III
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION S. RES. 182
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
APRIL10, 2025
Mr. L
UJA´Nsubmitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health
Week.
Whereas the week of April 7, 2025, is National Public Health
Week;
Whereas, in 2025, the theme for National Public Health
Week is ‘‘It Starts Here’’ and highlights the importance
of making a difference in our homes and communities;
Whereas, in 2025, the goal of National Public Health Week
is to recognize the contributions of public health in—
(1) improving the health of the people of the United
States; and
(2) achieving health equity;
Whereas, from 2019 to 2021, the life expectancy at birth for
the population of the United States declined by 2.7 years,
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which is the biggest 2-year decline in life expectancy
since 1921 to 1923;
Whereas many of the leading causes of death for individuals
in the United States result from chronic conditions,
which are among the most common, costly, and prevent-
able of all health challenges;
Whereas there are significant differences in the health status
of individuals living in the healthiest States and those liv-
ing in the least healthy States, including differences in
obesity rates, the prevalence of chronic disease, and the
prevalence of infectious disease;
Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the United
States continue to experience disparities in rates of ill-
ness and death, as compared with the entire population
of the United States;
Whereas violence is a leading cause of premature death, and
it is estimated that more than 8 individuals per hour die
a violent death in the United States;
Whereas deaths from homicides cost the economy of the
United States billions of dollars, and the violence of
homicides can cause social and emotional distress, com-
munity trauma, injury, disability, depression, anxiety,
and post-traumatic stress disorder;
Whereas 49,476 people died by suicide in 2022, with firearms
being used in over 54 percent of suicides;
Whereas significant progress has been made in reducing the
infant mortality rate in the United States to a historic
low of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022,
but there are still stark disparities in infant mortality by
race, ethnicity, geography, and income, such as the fact
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that Black infants experience infant mortality at a rate
twice that of White infants;
Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in
the United States at a higher rate than in many other
developed countries, with the rate of maternal mortality
being 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022;
Whereas an estimated 80 percent of maternal deaths in the
United States are preventable;
Whereas, in 2022, American Indian or Alaskan Native moth-
ers experienced maternal mortality at a rate twice that
of White mothers, and Black mothers experienced mater-
nal mortality at a rate 2.5 times that of White mothers;
Whereas, in 2022, there were an estimated 107,941 drug
overdose deaths, an increase of 17 percent from 2020
and an increase of over double from 2015;
Whereas cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable
disease and death in the United States, accounting for
more than 480,000 deaths every year;
Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who
smoke cigarettes has decreased from 20.9 percent of the
population in 2005 to 11.6 percent of the population in
2022;
Whereas e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used to-
bacco product among youth since 2014, with 7.8 percent
of high school students reporting e-cigarette use in 2024;
Whereas, in 2020, there were approximately 32,000 deaths in
the United States due to exposure to particulate matter,
37 percent of which were directly related to fossil fuel
burning;
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Whereas, compared to 2000 to 2004, the number of heat-re-
lated deaths was approximately 74 percent more in 2017
to 2021;
Whereas voting helps shape the conditions in which people
can be healthy;
Whereas good health is consistently positively associated with
a higher likelihood of voter participation, but only 64 per-
cent of eligible adults reported voting in the November
2024 election;
Whereas this year is the 30th anniversary of celebrating Na-
tional Public Health Week, and in the past 30 years, sig-
nificant strides have been made in public health, includ-
ing—
(1) significantly decreasing the number of deaths
due to HIV and AIDS, which peaked in 1994 at 49,095
AIDS-related deaths in the United States, with
antiretroviral therapy now ensuring most people with
HIV can live normal lifespans and prevention tools like
PrEP significantly reducing transmission;
(2) decreasing smoking rates, which were as high as
25.5 percent among United States adults in 1994 and
have now fallen to 11.4 percent due to comprehensive
smoke-free policies, public awareness campaigns, and tax-
ation policies;
(3) decreasing childhood mortality, which was at a
rate of 13.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1994 and has
now fallen to 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births due to bet-
ter health care access, vaccines, and nutrition;
(4) increasing health insurance coverage, with 15
percent of people in the United States uninsured in 1994,
which has now improved due to the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111–148) expand-
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ing Medicaid and private insurance coverage, covering
more than 35,000,000 additional people, and lowering the
uninsured rate to 8.6 percent;
(5) increasing mental health awareness and treat-
ment, with 40 percent of people with mental health con-
ditions being untreated in 1994, which has improved due
to increased awareness, parity laws, and integration into
primary care, resulting in expanded access to mental
health services and reduced treatment gaps;
(6) decreasing lead poisoning, with 4.4 percent of
United States children having elevated blood lead levels
in 1994, which has now fallen to less than 0.5 percent
due to policies banning leaded gasoline and reducing lead
in paint, pipes, and water systems;
(7) decreasing antibiotic misuse, which was rampant
in 1994, fueled antibiotic resistance with no programs to
combat it, and is now being addressed by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s Antibiotic Resistance
Solutions Initiative that champions antibiotic steward-
ship;
(8) decreasing the health impacts of climate change,
as evidenced by the rising heat-related deaths that were
underrecognized in 1994 that are now being mitigated by
actions such as public health campaigns and cooling cen-
ters, as well as frameworks like the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 21st Con-
ference of Parties in Paris, France, adopted December
12, 2015 (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Paris Agree-
ment’’); and
(9) increasing pandemic preparedness, which was in
its infancy in 1994 and has now grown, especially after
the COVID–19 pandemic, spurring significant advance-
ments in mRNA technology, global vaccine deployment,
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and increased investments in stockpiles and global sur-
veillance;
Whereas proposed cuts to Medicaid will harm people seeking
health care services and inhibit public health;
Whereas the restructuring of the Department of Health and
Human Services will be a step backwards in the provision
of public health, including—
(1) reducing the Department of Health and Human
Services workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees; and
(2) combining the Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Health, the Health Resources and Services Adminis-
tration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry, and the National Institute for Occupa-
tional Safety and Health into 1 new agency named the
Administration for a Healthy America;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health has faced staff
and funding cuts, impeding—
(1) progress towards advancing basic science and
improving understanding human biology and disease;
(2) the development of therapeutics and devices to
treat human disease and pathogenic infections;
(3) workforce development and the bolstering of sci-
entific education and training; and
(4) global competitiveness in scientific research and
development;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
faced staff cuts and paused critical programs, limiting
the ability of the United States to—
(1) respond to the ongoing measles outbreaks in at
least 4 States, including Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and
Kansas;
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(2) respond to future infectious disease outbreaks,
which requires robust response from public health ex-
perts, scientists, and providers;
(3) protect the most vulnerable communities of the
United States, such as children, the elderly, and the
immunocompromised, from dangerous, life-threatening
infections; and
(4) strengthen our national security against poten-
tial attacks using bioweapons;
Whereas the elimination of the United States Agency for
International Development endangers the public health of
all people of the United States;
Whereas public health organizations use National Public
Health Week to educate public policymakers and public
health professionals on issues that are important to im-
proving the health of the people of the United States;
Whereas studies show that small strategic investments in dis-
ease prevention can result in significant savings in health
care costs;
Whereas vaccination is one of the most significant public
health achievements in history and has resulted in sub-
stantial decreases in—
(1) the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths
associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; and
(2) health care costs associated with vaccine-prevent-
able diseases;
Whereas public health professionals help communities pre-
vent, prepare for, mitigate, and recover from the impact
of a full range of health threats, including—
(1) disease outbreaks, such as the COVID–19 pan-
demic;
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(2) natural disasters, such as wildfires, flooding, and
severe storms;
(3) other disasters, such as disasters caused by
human activity; and
(4) public health emergencies;
Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners
outside of the health sector, including city planners,
transportation officials, education officials, and private
sector businesses, recognizing that other sectors can in-
fluence health outcomes;
Whereas, in communities across the United States, individ-
uals are changing the way they care for their health by
avoiding tobacco use, eating healthier, increasing physical
activity, and preventing unintentional injuries at home
and in the workplace; and
Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and the
prevention of disease and injury can continue to trans-
form a health system focused on treating illness into a
health system focused on preventing disease and injury
and promoting wellness: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate— 1
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National 2
Public Health Week; 3
(2) recognizes the efforts of public health pro-4
fessionals, the Federal Government, States, Tribes, 5
municipalities, local communities, and individuals in 6
preventing disease and injury; 7
(3) recognizes the role of public health in— 8
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(A) preventing and responding to infec-1
tious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID–19 2
pandemic and the ongoing measles outbreak; 3
(B) mitigating the short-term and long- 4
term impacts of infectious disease outbreaks on 5
the health and wellness of individuals in the 6
United States; 7
(C) addressing social and other deter-8
minants of health, including health disparities 9
experienced by minority populations; and 10
(D) improving the overall health of individ-11
uals and communities in the United States; 12
(4) encourages increased efforts and resources 13
to— 14
(A) improve the health of individuals in the 15
United States; and 16
(B) make the United States, in 1 genera-17
tion, the healthiest Nation in the world by— 18
(i) providing greater opportunities to 19
improve community health and prevent dis-20
ease and injury; and 21
(ii) strengthening the public health 22
system and workforce in the United States; 23
and 24
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(5) encourages the people of the United States 1
to learn about the role of the public health system 2
in improving health across the United States. 3
Æ
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