The Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government include millions of dollars in federal funding to reduce and control tobacco use in the U.S. — shifting the responsibility for continuing that work to states and counties.
That was the message from Dr. Brian King, executive vice president at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a keynote speech Wednesday morning at the annual meeting for the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i.
“I know we’re at a particularly perilous time, particularly for public health, but I remain hopeful. Now is the time to continue to keep our foot on the accelerator… and continue to implement policies, relay evidence-based information at the local, state, and federal level for many years to come,” King said.
He urged local leaders to document the adverse impacts of tobacco use as well as what’s been done so far to combat its use and protect public health. He also suggested communicating those impacts to the relevant officials who can act on the local level.
Some of the hardest hit agencies in the president’s efforts to shrink the federal government include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Federal Drug Administration.
Those agencies distribute funds to states and territories for tobacco control and prevention efforts.
King highlighted the elimination of the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health, and the loss of $70 million in annual tobacco control programs, along with $15.1 million in funds for state quitlines, which provide counseling and medication for those who want to quit smoking.
For fiscal year 2024, Hawaiʻi received $1.1 million from the agency’s National Tobacco Control Program Funding, along with $55,000 for its quitline.
The impacts of the federal cuts haven’t yet been felt, but can be in the coming months, King said.
“We still haven't experienced the full scope of the cuts because some of the programs are still trickling along,” he said. “But once those dollars end in April, we expect to see adverse impact, including many programs having to reduce their staffing or potentially be eliminated altogether, depending on what other funding streams they have. So, it’s definitely an apocalypse for tobacco control nationally, which in turn will trickle down.”
The state Department of Health said the cut in funding includes about $1 million for its own tobacco prevention and control program.
The department also anticipates losing federal funding for the work it does to treat and prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
