President Trump on Sept. 28 signed a spending package into law that averted a government shutdown, at least for now. The new law provides money for the Pentagon and health and education programs through Sept. 30, 2019 and a number of other program through Dec. 7. What was not included in the legislation is funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, however it is required that lawmakers revisit this issue in the next two months.
The bill specifically provides $178.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019. It includes $90.5 billion for HHS, $2.3 billion more than this year. The increase to HHS is divvied out as follows:
- $2 billion more for the National Institutes of Health.
- $584 million more for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- $206 million more to combat the opioid crisis.
- $187 million more for mental health research, treatment and prevention.
- $133 million more for public health preparedness.
- $27 million more for rural health programs.
- $25 million for a new program to support and expand graduate medical education at public institutions of higher education with a projected physician shortage in 2025.
- $10 million more for the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education program.
