Today Congress released their version of the 2026 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes SAMHSA. It was approved in the House Appropriations Committee on a bi-partisan basis, meaning that chances of passage in the House are very high.

NAATP is pleased that the funding levels did not include cuts proposed by the Administration and left them at levels similar to the previous year. The White House had proposed a forty percent reduction to some agencies, including the National Institute of Health.

Of major importance, the legislation maintains SAMHSA as a stand-alone entity rather than combining it with other agencies, as Secretary Kennedy proposed. The substance use disorder and mental health fields had been very concerned that the focus would be diluted if combined with unrelated federal agencies.

The fiscal 2026 bill which included HHS funding is part of a package of funding bills covering spending for the departments of Defense, Education, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Transportation.

NAATP has been informed that House leaders plan to hold a vote later in the week. Congress has only ten days to clear the package for Trump’s signature before federal funding is set to lapse for the programs it covers, which account for more than seventy percent of the appropriations lawmakers approve each year to keep federal agencies operating.

The Senate is in recess this week, so they will need to pass the legislation when senators return the last week of January if Congress is going to head off another funding lapse. According to our sources, leadership intends to make that happen, unless some major unforeseen problems arise.

This is good news for the field regarding what could have been a reduction of access to quality care, which is a NAATP policy priority. We appreciate our members who have communicated with their members of Congress regarding these critical issues.