On today's View from Washington, D.C. report, ASTHO's Jeffrey Ekoma highlights FY27 appropriations, CDC and ASPR nominees, and more legislative updates.
With Congress approaching its August recess, several key public health priorities are entering a critical stretch. In this View from Washington, D.C. report, ASTHO Vice President for Government Affairs Jeffrey Ekoma breaks down the latest developments in FY27 appropriations, the status of Senate consideration of CDC Director and ASPR nominees, and the political factors shaping the legislative calendar. He also previews what public health leaders should watch in the coming weeks, including a potential reconciliation package, the administration's supplemental funding request, and how these federal decisions could affect state and territorial health agencies.
Utilizing Flexible Funding Strategies in Public Health | ASTHO
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JOHN SHEEHAN:
This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, July 24, 2026. I'm John Sheehan with news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
With Congress approaching its August recess, several key public health priorities are entering a critical stretch. In this View from Washington, D.C., ASTHO Vice President for Government Affairs Jeffrey Ekoma breaks down the latest developments in FY 2027 appropriations, the status of Senate consideration of CDC Director and ASPR nominees, and the political factors shaping the legislative calendar. He also previews what public health leaders should watch in the coming weeks, including a potential reconciliation package, the administration's supplemental funding request, and how these federal decisions could affect state and territorial health agencies. Jeffrey Ekoma, welcome back to the show.
JEFFREY EKOMA:
Thank you so much. Glad to be back.
SHEEHAN:
So, Jeffrey, last time we talked about FY27 appropriations and activity in the House. Any movement there?
EKOMA:
Yes, but also know, overall, the House has successfully marked up all 12 appropriation bills out of the full Appropriations Committee. However, things have been at a standstill in the Senate, particularly around disagreement over top line funding levels. There was some optimism a couple of weeks ago that there would be scheduled markup of bills, but the untimely passing of Senator Lindsey Graham, along with the health challenges experienced by other members, has slowed things down considerably. We are, though, however, optimistic that Senator Collins, who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will post legislative text of all 12 FY27 appropriation bills before the Senate breaks for August recess in a couple of weeks.
SHEEHAN:
Okay, well that's something. Another big topic is always the nominations process. Two big public health leadership positions were before the Senate committee. Has anything happened with their confirmations?
EKOMA:
So, there has been a lot of movement when it comes to that. The Senate Health Committee heard testimony from Dr. Erika Schwartz, who's the CDC director nominee, and Mr. Sean Kaufman, who is the ASPR nominee. There were several themes that came from the hearing, and they include discussions around the importance of rebuilding trust in public health. Members from both sides of the aisle did express concern around Dr. Schwartz's ability to object to directives from the HHS Secretary and the administration, as well as Mr. Kaufman's prior comments criticizing the CDC, to name a few. Other topics discussed included vaccines and the vaccine schedule, strengthening partnerships between state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies, the reporting of outbreaks, and nutrition, to name a few. The committee did meet this week to consider both nominees, and I do look forward to sharing the outcome of that meeting in a future newscast episode. There is also some optimism that a vote to advance their nominations out of the committee could result in a potential Senate floor vote before the Senate leaves for recess, which would be incredibly timely. So definitely much more to share related to that.
SHEEHAN:
For sure. And a couple of big developments potentially happening before the Senate break. So that's huge.
EKOMA:
Absolutely, really big, and it's been a long time coming. So, I know both agencies are really looking forward to having permanent leadership.
SHEEHAN:
You also mentioned some real hot button issues for public health. Looking ahead, what else are you going to be watching out for, looking for, keeping an eye on?
EKOMA:
Absolutely. So, in addition to tracking developments of FY27 appropriations and nominations before the Senate Health Committee, we will also be tracking, really closely, developments related to another reconciliation bill that I've talked to in the past, and there's been some movement, or the potential to be some movement, particularly in the Senate. It's unclear if there be any movement, though. Just a caveat: there's been some movement in the House where they successfully passed a budget resolution that would essentially unlock instructions to pertinent committees to write reconciliation legislation that adds up to $95 billion. It seems that this will be a top priority for members when both the House and the Senate return back into town in early September. So, we're tracking that really closely, and then we're also tracking really closely the administration's supplemental funding request that includes a couple of things. One, it requests funding for military and related expenses. It also asks for funding for temporary economic assistance to farmers. There's also funding funding request in there to support the Ebola response, particularly related to activities from the State Department, and it also includes funding for infrastructure-related projects and activities. So, those are two sort of major things that we'll also be tracking really closely and really trying to understand what the potential impact would be to state and territorial health agencies and officials.
SHEEHAN:
For sure. Well, more on that soon. Jeffrey Ikoma, Ehanks so much.
EKOMA:
Thanks so much. Pleasure speaking with you,
SHEEHAN:
Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO vice president for Government Affairs.
Public health agencies traditionally rely on a complex framework of federal, state, local, foundation, and private revenue streams. Since many of these funding mechanisms operate in silos or are topic-specific, agencies can face barriers in designing comprehensive upstream interventions that address various health outcomes. For more on utilizing flexible funding strategies in public health, see the link in the show notes.
The United States continues to face a severe and evolving overdose crisis, underscoring the need for comprehensive overdose prevention strategies. While overdose deaths have declined in recent years, the number of annual deaths remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. These trends highlight persistent gaps in prevention, treatment access, and long-term recovery support. Evidence-based interventions, including naloxone distribution and medications for opioid use disorder, reduce overdose risk and support recovery. Learn more about strengthening partnerships to prevent overdose at the link in the show notes.
Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are traumatic events like abuse, neglect, and household substance misuse linked to lasting health challenges, including chronic disease and mental health concerns. Jurisdictions can take policy actions to prevent ACEs by shaping economic, social, and institutional conditions. Between January and March of 2026, ASTHO engaged health agency leaders and staff in Kansas, Oregon, and Indiana to discuss policy successes, including how strategy and implementation decisions supported the state's overall goals of ACEs prevention. Find out more at the link in the show notes.
This has been another View from Washington, D.C., part of Public Health Review Morning Edition. I'm John Sheehan for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
