Federal health programs face deep funding cuts under a draft budget proposed by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.

The Washington Post, citing an internal budget document and a federal health official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that the Department of Health and Human Services could lose about a third of its discretionary budget.

Politico, also citing the proposal it obtained, reported that HHS’ fiscal 2026 discretionary budget could drop to about $80 billion from the roughly $117 billion it was allocated this year.

HHS could eliminate dozens of programs, stop routine inspections at food facilities via the Food and Drug Administration and slash the discretionary budget for the National Institutes of Health from about $47 billion to $27 billion, according to Politico.

The Post reported the budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be cut about 44%.

Chronic disease programs and domestic HIV work would be eliminated and rural health programs would take a hit, according to The Post.

The government also would pull money for the Head Start program.

The National Head Start Association said it was “deeply alarmed” by the proposal.

“This proposal does not reflect fiscal responsibility — it reflects a disinvestment in our future,” NHSA Executive Director Yasmina Vinci said in a statement. “Eliminating funding for Head Start would be catastrophic. It would be a direct attack on our nation’s most at-risk children, their well-being, and their families. It would end early learning, meals, vision, hearing, developmental screenings, and dental care for nearly 800,000 children.”

The draft budget for the health department is just a preliminary proposal. A similar document was circulated for the State Department, suggesting it could have about half of its funding cut.

HHS hasn’t commented on the reported budget proposal.

A State Department spokeswoman said budget plans for her agency were far from finalized.

“I can tell you that whatever you’ve seen in public was not released from this entity, was not released from this department,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters earlier this week. “It was not released by the secretary, that there is no final plan, final budget, final dynamic.

That is up to the White House and the president of the United States as they continue to work on their budget plan and what they will submit to Congress.”

The federal government is in debt by $36 trillion and ran a nearly $2 trillion deficit last year.

Congress recently passed a budget resolution aimed at making 2017 tax cuts permanent while slashing federal spending.

The House was aiming for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, possibly up to $2 trillion.

Spending cuts seem to resonate with the American public.

A new survey from the Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, showed more than three-quarters of Americans say they believe the federal government spends too much money.

And Americans estimate that the government wastes 59 cents of every dollar it spends, according to the Cato survey.

But should the savings come from federal health programs?

Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University, said Americans would be affected by slashing HHS funding right away. Other effect might take years to feel, she said.

Promising interventions for heart disease, cancer and mental health issues might all be in jeopardy if the funding is cut, Ho said. America has been at the forefront of discovering these cures.

But Europe and China could pull ahead in drug discoveries if U.S. government funding dries up, she said.

Ho said it’s hard to convince the general public of the importance of funding medical research that might feel “intangible” when people see lower taxes as a benefit to their pocketbooks.

“But you don’t realize you actually may be cutting off the funding that would save your grandchild,” Ho said. The private sector and states might be able to pick up some of the slack if the federal government cuts funding for health programs, but not all, she said.

“To a great extent, many of those people who needed care, they end up at our county hospital,” Ho said. “And the county hospital will take care of as many of them as possible. But a fact of life is people who don’t have health insurance do use less health care.”

Have a news tip? Contact Cory Smith at corysmith@sbgtv.com or at x.com/Cory_L_Smith.