House FY 2025 Bill Proposes 23% Increase for the Indian Health Service, Maintains Advance Appropriations
On June 27, 2024, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies released the draft bill text for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget. The bill provides $38.478 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which is $72 million below the FY24 levels and $4.407 billion below the Biden Administration’s request. Despite the overall reduction, the bill proposes $8.56 billion for the Indian Health Service (IHS) which is $1.6 billion (+23%) above the FY24 enacted levels and $360 million (+4.4%) above the Biden Administration’s request. Additionally, the bill provides $5.98 billion in advance appropriations for FY26. Appropriations Committee Chairman Cole (R-OK) emphasized that this bill “safeguards the sacred oath this nation made to protect Native American communities.”
Next Steps
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold a markup meeting on June 28, 2024. Once the Subcommittee approves the bill, it will proceed to the full Appropriations Committee for markup on July 9, 2024. During this full Committee markup, a detailed bill report will be provided, outlining the specific amounts for line items within the IHS budget, including the urban Indian health line item. NCUIH will offer a detailed analysis of the budget once the bill report is released.
