APA Services submitted written fiscal year (FY) 2027 testimony (PDF, 63KB)opens in new window to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies on behalf of the Friends of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in support of the NIMH and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The coalition, cochaired by APA Advocacy staff, urged the subcommittee to provide robust, sustained funding for NIMH in FY 2027, to empower the Institute to build on its behavioral, biomedical, and social research mission and critical initiatives The coalition’s testimony underscores the critical role of sustained federal investment in mental and behavioral health research amid growing national need. For NIH, the coalition requested the subcommittee provide funding of at least $51.303 billion total to NIH in FY 2027, consistent with the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research’s FY 2027 requestopens in new window. The group also requested that NIMH receive an increase commensurate with any increase to the overall NIH budget.
The Friends of NIMH reaffirmed their commitment to working with Congress to advance mental and behavioral health research as a national priority and to ensure that scientific progress keeps pace with evolving mental health needs facing the country. The coalition emphasized NIMH’s vital role as the lead federal agency for mental and behavioral health research, supporting scientific discoveries that improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of mental illnesses across the lifespan. The testimony highlighted how NIMH-funded research continues to drive innovations that translate into better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities nationwide.
Finally, the coalition’s testimony calls attention to rising rates of mental health conditions, ongoing workforce shortages, and persistent disparities in access to evidence-based care. The coalition stressed that robust, predictable funding for FY 2027 is essential to maintain research momentum.
APA Services staff cochairs the Friends of NIMH coalitionopens in new window. For more information, email Angela L. Sharpe.