ASTMH Advocacy Update - May 2014

ASTMH 2014 Mid-Year Council Advocacy UpdateMay 4, 2014 – Crystal City, VA

Jodie Curtis, Executive Vice President

Erin Will Morton, MA, Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor

ASTMH AccomplishmentsNovember, 2013 – May, 2014

ASTMH Hill Day: Tuesday, November 12 (recap)

First ever ASTMH “Hill Day” with general membership

12 members volunteered time to advocate on the Hill

3 |) ASTMH 2014 Mid-Year Council Meeting

ASTMH Hill Day: Tuesday, November 12 (recap)


17 Hill Meetings

- 11 Senate/6 House

- 12 Democrats/5 Republicans

“I hope you know how great and important

it is that you came to Capitol Hill to do this.

Folks up here need to hear from real

scientists.” Eric in Senator Gillibrand’s (D-

NY) office

ASTMH at the 2014 GHTC Briefing

5 | ASTMH 2014 Mid-Year Council Meeting )

World Malaria Day Hill Event: April 29


ASTMH is cosponsoring an NTD briefing

House: May 8Senate: May 12


ASTMH is cosponsoring an event on Monday, April 28 to highlight the impact of vaccines in global child health


Question Submitted for the Record (House DoD)


April 2, 2014: Defense Subcommittee of House Appropriations Committee hearing on

proposed fiscal 2015 appropriations for agencies, programs, and activities under its

jurisdiction (Open Hearing on Defense Health Program)

ASTMH submitted questions for the record

Representative McCollum (D-MN) – Chair, Global Health Caucus

Witnesses:

- Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs

- Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, surgeon general, Army

- Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan, surgeon general, Navy

- Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Travis, surgeon general, Air Force

Question Submitted for the Record (House DoD)Representative McCollum: “…U.S. servicemen and women, they're often deployed to tropical disease epidemic regions …reducing the risk of malaria is one thing in which … you have a proud history of working on, but there's many, many other diseases that are being presented to servicemen and women. And it's critical in your mission to succeed in finding ways to either prevent or to treat.

…we … have problems with drugs and prophylactics used to keep our men and women safe from this tropical disease regions. And sometimes they're not reliable, sometimes they don't exist, and sometimes the side effects are such that it's very hard to get people to comply with correct usage and dosage.

…dengue fever is something that is spreading throughout is just not in Asia anymore, it's in -- it's in Africa, it's in Central America, not too far from our doorsteps and maybe possibly in Texas and in Florida with the climate change. I am not going to say this right, but I'm going to give it a shot, chinkachungagaya (ph) …

So what are you doing to … prioritize the R&D for the tools to combat these neglected and tropical diseases to ensure that we're prepared -- our servicemen and women are prepared?”


Response from DoD


Surgeon General of the Army Lieutenant General Patricia

Horoho: “Thank you, Ma'am, for the question. I just recently returned

from Thailand looking at one of our labs…that really has tremendous

focus in the area of malaria and disease preventions within the Asia

area.

…right now we're in Phase 3 clinical trials for vaccine prevention for

malaria, which is looking very, very promising. We're spending and

focusing our efforts on not just prevention, but also looking at the oral

prevention and trying to find other alternative medications that have

less side effects in some of the winds that are there today. And so I

know we're working very collaboratively with the Navy where they've

got research.”

Response from DoD, continuedSurgeon General of the Navy Vice Admiral Matthew Nathan: “…We quiz medical

students. We ask them what's the deadliest animal in the world and they come up with

snake or bear, or tiger. The mosquito, it kills more people per year than any other

animal in the planet.

… there's amazing strides being made with vaccines and hopefully, within the next few

years we'll have a viable vaccine for malaria especially as drug-resistant malaria is now

starting to emerge in Southeast Asia, which has no known treatment.

We're on scene with the Army. …I just got back from Singapore, Cambodia and

Vietnam where we have very robust epicenters of study going on collaboratively, which

not only offer global engagement, and partnerships, and diplomacy, but are creating

world- class science that perhaps can nip these in the bud.

… I think we're leaning forward on this. We recognize the threat not only to our

personnel, but to the world citizenry at large. And we're very interested in trying to make

headway on this and gain partnerships and trust with other nations as we do it.”


GHTC Hill Visits Sen. Mikulski (D-MD) Sen. Cardin (D-MD) Sen. Franken (D-MN) Sen. Schumer (D-NY) Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY) Sen. Coats (R-IN) Sen. Donnelly (D-IN) Sen. Brown (D-OH) Sen. Portman (R-OH) Sen. Toomey (R-PA) Sen. Wicker (R-MS) Sen. Cochran (R-MS) Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) Sen. Moran (R-KS) Sen. Isakson (R-GA) Sen. Blunt (R-MO) Sen. Johanns (R-NE) Sen. Durbin (D-IL)


Rep. Ellison (D-MN-5) Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD-8) Rep. Maffei (D-NY-24) Rep. Tonko (D-NY-20) Rep. Walorski (R-IN-2) Rep. Joyce (R-OH-14) Res. Com. Pierluisi (R-PR) Rep. Griffin (R-AR-2) Rep. Fleischmann (R-TN-3) Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) Rep. Granger (R-TX-12) Rep. McCollum (D-MN-4) Rep. Crenshaw (R-FL-4) Rep. Roybal-Allard (D-CA-40) Rep. Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) Rep. Dent (R-PA-15) Rep. Ryan (D-OH-13) Rep. Engel (D-NY-16)

GHTC Hill Visits – Committee Staff

ASTMH attended a GHTC Hill

meeting with Stephen Steigleder,

Minority Staffer for the House LHHS

Appropriations Subcommittee

Stephen works for Rep. Rosa

DeLauro (D-CT), the Ranking

Member of the House LHHS

Appropriations Subcommittee


ASTMH FY 2015 Report Language Requests

19 letters to Senate DoD Appropriations Subcommittee Members

18 letters to Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

Appropriations Subcommittee Members

15 letters to House DoD Appropriations Subcommittee Members

12 letters to House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

Appropriations Subcommittee Members


ASTMH FY 2015 Written Testimony

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in

January regarding the Office of Management and Budget’s travel policy,

particularly regarding its impact on the participation of scientists at

conferences like the ASTMH Annual Meeting

House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

Appropriations Subcommittee regarding global health research and

development funding at NIH and CDC

House and Senate Department of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee

regarding infectious diseases research at the DoD


ASTMH Cap Wiz Action Alerts

Letter on March 21 and 24 to 2405 and 2373 advocates, respectively, urging them

to contact their Member of Congress to support NIH by signing on to the McKinley-

Davis-Carson-King Letter for Medical Research. In total, 95 advocates sent 286

emails to their Members of Congress

Letter on March 11 to 2450 advocates urging them to contact their Member of

Congress to sign onto the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act (H.R. 2901).

In total, 39 advocates sent 39 messages to their Members of Congress

Letter on February 26 to 2459 advocates urging them to contact the President to

include funding in the FY 2015 budget for global health research and development

at NIH, CDC, DoD, and USAID. In total, 119 advocates sent 119 messages to the

President


ASTMH Sign-on Letters

InterAction letter to Members of Congress urging their support in FY 2015 for

international development and humanitarian assistance

March 13 letter to Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate and House of

Representatives’ Appropriations Committees urging them to restore the FY 2015

allocation to the LHHS Subcommittee to the FY 2010 level of $163.6 billion

Letters from the GHTC for FY 2015 to the House and Senate Appropriations

Committees regarding NIH and to the Subcommittees on: Labor, Health and

Humans Services, and Education; State and Foreign Operations; Department of

Defense; and the Food and Drug Administration


ASTMH Coalition Activities

Global Health Technology Coalition (GHTC) Public Financing Working Group

GHTC Full Coalition Meeting

Malaria and NTD Roundtables

DoD Infectious Disease Working Group (Co-chair)


What’s Happening in Washington

The Mood in Washington

Most divided Congress in history

Secretary Sebelius resigns

Election year politics

Budget is driving global health policy


What’s Happening Inside the Beltway

President’s FY 2015 Budget released

Cuts to global health

FY 2015 funding process underway

Sequestration?

Another continuing resolution?

New HHS Secretary

New USAID Administrator


23 |) ASTMH 2014 Mid Year Council Meeting

Agency FY 2014 President FY 2014 Omnibus FY 2015 President

NIH $31,331,387,000 $29,926,000,000 30,200,000,000

NIAID $4,578,813,000 $4,358,841,000 $4,423,000,000

Fogarty $72,864,000 $67,577,000 $67,780,000

CDC $5,834,173,000 $6,900,000,000 $5,872,000,000

CDC Parasitic Diseases and Malaria

$22,231,000 $19,000,000 $24,000,000

Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease

$380,664,000 $287,300,000 $393,549,000

Global Health/Child Survival (USAID)

$2,645,000,000 $2,769,000,000 $2,680,000,000

USAID NTDs $85,000,000 $100,000,000 $86,500,000

USAID Malaria $670,000,000 $665,000,000 $674,000,000

FY 2015 President’s Budget Comparison

Global Health Security Agenda

$45 million proposed in the President’s FY 2015 Budget

CDC Center for Global Health and National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and

Infectious Diseases

Huge priority for Dr. Frieden

“CDC seeks to accelerate progress toward a world safe and secure from infectious

disease threats and to promote global health security as an international security

priority, to

- Prevent and reduce the likelihood of outbreaks – natural, accidental, or intentional;

- Detect threats early to save lives;

- Respond rapidly and effectively using multi-sectorial, international coordination

and communication.”

24 |) ASTMH 2014 Mid Year Council Meeting )


Elections?

Elections, Elections, Elections

Midterm election November 4, 2014

Fallout from the government shutdown

No one wants to be blamed for poor governance in an election year

House will stay Republican

Senate control is a toss-up

Presidential election November 8, 2016


28Note: A Cook Political Report rating of Lean D/R or Toss Up denotes races that are currently considered to be competitive

Dem Seats On the Ballot in a Range of Left-Leaning Districts

* Senator is retiring

Breakdown of Democratic-held seats by Cook Political Report Rating

21 total Democratic seats

Udall (CO) D+1Harkin* (IA) D+1Shaheen (NH) D+1

Franken (MN) D+2Warner (VA) EVEN

Coons (DE) D+8Schatz (HI) D+20Durbin (IL) D+8Markey (MA) D+10Udall (NM) D+4Merkley (OR) D+5Reed (RI) D+11Booker (NJ) D+6

Senate Elections: 2014 and Beyond

Note: Sens. Walsh (D-MT), Rockefeller (D-WV), and Johnson (D-SD) hold seats currently rated Lean/Likely Republican.

Begich (AK) R+12Pryor (AR) R+14Landrieu (LA) R+12Levin* (MI) D+4Hagan (NC) R+3

Source: The Cook Political Report.

29

Most GOP Seats On the Ballot in GOP StrongholdsBreakdown of Republican-held seats

by Cook Political Report Rating15 total Republican seats

Sessions (AL) R+14Risch (ID) R+18Roberts (KS) R+12Johanns* (NE) R+12Coburn (OK) R+19Inhofe (OK) R+19Graham (SC) R+8Alexander (TN) R+12Cornyn (TX) R+10Enzi (WY) R+22Scott (SC) R+7.8Collins (ME) D+6

* Senator is retiring ** Potential retirement

Source: The Cook Political Report.Note: A Cook Political Report rating of Lean D/R or Toss Up denotes races that are currently considered to be competitive


Chambliss* (GA) R+6McConnell (KY) R+13

Cochran (MS) R+9

0

30

Democrats Have More Open Seats at Risk in 2014 than Republicans

Source: The Cook Political Report.

Open Senate seats by party

Harkin (IA) D+1Levin (MI) D+4Johnson (SD) R+10Rockefeller (WV) R+13

Chambliss (GA) R+6Johanns (NE) R+12Coburn (OK) R+19


31

Current House Breakdown

* Includes two currently vacant Republican seats and two currently vacant Democratic seats

AnalysisDemocrats need a 17-seat gain to win control of the House in 2014

Number of House seats in the 113th Congress, by party*

Source: Cook Political Report.

2014 House Elections

32

Only 79 Competitive or Potentially Competitive Seats in the House in 2014

Number of House seats in the 113th Congress, by party

Source: Cook Political Report.

2014 House Elections

218

Only 79 seats currently competitive or potentially competitive

Key committee leadership out

- Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) – HELP Chair; LHHS Chair

If Senate goes Republican global health programs may be in

jeopardy

- Keep an eye on Sen. Graham (R-SC) race

If House and Senate are Republican controlled domestic non-

defense spending likely to be squeezed more

Getting ready for 2016

33 | ASTMH 2014 Mid Year Council Meeting)

Election Implications

ASTMH Engagement – We can’t stop here!

Increase CapWiz participation

Repeat our message

Continue to engage with the community on global health funding priorities

Advocate R&D message on the Hill and with the community

Hill meetings, testimony, and briefings must continue

Social media and advocacy

Continue to raise advocacy issues in the ASTMH newsletter and blog

Advocacy Webinars

Increase participation in Hill Days

Create a culture of advocacy within the Society


Hill Visits Tomorrow

Serap Aksoy

Jennifer Anderson

Dan Bausch

Alan Magill

Richard Oberhelman

Larry Slutsker

Ken Stuart

Katherine Taylor

Dave Walker


Questions?

Government & Nonprofit

ASTMH Advocacy Update - May 2014