HHS Funding Markup Moves, Cuts Loom
On September 9, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a party-line Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill for FY26.
It would make a 6% cut — $7B less than last year, far short of President Trump’s proposed $31B reduction, but with a $100M investment in the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
The bill would hold the National Institutes of Health flat at $48B but trim the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly 20% ($1.7B), while zeroing out DEI initiatives and Planned Parenthood funding.
It also boosts rural hospitals and biodefense.
Why it Matters
Partisan appropriations bills are always aspirational.
This bill is not on its way to becoming law; it’s a signal of the direction the House majority wants health funding to go starting in October.
What’s not yet clear is whether and when a comprehensive FY26 bill can come together.
With funding expiring Sept. 30, shutdown risk is very much back in play, with implications for child and family policy.