Congress Moves on Health and Education Funding Before CR Expires

On January 22, 2026, the House passed the remaining fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHSE), Defense and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, H.R. 7148. These bills were then packaged together with the other three remaining FY26 appropriations bills—Department of Homeland Security, Financial Services and State and Foreign Operations—and sent to the Senate for action this week. Following escalating tensions in Minnesota and elsewhere, Senate Democrats have indicated they want to remove funding for the Department of Homeland Security from the other funding bills. This and any other concerns must be resolved before the current continuing resolution expires on January 30, 2026.

Overall, the FY26 LHHSE appropriations bill provides $221 billion, including $116.6 billion for Health and Human Services (HHS), $100 million below the FY25 enacted level, and $79 billion to the Department of Education (ED), $217 million above FY25 enacted levels.

AACOM successes include report language urging increased osteopathic research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), encouraging more community-based clinical rotations and expanding use of osteopathic manipulative medicine and non-pharmacological treatment for pain, as well as an extension of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program for four years with a substantial annual funding increase. According to the negotiated Joint Explanatory Statement, both the House and Senate reports have standing so the language in House Report 119 271 and Senate Report 119-55 carry the same weight unless specifically addressed to the contrary.

Other provisions and funding levels important to the osteopathic community include:

• A four-year extension for THCGME with $225-$300 million per FY, an increase from $175 million per year and three more years of certainty
• $47.2 billion for the NIH, $400 million above FY25 enacted
• $3.7 billion for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Program Management), level funding
• $65 million for Medical Student Education, $5 million above FY25 enacted
• House and Senate directed agencies to expedite responses to Questions for the Record and congressional reports

To learn more about other programs of importance to the osteopathic community, please review AACOM’s analysis of the LHHSE bill.