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Congress returned from the Memorial Day recess with a crowded budget agenda, as House Republicans continued moving FY 2027 appropriations bills while Senate Republicans focused on advancing the next budget reconciliation package. During this period, the House advanced the Agriculture-FDA appropriations bill, which included a discretionary allocation below FY 2026 enacted levels. The House Appropriations Committee also moved into a more active markup phase for major spending bills, including Labor-HHS-Education and Homeland Security.   House Republicans proposed $110.8 billion for HHS, a roughly 4% reduction from the $116.6 billion approved for FY 2026, though notably less severe than the 12.5% reduction proposed in President Trump’s budget. The bill would increase NIH funding by $100 million, preserving a traditionally bipartisan investment in biomedical research. It also includes a $2 billion cut to Affordable Care Act Marketplace operations, elimination of funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and reductions to CDC funding that could affect HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The debate is likely to reinforce both parties’ competing health affordability narratives ahead of the midterms, with Republicans emphasizing fiscal restraint and fraud, waste and abuse, while Democrats focus on coverage, public health funding and the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies.