In his April 16 testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted his efforts to work with medical schools to expand nutrition education, as well as investments in rural health and the expansion of rural residency programs.
Throughout both hearings, Republicans and Democrats voiced support for strong National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. At the L-HHS subcommittee hearing, Chair Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) emphasized support for the NIH, calling extreme funding swings “counterproductive.” Kennedy acknowledged that cuts to the NIH and other public health agencies are unfavorable, but still backed the White House proposal, claiming it is key to reducing wasteful spending at HHS [refer to Washington Highlights, April 10].
Democrats at the L-HHS subcommittee hearing indicated they would reject proposed cuts to major public health agencies, including the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Several members raised questions on the proposed creation of the Administration for A Healthy America, particularly regarding initiatives related to maternal and child health, as well as proposed cuts to the Behavioral Health Workforce Development programs.
During Kennedy’s appearance before the Ways and Means Committee, Democrats raised concerns about the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBBA, P.L. 119-21, PDF) cuts to the Medicaid program. Kennedy downplayed these cuts, instead highlighting the law’s $50 billion investment in the Rural Health Transformation Program. In a key exchange, Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) noted that urban hospitals would inappropriately take advantage of the program and expressed concerns about urban hospitals “abusing a Medicare loophole” to reclassify as rural, urging Kennedy to “reverse the practice.”
House appropriators will begin to mark up fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations legislation starting this week, with subcommittee consideration of the L-HHS spending bill expected on June 5 and the full committee markup tentatively scheduled for June 9.