CSWE Advocacy Update–August 2025

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Spending Bill

On August 1, the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (L-HHS-ED) appropriations bill by a bipartisan vote of 26-3. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would receive $7.4 billion, maintaining FY 2024 enacted levels, and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would receive $8.8 billion in discretionary funding, a $71 million decrease from the FY 2025 enacted level. The Department of Education (ED) would receive $79.0 billion in discretionary funding under the Senate bill, a $900 million decrease over the FY 2025 enacted level but a rejection of the Trump Administration’s proposed dissolvement of the agency.
The bill largely rejects the massive cuts to the health workforce proposed in the President’s FY 2026 budget request and rather proposes level funding for most of the Title VII health professions and workforce development programs. Of note, the bill proposes a cut of about $21 million to the Title VII and VIII programs compared to what was included in the FY 2025 full-year continuing resolution (CR). The bill would also provide:      

  • Level funding of $113 million for the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) programs.   

  • $40 million for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, flat funding with FY 2024 enacted levels;  

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and would receive $534.6 million, an increase of $15 million above the FY 2024 level and Substance Abuse Treatment programs would receive flat funding to FY 2024 enacted levels or $4.2 billion in total funding,

  • Flat funding at FY 2024 levels for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program at $55 million. 

  • $1.3 million in Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) funds to support a separate prevention fellowship program that will increase the number of culturally competent prevention specialists to help expand prevention programming for underserved minority populations.


At ED, the bill would provide $7,395 for the maximum individual Pell Grant award for the 2026-2027 school year, the same award level for the 2025-2026 school year and a rejection of the proposed decrease to $5,710 as the maximum Pell award under the President’s budget request. 
Considering the delays in the House, it is unlikely this bill will be negotiated before the September 30 expiration of FY 2025 spending, and a CR will likely be needed to fund the government until a final funding package is negotiated. CSWE will continue to monitor these developments as both chambers return in September for further negotiations.