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News
The House Appropriations Committee wants to slash the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) budget by nearly 70% — from $54M to $16.5M. The division's founding director warns this would gut the surveillance tools, community programs, and state-level infrastructure that millions rely on to fight the obesity epidemic. At a time when 40%+ of U.S. adults have obesity, dismantling prevention infrastructure sends the wrong message.
The U.S. is facing a chronic disease crisis — over 40% of adults have obesity, and that number is projected to hit nearly 50% by 2030. Yet the House Appropriations Committee's FY2027 spending bill proposes cutting the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) budget by nearly 70%, from $54.32 million to just $16.5 million. The division's founding director, Dr. William Dietz, is sounding the alarm.
DNPAO is responsible for tools and programs that quietly underpin public health every day — from CDC growth charts used by pediatricians, to state obesity maps, to community programs providing fresh food access, breastfeeding support, and produce "prescriptions." Its reach spans 17 states, 50 communities and tribal organizations, and 16 land-grant universities. A separate proposal would fold DNPAO into a new agency — the Administration for a Healthy America — which critics say would have the same practical effect as a funding cut.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: GLP-1 drugs can treat obesity, but cost and access barriers mean they won't solve the epidemic alone. Prevention — especially for children and families — is essential. Cutting DNPAO would strip state and local health departments of the data, technical support, and community infrastructure they need to keep new cases from rising in the first place.
