American Lung Association: Federal Shutdown Could Harm Response to Flu Epidemic and Our Nations Health

Statement of Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, regarding the impact of a federal shutdown on the nation's health:

"In the midst of a national flu epidemic, the President and Congress are hurtling toward a federal shutdown at midnight on Friday. Such a shutdown could harm the urgent response needed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health agencies to this epidemic, which, according to the CDC, has already taken the lives of 20 infants and more than 50,000 Americans this season.

"The American Lung Association urges the Congress to quickly reach a bipartisan agreement that includes a long-term extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, reauthorizes essential public health programs including funding for federally qualified health centers and ensures that the federal government can continue to effectively protect the health of all Americans."