White House Proposes $33 Billion Cuts to HHS in FY26 Budget

The Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget calls for sweeping cuts to domestic spending, particularly targeting the Department of Health and Human Services with a reduction of over $33 billion, impacting agencies like the NIH and CDC and eliminating funding for several institutes and disease prevention programs. Health advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers strongly criticized the plan, warning it would undermine progress on major diseases and public health. The proposal also seeks to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other small agencies, citing a desire to reduce government size and spending on what it describes as niche or ideological programs. Meanwhile, the budget increases funding for defense and border security, though Republican lawmakers argue that, when accounting for supplemental measures, the defense budget effectively remains flat or is even a cut compared to previous years. The release of the budget has sparked bipartisan criticism, with concerns about both the scale of domestic cuts and whether defense funding matches current security challenges.