Action Needed

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1. Call or email your representative to sign on to Rep. Budzinski’s (D-IL) letter requesting $1.13 billion in funding for the Section 317 Immunization program in the FY27 Labor-HHS appropriations bill.​​

 

2. In your message, give an example of why your state needs additional funding for vaccine program operations and infrastructure, and vaccine purchases. Sample talking points are included below.​

 

3. Your representative may have signed on to the same letter last year. If so, thank their office and ask for their continued support by signing on again this year. The list of members who signed on last year is below.*

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Contacting a Congressional Office

 

• The U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 can connect you with your senators and representative. It is best to call the Washington office, not the local district office. Go online to www.house.gov and search by state and zip code to find your Member of Congress. From there, you can go to the member’s website to find an office number and email form. As you fill out these forms, be sure to use the provided talking points in the body of your email.    

 

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• When calling your representative’s office, ask to speak with the staff person who handles Health and Human Services appropriations for the office (specifically the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)).   

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• When you reach the staffer, very briefly identify your professional affiliation and work related to immunization, make the ask, and provide a few talking points or a story specific to your state.
    

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Talking Points/Content for Email

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• I am contacting you to ask that the Representative support our request to provide $1.13 billion for the Section 317 Immunization program by signing on to a letter being circulated by Representative Budzinski’s Office.

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• The 317 Immunization program is the backbone of our nation’s public health infrastructure, funding all 50 states and territories. It supports the evidence that informs our national immunization policy, provides a safety net to uninsured, low-income adults, monitors the safety of vaccines, educates providers, performs community outreach, and conducts surveillance, laboratory testing, and epidemiology to respond to disease outbreaks, including the recent measles crisis.

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• Our country is currently experiencing measles outbreaks in 44 states, and we have now seen the death of 3 individuals – marking the first U.S measles deaths in a decade. In 2025, the U.S. recorded over 2,100 measles cases—the highest in decades—and as of Feb. 26, 2026, 1,136 cases have already been reported in the new year, putting elimination status at risk. These outbreaks are primarily affecting unvaccinated people, and measles is highly contagious. In addition to the effects on children, measles outbreaks are costly to state and local public health institutions. CDC estimates it can cost over $140,000 to contain one individual case of measles.

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• In recent years, vaccination rates have dropped significantly – particularly among young children. It is imperative that Congress provide robust funding in Fiscal Year 2027 to support efforts to boost vaccination rates and protect Americans against vaccine-preventable diseases.​

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• Vaccines are one of the greatest success stories in public health and are among the most cost-effective ways to prevent disease. Childhood immunizations over the past twenty-five years have prevented 472 million illnesses and 1,052,000 deaths and saved $479 billion in direct costs and $2.2 trillion in societal costs. For each dollar invested in the U.S. childhood immunization program, there are nearly $11 in societal savings and $3 in direct medical savings.

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• The U.S. spends nearly $27 billion annually to treat four vaccine-preventable illnesses – flu, pertussis, pneumococcal, and shingles.​

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• Providing $1.13 billion for the Section 317 Program in Fiscal Year 2027 would sustain the improvements made to the program to ensure both routine immunizations are restored and future preparedness is assured.

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• I can email you the staff contact in Representative Budzinski’s office.

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Rep. Budzinski’s Dear Colleague Letter

Staff Contacts: Omar Ibarra omar.ibarra@mail.house.gov and

Vincent Adamo vincent.adamo@mail.house.gov

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