Senate Passes Baldwin’s Bipartisan Bill to Fund Labor, Health, and Education Departments for Fiscal Year 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass her bipartisan, compromise LHHS appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026. The bipartisan bill rejects the Trump Administration's effort to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), public schools, and addiction and mental health care, while putting up strong guardrails to ensure funding is spent as intended and without delay. The bill also rejects extreme riders-over three dozen in total-that were included in House Republicans' draft bill.

"This bill sends a clear message to President Trump that the American people do not want to cut funding for cancer research, our students and schools, or for tools to fight the opioid epidemic," said Senator Baldwin. "Our bipartisan bill puts a check on the President and his continual habit of using the federal government like his slush fund to bankroll his pet projects while slashing programs families rely on. While this bill does not accomplish everything the people I work for are demanding, it will undoubtedly do good for American families. It will help ensure our schools are funded, people get the health care they need, and new cures and treatments for devastating diseases remain within reach. The House needs to pass this bill immediately and send it to the President's desk."

Among other things, the LHHS bill:

• Protects and Further Invests in Medical Research: The bill rejects the catastrophic 40% cut to NIH proposed by President Trump, and instead of slashing funding for biomedical research, it increases investments in research for cancer, Alzheimer's disease, ALS, women's health, and more. The bill includes a new provision, spearheaded by Senator Baldwin, that prevents implementation of the Office of Management and Budget's misguided multi-year funding scheme that would significantly cut the number of research grants NIH awards - which the Trump administration began implementing in fiscal year 2025, resulting in 2,000 fewer research grants being funded. This new provision is a significant check on the Trump administration's efforts to harm biomedical research and will ensure that the $415 million increase provided in the bill funds more research for new treatments and cures.

• Tackles the Opioid and Mental Health Crises: While the Trump administration tried to cut off funding for programs that support mental health and addiction care, this bill increases investment for those programs. The bill also includes new guardrails to ensure the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funds are allocated as intended and communities across the country have the tools they need prevent suicide, stop the scourge of fentanyl and opioids, and invest in prevention and treatment.

• Rejects Trump's Proposals to Slash Education Funding: Despite the Trump Administration's continued assaults on the Department of Education (ED), this legislation specifically funds ED consistent with longstanding education laws and continues to prohibit the Department from transferring its funding to any other federal agency. The bill also rejects proposed cuts to elementary and secondary education and career and technical and adult education, supporting local schools, teachers, and families, and also setting young adults up for successful careers. The bill also includes new measures to ensure ED funds are allocated to states and school districts on time, preventing resources from being withheld and creating chaos for students, teachers, and families.

More information about the Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill for Fiscal Year 2026 is available here.

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