FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Massive sign on letter rejects cuts to non-defense discretionary funding in FY 2024 deal
Contact: Lee Sherwood, Director of Community Relations – Email: LeeS@DisabilityRightsTN.org; Phone/Text: 409-771-0098
NASHVILLE, TN.— Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) issues the following statement announcing an 1,098-organization sign-on letter urging Congress to reject any full-year continuing resolution that would result in cuts to non-defense discretionary programs and adopt the bipartisan Senate funding framework for the Fiscal Year 2024 spending agreement.
Disability Rights Tennessee, the Protection & Advocacy (P&A) agency for Tennessee that works daily to protect the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities, sent a letter to Congressional leadership signed by 1,098 local, state, and national organizations calling on Congress to reject a full year CR that would result in cuts to non-defense discretionary programs and adopt the bipartisan Senate funding framework as a starting point for FY24.
Americans deserve a strong and resilient public health infrastructure that is adequately funded to protect and promote their health. Slashing federal programs for public health, biomedical research, and other health expenditures by over nine percent via a continuing resolution that would trigger caps or sequestration will significantly harm these programs, inhibiting access to critical public health programs and delaying or eliminating funding for much needed new treatments and cures.
DRT, along with its over 1,098 partners, urge policymakers to work together using the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee funding levels that ensure foundational programs keep up with both rising costs and the need for investment in programs important to fostering economic growth and meeting human needs.
View the letter here.
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Spokespeople from Disability Rights Tennessee are available for comment.
Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is the designated Protection & Advocacy (P&A) agency for Tennessee. DRT provides free legal advocacy services to protect the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities, and has broad access authority to monitor facilities, including juvenile justice facilities, and to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect. Visit www.DisabilityRightsTN.org for more information.