House Republicans, looking to keep the government going for two more weeks while legislators hammer out the federal budget, are looking to cut $466 million from the Dept. of Health & Human Services with a budget proposal they say would save $4 billion.
The federal government will go dark March 4 unless Congress and President Barack Obama agree to a budget deal. The GOP’s continuing resolution would extend that deadline until March 18.
The proposal follows a measure the House passed last week, featuring $61 billion in cuts, that would forestall a shutdown for seven months, according to The Hill’s healthcare blog Healthwatch. But Democrats, who still control the Senate, are unlikely to approve a bill that would halt funding for healthcare reform, Title X family planning and Planned Parenthood — setting the stage for an ugly battle with the other chamber.
The proposed cuts to HHS (from earmarked programs in the agency’s 2010 budget) in the GOP’s latest CR include:
- $397 million: Health Resources and Services
- $21 million: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- $15 million: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- $3 million: CMS, program management
- $21 million: Children and Families Services program
- $1 million: Child Care Development Block Grant
- $6 million: Administration on Aging
