HHS Secretary Kennedy Jr. Announces $1 Billion in Infrastructure Investment for IHS
On February 12, 2026, at the 70th Anniversary Indian Health Service (IHS) Tribal Summit, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that HHS will direct $1 billion in existing departmental resources, drawn from the HHS Nonrecurring Expenses Fund, toward priority IHS health care facilities infrastructure projects beginning in FY 2027. The funding will focus on supporting facilities on the 1993 IHS Construction Priority List.
The $1 billion infrastructure commitment was part of a broader set of actions Secretary Kennedy announced at the summit, including the largest hiring initiative in IHS history to address a roughly 30% personnel shortage across the agency, expanded behavioral health and addiction services, and new tribal representation within HHS leadership. Together, these commitments signal an effort to address not just the buildings, but the people and systems needed to deliver quality care in Indian Country.
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