The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill  by a strong bipartisan vote of 26–3, rejecting billions in proposed cuts and protecting key public health and research programs. The $197 billion measure reflects priorities long championed by ASPPH, including safeguarding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from a proposed 40 percent cut and preserving investments in biomedical research, mental health, rural health services, and higher education.

The bill includes $48.7 billion for NIH, with targeted increases for research on Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, women’s health, and rare diseases. It provides $9.096 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and $1.383 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce.

This progress reflects ASPPH’s strong advocacy for CDC and NIH funding as part of our FY 2026 priorities. The bill maintains level funding for the CDC Prevention Research Centers, many of which are based at ASPPH member institutions, HRSA’s Public Health and Preventive Medicine programs, and NIH’s Fogarty International Center. It also preserves indirect cost recovery for academic institutions conducting federally funded research. The House is expected to consider its version of the Labor-HHS-Education funding bill in September, setting the stage for negotiations ahead of the new fiscal year beginning October 1, 2025 or a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government open.

ASPPH will continue fighting for sustained, science-based funding that supports academic public health.