SAN DIEGO (CNS) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revoked almost $40 million in funding from San Diego County government, which is preparing to open a new Public Health Laboratory next month, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer's office announced Thursday.
In a news release, Lawson-Remer said the decision is "gutting support for disease surveillance, lab staffing, vaccine delivery and health equity."
Lawson-Remer said that last week, the county was notified that the CDC "is rescinding multiple funding streams under the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity program, the Immunization and Vaccines for Children program, and the COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant — all of which were previously awarded through fiscal year 2025-2026."
The CDC did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday afternoon.
While the county was awarded $174 million, "officials now estimate that approximately $40 million will not be available, due to the CDC's abrupt 30-day closeout period," according to Lawson-Remer's office.
"We built the lab," said Lawson-Remer, the Board of Supervisors vice chair who is also serving as acting chair since the departure of former Supervisor Nora Vargas in early January.
"We planned responsibly," Lawson-Remer added. "We kept our end of the deal. Now the federal government is walking away from theirs, and San Diego families are the ones paying the price."
Paid for partly with local money, the $93 million Public Health Lab is scheduled to open in May, and "was designed to reduce reliance on out-of- county corporate labs and expand rapid response capabilities for threats like measles, hepatitis and other transmissible diseases," Lawson-Remer's office stated.
"But without federal support, the county may be unable to equip or staff the facility as planned," her office added.
The new laboratory features include:
— A whole genome sequencing lab to better detect emerging diseases;
— Expanded wastewater surveillance to monitor COVID-19, Hepatitis A and other viruses; and
— A training center for workforce development and university partnerships.
According to Lawson-Remer's office, the CDC funding would also support $17 million in capital costs for the new laboratory and equipment.
Along with epidemiologists and frontline disease investigators positions, Lawson-Remer said critical programs are at risk, including a mobile testing unit for community outbreaks, in-shelter flu and hepatitis vaccinations, and a modern public health data system.
The county is looking at ways to preserve public health functions in the wake of a federal funding cut, Lawson-Remer's office stated.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with more than 20 states and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, seeking to block the pulling of federal dollars for public health.
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