from Grants Resource Center – Richard N. Wellons
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that, if passed in the U.S. Senate and signed into law, would fund the federal government through the rest of FY 18. The bill would increase military spending but defy the White House’s requested cuts to domestic programs, including research. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week, with the goal of passing it before the current continuing resolution (CR) runs out tomorrow. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law upon passage. If passage in the Senate doesn’t happen by tomorrow, a short CR may be passed to give the Senate more time.
The bill would provide increases to the Nation’s health research and education efforts in a number of areas. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would receive $88.1 billion in discretionary funding , a $10.1 billion increase above FY 17 levels. The fight against opioid abuse would receive major attention through a $2.55 billion increase in funding. The National Institutes of Health would see a $3 billion increase in funding. Mental health funding at SAMHSA would be funded at $1.5 billion, an increase of $306 million. Other areas receiving significant attention are rural healthcare, the BRAIN program, the All of Us precision medicine study, and Alzheimer’s disease research (which would see a $414 million increase).
The National Endowments for the Humanities and for the Arts would each receive about $152.85 million (an increase of about $4 million from FY 17 levels) and funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services would increase by $9 million. All three agencies faced elimination under the Trump Administration’s proposed budget.
The U.S. Department of Education would also see increases and receive $70.9 billion in discretionary funding, a $3.9 billion increase above FY 17 levels. The bill would fund TRIO at $1.01 billion (a $60 million increase), increase funding for campus-based aid programs by $107 million, and increase funding for programs supporting HBCUs and MSIs by $106 million. Promise Neighborhoods would receive a $5 million increase to $78 million. And $50 million would be provided for evidence-based STEM education programs. The maximum Pell grant award would also be raised to help students keep up with rising costs.
More highlights of the omnibus bill can be found here, while the full bill can be found here.
