On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed a ‘minibus’ appropriations package for the remaining six of the 12 spending bills, finalizing fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding and averting a government shutdown. This package includes funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its programs. The $1.2 trillion deal follows four short term funding extensions since the start of the fiscal year and will fund the remainder of the government for the rest of FY 2024. The package is a relatively non-controversial, ‘skinny’ health care package, and thus did not reauthorize several health care priorities including the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Reauthorizing the SUPPORT Act remains a priority for Congressional leaders.

On March 9, 2024, the “1st Minibus” was passed and provided funding for six federal appropriations including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), where some rural health programs are housed. That package included several health program extensions through the end of the calendar year, including funding for community health centers, national health service corps, and teaching health center graduate medical education (GME).

The 2nd minibus (passed March 23, 2024) is available here. 

The 1st minibus (passed March 9, 2024) is available here. 

Impact on General Dentistry: A partial government shutdown could have caused widespread harm, particularly for agencies and programs that depend on discretionary funding through the annual appropriations process. While the SUPPORT Act and other health care priorities were not included in the FY 2024 spending bills, AGD will continue to advocate for its inclusion in any FY 2025 funding legislation, which Congress is already beginning to negotiate, passage as a standalone bill or as part of another health care legislative package.