Feds cancel $12 billion of grants to state health department, including $130 million to Washington

At least $130 million in federal funding to the Washington Department of Health was canceled this week.

The cuts are part of at least $12 billion federal Health and Human Services grants to state health departments across the country, as first reported by NBC News.

The terminated Washington DOH grants come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a branch of HHS.

“This funding has been essential in supporting critical public health systems, including disease monitoring, reporting, and vaccine efforts for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses,” the Washington DOH said in a statement.

The impacted grants include those for the following:

• Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program.
• Immunizations.
• Care Connect.
• Partnership Evaluation.
• Health Disparities.

These cuts impact the work of more than 200 Washington DOH employees and will impact local health jurisdictions, the state department said.

The Spokane Regional Health District did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday on how their funding could be affected.

The nationwide grant cuts include $11.4 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and approximately $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.