Johnson Demands Funding be Restored to Contain Measles Outbreak in Texas
WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Julie Johnson (TX-32), along with Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33) and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), demanded that $7.7 million in public health grants for Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) abruptly terminated by the Trump Administration be restored to address the measles outbreak that has reached the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“DCHHS relied on this critical funding to safeguard public health in one of the most populous and fastest-growing metroplexes in the nation,” the Members wrote. “Stripping these resources without warning, amid a serious and unprecedented outbreak, significantly undermines Dallas County’s ability to respond to measles and other communicable diseases, placing millions of residents at immediate risk. We demand answers regarding this decision and urge the CDC to take swift corrective action to mitigate the harm caused by the revocation of these life-saving funds.”
The revoked funding included three major grants totaling $70 million:
- A COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant supports trusted community-based organizations conducting vital outreach and education. With the termination of this grant, those efforts have ceased, leaving high-risk populations without essential public health support.
- An Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) COVID-19 Grant funds the purchase of essential equipment for a new laboratory. Equipment orders had already been placed, but their future is now uncertain. As a result of the termination, DCHHS was forced to lay off three permanent full-time employees, including lab staff and a data entry clerk critical to disease surveillance and response.
- A Vaccination Capacity Grant funds 15 full-time staff and 17 contracted positions. The county was forced to terminate 11 full-time and 10 contractual employees, including four epidemiologists, three microbiologists, three immunization specialists, and a school outreach coordinator, who was essential in coordinating student vaccinations. Due to these staffing cuts, DCHHS has had to cancel over 50 vaccination clinics, including some specifically for measles, that were scheduled at school campuses and community sites throughout Dallas County.
To read the full letter, click here.
Congresswoman Julie Johnson represents Texas’ 32nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, serving on the Homeland Security Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Administration Committee. Her district includes parts of Collin, Dallas, and Denton Counties.
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