Today at 10am Eastern, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 26 HHS budget request, with testimony from HHS Secretary RFK, Jr.
The budget seeks $93.8 billion for HHS, a cut of about $33 billion over the FY 25 enacted level. The budget proposes the consolidation of several programs formerly administered by HRSA, representing a funding decrease of $1.732 billion. This includes a proposed $1 billion cut to health workforce programs, which includes the Title VII and Title VIII programs, targeting programs that provide scholarship and support for individuals to enter health professional careers.
The Administration proposes to combine multiple HHS agencies, including the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and some programs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).
The budget proposal calls for elimination of a number of programs, to “align investments with the Administration’s priorities, streamline the bureaucracy, reset the proper balance between federal and state responsibilities, and save taxpayer funds.” This includes the proposed elimination of, previosuly within HRSA, “15 workforce programs including some Nursing workforce programs and Medical Student Education.”
In regards to behavioral health, “The budget also invests $129 million in Behavioral Health Workforce Development Programs, including Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, and the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. These programs train and place behavioral health providers in underserved communities. It expands the workforce, integrates behavioral health into primary care, and addresses the shortage of providers, particularly in rural areas where behavioral health services are often provided by primary care providers.”
The hearing may be viewed here.