Amid federal cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Congressman Jim McGovern met virtually on Thursday with lawmakers from across the country, journalists and representatives from the injury and violence prevention nonprofit Safe States Alliance to discuss drowning prevention ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
With the CDC listing drowning as the single leading cause of death for children ages one through four, Safe States Alliance Executive Director Sharon Gilmartin explained that deaths from childhood drowning have recently risen after a years-long period of decline.
“After years of decline, drowning for that age group [between one and four years old] rose 28% between 2019 and 2022 — that’s not a trend, that’s a public health crisis begging us to respond and it falls hardest on the kids who can least afford it,” Gilmartin said. “We know Black children drown at rates three times higher than white children native children, two to three times higher. These aren’t just statistics, these are policy needs.”
Explaining that 56 people in Massachusetts drowned in 2024, McGovern said the disparity in drowning deaths is not only racial but related to disabilities. He cited data from the National Autism Association that showed children with autism are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than the general pediatric population.
McGovern went on to explain that drowning fatalities can be mitigated through early childhood swimming lessons and water safety education. However, he added that organizations that provide low-cost or free water safety education have been impacted by federal funding cuts under the Trump administration.
“I personally learned to swim at my local boys club and at the Y and I’m grateful that I had that opportunity. But these organizations can’t keep doing this work without proper funding and resources,” McGovern said. “Despite the threats of cuts, the CDC Injury Center was level-funded in FY26 in the appropriations bill, but, unfortunately, the staff who manage the drowning prevention program have all been fired.”
In the proposed federal fiscal year 2027 budget, McGovern noted that Trump eliminated the CDC’s Drowning Prevention program entirely. He said the budget also reduces funding for the CDC by $2.9 billion.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me and I don’t think any common sense went into making that decision. I think this was cut without any thought and without any reflection on what the realities are in this country,” he said. “These kinds of decisions jeopardize all of our health. It’s critical that we bring awareness to, and we stop, all of these dangerous cuts — lives depend on it.”
These potential funding cuts, McGovern explained, are expected to wreak havoc on vulnerable communities in areas such as Worcester and Boston, where access to swim classes and drowning-prevention programs will be limited.
The congressman said that while there are moral reasons to preserve CDC funding and help prevent drowning deaths, these programs are also cost-effective. He explained that unintentional drowning cost an estimated $40 million in medical costs each year, according to CDC.
“If these cuts go through, the organizations that have partnered with the CDC to reduce drowning deaths will not have access to the tools that they need to keep reaching out to people,” he said. “Drowning kills an average of about 11 people a day and that’s not just a number. These are people who have friends and families and communities that painfully feel their absence… if people are not moved by the human tragedies that occur and only care about dollars or cents, this is a terrible thing to do.”
When asked what he suggested that constituents do to help prevent drowning, McGovern called on Massachusetts residents to “use their voices,” and “tell Congress to not be stupid,” and fight for funding for life-saving resources.
“People have power and sometimes they don’t use it. My message is: use it,” McGovern said. “Call your members of Congress.”
