The leadership of the House Appropriations Committee has proposed capping FY 2019 spending levels for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee at $177.1 billion, the same spending levels allocated to the subcommittee in Fiscal Year 2018.

The proposed FY 2019 spending cap does not adjust for inflation leaving the subcommittee very limited in funding any new programs. Ranking member, Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) predicted “a donnybrook” to erupt over the flat-funding in the bill and called for a $5 billion increase in funding.

Impact on General Dentistry: Oral health and dental programs depend on sufficient funding allocations for the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee. If the House doesn’t increase allocations to the subcommittee, it could prove difficult to secure funding for future programs. The AGD will continue monitoring developments on this issue.