Senate Appropriators Approve FY25 HHS Spending Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Aug. 1 in a bipartisan vote of 25-3 approved its fiscal year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies spending bill and accompanying report, which would provide increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), maintain funding for workforce programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and other key public health priorities. According to the accompanying report (PDF), the bill would provide $122.5 billion for the HHS, $5.1 billion (4.3%) above the FY 2024 enacted level, and $14.9 billion (13.8%) more than the FY 2025 House bill.

The bill would provide $48.9 billion for the NIH's base, including funding provided through the 21st Century Cures Act and $1.2 billion in emergency funding. The funding level would represent $2.05 billion in new discretionary spending and a net total of $1.8 billion (3.8%) over the comparable FY 2024 funding level on account of a scheduled decrease in Cures Act resources in FY 2025, which the bill would restore among other increases. Additionally, the bill would sustain funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) at the FY 2024 total of $1.5 billion, bringing the combined total for the two agencies to $50.4 billion. The bill, approved by the House Appropriations Committee earlier in the month, would maintain overall funding for the NIH and ARPA-H at the FY 2024 funding level of $48.6 billion [refer to Washington Highlights, July 12].

The Senate bill also would include new authorities for the NIH to address reporting and actions related to harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions. The bill does not include structural or policy changes to the NIH proposed in the House bill nor other new policy provisions in the House bill related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and other topics.

The bill would provide a modest increase for health workforce and public health programs across the HHS, including providing $536 million for the HRSA Title VII Health Professions Education and Training programs and $310 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs, a total increase of $31 million (3.8%) compared to FY 2024. The bill would provide $128.6 million for the National Health Service Corps and $390 million for the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education program, both flat compared to FY 2024. Additionally, the bill would provide $9.3 billion in total funding for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, a $173 million (1.8%) increase compared to FY 2024. Unlike the House bill, which would eliminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Senate bill would provide $376 million for the agency in FY 2025, a $7 million (9%) increase compared to FY 2024.