Hinds Today

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Thursday joined her colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to approve a funding bill that will support Mississippi’s rural health and job training initiatives.

The FY2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill, approved on a 25-3 vote, would provide funding for a broad range of federal social programs. Hyde-Smith used her position on the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee to promote rural health and education programs in Mississippi.

“Mississippi is truly working to be proactive in addressing the challenges facing health care delivery in rural areas and in ramping up career training, and I’ve worked to position this important bill to aid in those endeavors,” Hyde-Smith said. “I am committed to working with the committee to advance this bill toward enactment later this year.”

Hyde-Smith supported increased funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) rural health programs, including the Rural Hospital Stabilization grants program that helps enhance the financial viability of rural hospitals. She also supported the inclusion of language in the bill that directs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to solicit applications for the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program.

The bill provides $5.0 million to continue support for Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Office of Rural Health, which was established through Hyde-Smith’s efforts during the FY2023 appropriations process. The CDC Office of Rural Health is charged with coordinating rural health efforts across CDC programs and developing a strategic plan for rural health.

Hyde-Smith said she believes Mississippi can benefit from increased funding for the U.S. Department of Education Career and Technical Education grant program, and elsewhere in the bill secured funding for specific projects and initiatives in Mississippi.

Among the items of interest in the FY2025 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill for Mississippi are:

The bill also includes increased funding for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, administered by the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Mississippi, as one of 23 states and Puerto Rico participating in this program, currently has nine active IDeA biomedical research awards totaling more than $17 million.

The Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill is now available for consideration by the full Senate this fall. It adheres to the statutory caps on discretionary funding established under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

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