Senate Appropriations Committee Provides Small Increase for NIH Cut for CDC
The Senate Appropriations Committee provided a small increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health in its version of the FY26 Labor Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill, which provides annual funding for the U.S. Public Health Service and other federal agencies. The bill passed out of committee on a bipartisan vote of 26-3 to provide $47.201 billion for NIH – an increase of $391 million over FY25. Additionally, the bill provided level funding ($1.5 billion) for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The Senate action contrasts with the Trump Administration's recommendation to cut NIH funding by $18 billion and a $500 million cut to ARPA-H.
In addition to rejecting President Trump’s proposed funding levels, the Senate included language to push back against a number of other policy proposals floated by the Trump Administration on the NIH, including:
- Maintaining existing legislative language blocking the Administration from unilaterally changing the NIH indirect cost rate.
- Explicit funding for all 27 NIH Institutes and Centers – an implicit rejection of the Trump Administration’s proposal to reorganize NIH to reduce the number of institutes and centers.
- Requiring 180-day notice to Congress on any NIH reorganization plans.
- Including report language limiting the amount of forward funding of NIH awards.
- Including report language supporting NIH collaboration with international colleagues.
The bill also provided $9.152 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a cut of $531 million over FY25 funding. The CDC section of the bill included report language expressing concern with the Trump Administration over staffing and program cuts, and re-organization efforts at the agency. The bill also included report language supporting the expert input of the CDC Advisory Council on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and directs the CDC “…to work in collaboration with medical professional societies to help determinate any update necessary for the immunization schedule.”
The bill also includes report language on a number of other priorities of interest to ATS members including:
- Support for the CDC’s tuberculosis (TB) activities including urging more TB technical support in tribal areas, concern with the recent TB outbreak in Kansas, and urging more effort at latent TB detection.
- Support and funding for sepsis data collection.
- Support for CDC efforts to expand patient uptake of lung cancer screening.
- Support for the CDC’s sleep health initiatives.
- Support of the CDC’s efforts on tobacco control, including increased emphasis on removing unauthorized tobacco products from the U.S. market.
- Support for understanding the economic burden of asthma in the U.S.
- Support and $10 million for the CDC’s Climate and Health program.
- Support for the CDC to expand heat and health activities, specifically directing the CDC to “…develop and implement a system for tracking and making publicly available the health care costs associated with the increased demand for medical assistance during extreme heat events, including expenses related to emergency room visits, urgent care treatments, hospitalizations, and associated medications.”
- Concern about the increase of black lung in Appalachian miners, and urges the CDC to “…improve access to screening for miners using its mobile medical unit in Morgantown and across Appalachia.”
The full Senate LHHS report can be found on the Senate Appropriate Committee website.
Senate Bill Cuts EPA Funding But Tries to Preserve Core EPA Functions
In related action, the Senate Appropriations Committee also reported the FY26 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, which funds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Senate provided $8.661 billion for EPA in FY26 – a cut of $479 million from last year, but less severe than the $4.98 billion cut proposed in President Trump’s budget.
In a move likely intended to scale back the Trump Administration’s efforts to decimate EPA staff and programs, the Senate report included uncharacteristically strong language describing the value of EPA staff and programs. Case in point, the Trump Administration has proposed eliminating the EPA Office of Research and Development. In response the Senate report language notes (emphasis added):
“EPA has a long and proud tradition of being one of the world’s leading environmental and human health research organizations. The Office of Research and Development [ORD] conducts cutting edge research to better understand and mitigate harm to humans and the environment from contamination from natural and humanmade disasters, radiation exposure, wildfire smoke emissions, chemical releases, drinking water contamination, chemicals in everyday products, and other threats…The Committee is appalled that the Agency has announced the imminent closure of ORD, which would result in the further loss of biologists, chemists, engineers, ecologists, and other expert scientists numbering in the thousands and the closure of world-class laboratories and research centers…The Committee directs the Agency to immediately halt all actions related to the closure, reduction, reorganization, or other similar such changes to ORD and the EPA scientific workforce and instead, if the administration continues to wish to pursue this change, include any such changes within the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2027 as a proposal for the Committee to make a decision on in a final funding bill for that year.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee also took the unusual step of including directive funding language for specific programs in the legislative text of the FY26 appropriations bill instead of relying on Congressional guidance that is usually conveyed in the accompanying committee report. The full report can be found on the Senate Appropriations Committee website.
By contrast, the House Appropriations Committee has reported its version of funding for the EPA that more closely adheres to President Trump’s EPA funding recommendations and supports the Administration’s efforts to dismantle key EPA programs, including the EPA Office on Research and Development. It is highly unlikely that Congress will finish any appropriations bill before beginning of the federal fiscal year on Oct. 1, and most observers expect a series of continuing funding resolutions will be required to keep the federal government open.
The ATS will continue to closely monitor the federal funding process and advocate for robust funding for federal research, public health and environmental programs.
CLEAN AIR
EPA Proposes to Revoke GHG Endangerment Finding and EPA Vehicle Tailpipe Emissions Rule
In a long-expected move, the Trump Administration finally issued a proposed rule to revoke the current EPA Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding – a finding the gives the EPA the authority and obligation to regulate GHG emissions. The same rule also proposes rescinding the current EPA rule that regulates GHG emissions from future model year cars and trucks. If the Trump Administration is successful in revoking the GHG Endangerment Finding, the EPA will lose authority to regulate any GHG emissions.
In responding to the EPA’s announcement, ATS President Raed Dweik, MD, noted:
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EPA proposal to rescind the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Endangerment Finding goes against the EPA’s mission. The negative consequences of the action announced today by the EPA will be felt for generations.
The proposal dismisses conclusive scientific evidence that rising global temperatures are driven by human-caused GHG emissions.
These emissions also affect the many thousands of people living with respiratory diseases, whose conditions will worsen. We urge the EPA to continue to regulate carbon dioxide and methane emissions along with other pollutants, as directed in the U.S. Clean Air Act.
The proposal will halt the current effective steps being taken to reduce U.S. GHG emissions. If left unchallenged, the rise in natural disasters and reduction in the health and welfare of Americans will become the tragic reality going forward. Our ability to cope with the human health risks of climate change will be increasingly hindered, and our children and grandchildren will pay for this proposal with their health and wellbeing.”
The proposed rule has a 45-day public comment period which closes Sept. 15, 2025. ATS members can submit comments for the public record at the federal register website. The ATS will be submitting public comments in opposition to the proposed rule.
The EPA will also be holding a virtual public hearing on August 19 and August 20 (and possibly Aug. 21 if needed). ATS members are encouraged to request to speak at the public hearing to share with the EPA how climate change is impacting your patients. To request a time to speak at the EPA public hearing, please contact EPA-MobileSource-Hearings@epa.gov. You will then get an automated response with instructions on how to register via the web.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Senate Confirms Dr. Monarez as CDC Director
This week, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Susan Monarez, MD, as director of the CDC by a vote of 51–47. Dr. Monarez is the first CDC director confirmed by the Senate, under a 2023 law requiring Senate confirmation of the director’s appointment.
Dr. Monarez has served as acting director since January. Her background is in microbiology, biodefense, and infectious disease preparedness. Her confirmation follows the withdrawal of President Trump’s first nominee, former Rep. Dave Weldon, MD, and comes amid ongoing public health challenges and major CDC restructuring under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
At her confirmation hearing, Dr. Monarez affirmed her commitment to science-based policymaking and appeared to distance herself from Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism. Many public health groups supported Dr. Monarez’s appointment, while several Senate Democrats expressed concern over her ability to maintain the CDC’s independence.