Summary of FY26 LHHS Bill: January 2026 – Inspiring Individual Initiatives

January 20, 2026

On Jan. 20, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives released the text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which includes the FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. This bill represents a bipartisan negotiation between Congress and provides funding for the remainder of FY26.

Overall, the bipartisan bill provides $116.6 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, the bill extends funding for several public health programs. Importantly, this bipartisan bill rejects the Administration’s proposal to significantly cut public health funding and restructure departments within public health agencies. The legislative text did not include concrete funding charts comparing FY25 to FY26. ASTHO based our preliminary analysis on FY24 operating budgets for federal public agencies.

The legislation includes report language on grants administration, summarized below:

Grant Management — Grant terminations can significantly and negatively impact the implementation of programs funded in this Act, as they are intended to be implemented by this agreement. HHS is directed to consult with the Committees prior to terminating grants. The agreement includes a provision requiring notification to the Committees no less than three days prior to announcing or providing notice of a grant termination.
Payment Management System (PMS) — The agreement directs HHS to provide advance notification to the Committees prior to implementing any restrictions that would delay the disbursement of funds to grantees through PMS. The agreement further directs HHS to ensure that disbursements are processed within five business days, except under extraordinary circumstances. For any delays more than five business days, HHS is directed to brief the Committee on the circumstances justifying such delays.
Additionally, as it relates to staffing and restructuring, this provision is included in legislative text:

The Department of Health and Human Services shall support staffing levels necessary to fulfill its statutory responsibilities including carrying out programs, projects, and activities funded in this title of this Act in a timely manner: Provided, that the Secretary shall submit a detailed plan and justification to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and make publicly available to allow for an independent review not less than 60 days prior to initiating the execution of any reorganization moving functions, pursuant to any authorities otherwise provided, carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to another component of the Department of Health and Human Services, relative to how such functions are funded in this Act.

Table of Contents

Outlook

Given bipartisan negotiations, ASTHO’s Government Affairs team is optimistic that this bill will be approved by Congress and subsequently signed into law by President Trump shortly thereafter, avoiding a partial government shutdown.

Resources

Key Public Health Funding Proposal Highlights

ASTHO member priorities saw level funding or increases in the bill:

$360 million, an increase of $10 million, for public health infrastructure and capacity nationwide.
$185 million, an increase of $10 million, for public health data modernization.
$735 million, or level funding, for the CDC Public Health Preparedness Cooperative Agreements.
$307.1 million for the ASPR Hospital Preparedness Program. This includes $240 million, or level funding, for formula grants.
$160 million, or level funding, for the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant.
The bill eliminates funding for CDC’s social determinants of health programs.

CDC

The bill includes $9.2 billion for CDC, which is relatively level funding. This funding includes:

$360 million, a $10 million increase, for public health infrastructure and capacity.
$185 million, a $10 million increase, to modernize public health data surveillance and analytics at CDC and state and local health departments.
$681.9 million for the Section 317 Immunization Program.
Potential elimination of the acute flaccid myelitis program.
$1.4 billion, a decrease of $7 million, for HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis prevention.

Viral hepatitis received $46 million, a $3 million increase over FY25.
Sexually transmitted infections received $164 million, a $10 million decrease from FY25.

$781 million, a $21 million increase, for emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases.
$1.4 billion, a $1 million decrease, for chronic disease prevention and health promotion. This includes $246.5 million, or level funding, for tobacco prevention and control.
$205.1 million, a $1 million decrease, for birth defects and developmental disabilities.
$767.5 million, a $13 million increase, for Public Health Scientific Services.
$242.9 million, level funding, for environmental health programs.
$761.4 million, level funding, for injury prevention and control.
$692.8 million, or level funding, for global health.
$913.2 million, a $25 million decrease for public health preparedness and response.

$735 million, level funding, for public health emergency preparedness cooperative agreement.
$30 million, or $25 million decrease, for Ready Response Enterprise Data Integration Platform/Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics. It is unclear from the bill text what exactly is decreased. ASTHO will inquire with CDC to find out additional information.

$25 million for the Infectious Disease Rapid Response Reserve Fund.

In addition to funding, the bill includes the following report language for CDC:

Public Health Data Modernization — The agreement includes funding to advance progress on the initial five key pillars of public health data modernization and the implementation of enterprise-level public health data systems at CDC and State, territorial, local, and Tribal health departments. Within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the agreement directs CDC to provide a briefing on the program’s progress and plans.
Opioid Overdose Prevention — The agreement directs CDC to fund awards to State, local, and Tribal health departments at no less than the percentage of overall funding provided for this program in fiscal year 2024.
Suicide — The agreement encourages CDC to prioritize funding to public health departments for comprehensive suicide prevention programs.
Public Health Infrastructure (PHI) — The agreement includes a new requirement that three percent of total PHI funding be designated specifically for Tribes and Tribal organizations. The agreement further directs that no less than 70 percent of total PHI funding be awarded to State, local, and Territorial public health departments.

SAMHSA

This bill includes $7.4 billion for SAMHSA, which is relatively level funding. This funding includes:

$2.8 billion, or a $15 million increase, for SAMHSA’s mental health activities.
$4.2 billion for substance abuse treatment. This includes $1.6 billion for State Opioid Response Grants.
$2 billion for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant.
$38.9 million for pregnant and postpartum women.
$240.9 million, or level funding, for substance abuse prevention.
$203 million for health surveillance and program support.

In addition to the funding, the bill includes the following report language for SAMHSA:

Grant Opportunities — SAMHSA is directed to consult with the Committees not less than three weeks prior to issuing a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for any competitive grant program and provide a draft FOA to the Committees not less than five days prior to publicly issuing it.
Harm Reduction — The agreement recognizes the Administration’s efforts to prioritize prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery in relation to substance use disorder, including the availability and provision of opioid overdose reversal medications such as naloxone to reduce overdose deaths.

HRSA

The bill includes $8.95 billion for HRSA. This funding includes:

$1.9 billion for health centers.
$1.4 billion for the Bureau of Health Workforce.
$1.2 billion for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. This includes:

$818.7 million for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant and Special Projects of National Significance.
$145 million for Healthy Start.
$15 million for maternal produce prescriptions.

$130 million for the National Health Service Corps.
$417.9 million for rural health.
$127 million for health systems.
$2.6 billion, or level funding, for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. This includes $165 million, or level funding, for the Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic initiative.
$286.5 million, or level funding, for the Title X family planning.

In addition to the funding, the bill includes the following report language for HRSA:

Maternal Produce Prescriptions — The agreement includes $15,000,000 for grants to community-based organizations to develop produce prescription interventions for maternal populations at risk of poor health outcomes due to 10 nutrition insecurity and other health-related factors. These produce prescription interventions should serve maternal populations in low-income and underserved urban and rural areas and demonstrate improvements in fruit and vegetable intake; household food security; and health outcomes, such as gestational weight gain, overall physical and mental health, and well-being for a cohort of pregnant women, as well as positive birth outcomes.

ASPR

The bill includes $3.69 billion for ASPR. This funding includes:

$1.1 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Developmental Authority.
$850 million for Project BioShield.
$1 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile.
$308 million for pandemic influenza preparedness.
$76.9 million for the National Disaster Medical System.
$307.1 million for the ASPR Hospital Preparedness Program. This includes $240 million, or level funding, for formula grants.
$6.24 million for the Medical Reserve Corps.
$10 million for pandemic preparedness and biodefense.

In addition to funding, the bill includes the following report language for ASPR:

State Strategic Stockpiles — The agreement directs ASPR to provide a briefing within 180 days of enactment of this Act on agency guidance and technical assistance for State strategic stockpiles.

Office of the Secretary

The bill includes $2 billion for the Office of the Secretary. This funding includes:

$107.8 million for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Community Grants.
$35 million for Sexual Risk Avoidance.
$44.1 million for the Office of Women’s Health.
$56 million for the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund.
$69.2 million for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
$2 million for the Secretary’s Food is Medicine initiative.

In addition to funding, the bill includes the following report language for the Office of the Secretary:

Patient Matching — The agreement continues to include $3 million for ONC to work with industry to develop matching standards that prioritize interoperability, patient safety, and patient privacy.
Standards for Interoperability — The agreement continues to include not less than $5 million to support interoperability and information sharing efforts related to the implementation of Past Healthcare Interoperability Resources standards or associated implementation standards.

Public Health Extensions

In addition to federal funding, through Sept. 30, 2026, the bill extends or amends the authorization of mandatory funding or provisions for the following programs:

Sexual Risk Avoidance.
Personal Responsibility Education.
Family to Family Health Information Centers.
Community Health Centers.
National Health Service Corps.
Teaching Health Centers that operate graduate medical education programs.
Special Diabetes Program.
Authority for states and tribes to request temporary reassignment for federally funded personnel.
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
Program for Pediatric Studies of Drugs.
Sickle Cell Disease Prevention and Treatment.
Lifespan Respite Care.
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act.
Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.