Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
House and Senate leaders early this morning released text of the second minibus, which includes a Labor-HHS bill that would fund the federal health department at $116.8 billion for FY24.
- As we noted last week, that's a small bump over the $115.4 billion HHS received in the FY2023 omnibus.
Here are some other highlights:
- NIH is in line to receive $48.6 billion in funding, a $300 million increase in base funding over FY23. The lion's share of the increase will go for mental health, Alzheimer's and cancer research.
- The CDC would get $9.2 billion, the same as was allotted in FY2023.
- The package includes $3.6 billion for pandemic preparedness and biodefense through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, including $65 million for BARDA.
- Community health centers would get $1.86 billion.
There's also $1 billion for the Mental Health Block Grant and $153 million for behavioral health workforce education and training. The 988 suicide prevention lifeline would get an $18 million increase.
- The package includes $613 million for prevention and treatment services for people at high risk for HIV transmission, which House Republicans had proposed eliminating.
- The Hyde amendment was kept as a compromise between the two parties. And there was funding for Title X and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which House Republicans had proposed eliminating.
What's next: Leaders are lining up House and Senate votes before a Friday deadline to avoid a partial shutdown.
