On Jan. 22, the House passed a bipartisan, bicameral four-bill minibus package (H.R. 7148) for fiscal year (FY) 2026 by a vote of 341-88. The package includes the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and would extend several other key health care and public health programs.
The bill would provide $47.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) base budget, which would represent $415 million in new discretionary spending for the agency over the comparable FY 2025 funding level. The bill would also maintain level funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
The bill text (PDF) and joint explanatory report (PDF) include provisions that would require the administration to meet specific conditions for multiyear grant funding and prohibit changes to facilities and administrative (F&A) cost structures, among other provisions. The bill would also maintain the NIH salary cap at Executive Level II of the federal pay scale.
Funding for public health and health workforce programs would be largely maintained at their previous levels under the minibus package. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would receive nearly $9.1 billion in funding, an $18.5 million decrease below the FY 2025 enacted level. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality would receive $345.4 million, a $23.6 million decrease. The Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration would receive $888 million, a $3 million increase over FY 2025 enacted levels.
The spending package also includes several key health care and public health extenders. Notably, the measure would extend critical telehealth flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2027, and the AAMC-supported Acute Hospital Care at Home program through Sept. 30, 2030. In addition, the package would eliminate two years of scheduled reductions to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Program, delaying the implementation of these cuts until FY 2028. The legislation would also extend incentive payments for advanced alternative payment models and delay scheduled reductions in clinical lab reimbursement through 2026.
The bill would further extend funding for the National Health Service Corps and Community Health Center Fund through Dec. 31 and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program through FY 2029. Moreover, the bill would reauthorize through FY 2030 grant programs and initiatives under the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act aimed to prevent suicide, reduce burnout, and promote care for mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals.
With passage of this package, the House has now approved all twelve spending bills. Next, the Senate must pass the remaining appropriations measures ahead of the Jan. 30 funding deadline.