Senate Committee Approves FY 2025 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill

08.01.24

Washington, D.C. - The Senate Committee on Appropriations today approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, providing support to strengthen America's workforce and fund important health and education programs.

The measure, which was advanced by a vote of 25-3, provides $205.7 billion in discretionary funding. The bill also includes a further $2.8 billion in funding provided through the program integrity funding cap adjustment.

"This bill supports life-saving biomedical research, including through targeted funding increases for Alzheimer's, cancer, Lyme disease, mental health, and diabetes research. It also provides significant resources for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs to help combat the scourge of fentanyl and other illicit narcotics plaguing our towns and cities," said Senator Collins. "To support families across the country, this legislation also invests in education and increases resources for affordable childcare-promoting financial stability for working parents and benefitting our economy."

"As the top Republican on Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, I am proud that Chair Baldwin and I were able to once again craft an effective bill that maintains provisions that are critical to the departments our subcommittee oversees, and does not include any new controversial riders. Additionally, this bill continues our bipartisan record from last year by including a number of priorities from both sides of the aisle like, investments in America's biomedical research, child care, mental health, workforce, biodefense, our efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, and more. Advocating for issues that are important to West Virginia is always top of mind, which is why I vowed to do just that as the ranking member of this subcommittee. I am pleased that this bill reflects many of those priorities that will help West Virginians from all corners of our state," said Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Bill Highlights:

National Institutes of Health: $50.2 billion, including an increase of $2 billion above the FY 2024 enacted level for biomedical investments in research. The bill also provides $127 million in CURES funding.

• Alzheimer's: $4.1 billion, an increase of $275 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias research.

• Cancer: $7.5 billion, an increase of $270 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the National Cancer Institute, including fully funding Cancer Moonshot activities and $50 million for the Childhood Cancer STAR Act.

• Mental Health: $2.6 billion, an increase of $455 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the National Institute of Mental Health and BRAIN Initiative activities.

• Opioids: $661 million, an increase of $10 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.

• Diabetes: $2.36 billion, an increase of $50 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

• Women's Health Research: $152 million, an increase of $76 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the Office of Research on Women's Health.

Opioid Epidemic: $4.6 billion for improving prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Funding will support strengthening the workforce, especially in rural communities, and expanding research for critical needs, such as funding alternative pain medications. The bill continues to provide states with the flexibility to use opioid response funds on stimulants across multiple programs. In 2023, there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths, emphasizing the need to continue these critical resources.

Mental Health: More than$6 billion for mental health research, treatment, and prevention, including:

• $540 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) suicide prevention Lifeline, 9-8-8.

• $400 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.

• $275 million increase specifically for mental health research at the National Institute of Mental Health.

• $1.04 billion for the Mental Health Block Grant.

• $190 million is included for school-based mental health grants at the Department of Education.

Health and Human Services Preparedness: $3.8 billion for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The bill includes $1.07 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and $80 million to support biodefense preparedness and domestic manufacturing.

Rural Health: $386 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration's rural health programs and $5 million for the CDC Office of Rural Health.

Caregiving: $232 million for the Administration for Community Living's family caregiving and respite care programs.

Invests in Early Education: $10.3 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and nearly $13 billion for Head Start.

K-12 Formula Grants: $18.7 billion, an increase of $280 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies and $15.5 billion, an increase of $300 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for IDEA Grants to States.

Career, Technical, and Adult Education: $1.5 billion for Career and Technical Education and $729 million for Adult Education.

Rural Education: $230 million for the Rural Education Achievement Program and $50 million for the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Grant Program.

Apprenticeship Funding: $290 million for the Apprenticeship Grant Program.

Pell Maximum Award: Increase of $100 to the maximum Pell award for a total of $7,495 for the 2025-2026 school year.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting: $535 million in advance funding for Fiscal Year 2027. The bill also provides $60 million for the public broadcasting interconnection system.

Maintains Legacy Riders: The bill maintains long-standing riders, including Hyde and Hyde-Weldon conscience protections, needle exchange prohibition, NLRB electronic voting prohibition, and the Dickey Amendment.

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