Health Care — Senate panel rejects Trump budget health cuts

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Senate panel rejects Trump budget health cuts  The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's massive proposed funding cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), advancing a measure that would increase the agency's budget by $400 million.   © The Hill, Greg Nash The White House budget called for slashing NIH by $18 billion, a decrease of 40 percent. Instead, the committee advanced the bill on a 26-3 vote, delivering a bipartisan rebuke of the administration's efforts to defund medical research.      The bill includes a $100 million increase for Alzheimer's disease research, a $150 million increase for cancer research and a $30 million increase for the Office of Research on Women's Health.    While funding for other parts of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was left the same, it was still a far cry from the major cuts put forward by the White House.    "To the scientists wondering if there will even be an NIH by the end of this administration: this committee's resounding message is yes," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee's vice chair.      The panel also did not include a massive HHS reorganization that would have created a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) to focus on chronic disease prevention.    The White House budget request called for the new AHA agency to absorb other existing agencies and programs within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the entire Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.    The administration proposed giving the AHA agency a budget of $20 billion. But lawmakers on Thursday never mentioned it.    An Appropriations Committee spokesperson told The Hill that HHS never sent Congress the required formal reorganization plan or allow for six months of consideration.   Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Fewer kindergarteners are being vaccinated, CDC data show Vaccinations among kindergarteners declined during the 2024-25 school year compared to the year before, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Rates dipped to 92.1 percent for the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) and to 92.5 percent for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) and polio vaccine, the data show.   The drop in vaccination coverage …  Full Story Cooper's North Carolina Senate bid will put Medicaid front and center Democrats are hoping health care will be a winning issue across the 2026 midterm elections and see North Carolina as the top potential pickup opportunity in their long-shot play to regain control of the Senate.    Full Story What is the Presidential Fitness Test? President Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, a controversial relic of the Cold War era that former President Obama abandoned in 2012. The executive order would create programs for schools to reward "excellence in physical education," White House officials told CNN, and aims to address "the widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness." “President …  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read: Weight loss drugs may boost testosterone in men, study finds GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy could increase testosterone levels and help prevent erectile dysfunction in men, according to a new study. While more data is needed, researchers from St. Louis University Hospital saw significant increases in testosterone levels for men with obesity or Type 2 diabetes while taking GLP-1 medication. Men who experience obesity or have Type 2 diabetes often have lower levels … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: A California bill might make it easier for people to get help with medical bills (CalMatters)  Massachusetts assisted living home had its license suspended twice before fatal fire (Boston Globe)  RFK Jr. is elevating vaccine hesitancy. Texas advocates were prepared to seize the moment (Dallas Morning News)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Trump administration halted lawsuits targeting civil rights abuses of prisoners and mentally ill people (ProPublica)  Brain swelling on the rise among unvaccinated kids with influenza (Bloomberg)  Susan Monarez faces daunting challenges as CDC director (The New York Times) What People Think  Opinion related to health submitted to The Hill: AI holds great promise for health care, and Trump's action plan is a good first step   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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