Protecting the Future of Injury Prevention Research

With the recent release of the president’s detailed FY 2026 budget request, it is clear that this Administration is indeed proposing to eliminate the entire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). However, the release of the president’s budget request merely signals the start of the annual appropriations process whereby Congress will determine the FY 20206 funding levels for all government agencies and the programs they administer.  The good news is that through your engagement in the policymaking process, we can collectively influence how Congress allocates federal funds.

Over the course of the next few months, House and Senate appropriators will draft and aim to pass the various appropriation bills that fund all government agencies. SAVIR is working with its partners in the injury and violence prevention (IVP) arena to influence the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill as that is the funding measure that carries the budget for all CDC programs.

SAVIR recently collaborated with the Safe States Alliance to build support for House and Senate “Dear Colleague” letters urging that appropriators continue to provide “a robust investment” in NCIPC as they work on their respective FY 2026 appropriation bills. As a result of our collective advocacy efforts, nearly 85 lawmakers signed the letter expressing their support for continued NCIPC funding.

As the appropriations process advances in Congress, NCIPC is continuing to operate at FY 2024 funding levels given passage of a continuing resolution (CR) earlier this year that simply carried forward FY 2024 funding for all government agencies. While NCIPC funding has remained flat, the reductions in force (RIFs) measures leveled against NCIPC has reduced its workforce by nearly a third.

The end result is fewer NCIPC officials working to support as many of the agency’s core functions as possible. These efforts include work being done to maintain the Injury Control Research Centers (ICRC) program while the future of everything under NCIPC’s jurisdiction remains uncertain.

As the focus of next year’s budget centers on the work that appropriators in Congress will soon undertake, it is imperative that lawmakers hear from members of the IVP research community urging that they not abandon the NCIPC and continue to fund its various programs. The voice of IVP researchers is vital to educating lawmakers about the role research plays in advancing targeted IVP programs in communities across the country.

We are partnering with the Safe States Alliance in an effort to ensure lawmakers hear from their constituents about the importance of NCIPC-funded programs. Please contact members of your
Congressional delegation through the Advocacy Action Center to urge continue support for the ICRC program. Regardless of your role or proximity to an ICRC program, please tailor your email to educate lawmakers about the importance of IVP research.