On January 20, 2026, House and Senate appropriators released a four-bill funding package covering the Defense; Homeland; Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agencies. The bipartisan bill would provide $116.6 billion in discretionary funding to HHS, matching the level approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in July 2025 and significantly exceeding the $94.7 billion outlined in the Trump Administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal. 

The bill includes $525 million for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and at least $13.5 million for general dentistry programs under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The House Appropriations Committee report also urges HRSA to restore the vacant Chief Dental Officer (CDO) position. Moreover, the report includes language noting “the role of community water fluoridation in public health as an effective, economical, and evidence-based intervention for the prevention of dental caries,” while also encouraging research into “any possible links between total fluoride exposure from fluoridated water systems and human neurodevelopment, cognition, and other health outcomes.” Both House and Senate report language includes $300,000 to continue the development of an oral health awareness and education campaign through HRSA. 

The package does not include an extension of the expired enhanced premium tax credits (EPTCs) for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans. It also omits most of the proposals in the Trump Administration’s health care framework released last week. 

The House is reportedly aiming to pass the package this week, with Senate action expected soon after, in order to avert a government shutdown ahead of the January 30 funding deadline. 

The full bill text can be found here.