Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Baldwin’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, is applauding the Appropriations Committee’s bipartisan approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills for the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and other related agencies. The legislation passed by a bipartisan vote of 25-3.

“Our bill addresses the kitchen table issues I hear about every day from Wisconsinites–lowering childcare costs for families, connecting more Americans with good-paying jobs, expanding access to mental health care, and taking on the opioid and fentanyl crisis,” said Senator Baldwin. “We’re also investing in groundbreaking research that will help us find cures and treatments to diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s for families across the country. As chair of this subcommittee, I am proud to give Wisconsinites a seat at the table and deliver for working families.”

Key Points & Highlights – Department of Health and Human Services

Expanding Child Care and Early Learning Programs: The bill provides a $2.3 billion increase for early learning programs within HHS over fiscal year 2024. It provides $10.35 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)—a $1.6 billion or 18% increase over fiscal year 2024—which will help more families across the country find and afford the child care they need. It also provides $12.97 billion for Head Start, a $700 million increase over fiscal year 2024, which will support Head Start teachers and staff as local programs face ongoing staffing challenges. Sustained annual increases to our federal investments in child care and Head Start are critical in tackling the child care crisis holding back families, businesses, and our economy. 

Addressing Substance Use Disorders and Supporting Mental Health: The bill includes new investments to address the rising toll of opioid overdoses fueled by fentanyl, improve access to substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and improve access to mental health services.

The bill includes a combined increase of $215 million for substance use and mental health programs at SAMHSA and HRSA. This includes $2 billion, a $40 million increase over fiscal year 2024, for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant; $1.6 billion for State Opioid Response grants, a $25 million increase; and $155 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, a $10 million increase.

The bill provides a $20 million increase over fiscal year 2024 for Senator Baldwin’s 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline, building on the $18 million increase secured in fiscal year 2024 and the nearly $400 million increase in fiscal year 2023. It protects and builds on key investments in mental health programs and includes $1 billion for the Mental Health Block Grant, a $35 million increase, and a $25 million increase for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program to support training and strengthen the mental health workforce.

In line with Senator Baldwin’s Safe Response Act, the bill provides additional funding for the First Responder Training Program that assists states, local governments, and tribes in training first responders on how to use life-saving overdose reversal drugs, like naloxone.

Investing in Critical Research: The bill provides $50.224 billion in base discretionary funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—an increase of $2.05 billion over fiscal year 2024. In addition, it includes $127 million in Cures Act authorized funding for a total of $50.351 billion for NIH to propel life-saving and life-changing cures and treatments across NIH’s 27 institutes and centers and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The bill not only prevents a further $280 million cut to Cures Act authorized activities in fiscal year 2025 but fully restores funding for the All of Us Research Program, BRAIN Initiative, and Cancer Moonshot back to their fiscal year 2023 levels.

Essential Health Care Programs: The bill improves health care access and affordability and strengthens the health care workforce by maintaining investments in core programs, including $1.86 billion for Community Health Centers, $1.4 billion for Health Professions Workforce Development, and $2.6 billion for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. The bill includes a $70 million increase to help better meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS) administrative needs, which includes nursing home inspections and surveys; a $21.3 million increase in rural health programs to boost recruitment of health care providers to practice in rural areas and support rural hospitals; and a $10 million increase to promote cybersecurity efforts across HHS.

Women’s Health: The bill increases investments in maternal health across CDC, HRSA, and NIH with a $34 million increase for programs that aim to address maternal mental health, prevent pregnancy-related deaths, and support best practices to improve maternal health outcomes. The bill also provides a $76 million increase for NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health and creates a new Menopause Research to Action initiative within AHRQ to translate research best practices into clinical practice for women.

Home Heating and Cooling Assistance: The bill includes $4.125 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $100 million increase over fiscal year 2024, to help low-income households heat and cool their homes.

Key Points & Highlights – Department of Education

Elementary and Secondary Education: The bill strengthens investments in foundational formula grant programs for elementary and secondary education and in public schools, teachers, and students. Title I-A grants are boosted by $280 million over fiscal year 2024, to over $18 billion, for the more than 80 percent of school districts that receive these funds. The primary IDEA Special Education State grant program is increased by $295 million, to $14.509 billion, and supports more than seven million students with disabilities who receive IDEA services.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): The bill provides a $35 million increase over fiscal year 2024 for State Grants for CTE, as well as a $10 million increase for CTE national activities to expand and improve CTE programs.

Higher Education: The bill provides a $100 increase in the maximum Pell Grant award for a maximum award of $7,495 for the 2025-2026 award year. This coming school year, Pell Grants are expected to help over 7 million students at all stages of life pursue postsecondary education and further their careers. The bill also includes $70 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership program and $15 million for the Hawkins Centers of Excellence to help educator preparation programs address educator shortages. The bill also includes an additional $100 million for the administration of student aid programs over fiscal year 2024, including implementing the FAFSA.

Key Points & Highlights – Department of Labor

Workforce Development: The bill includes $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) formula grants, protecting essential investments made in recent years. It provides $290 million for Registered Apprenticeships and $110 million for YouthBuild, and sustains funding for other programs, such as Reentry Employment Opportunities. Continuing funding for these key workforce development programs will help leverage investments made in the Baldwin-backed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act to continue to grow the economy, provide workers the skills they need to secure good-paying jobs of the future and help American businesses compete globally.

Key Points & Highlights – Related Agencies

Social Security Administration (SSA): The bill includes $14.7 billion for SSA’s administrative expenses—an increase of $509 million over fiscal year 2024. These resources will help SSA address service delivery challenges and improve services for Americans across the country—from filing for benefits to getting a replacement Social Security card to calling with questions about benefits.

AmeriCorps: The bill includes a $35 million increase for AmeriCorps State and National grants. This will support AmeriCorps members serving in communities across the country and working to address pressing challenges, including responding to natural disasters, assisting in schools, supporting our veterans, promoting economic opportunity, and conserving and protecting the environment.

A full summary of this bill is available here.

###