LHHS Appropriations Progress Stalled

The House approved the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill in late July by a vote of 276-140. This is two votes shy of a veto-proof margin. The House bill provides a net increase to the NIH budget of $549 million, or 1.9% over FY07 when $300 million is transferred from the budget to the Global HIV/AIDS Fund.

Prior to Congress' August recess, it became increasingly unlikely that the FY08 LHHS appropriations bill would reach the President's desk through "regular order." Senate staff offered little hope that the bill would receive separate consideration on the Senate floor; it more likely will be considered as part of an omnibus spending bill. Fears that the appropriations bill would not be completed before the September 30 fiscal year have been proven, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) announced a schedule that will keep the Senate in session through mid-November with the strong possibility of a post-Thanksgiving session.

With little hope of individual appropriations bills getting through the Senate this year, House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (WI) directed staff to prepare documents for an omnibus appropriations bill during the August recess.

In addition to slightly different funding levels for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, there are three major differences between the House and Senate LHHS appropriations bills: (1) the House committee had $2 billion more for LHHS than the Senate; (2) there are more earmarks in the Senate bill; and (3) the Senate bill includes stem cell research language. Each of these differences is cited by the Administration in its threats to veto the LHHS bill should it arrive on the president's desk.

Should an omnibus bill be proposed, the LHHS bill would be included in its own chapter, subject to conferencing by the LHHS appropriations subcommittee chairs and ranking members: Sens. Tom Harkin (IA) and Arlen Specter (PA) and Obey and Rep. James Walsh (NY).

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