Schumer says he will work to block any effort in the Senate to significantly cut the CDC’s budget

NEW YORK (AP) — The Senate’s top Democrat said Sunday he will work to block a plan that would significantly cut the proposed budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warning that such a spending reduction could endanger the public.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told The Associated Press he would block legislation from passing the Senate if it were to include the proposed cut.

Democrats said the proposal in a House bill includes a reduction of the CDC’s proposed budget by $1.8 billion, or about 22%, that would harm public health. The Republican-led effort also would mean a major cut in programs designed to address firearm injuries and opioid overdose prevention.

The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee advanced the measure on a party-line vote in July.

Schumer said such a reduction would “would wreak havoc and chaos on food safety funding mechanisms and tracking operations at a core level.”

He pointed specifically to the CDC’s work on the ongoing listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats that has killed at least three people and sickened more than 40 others.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Schumer predicts Democrats will keep control of the Senate now that Harris is atop the party ticket </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> In an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, Schumer introduces the No Kings Act </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline