A new budget blueprint released by President Trump decreases Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spending by about $15 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2018 — an 18 percent cut from FY 2017 funding levels.
The proposed HHS cuts include a $6 billion funding decrease for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a $403 million decrease for programs to train the health care workforce. The cuts to HHS partially offset a $54 billion increase in defense spending proposed in the budget plan.
In addition, the president’s proposed budget would create:
- a new $500 million block grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that would allow for state flexibility and focus on public health challenges specific to each state; and
- a new Federal Emergency Response Fund aimed at responding to public health outbreaks, such as the Zika virus.
The Trump administration said it will release in May a more detailed budget, which will address changes to mandatory spending.
In a statement, America’s Essential Hospitals said the budget blueprint, combined with the expected impact of repealing the Affordable Care Act, “deepens our concern about the future for patients and for the ability of our hospitals to care for vulnerable people and provide vital, communitywide services.”
Contact Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
