Former Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, and de Beaumont Foundation CEO Brian C. Castrucci are making the case that America's public health system is an underappreciated national asset and a ripe political opportunity. In a new set of recommendations from the National Commission on Local Public Health Leadership, they argue that rebuilding public health infrastructure is not just good policy but essential to national competitiveness and security.
The commission's report draws a direct line from George Washington's 1777 decision to inoculate the Continental Army against smallpox to modern imperatives. Washington understood that disease could defeat the revolution as surely as the British Army. Today, the authors argue, threats like outbreaks, natural disasters, and chronic disease demand the same level of strategic attention. Beshear has also pressed Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on health transparency, signaling the issue's political salience.
“A strong public health system is not simply good policy; it is one of America’s greatest competitive advantages,” the authors write. They note that clean water, sanitation, food safety, and vaccination programs were the foundation of urban growth and industrial expansion long before modern medicine. Those investments, they argue, built modern America—and neglecting them now weakens the nation at a time of persistent risk.
The commission's roadmap emphasizes that public health extends far beyond health departments. It calls for partnerships with businesses, schools, hospitals, emergency responders, faith communities, and local governments. Practical steps include improving local health data systems, ensuring reliable access to personal protective equipment, and better preparing communities for future emergencies. The authors stress that the federal government must play a supporting role, since most local health departments depend on federal funding and leadership.
Trust in public health agencies has eroded at every level over the past year, according to recent polling cited in the report. However, local health departments remain substantially more trusted than federal entities. The commission sees this as a clear opportunity: the path to rebuilding confidence runs through communities and the local leaders and health workers people know personally.
“At the exact moment our public health infrastructure needs strengthening, it’s being neglected,” the authors warn. “We’re weakening our defenses while the threats remain.” They frame this neglect as a political opening for leaders who recognize that healthy populations underpin strong economies, educational success, and emergency preparedness. Beshear's recent pressure on McConnell suggests he sees health policy as a wedge issue with national implications.
The commission's membership spans political divides, reflecting a deliberate effort to find common ground. “Reasonable people can disagree about vaccine policy and how public health programs should be funded, organized and carried out,” the authors acknowledge. “But the larger principle should not be controversial: every community benefits from a strong public health system.”
Kasich, a Republican, and Beshear, a Democrat, both served as governors who navigated public health crises and economic pressures. They write that they did not always agree with their public health directors on tactics, but never doubted that protecting the public's health was essential to their states' security and prosperity. That shared belief, they say, is what brought them together on the commission.
The report concludes with a historical reminder: for 250 years, through industrialization, urbanization, technological change, and repeated crises, one truth has endured. “The strength of the nation depends on the health of its people. George Washington understood it. We would be wise to remember it.” In an era of political division, the commission's call for a unified vision on public health may be one of the few bipartisan offers on the table.
