Senate panel backs FY 26 HHS bill, boosting MH support; field encouraged

Mental health advocates say they welcome allocations released in the Senate Appropriations Committee spending bill for FY 2026 on July 31 which calls for more than $7 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a $400 million increase to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The appropriations committee approved the FY 2026 bill by a bipartisan vote of 26–3. The legislation allocates $116.6 billion in discretionary funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), marking a modest increase of $446 million over FY 2025 levels.