President releases budget blueprint for 2018 discretionary spending

President Trump today submitted to Congress his proposed budget blueprint for fiscal year 2018, which provides top-line numbers for discretionary spending only. The president requests $69 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, a $15.1 billion or 17.9% decrease from the 2017 annualized continuing resolution level. Among other HHS highlights included in the blueprint, the president’s budget would increase funding for opioid misuse prevention efforts by $500 million; eliminate $403 million in health professions and nursing training programs; reform key public health, emergency preparedness and prevention programs; create a federal emergency response fund for public health outbreaks; consolidate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the National Institutes of Health; and reduce NIH spending by $5.8 billion relative to the 2017 annualized CR level. The administration expects to release a full budget, including specific mandatory and tax proposals, later this spring.