The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) is an important committee to the research community in that it is responsible for securing appropriations and drafting legislation for the Department of Education (ED), Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The LHHS Subcommittee is one of the most sought-after committee appointments in the Senate due to the wide scope of agencies and priorities under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) announced the subcommittee leadership roles on February 15. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) was announced as Chairwoman of the LHHS Subcommittee and Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) as Ranking Member. Previously, Senator Murray served as the Chair of the LHHS subcommittee, but left the position when she became Chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee. The Ranking Member position was previously held by Roy Blunt (R-MO) who retired at the end of the last Congress.
The subcommittee is expected to begin work on the FY 2024 appropriations bill now that the President’s Budget Request has been released (see COSSA’s in-depth analysis).