Fund the fight to fund back pay for furloughed workers now!

When the Republicans shut down the government rather than restore critical healthcare funding that they cut, they also put Americans’ health and safety at even greater risk, as key jobs are frozen across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) -- including the CDC, USDA, and FDA.

President Trump has said furloughed workers may never get their back pay, claiming some “don’t deserve” it. That means the people who inspect our food, track disease outbreaks, protect veterans, and guard against health emergencies could lose their paychecks, permanently. It’s a cruel and unprecedented assault on the people who keep our country safe.

These furloughs due to the Republican shutdown have halted the work of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, the FDA’s Animal and Human Foods Programs, and the USDA’s food safety and inspection oversight, as well as research tracking animal diseases and seeking to prevent outbreaks such as avian flu and swine disease.

Every one of these cuts leaves Americans more vulnerable to unsafe food and preventable disease. Congress can fix this.

Every previous Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, has guaranteed back pay for furloughed workers and restored critical public health programs, once the government reopened. Congress must not let Trump break these promises -- permanently. 

Contribute to Americans for Health to fund the fight to fund back pay for furloughed workers now!