Congressional Caucus Urges Biden-Harris Administration to Request Monkeypox Funding

November 01, 2022 by Alec Stone MA, MPA, Former ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy

Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Chair David N. Cicilline (D-RI), Co-Chair Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Co-Chair Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) led 85 other congressional members in signing the letter (https://lgbtq.house.gov/sites/lgbtequalitycaucus.house.gov/files/8.23.22%20Cicilline%20Pocan%20Maloney%20Monkeypox%20Funding%20Letter%20to%20HHS%20and%20CDC-compressed.pdf).

The caucus asked for funding to combat monkeypox’s spread (https://lgbtq.house.gov/sites/lgbtequalitycaucus.house.gov/files/8.23.22%20Cicilline%20Pocan%20Maloney%20Monkeypox%20Funding%20Letter%20to%20HHS%20and%20CDC-compressed.pdf), including:

“Now is the time to act and address monkeypox as the public health emergency that it is. Although anyone can get monkeypox, LGBTQ+ people, and particularly men who have sex with men, have been disproportionally impacted by the outbreak,” Cicilline said (https://lgbtq.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/equality-caucus-urges-biden-administration-to-request-monkeypox-funding). “We need the proper resources to support our clinics, hospitals, and health professionals as they address the continued spread of monkeypox. I urge the administration to act swiftly to provide Congress with a funding request so we can appropriate the necessary funds to address the monkeypox outbreak and prioritize the health and safety of the American people.”

As viruses spread, oncology nurses must understand how they affect their vulnerable patient population. ONS Voice’s Monkeypox Fact Sheet and Implications for Patients With Cancer (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/monkeypox-fact-sheet-and-implications-for-patients-with-cancer) gives you an overview of the virus with special considerations for the oncology setting.


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