Washington (March 26, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, released the following statement after the passage of the second half of the 2024 Fiscal Year (FY) spending bills. The package included major federal investments to advance the Senator’s key priorities in health care, environmental protection, scientific research, gun violence prevention, and interdiction of illicit substances at the border.

“From the health of our communities, our workers, and our children, to the health of the planet, I am proud to have secured major victories in this budget package. With this funding, we are investing in research to combat gun violence, pioneer scientific innovations for diseases such as Long COVID, stop illegal trafficking of fentanyl, investigate social media’s impact on youth mental health, and safeguard coastal communities from climate change. These are investments in hope, health, and safety that will serve Massachusetts and all of the country today and into the future.”

The FY24 package includes the following appropriations for several of Senator Markey’s priority programs:

  • Investing in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and related dementias with an increase of $100,000,000 across NIH. These investments are vital for accomplishing the goals outlined in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act, which Senator Markey authored.
  • Supporting Long COVID patients with $13.5 million for Long COVID research including $3.5 million for Long COVID Centers of Excellence to develop and disseminate data regarding evidence-based treatment; educate and train providers on best practices; conduct outreach to affected populations and community organizations; and coordinate access to care. The funding package also includes language to monitor and track incidence of Long COVID among children and adults. Senator Markey has fought for Long COVID funding as a co-author of the CARE for Long COVID Act and the TREAT Long COVID Act, two pieces of legislation that would bolster federal efforts to support Long COVID research and patients.
  • Combatting gun violence with $25 million in total funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on firearm injury and mortality prevention, building upon Senator Markey’s Gun Violence Prevention Research Act and years-long push in previous spending packages to ensure that the epidemic of gun violence can be thoroughly studied and understood in an effort to save lives.
  • Advancing scientific research and innovation by securing $9 billion in funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF). As he does each year, Senator Markey led his colleagues in a letter to Senate appropriators requesting substantial investment in research. 
  • Developing a universal flu vaccine with $270 million for developing a vaccine that will protect against multiple strains of flu virus and offer longer lasting protections. This funding builds upon Senator Markey’s prior leadership in the fight to secure a universal flu vaccine through his Flu Vaccine Act.
  • Deterring the flow of fentanyl into the United States with $75.5 million for non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology to ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the necessary resources to detect, interdict, and prevent the trafficking of fentanyl and other opioids into the United States. Senator Markey’s INTERDICT Act, signed into law in 2018, authorized hundreds of new screening devices, laboratory equipment, facilities, and personnel to stop the flow of the illicit opioid fentanyl across the U.S. border.
  • Studying health impacts of social media on children with $15 million for the National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to conduct research into the cognitive, physical, and socioemotional impacts of young people’s use of technologies as well as long-term developmental effects on children’s social, communication, and creative skills. This funding is in line with Senator Markey’s Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA) Act.
  • Investing in worker safety, education and training for U.S. fisheries with $3 million for safety and survival training for fisherman. Senator Markey’s bipartisan Fishing Industry Safety, Health, and Wellness Improvement (FISH Wellness) Act would increase authorization for this program. The 2024 Fiscal Year appropriations also include $1 million in funding for Senator Markey’s Young Fisherman’s Development Act, signed into law in 2021, to kick start the nation’s first competitive grant program for the education and training of the next generation of fishermen.
  • Promoting the conservation and protection of wildlife with $140 million in funding for the Multinational Species Conservation Fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s International Affairs Program and Office of Law Enforcement, priorities for which Senator Markey led a letter of support, as well as $52.5 million in funding for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sustained Ocean Observations and Monitoring program, which Senator Markey requested funding to support observations necessary to measure and monitor climate change impacts.
  • Enhancing aviation security by reducing the amount of revenue derived from the 9/11 Security Fee that goes towards deficit reduction from $1.56 billion to $700 million in Fiscal Year 2025. This change is consistent with Senator Markey’s FASTER Act that would end the diversion of this security fee.

Other funding highlights:

  • $24.5 million for the National Violent Death Reporting System. The system tracks deaths caused by child abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, and homicide and supports the creation of effective strategies to address root causes and implement prevention strategies.
  • $3 million for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control to help communities identify the best, evidence-based efforts to prevent falls and keep older adults safe and independent.
  • $30 million for the Core State Injury Prevention Program to enhance efforts to identify and respond to injury threats with data-driven public health actions.
  • $362.8 million for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
  • $5.4 million for the CDC to develop a national epidemiological and disease tracking study of post-infectious syndromes prevalence, specifically the rates of Myalgi Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in adults and children.
  • $23 million for the Infectious Diseases and the Opioid Epidemic program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
  • Language to increase funding and resources for Neurofibromatosis research and treatment.

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