President Trump has signed the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill for the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that includes critical funding for health and emergency preparedness initiatives in Ohio and nationwide. The bill, signed on February 3, 2026, provides funds for Health Care Readiness and Recovery (HCRR), formerly known as the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).

This is welcome news after the Administration attempted to eliminate or consolidate many public health programs on its federal budget proposal, which included completely eliminating HPP. In Ohio, our affiliate COTS relies on that funding to coordinate emergency preparedness and response for 36 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Many of our members and partners joined health care organizations nationwide to advocate that this funding stay in the budget. Thank you to everyone who contacted their representatives.

This was one of many appropriations bills signed into law this week, which will fund the government through September 30, 2026.