Whereas the health, security, and well-being of people in the United States is integral to a functioning democracy and strong economy; Whereas public health research and practice advances each of such core attributes of a thriving Nation; Whereas emerging and reemerging infectious and zoonotic diseases are an ongoing threat to the health of people in the United States and globally; Whereas the dedicated individuals who work to advance the public health play an instrumental role in lessening the burden of disease through research, surveillance and monitoring, education, and prevention by developing strategies, tools, policies, and programs, and in so doing are essential to improving quality of life and extending life expectancy; Whereas public health professionals have continuously shown their value in reducing and abating health and environmental threats such as influenza, tracing and addressing foodborne illnesses and other disease outbreaks, and promoting wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors; Whereas public health workers play a critical role in improving the quality of maternal and infant care and addressing the maternal mortality crisis; Whereas the maternal mortality crisis has been exacerbated in the wake of the COVID–19 pandemic and public health workers play a critical role in addressing the crisis; Whereas poor air quality, poor water quality, inadequate sanitation, social determinants, and behavioral factors exacerbate disease; Whereas, in 2022, approximately 1,300,000 people died of tuberculosis and 630,000 people died of HIV/AIDS, and a projected 619,000 people died of malaria; Whereas first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to protect and defend the public health are an imperative resource to the United States and its citizens