The House Appropriations Committee voted to approve $196.5 billion in funding in a fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill covering the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), which also includes the Social Security Administration.
The FY2021 funding bill marks a $2.4 billion increase over the FY2020 enacted level, and $20.8 billion more than the White House asked for in its FY2021 budget request.
“From Early Head Start to Social Security, these programs touch individuals and families throughout their lifespan,” House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said. “With this bill, we help our constituents access new cures, new treatments, new research, and new protections to help them and their families live healthier lives.”
The legislation provides a total of $96.4 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an increase of $1.5 billion over FY2020. The legislation includes $8 billion in funding for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and an additional $9 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to improve preparedness for public health emergencies.
Of the CDC total funding, $50 million will be directed to modernizing health data surveillance and analytics capabilities. Within the $9 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations, $400 million is directed toward a multi-year effort to modernize public health data surveillance and analytics.
Funding for the Department of Education includes $85 million for grants to expand opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) within the Education Innovation and Research program. That figure marks a $20 million increase over the FY2020 level, while the President’s budget proposal requested to eliminate the program.
