Public health experts and former CDC officials say the $1.3 trillion spending bill signed by President Donald Trump March 23 won't result in new gun violence research without appropriated funds from Congress, according to The Hill.
The spending bill includes language clarifying that the Dickey Amendment — an annual appropriations rider prohibiting the CDC from using funds to advocate or promote gun control — does not prohibit gun violence research. Republicans argue the amendment never explicitly barred gun violence research, while Democrats and public health advocates say it has hindered research for decades.
Democrats sought a full repeal of the amendment in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The clarifying language represents a bipartisan compromise. However, health experts and former CDC employees told The Hill the compromise alone will not result new gun violence research.
"The explanation of the Dickey Amendment is meaningless unless funding is provided to do the research," a former CDC employee told the publication.
The spending bill calls for a $10 billion funding increase for HHS, which includes a $1.1 billion increase for the CDC. Part of that $1.1 billion is $649 million for various "Injury Prevention and Control activities," but the $649 million is not authorized specifically for gun violence research, according to The Hill.
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