The full House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS-ED) appropriations bill on September 9 on a party-line vote, with all Republicans supporting and all Democrats opposing. The House L-HHS-ED bill would provide a total of approximately $184.5 billion in discretionary funding for FY 2026, and would set funding levels for biomedical research, public health activities, education, and workforce programs, among other activities. The House L-HHS-ED funding level is approximately $13.7 billion below the FY 2025 enacted level and $12.5 billion below the Senate L-HHS-ED level. Both the House and Senate reject many of the funding levels proposed in the President’s budget request. Both the House and Senate L-HHS-ED bills would propose minor increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and level fund the Pell Grant award at $7,395 for the maximum Pell Grant award. Significant differences between the House and Senate proposals include funding for workforce programs at the Department of Labor including providing no funding for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs for Adult and Youth training programs, and as well as no funding for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training grants. Considering the delays in the annual appropriations process broadly, it is unlikely the L-HHS-ED bill will be jointly negotiated by the House and Senate before the September 30 expiration of FY 2025 funding. A continuing resolution (CR) will likely be needed to fund some or all of the government until a final funding package is negotiated.
Post Type
Updates on Federal Policy
