What the U.S. Government Shutdown Means to Your Health

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The United States government shutdown has slowed or halted federal efforts to protect Americans’ health and safety. Now in its 9th day, the shutdown has impacted food safety efforts, flu programs and disease-tracking, scientific research, and the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ contingency staffing plan involves furloughing 52% of its employees across a variety of agencies and offices, including [1]:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), responsible for protecting public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury and disability.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medications, vaccines, blood transfusions, medical devices, and more.
National Institutes of Health (NIH), responsible for biomedical and health-related research. The NIH is the country’s largest funder of biomedical research.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities.

Here’s what the U.S. government shutdown means for many of the programs that American’s rely on to maintain their health.

Food Safety

With 45% of its employees furloughed, the FDA is unable to support the majority of its food safety, nutrition, and cosmetics activities. Additionally, it has ceased safety activities such as routine establishment inspections, some compliance and enforcement activities, monitoring of imports, notification programs, and the majority of the laboratory research necessary to inform public health decision-making. Thankfully, the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), will continue to regulate meat and poultry since inadequate monitoring could endanger human life. Only 13% of the FSIS staff are furloughed. At the start of the government shutdown, Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CBS News [2]:

If there’s an outbreak of food-borne illness that affects people in multiple states, we may not identify it promptly.

Although there’s a current outbreak of food-borne illness (salmonella in raw chicken) that’s affecting people in 18 states, the CDC’s investigation and lab resources are unavailable. With the government shutdown, 68% of its staff have been sent home.

Flu Program and Infectious Disease Surveillance

With 68% of its workforce furloughed, the CDC won’t be able to support the annual seasonal influenza program. Not great timing with the U.S. flu season about to start. In addition, the CDC won’t be able to support outbreak detection and linking across state boundaries using genetic and molecular analysis, continuous updating of disease treatment and prevention recommendations (e.g. HIV, TB, STDs, hepatitis), and technical assistance, analysis, and support to state and local partners for infectious disease surveillance.

Scientific Research and Cancer Clinical Trials

At the NIH, 73% of the agency’s employees are furloughed. As long as the government is shut down, the NIH Clinical Center, which typically sees 10,000 new patients each year who have exhausted standard medical treatments and don’t have any other options, will have to turn away ~200 patients every week. Moreover, new clinical trials for experimental therapies and rare diseases have been put on hold. The NIH will not take any actions on grant applications or awards, leaving thousands of academic researchers across the country in professional limbo.

Economic and Social Well-being of Families and Children

The ACF has discontinued quarterly formula grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Care, Social Services Block Grant, Refugee Programs, Child Welfare Services and the Community Service Block Grant programs. During the shut down, new discretionary grants, including Head Start and social services programs, won’t be made.