Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been tasked with answering basic statistical questions about children drowning, like: Who is drowning? Where is it happening — in lakes, rivers, swimming pools? And what works to prevent it? The team was starting to answer some of those questions when it was put on administrative leave in April, and those experts have been terminated and funding has been eliminated for 2026.

Drowning kills more than 4,000 people each year in the United States. It's the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4 and is one of the top causes of death among children ages 5 to 14. A single drowning costs millions of dollars in terms of medical costs and societal loss, Mercy says.

The CDC's drowning prevention program was created in response to a spike in drowning deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. "After the pandemic, quite a few organizations came together to drive some possibilities of federally focused work on drowning prevention," says Lindsay Mondick, director of aquatic strategy and quality practices for the YMCA of the USA, and a longtime water safety advocate. "CDC was a natural fit — not only do they do data science, but they also look at intervention strategies and programs."

Economically, drowning costs the U.S. economy over $50 billion a year.

The CDC provided funding for free swim lessons for thousands of kids at high risk of drowning, including children from some minority groups and those on the autism spectrum, who are 160 times more likely than their peers to die from drowning.

Ah well, the republican party only loves children from the blastocyst stage through the third trimester.

You know, before they're living, breathing children.

npr.org - Drowning prevention program halt cdc