The Senate Appropriations Committee reported favorably an original bill making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies for fiscal year 2026.

Committee leaders described the bill as a bipartisan compromise that increases funding for medical research and a range of programs serving families, students and workers while rejecting deep cuts proposed by the administration. Subcommittee Chair Capito and Ranking Member Baldwin—leaders of the Labor, HHS, and Education subcommittee—said the bill preserves funding for NIH priorities, childcare, TRIO, Job Corps, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and workforce development.

The committee adopted a manager’s package by unanimous consent and then voted to report the bill favorably; the clerk recorded “On this vote, there are 26 ayes and 3 nays.” The bill includes a $400,000,000 increase for the National Institutes of Health, targeted funding for Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson’s and other research priorities, and modest increases for early childhood programs and 988 crisis lifeline operations.

Debate and amendments
Members debated several amendments at length. Senator Baldwin offered an amendment to restore previously rescinded funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) but withdrew it to pursue a path to restore funding before floor action; Baldwin said the rescission will hit rural stations and tribal broadcasters hardest. Committee members from rural states, including Senator Murkowski, described cases where local stations provide critical emergency alerts and warned about closures if CPB funding is not restored.

Senator Durbin offered an amendment intended to reinstate NIH grants and require timely disbursement of awards that had been frozen or terminated earlier in the year; after debate the amendment was defeated on a roll call (14 ayes, 15 nays). Senators across the aisle and both parties expressed frustration at the administration’s pausing of NIH awards; committee members noted a recent OMB footnote pausing further NIH awards as a key concern in markups.

Other roll-call outcomes included defeat of an amendment offered by Senator Van Hollen to reallocate $90 million from an OMB-authority account to Social Security Administration customer service (14 ayes, 15 nays), and adoption of an amendment from Senator Hyde-Smith requiring CMS to provide written notice and analysis to appropriations committees before terminating a facility’s Critical Access Hospital designation (adopted by recorded vote, 16 ayes, 13 nays). Senator Merkley offered an amendment addressing chemical 6PPD (also debated under Defense markup) and a number of technical manager’s amendments were agreed to by unanimous consent.

Committee leaders said the bill rejects “devastating” cuts proposed in the administration’s request, increases funding for medical research, and funds programs to support childcare, workforce training, substance-use prevention and mental-health services. Ranking Member Baldwin said the bill “increases funding for cancer research” and described the $400 million NIH increase as central to preserving long-term research projects.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to report the Labor, HHS, and Education bill favorably: agreed to; clerk recorded 26 ayes and 3 nays.
- Manager’s package (subcommittee negotiated amendments): agreed to by unanimous consent.
- Baldwin amendment to restore CPB funding: offered then withdrawn by the sponsor (no roll call); sponsor said she will pursue restoration before floor action.
- Durbin amendment to reinstate and require timely disbursement of NIH grants and awards: defeated by roll call (14 ayes, 15 nays).
- Van Hollen amendment to reallocate funds to Social Security Administration customer service: defeated by roll call (14 ayes, 15 nays).
- Hyde-Smith amendment on CMS notice before terminating Critical Access Hospital status: adopted by roll call (16 ayes, 13 nays).

Where this matters
The Labor-HHS-Education bill funds programs affecting medical research, public health preparedness, childcare, education and workforce supports. The committee’s decisions on NIH funding and on procedural protections for hospitals and broadcasters have immediate implications for institutions, research centers and local public media across many states.

What’s next
Committee leaders said they will continue to advance appropriations bills and seek floor consideration of packages this month; sponsors signaled they will work to resolve outstanding issues—most notably CPR funding—before floor action.