The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee today approved by voice vote its draft fiscal year 2024 Labor-HHS spending bill, which was released on July 13. The bill contains several deeply troubling provisions for our nation’s scientific and public health entities. According to the House majority, the bill totals $147 billion, which amounts to an almost 30% decrease from the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending legislation.
The text of the bill can be found here, and a summary of the bill can be found here.
The Committee’s bill proposes that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) receive $103.3 billion in fiscal year 2024, $14 billion (12%) less than fiscal year 2023 levels and $26 billion less than the amount sought by the Biden administration. Within HHS, the bill calls for the elimination of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and steep cuts to other research and public health agencies, including:
- A $3.8 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including:
- A $573 million cut to the NIH Office of the Director, of which of the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) is part, and
- A $1 billion reduction to the newly created Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
- A $216 million cut to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) below the fiscal year 2023 enacted level
- A $1.6 billion (18%) cut to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Eliminated funding for programs, such as the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health program
More information about specific programs will be available when the bill’s accompanying report language is released.
Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) President and CEO Kathryn G. Schubert, MPP, CAE this morning released a statement urging Congress to reject this proposal and work in a bipartisan manner to create a budget that “reflects the indispensable role of our nation’s public health and scientific institutions in supporting the health and well-being of current and future generations.” Read the statement here.
With the subcommittee vote past, the bill will now move on to the full House Appropriations Committee for consideration. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to release its bill on July 27. The bill from the Democrat-controlled Senate is likely to look very different than the bill released in the House.
The House and Senate will need to come to an agreement on spending legislation before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, or there is a risk of a government shutdown. Many are anticipating that a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at current levels will be passed in late September to avoid a shutdown and give lawmakers additional time to come to an agreement. SWHR will share additional details as they become available.
For questions, please contact SWHR Chief Advocacy Officer Lindsey Horan.