At Subcommittee Markup, Republicans Hollow Out Our Health Care System and Destroy Public Education

WASHINGTON — Today, House Republicans advanced their extreme 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies funding bill that is an assault on education and job training, slashes medical research, abandons ongoing public health crises, and eliminates funding for reproductive health.

This bill:

• Decimates support for children in K-12 elementary schools by slashing funding for low-income students, eliminating funding for teacher training, and eliminating funding for community schools.
• Slashes research into lifesaving cures by cutting funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—including the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)—and eliminating funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).     
• Harms women’s health by cutting programs that support maternal and child health, eliminating programs that provide access to health services and contraception, and adding numerous partisan and poison pill riders related to abortion and reproductive health.
• Abandons college students and low-income workers trying to improve their lives through postsecondary education by eliminating funding for need-based financial aid, adult job training, and adult education.
• Surrenders to ongoing health crises by cutting funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), including major cuts to State and local health departments, tobacco prevention programs, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, substance use prevention and treatment, and mental health services.

From Appropriations Committee and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro’s (D-CT-03) opening remarks, as delivered: 

“The actions of this malicious and vindictive administration are hurting the middle class, the working class, and the vulnerable across every single one of our districts and taking us back decades. Americans are struggling with rising costs of everyday necessities. They are living paycheck to paycheck. But the President, and House Republicans, are not laser-focused on the cost-of-living crisis. They are making it worse. Right now, the Trump administration and House Republicans are working to dismantle our health care and public education systems… I would urge my Republican colleagues to say: enough. Stop supporting anti-vaccine lies. Stop cutting Medicaid. Stop destroying public education. Stop hollowing out our health care and public school systems.”

DeLauro also reiterated her call for RFK Jr. to be fired: “And now, Republicans are eviscerating our public health system and promoting Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine ideology. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used to be the crown jewel of public health information and guidance on vaccines that saved so many lives. Now it is being taken hostage by liars and conspiracy theorists. On August 8th, the CDC—still reeling from mass layoffs—was horrifically attacked by a shooter whose mind had been twisted by misinformation about Covid vaccines. He murdered a police officer — Officer David Rose, a Marine veteran… How has RFK Jr. responded? Last week, at a news conference in Texas, he doubled down on vaccine conspiracies and faulted CDC for listing vaccines among the top 10 advances in medical science. RFK Jr. has no scientific or medical expertise. He pushes deadly conspiracies and spreads lies and misinformation… RFK Jr. was never qualified to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. He should be fired immediately.”

A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies funding bill is here. A fact sheet is here. The text of the bill is here.

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