Unspent healthcare funding faces do-or-die cliff

descriptions off, selected

captions settings, opens captions settings dialog

captions off, selected

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

End of dialog window.

The Hill's Headlines | PM - September 29, 2026

The Hill's Headlines | PM - September 29, 2026

The Trump administration has refused to spend billions of dollars that Congress appropriated for health programs, putting them at risk of expiring on Wednesday when the fiscal year ends.  

Such a move, which Democratic and even some Republican lawmakers say is illegal, poses a significant test of Congress’s willingness to stand up to the Trump administration. 

It also comes after the White House late last week unilaterally cancelled nearly $1 billion in congressionally appropriated funding.   

Here is some of what is at risk: 

More than $1 billion for global health programs

U.S. international development aid could fall off a cliff. Congressional leaders have been warning for over a month that the administration is sitting on over $1 billion designated for global health initiatives.  

Congress appropriated $9.4 billion for global health programs for fiscal 2026, signaling bipartisan support for a rejection of much deeper cuts proposed by the administration. Congress preserved the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight TB, AIDS and Malaria, as well as HIV/AIDS programs previously administered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

But the administration has yet to spend $1.3 billion meant to protect maternal and child health and counter infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.  

Last week, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged administration officials to spend the money as intended.  

Collins and top Democrats are worried the administration is........

© The Hill