Government Shutdown Averted: Inside CHF's Capitol Quest

Written by Grace Kranstover, Senior Policy Associate, Coalition for Health Funding

On September 26, nearly 35 CHF member organizations took to the Hill to meet with lawmakers and staff to share how a government shutdown would negatively impact their constituents and public health.

With a possible government shutdown looming, CHF staff coordinated meetings with House Appropriations Committee members, as well as members of the House Freedom Caucus. During these meetings, CHF members highlighted how dangerous a government shutdown would be for public health. Using CHF’s new one pager on how shutdowns harm public health, members discussed how a shutdown would compromise innovative research, decrease public health programming capacity, and halt data collection, among other harmful effects. They also emphasized the need for strong and sustained investments across all public health agencies and programs.

CHF members came prepared to share how their specific organizations and people they represent would be impacted during a shutdown. Some members discussed how their research members’ funding would be jeopardized and their cutting-edge work compromised. Others highlighted how shuttered government programs would negatively affect national nutrition programs that many low-income Americans rely on to feed their families.

Overall, 37 CHF members met with 24 Congressional offices throughout the day!

CHF was pleased to see the House and Senate work together to pass a continuing resolution that keeps the government open until November 17. We know that CHF members were integral to helping members understand the harms of a government shutdown through their advocacy and education efforts. And, hey, we are happy to take credit for keeping the government open, let’s see if we can do it again in November!

Moving forward, we will continue to work together with our membership to press Congress to do its job and fund health!