The House of Representatives on Wednesday (309-118) and the Senate on Thursday (79-18) approved the final fiscal year 2017 Omnibus appropriations bill. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law sometime on Friday. The bill funds all of ASPPH’s priority accounts. Program level details on the final agreement are available on ASPPH.org. Key highlights include:
- The bill provides a total of $34.084 billion for the National Institutes of Health, $2 billion (+6.2%) above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. This amount includes $352 million from the 21st Century Cures Act. The Fogarty International Center received an appropriation of $72.213 million, an increase of $1.8 million.
- The agreement includes a total of program level of $7.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control – $22 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. Within the CDC account, the agreement includes:
- $25.461 million for the Prevention Research Centers (the same as in FY 2016);
- $25.5 million for the NIOSH Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing Centers ($500,000 more than in FY 2016);
- $29.0 million for the NIOSH Education and Research Centers ($500,000 more than in FY 2016); and
- $8.2 million for the Academic Centers for Public Health Preparedness (the same as in FY 2016).
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality received an appropriation of $324 million, a reduction of $10 million from the FY 2016.
- The Health Resources and Services Administration received an appropriation of $6.461 billion, an increase of $77 million. The Public Health Training Centers (PHTC) Program was level funded.
Even as Congress celebrated the belated passage of the FY 2017 appropriations bills, there was recognition that FY 2018 will be a very difficult funding year. President Trump on May 2nd said that the country needed “a good ‘shutdown’” as the beginning of FY 2018 to force a partisan confrontation over federal spending. This threat came even before he submits his detailed budget proposal to Congress, now expected on May 22.
The House Budget Committee on May 3rd said it is aiming to mark up its fiscal 2018 budget resolution the week of May 15, even before Trump’s full budget proposal arrives on the Hill. Committee staff said the budget resolution is needed to give the House Appropriations Committee a top-line level of spending to start work on spending bills for the fiscal year that begins October 1.
