May 27, 2025
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is heavily reliant on federal funding to carry out its mission to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of Maine people. Proposed cuts contemplated at the federal level could significantly reduce the state's capacity to address chronic diseases, environmental health threats, injury prevention, maternal and child health, investigate outbreaks and emergency preparedness -- areas that are essential to the well-being of Maine people.
What These Cuts Could Mean for Maine
The proposed reductions, which have been passed by the House and are currently under consideration in the Senate, would impact many of the systems and partnerships that help keep people healthy and safe. Programs at risk include those focused on asthma prevention, cancer screening, diabetes and heart disease education, and tobacco cessation. They also include investments in local preparedness for climate-related health events, infectious disease outbreaks, lead poisoning prevention, and community health infrastructure.
These programs are often implemented in collaboration with community-based organizations, local health departments, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Many serve rural areas and populations with limited access to care. Eliminating or scaling back these efforts would increase health care costs, limit access to preventive services, and widen health disparities.
Impacts Across Key Program Areas
- Chronic Disease Prevention: Reductions in funding would limit Maine's ability to provide evidence-based education and interventions to prevent and manage conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer -- conditions that affect tens of thousands of Mainers each year. Without support, essential programs offering self-management education and early detection could be eliminated, resulting in higher emergency care use, increased health care costs, and poorer health outcomes.
- Cancer Screening: Programs offering breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings for uninsured and underinsured individuals could be severely impacted or discontinued. These screenings play a critical role in early diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural and underserved communities where late-stage cancer diagnoses are more common.
- Public Health Preparedness: Cuts to the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program would reduce Maine's ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and other emergencies. This includes a reduction in disease investigator positions across all counties, decreased lab response capacity, and fewer readiness activities in communities. Cuts to the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) could impact our state's ability to support community healthcare and emergency management preparedness and response.
- Environmental Health: Loss of support for tracking programs and surveillance would reduce the Maine CDC's capacity to respond to environmental hazards like carbon monoxide exposure, poor air quality, contaminated water supplies, and heat-related illnesses. Funding reductions would also affect radon testing in schools and free well water testing for WIC recipients using private wells.
- Maternal and Child Health: Deep cuts could affect Maine's ability to support healthy pregnancies, reduce infant mortality, and provide newborn screening services. Programs that support healthy development in children and new parents would also be at risk.
- Injury and Violence Prevention: Maine could lose access to national resources and technical support for injury prevention efforts, including those that helped inform the response to the Lewiston tragedy.
- Tobacco Prevention: Funding reductions would significantly impact Maine's tobacco prevention efforts, public education, and community-based outreach.
- Water Safety and Infrastructure: Reduced funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund would limit investments in drinking water infrastructure, including projects addressing PFAS contamination and aging systems in small communities.
- Research and Innovation: Proposed cuts to federal research and development programs would hinder states' access to emerging science and best practices, including those related to drinking water treatment and environmental safety.
Why It Matters
The Maine CDC's work depends on strong partnerships, data, and infrastructure to protect public health. The proposed federal budget would limit the tools and resources needed for the Maine CDC to prevent disease, respond to health threats, and promote health and wellness -- key services for ensuring a strong, health Maine for everyone.
For more information on how federal resources support public health efforts across the country, visit Funding for State and Local Public Health: How Much and Where Does It Go?