconciliation. Tell us the latest on that.
EKOMA:
There's been a lot on reconciliation. Late last week, the House passed the one 'Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which represents their reconciliation bill and proposes changes to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, food nutrition programs, the nation's debt limit, among other things. The full bill is over 1,000 pages, and we have a Legislative Alert that delves into public health implications and the things that states should be aware of, such as the potential for increased coverage loss for non-compliance with work requirements that are proposed in the bill. Potential challenges for states to fund their share of Medicaid and SNAP due to changes in how both programs are financed, and potential implications on how states incentivize high-quality care to name a few.
JOHNSON:
What's next in that process?
EKOMA:
Yeah, so things are now shifting to the Senate. It's unclear which provisions in the House bill would make it to the Senate's version. Some senators have expressed concerns on the cost and scope of changes that are being proposed in the House bill. So really, things will likely change. The Senate Majority Leader expressed interest in passing a bill before the Fourth of July holiday. If that happens, there will likely be a moment in which both bills will need to be reconciled before advancing to the President for his signature. This is certainly something that we'll be tracking really closely. I also want to give a special shout out to Alex Kearly, who supported our team in analyzing the bill. Really appreciate you, Alex, thanks a lot.
JOHNSON:
We know that ASTHO's government relations team is meeting with all of these members and senators and their staffs to best represent ASTHO members.
EKOMA:
Absolutely, it's something that we do, often, almost on a weekly basis. It's really important that members on the Hill and their staff really understand what's happening on the ground, the impact of decisions that are being made by the administration, and potentially by Congress, and to share that information for their awareness.
JOHNSON:
We always appreciate hearing from you, Jeffrey, and we look forward to speaking to you again soon.
EKOMA:
Thank you so much, and have a great weekend.
JOHNSON:
There's a link in the show notes to the ASTHO Legislative Alert that Jeffrey referenced. Sign up for those today to make sure you're receiving them in your inbox as soon as they come out.
Also, May is Older Americans Month, and an article in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice [JPHMP] discusses the role of state and territorial health agencies when it comes to supporting healthy aging. An ASTHO technical package is highlighted in the article. You can read it in-full by clicking the link in the show notes.
Finally, today, also news from Older Americans Month; ASTHO member, Dr. Puthiery Va, the director of the Maine CDC, was a guest speaker for the Maine Healthcare Association's "Remember Me" ceremony. The event honors those citizens in long-term care facilities for their service to their communities. There's a link to that in the show notes.
That'll do it for today. We're back Monday morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Summer Johnson, you're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great weekend.
