Ahead of the House of Representatives' planned vote on the fiscal year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill, American Lung Association President & CEO Harold Wimmer issued a statement expressing concern over proposed funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"The American Lung Association is deeply committed to protecting health from the dangers of air pollution and climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is critical to achieving the mission of clean air and a healthy climate for all. It is extremely disappointing that members of the House of Representatives are supporting a bill that would slash clean air funding for EPA," Wimmer stated.
He highlighted that "the funding bill being considered on the House floor this week cuts EPA’s clean air work by more than 60%, erases all dedicated environmental justice funding, includes harmful policy provisions that would prevent agency action regulating polluting sources like power plants and vehicles, and cuts the budget for the Council on Environmental Quality by 80%."
Wimmer emphasized the importance of adequately funding the EPA: "Having healthy lungs requires clean air. Adequately funding EPA will yield a positive return on investment by improving health outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, and spurring investment in clean energy." He suggested that FY25 funding bills should include at least a 1% increase over FY24 levels and reflect a commitment to prioritizing domestic health by ensuring non-defense discretionary funding increases align with any additional defense spending.
"The Lung Association calls on the House of Representatives to reject this inadequate, harmful funding bill and instead start over with a new bill that provides the robust funding needed to achieve clean air and a healthy climate for all," Wimmer concluded.
