Debt ceiling negotiations threaten to exacerbate America's problems.

Debt ceiling negotiations could lead to cuts in unspent Covid-19 funds, which would undermine efforts to slow the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and leave the country weaker in the face of future pandemics. Public health departments rely on these funds to support local workers who test people for STDs, find and contact others who were exposed, and direct people to treatment. Funding cuts would hurt efforts to rebuild public health infrastructure and limit the ability to respond to new outbreaks of STDs and other infectious diseases.