Sen. Blumenthal: Trump’s proposed cuts to health agencies are ‘dangerous’

Connecticut Democrats are warning that President Donald Trump's proposed 2021 budget might leave the state and the nation unequipped to fight a coronavirus outbreak.
The proposal would cut the National Institutes of Health by 34% and the budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 10%.
Sen. Blumenthal was in New Haven Friday with Mayor Justin Elicker and said that he cuts are troubling amid the coronavirus scare.
"China may seem like a long way away, but infections and diseases spread rapidly in today's world,” said the senator.
Health officials say when it comes to public health crises, they depend on national agencies for research and big-picture planning.
Sen. Blumenthal suggested that now would be a great time to invest in health services rather than slashing them.
"If we develop a vaccine, for example, for coronavirus, which NIH can do, we will help save lives," he said.
President Trump's budget proposal would also cut U.S. contributions to the World Health Organization by more than half.