MATSUI, SCHNEIDER, CARBAJAL, BARRAGÁN, MARKEY INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO REINSTATE CLIMATE HEALTH OFFICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), and U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), introduced the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act to reinstate the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which was recently eliminated by President Trump. 

The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity was created within HHS under President Biden to help the U.S. healthcare sector prepare for the public health impacts of climate change. Climate change is already affecting human health across the United States through increased heat-related deaths, more frequent and intense natural disasters, and more prevalent insect-borne and other diseases. The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act would authorize the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, forcing President Trump to reinstate the Office, and require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out its functions to protect Americans from the health impacts of climate change.

“Climate change is already endangering the health of Americans nationwide,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “President Trump and his Republican allies want to bury their heads in the sand, but we’ve seen the life-threatening effects of climate change in the Sacramento region, as flooding and wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense. These impacts will only worsen as climate change accelerates. The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act will ensure our healthcare system is prepared to face this new reality.”

“The climate crisis is a persistent threat to our way of life – it is not just an environmental threat but is a public health emergency,” said Congressman Schneider. “The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act will help ensure we are better prepared and supplied to protect the health and well-being of our communities and our planet. I’m proud to co-lead this bill with Reps. Matsui, Barragán and Carbajal and I’m hopeful that the coordination and investment it promotes will strengthen our ability to confront the health impacts of climate change head on.”

“Climate change is already impacting the environment around us, and those changes bring real risks to our public health,” said Congressman Carbajal. “Our country must have a clear strategy for meeting these mounting threats to our air, water, and food supplies. This legislation marks a key step forward to defending both our environment and our well-being.”

“Climate change is a very real problem that affects millions of Americans, from the growing health challenges they face to the care they receive,” said Congresswoman Barragán. “Yet, the Trump Administration has undermined our federal agencies’ ability to protect our communities from climate change, especially as many of our underserved communities often fall through the cracks. That is why I am proud to co-lead this bill with Representative Matsui, which prioritizes public health and protects the environment by making sure that our agencies have the proper tools and resources they need to help combat climate change.”

“Climate change is making people and the planet sicker, and we need a national treatment plan to address the worst effects,” said Senator Markey. “While the Trump administration tries to fire everyone with any ability to fight the health impacts of the climate crisis, and while Republicans pass bills that kick millions of people off their health care, we are demanding a different future—one with a resilient health system that protects us all. My Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act will put us on track for a healthier, and brighter, future.” 

The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act would:

• Re-establish the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity within HHS and task the office with leading the federal response to the health impacts of climate change. Duties of the office include assessing climate-related health risks, communicating such risks and solutions, and understanding the needs of environmental justice communities and medically underserved communities.
• Directs the Office to publish a national strategic action plan to coordinate effective deployment of federal efforts to ensure that public health and health care systems are prepared for and can respond to the health impacts of climate change.
• Establishes a science advisory board composed of members with expertise in public health and health care services to advise the HHS Secretary on the impacts of climate change on public health.

The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act is also cosponsored by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, André Carson, Sean Casten, Judy Chu, Emanuel Cleaver, Steve Cohen, Jim Costa, Adriano Espaillat, Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chellie Pingree, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky, Melanie Stansbury, Shri Thanedar, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act has been endorsed by Health Care Without Harm, American College of Physicians, Center for Organizing, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Public Citizen, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Earthjustice, Climate Justice Alliance, and the International Transformational Resilience Coalition.

“The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act of 2025 would implement an evidence-based approach to protecting Americans from the health threats of hazards like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and storms. Data shows these climate-related events are increasing in severity and frequency,” said Jenny Keroack, Director of Program Strategy & Management in Health Care Without Harm's U.S. Climate Program. “As a civil servant who worked at the now-defunct HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, I was proud to help health care organizations support their patients and staff in the face of climate threats. We must redouble these efforts and use all of our public health tools to safeguard our communities from natural disasters and extreme weather.”

“The climate crisis is also a health crisis and requires a robust whole-of-government approach to combat it,” said Ranjani Prabhakar, Legislative Director, Healthy Communities at Earthjustice Action. “From extreme heat to intense natural disasters, climate change is causing and exacerbating negative health outcomes in communities across the country. We thank Senator Markey and Rep. Matsui for recognizing the critical link between climate and public health and obligating the government to act.”  

# # #