Congress Reaches a Deal in an FY 2017 Omnibus

During the late evening on April 30, Congress reached a deal on a final Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill which will run through September 30, 2017. 

In total, the omnibus provides $161 billion in discretionary funding for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS-ED), which is $934 million less than the FY 2016 enacted level. Below outlines programs of interest in further detail.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): $73.5 billion (increase of $2.8 billion above FY 2016)

National Institutes of Health: $34 billion (increase of $2 billion), which includes $352 million to fund the 21st Century Cures Act 

• National Institute of Nursing Research: $150.273 million (increase of $3.8 million)

Health Resources and Services Administration: $6.4 billion (increase of $77 million)

• Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs: $229.472 million (level funding with FY 2016)
• National Health Service Corps: no additional discretionary funding included in Omnibus bill (the program is in its second year of a two-year extension granted through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: $7.3 billion (increase of $22 million), including an $891 million transfer from the Prevention and Public Health Fund

• Opioid crisis activities: $112 million (increase of $42 million) to expand efforts to combat opioid prescription abuse and misuse

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: A total of $324 million (decrease of $10 million)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: $3.6 billion

• Opioid crisis activities: $650 million for initiatives aimed at addressing the nation’s opioid addiction crisis

Department of Education: $68 billion ($1.2 billion below FY 2016)

• Pell Grants: restores year-round Pell grants which would offer one million students additional coverage. The bill also cuts $1.3 billion from the Pell surplus. Starting in the 2017-2018 academic year, the maximum Pell grant award will increase to $5,920 per student (an increase of $105) due to changes in mandatory funding.

The association is encouraged to see additional investments in NIH and NINR, as these will ensure that the critical work of the agencies will be sustained and translated to the public in a timely manner. Regarding level funding the Title VIII programs, AACN understands the difficult fiscal climate that appropriators face and will continue urge increased support in FY 2018. The association praises the additional funding for activities that address the opioid epidemic, and also commends the inclusion of year-round Pell grants for students who rely on these dollars to complete their education. 

• Read the full text of the FY 2017 Omnibus bill.
• Read a summary of the LHHS-ED bill.
• Read LHHS-ED program funding here.
• Read the House Appropriations Committee Chairman’s Summary here.
• Read the House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member’s Summary here.