Health Policy Report (1/11)

Capitol Hill Update

Congress formally certified President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election following a chaotic day on Capitol Hill. The process was delayed after rioters broke into the Capitol building, forcing an hours-long lockdown that pushed the certification process into the early morning hours. Despite repeatedly stating that he will not concede the election and supported GOP lawmakers’ efforts to overturn results in several states, President Donald Trump issued a statement after the certification saying “there will be an orderly transition” to the incoming Biden administration. The President-elect will be sworn into office on Wednesday, January 20.

 

Financial Services Report (1/11)

Last week saw the Georgia Senate results came in, and a seditious insurrection waged on the Congress by devoted followers of the President. Both will have significant impacts on the politics and policies this year, and while much has been written about the attack on the Capitol, we want to spend a moment discussing the near and long term impacts of unified Democratic control of the Federal government.

 

Health Policy Report (12/14)

Capitol Hill Update

Congress enters the week with some breathing room to avoid a government shutdown and fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2021. President Donald Trump signed a week-long continuing resolution into law last Friday, punting the funding deadline — as well as numerous expiring health programs — to December 18 at midnight. Appropriations will need to move past several lingering policy disagreements that have bogged down progress thus far, including veterans’ health care costs, COVID-19 relief, border wall funding, criminal justice issues, and environmental policy riders. If officials are unable to reach an agreement by week’s end, it’s possible that lawmakers could pass another short-term funding measure that keeps the lights on until early next year.

 

Financial Services Report (12/14)

As of Sunday evening, it was reported that House and Senate negotiators were closing in on a COVID relief deal – albeit one that spun the two most contentious issues of liability protections and funding for state and local governments into a separate bill. Whether or how this all comes together as Congress races to pass a longer year-end spending bill before the end of the week remains to be seen. Please note, that even if the House and Senate pass these measures before funding runs out on Friday, they are likely to stay in session until January 2nd or 3rd in order to prevent a pocket veto situation on the NDAA as well as these measures.

 

TRP COVID-19 Policy Memos

TRP has published a series of memos outlining the numerous policy changes and initiatives undertaken by Congress to address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. These memos are designed to help your organization track and better understand the steps lawmakers have taken to address existing and emerging issues from the outbreak. As always, please feel free to follow up with the TRP team with any specific questions or feedback.

 

Financial Services Report (12/7)

While the House and Senate were in session last week, the lame duck is now going to begin in earnest. First up this week will be the NDAA, which the House will take up on Tuesday. With the President continuing to threaten to veto the bill over non-defense related technology issues, the first threshold will be whether the measure passes House with a veto proof margin.

 

Health Policy Report (12/7)

Capitol Hill Update

Congress returns to action today as lawmakers look to clear the decks on its remaining “lame duck” priorities. With government funding set to lapse at the end of the week, appropriations leaders are expected to release a short-term continuing resolution (CR) this week that would avert a shutdown on Friday and provide more time to reach a compromise. The talks have been bogged down over several lingering policy disagreements, including veterans’ health care costs, border wall funding, criminal justice issues, and environmental policy riders.  

 

Health Policy Report (11/30)

Capitol Hill Update

Congress will return from the Thanksgiving district work period this week as lawmakers look to make progress on key year-end priorities. In notable news on the government funding front, appropriators struck an agreement on fiscal year (FY) 2021 spending allocations last week — a significant step that brings Congress closer to avoiding a shutdown in December. The 302(b) funding allocations, which have yet to be formally released, will serve as the framework for Chairs Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) as they look to clinch a bipartisan agreement on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending measure by the December 11 deadline. Lawmakers will still need to navigate several sensitive policy disputes on COVID-19 relief, border wall funding, veterans’ health care costs, and more before they can cross the finish line.

 

Health Policy Report (11/23)

Capitol Hill Update

Congressional appropriators are working to finalize an agreement on fiscal year (FY) 2021 spending numbers with less than one month to go until the December 11 government funding deadline. The Majority Leader stated on the floor that this past week that the coming days “will tell us a lot about whether Congress can pull off the bipartisan, bicameral appropriations process.” Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) noted that appropriations officials have made some progress toward reaching “basic agreements in principle” on the funding allocations, yet there is no formal deal as of now. Chairman Shelby stated that he expects the talks to continue through this week’s Thanksgiving holiday.