Vermont SR 16: Senate resolution opposing recent federal actions that threaten public health and urging their swift reversal

Bill Text

VTLEG#384045 v.1
State of Vermont
Senate Chamber
Montpelier, Vermont
Senate Resolution
Offered by Senators Gulick and Lyons,
S.R. 16. Senate resolution relating to opposing recent federal actions that threaten public health and urging
their swift reversal.
Whereas, on January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order to withdraw the United
States from the World Health Organization (WHO), a move that jeopardizes the health and well-being of
Vermonters, other Americans, and individuals all around the world because of the WHO’s focus on improving
public health and on detecting, preventing, and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks that
do not respect state lines or international borders, and
Whereas, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is eliminating the jobs of approximately 20,000
employees, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where teams were cut whose work
focused on preventing injuries and violence from causes including motor vehicle crashes, child maltreatment, and
traumatic brain injury; on tracking trends in mental health and substance use disorders; on rape prevention and
education; on maternal mortality and maternal and child health; and on many other areas affecting public health in
Vermont, the United States, and beyond, and
Whereas, the Trump Administration has eliminated the entire management and regulations divisions at the
Center for Tobacco Products in the Food and Drug Administration and cut most of the staff at the Office on
Smoking and Health at the CDC, which severely hampers tobacco regulation and enforcement efforts and will
have a negative impact on tobacco prevention in Vermont’s youth and on Vermonters’ public health, and
Whereas, the National Institutes of Health, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that
describes itself as “the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and
save lives,” is now refusing to award grant funds to universities that operate any programs that advance or promote
diversity, equity, and inclusion, which jeopardizes the future of medical research and disregards the existence of
health inequities, and
Whereas, the U.S. Department of Education cut approximately $1 billion in federal grants that support critical
mental health services in schools, which will dramatically reduce access to these services and threatens the health
and well-being of youth around the country, and
Whereas, it appears that the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lacks
understanding of science and scientific research, including of peer-reviewed research regarding vaccines and
autism, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate of the State of Vermont stands in support of science, opposes these federal actions, and urges
their swift reversal, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to send a copy of this resolution to President Donald J.
Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Vermont Congressional
Delegation.