This resolution commemorates the 80th anniversary of the CDC, honors its extensive contributions to global public health, and condemns the 2025 attack on its Atlanta headquarters.
Raphael Warnock
Senator
GA
This resolution commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), honoring its decades of vital contributions to global public health and scientific research. It also condemns the tragic 2025 attack on the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, pays tribute to fallen officer David Rose, and reaffirms Congress's commitment to supporting the CDC’s ongoing mission to protect the health and safety of the nation.
CDC 80th Anniversary Resolution: Congress Honors Public Health Legacy and Commemorates 2025 Headquarters Attack.
This resolution formally recognizes the 80th anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 1, 2026. It serves as a comprehensive look back at the agency’s evolution from a 400-person malaria control unit in 1946 to a global powerhouse with 13,000 employees. Beyond the history lesson, the document explicitly condemns the August 8, 2025, shooting at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters—an attack that involved over 500 rounds fired and claimed the life of Officer David Rose. By documenting this trauma alongside the agency’s wins, the resolution aims to reaffirm the federal government’s commitment to protecting public health workers and the physical integrity of their workspace.
From Malaria to Modern Medicine
The resolution tracks how the CDC’s work hits home for almost everyone, regardless of where they live or what they do for a living. It cites the Vaccines for Children program, which prevented an estimated 1.1 million deaths between 1994 and 2023, and the "Tips From Former Smokers" campaign that helped a million people quit. For those in rural or underserved areas, the resolution highlights the agency's role in funding preventive screenings and workforce training aimed at closing the healthcare gap. It also connects the CDC’s data-tracking to the decline in drug overdoses, noting their partnership with state-level High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas programs to provide prescribing guidelines and monitoring.
Security and the Road Ahead
A significant portion of this resolution focuses on the aftermath of the 2025 campus attack. It notes the sobering reality that many employees continued to work in offices with bullet-riddled windows for months following the shooting. By officially recognizing this event, Congress is signaling a responsibility to protect the "dignity and integrity" of the workforce. While this is a non-binding resolution—meaning it doesn't automatically trigger a specific new budget or law—it sets the stage for continued investment in disease surveillance, laboratory systems, and emergency preparedness. It essentially acts as a formal pledge to keep the CDC’s doors open and its researchers safe as they tackle everything from zoonotic diseases to environmental health risks.