'It is astonishing': Congress rebuffs Trump push to slash $33B from health, human services

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Nebraska Examiner

By: Jennifer Shutt - February 6, 2026 10:48 am

WASHINGTON — Congress has approved the first public health funding bill since President Donald Trump began his second term, with lawmakers largely rejecting his proposed spending cuts and the elimination of dozens of programs.

A bipartisan group of negotiators instead struck a deal to increase funding on several line items within the Department of Health and Human Services’ annual appropriations bill, including for major initiatives at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“When you look at the differences between what was proposed and what was agreed to, it is astonishing,” House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said during a hearing on the bill in late January.

The Trump administration’s budget request, released in May, called on Congress to cut funding for the Department of Health and Human Services by $33 billion, or 26.2%.




Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/06/repub/it-is-astonishing-congress-rebuffs-trump-push-to-slash-33b-from-health-human-services/

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Thanks so much for sharing this, OS.

The legislation does eliminate the CDC’s Social Determinants of Health program, which the agency’s website states are “nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes.” Those can include whether a person has access to clean air and water, a well-balanced diet, exercise, a good education, career opportunities, economic stability and a safe place to live.
...
“While the bill is not perfect and we disagree with cuts to several HHS agency programs included, overall, the agreement rejects the devastating cuts and nonsensical agency reorganizations proposed by the Trump administration and is a positive outcome,” APHA wrote. “Importantly, the bill also includes language to ensure that CDC and other health agencies maintain an adequate level of staffing to carry out their statutory responsibilities.

“The bill will also ensure that Congress exercises its oversight over any future proposed agency reorganizations.”

I believe that the SDOH program is very important to under/unserved communities but I guess we can't have everything. That cut is a mistake, afaiac. We need to alleviate the food desert problem for starters. Oh, well.

❤️
What Are the Social Determinants of Health?