On this month's episode, NACCHO staff gives a Government Affairs update along with a special interview with the new Board President of NACCHO, Damōn Chaplin. Guest speakers include: Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, NACCHO Lauren Soule, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, NACCHO Damōn Chaplin, NACCHO Board President and Health Commissioner for the City of Minneapolis Health Department Phyllis Dickerson Johnson, Director of Communications, NACCHO For weekly updates from Gove...
Jul 24, 2025•18 min
Washington, DC, June 16, 2025 — On this month’s podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) speakers discuss the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) President’s Budget Request to Congress, including the Administration’s vision for a new department entitled the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). For more details and updates on the impact of the President’s budget request on local public health, please visit our blog . For weekly updates, subscribe to NACCHO...
Jun 16, 2025•16 min
Washington, DC, May 16, 2025 — On this month’s podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) speakers discuss the "skinny” version of the President’s Budget Request to Congress for FY26, which provides limited details on the Administrations priorities, and the Congressional hearings that followed its release. They also report out on multiple Congressional hearings over the past month related to biomedical research and the Centers for Disease Control and P...
May 16, 2025•11 min
Washington, DC, April 25, 2025 — On this month’s podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) speakers discuss the recent reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including significant layoffs of staff working on public health programs, as well as the recently leaked funding “passback” document and what this means for public health. They also share an update on a lawsuit filed by some states against HHS on the clawback of bill...
Apr 25, 2025•32 min
NACCHO’s Podcast from Washington: How Lubbock Public Health is Responding to the Measles Outbreak in Texas Washington, DC, March 21, 2025 — On this month’s podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) discuss last week’s Continuing Resolution that provides funds for the federal government through the end of Fiscal Year 2025, updates on the budget reconciliation process—including how it could potentially impact Medicaid —and updates on the confirmation he...
Mar 21, 2025•26 min
Washington, DC, February 14, 2025 — On this month’s podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) discusses the current administration’s executive actions related to public health, shares updates on Fiscal Year 2025 federal funding and the budget reconciliation process, and provides an update on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To get more public health policy updates, subscribe to NACC...
Feb 14, 2025•16 min
Washington, DC, January 30, 2025 — On this podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Van de Vate, and Government Affairs Senior Specialist, Lauren Soule discuss updates on the 119th Congress and committee leadership, FY25 funding, Senate confirmation hearings, and new Presidential executive orders related to public health activities. To get more public health policy updates and to subscribe to NACCHO’s News f...
Jan 30, 2025•21 min
Washington, DC, December 12, 2024 — On this podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Van de Vate, welcomes Kevin Sumner , Health Officer and Director at Middle-Brook Regional Health Commission in New Jersey to discuss his experience with advocacy on behalf of local public health. He is a former President of NACCHO’s Board of Directors and has worked for over 35 years in varying capacities including as an env...
Dec 12, 2024•44 min
Washington, DC, November 21, 2024 — On this podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Van de Vate, and Lauren Soule, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, discuss the results of the 2024 presidential election, share NACCHO’s recommendations for the next administration and 119th Congress, and provide an update on the ongoing federal FY25 budget negotiations. To get more updates and to subscribe to NACCHO’s wee...
Nov 21, 2024•31 min
Washington, DC, October 17, 2024 — On this podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Van de Vate, and Lauren Soule, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provide insights into federal funding now that Congress is out of session until after the election. They also discuss a recent Coalition to Stop Flu congressional briefing featuring NACCHO member Dr. Dianna Abney, Health Officer at the Charles County Health ...
Oct 17, 2024•26 min
Washington, DC, September 19, 2024 — On this podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Van de Vate, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provide an outlook for federal funding this fall, as the deadline approaches. They also discuss the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing titled, “Investing in a Healthier America: Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment. For more upd...
Sep 19, 2024•27 min
Washington, DC, September 12, 2024 — On this special podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Van de Vate, welcomes special guest Eric McNulty , Associate Director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University, for a bonus episode on best practices to implement for effective preparedness work on the local level. September is National Preparedness Month , and every year NACCHO reinf...
Sep 12, 2024•27 min
Washington, DC, August 23, 2024 — On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an outlook for federal funding this fall, amid the summer Congressional recess and the upcoming election season. They also discussed the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related ...
Aug 23, 2024•15 min
Washington, DC, July 12, 2024 — On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, discussed the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (also known as the Labor-HHS bill). The bill covers topline dollar amounts for key public health agencies ...
Jul 12, 2024•13 min
Washington, DC, June 14, 2024 — On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an outlook on the Fiscal Year 2025 federal funding landscape and the implications for local public health. Later in the program (5:02), NACCHO’s Kellie Hall, Director of Data Communications; David Okereke, Senior Research Specialist; Victoria...
Jun 14, 2024•14 min
Washington, DC, May 17, 2024 — On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs discussed the current status of the H5N1 avian “bird” flu outbreak in dairy cattle and the situation on coordinating a federal-level response, from making personal protective equipment (PPE) readily available to testing livestock and farmworkers. The Cente...
May 17, 2024•22 min
Washington, DC, April 19, 2024 — On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, spoke about recent changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and final FY2024 funding amounts for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, which include programs and...
Apr 19, 2024•36 min
Washington, DC, March 22, 2024 — On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, recapped NACCHO’s annual Local Public Health on the Hill event, which engaged over 100 Congressional Offices on key policy and funding needs of local health departments. Later, they discussed the release of President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 bud...
Mar 22, 2024•23 min
On this month’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ (NACCHO) Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, gives an update on the FY2024 appropriations negotiations and what to expect from Congress. Later in the program (2:36), Timothy McCall, NACCHO’s Director of Research, was joined by NACCHO staff, Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, to discuss on the recent rel...
Feb 23, 2024•15 min
On this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, cover the appropriations process and give an update on government funding, including rescissions of unobligated funds. They also discuss NACCHO’s 2024 legislative and policy agenda, highlighting this year’s most important issues for local public health. Sign up for the weekly newsletter: News...
Jan 26, 2024•6 min
On this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided a Congressional update on upcoming government funding challenges. They also discussed recent letters that NACCHO sent to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion on Healthy People 2030 objectives and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of STD...
Dec 15, 2023•23 min
On this week's podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials' Victoria Van de Vate, Director of Government Affiars, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an update on the new "laddered" Continuing Resolution, which created two funding deadlines in early 2024 and avoided an end-of-year government shutdown. They gave an analysis on the House Labor-HHS bill. Also, Mastroberardino and Van de Vate discussed NACCHO's recent response to an RF...
Nov 17, 2023•24 min
On this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist welcome Victoria Van de Vate, NACCHO’s new Director of Government Affairs. The team provided an update on government funding and the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. They also discussed a letter that NACCHO and 110 other public health organizations sent to the Senate ...
Oct 27, 2023•31 min
On this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an outlook on government funding as August recess has ended and Congress is back in session. They spoke about the possibility of a government shutdown or continuing resolution as the fiscal year ends on September 30. Also, Casalotti and Mastroberardino discussed the U.S. Food and...
Sep 15, 2023•22 min
On this week’s podcast, Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provide an update on the appropriations process, as Congress has adjourned for August recess before making a lot of progress on crucial public health legislation. Casalotti covers House and Senate Labor-HHS appropriations, discussing major differences between both bills and the outlook for fall. Mastroberardino discusses the Pandemic and All-Hazards...
Aug 11, 2023•21 min
On this week’s Podcast from Washington, Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provide an update on the appropriations process. Casalotti covers House and Senate topline funding amounts and discusses implications for public health. Mastroberardino discusses the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization and provides updates from Congress. She also talks about Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s depart...
Jul 07, 2023•23 min
In this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an update on the debt ceiling, which has been suspended until January 1, 2025, as well as detail on some of the spending limits and claw-backs of previously appropriated funds. They also discussed Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s announced departure from the Centers for Disease Control an...
Jun 09, 2023•25 min
In this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials ’ Government Affairs team members Kerry Allen and Lauren Mastroberardino provided an update on the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process in Congress, including how the debt ceiling negotiations may factor in, as well as ongoing congressional investigations into COVID-19 origins. They also talked about the Food and Drug Administration’s move to make opioid reversal medication naloxone available over the counter...
May 05, 2023•30 min
In this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Government Affairs team members Kerry Allen and Lauren Mastroberardino provided highlights from this year’s Local Public Health on the Hill event. This NACCHO-organized event brought more than 100 public health leaders to meet with 120 members of Congress spanning 30 states. In the midst of these in-person and virtual Hill meetings, President Biden released his Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request, which contained r...
Apr 14, 2023•38 min
On this month’s podcast, NACCHO Government Affairs team members Kerry Allen and Lauren Mastroberardino recap key provisions in the omnibus spending bill Congress passed at the end of 2022. Most exciting to NACCHO, the bill reauthorized the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program, which once operationalized will offer loan repayment to public health professionals who agree to serve three years at a local, state, or Tribal health department. They also reflect on the beginning of the 118th C...
Feb 10, 2023•25 min
