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American Lung Association Joins Health Associations in Opposition to EPA’s Repeal of Endangerment Finding
This month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its repeal of the Endangerment Finding, the agency’s longstanding, science-based finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare. The action also included the elimination of federal standards to limit greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and trucks. In response, the Lung Association joined prominent health organizations in issuing a statement and announcing plans to initiate legal action to challenge the EPA action. Other nonprofit organizations are expected to join the case, which is represented by pro-bono attorneys at the Clean Air Task Force.
“Climate change harms health – period,” said Lung Association President & CEO Harold Wimmer. “Overturning the Endangerment Finding and eliminating cleaner vehicles rules will result in more air pollution, more frequent and intense disasters like wildfires and floods, and increased risk of diseases, making lung health worse across the U.S. This retreat from climate leadership is irresponsible and will endanger the health of families, so the Lung Association will use every tool at our disposal to defend the right to clean air and a safe climate.”
Bipartisan Health Funding Ensures Continued Investment in Lifesaving Public Health, Research Programs
Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, and the President signed into law, critical funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ensuring continued investment in lifesaving public health and research programs. “The American Lung Association welcomes the passage of funding for federal health programs, which maintains CDC funding and includes a $400 million increase for NIH,” said Lung Association President & CEO Harold Wimmer in a statement. These investments support proven efforts to prevent and manage asthma, reduce tobacco use, advance lung cancer prevention and drive lifesaving research across the full spectrum of lung disease.” Read more.
New Lung Association Report: Cuts to Federal Tobacco Prevention Efforts Put U.S. Lives at Risk
The American Lung Association recently released its 24th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, highlighting the devastating impact of last year’s federal rollback of critical tobacco prevention programs —the largest in decades. While smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, tobacco use has steadily declined over the past 25 years. Unfortunately, this hard-fought progress is now at risk. The 2026 report grades each state, Washington, D.C. and the federal government in five areas proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use. The report calls on the federal government to fully restore critical tobacco control programs, and for state legislatures to advance strong, fact-based control policies that protect communities and reduce tobacco use.
You can take action to help fight tobacco use, by asking your governor and state legislators to enact the proven tobacco prevention policies called for in the report.
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