AAMC Statement on Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2025 HHS Spending Bill

• Press Release

AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued the following statement in response to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) spending bill approved on Aug. 1 by the Senate Appropriations Committee:

"The AAMC applauds the Senate Appropriations Committee for working in a bipartisan manner to draft and approve a FY 2025 spending bill that bolsters funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Health Resources and Services Administration health workforce programs, and other key public health programs and agencies, particularly in a year when appropriators faced challenges drafting a spending bill under an impractical discretionary spending cap. We also greatly appreciate the bipartisan commitment by the committee to avoid problematic policy provisions that would impose arbitrary restrictions on efforts to advance research, education, workforce diversity and health equity, public health, and health care.

This proposed legislation represents a critical step forward in the process, as the needs and opportunities across these key areas far outpace available resources. Strengthening our nation's commitment to medical research toward new cures, treatments, diagnostics, and preventive interventions; expanding and adapting our health workforce to address pervasive and persistent challenges in patients' access to care; and fortifying our public health and health infrastructure in the wake of existing and emerging threats are urgent national priorities. We cannot afford to fall short on the investments we make - communities nationwide deserve this support.

We greatly appreciate the leadership of the chairs and vice chairs of both the Committee and the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee in drafting a bill that makes progress toward these goals. The AAMC urges lawmakers to continue their bipartisan efforts and ensure significant investment in these vital programs and agencies, including adhering to overall discretionary spending levels that allow robust above-inflation investment in NIH and full funding for the wide array of critical health priorities."