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Month: July 2016

Health Policy Report

Posted on by Thornrun

The Week in Review

With Congress starting its seven-week recess, the Republican Party held its national convention in Cleveland, Ohio to formally nominate Donald Trump for President. While many observers expected the convention to serve as a lightning rod for protests, the fireworks mostly came from the speaker’s podium as Republican stalwarts, celebrities, and numerous members of the Trump family all spoke to a raucous crowd assembled in Cleveland’s basketball arena. The speeches were fairly light on policy and some – most notably Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) – failed to provide a full endorsement of the nominee, but Republicans were united in their opposition to presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. In his acceptance speech, Trump described a nation in turmoil and portrayed himself as the candidate who would return “law and order” to American society. From a health policy perspective, the focus on the personal attributes of the candidates overshadowed differences on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – or Obamacare – which had been a crucial part of the Republican campaign in the 2010 midterms and 2012 presidential election.

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Financial Services Report

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Looking Ahead

Near Term

  • The Republican National Convention starts today and runs through Thursday.
  • The Democratic National Convention starts one week from today and runs through Thursday, July 28th

Further Out

  • Congress returns from its recess on September 6th.
  • Funding for the Federal Government expires on September 30th.
  • Presidential election will be on November 8th. 

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Health Policy Report

Posted on by Thornrun

Week in Review

Congress worked through a packed agenda in their final week before the national party conventions and the traditional summer break. While lawmakers were able to reach important agreements on opioid funding and a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), they left other important issues – including funding for combatting the Zika virus, responding to recent mass shooting and terror incidents, and appropriations for the Department of Defense (DoD) –unfinished.

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Health Policy Report

Posted on by Thornrun

The Week in Review

In a busy week for the House, lawmakers approved a number of bills under suspension of the rules, including a measure altering regulations related to crowdfunding (H.R. 4855) and a long-awaited bill reforming mental health services (H.R. 2646). The mental health bill, which among other provisions would create an Assistant Secretary for Mental Health within the Health and Human Services Department, passed nearly unanimously on a 422-2 vote. In an additional bipartisan victory, House lawmakers approved the conference report (S. 524) to a measure intending to stem the opioid epidemic in another landslide vote, 407-5. Democrats had a late change of heart in supporting the measure, as many originally claimed that funding levels were insufficient. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily and be signed into law by President Obama before the summer recess.

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Financial Services Report

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Our Take

The 2015 Congressional calendar was one defined by a series of statutorily imposed deadlines that gave us a modicum of certainty – in as much as that is ever possible with the United States Congress – of when, and in most cases “what” was coming down the pike.   This year, and perhaps in large part due to efforts to return to “regular order” the ability to plan and predict has been less clear.   This has been most apparent in the consideration of the spending bills.  While the House is set to try to pass another one this week, Senate Democrats blocked the usually popular Defense Spending bill last week, and all but made certain that there would be a continuing resolution for funding the government in September.  At issue is whether that measure – known in town as a CR – will keep the government open until a lame duck session or whether it will punt all spending decisions into March and put the questions on the new President’s desk.   Speaking of which, as of this writing, Secretary Clinton is a nearly 80% favorite to win the election in November – but as any gambler know – 5:1 odds aren’t impossible.  Clearly this is a year of unpredictability – and it looks like we should anticipate a very bumpy ride over the next 120 days until the election.   

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This Week on the Hill: With Five Days Left Before Recess, Congress to Tackle FAA, Zika, Interior-Environment, Opioids, and Iran Sanctions

Posted on by Thornrun

With just five days separating Congress from a seven-week recess, lawmakers will be working through a packed agenda, including measures addressing environmental regulations, Iran sanctions, aviation security, abortion, and the Zika virus. The most pressing item for both chambers will be clearing legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) operational authority, which is currently set to expire on Friday. A compromise short-term authorization – which would extend the FAA’s authority through the end of fiscal 2017 – includes increased funding for airport safety operations and is due to reach the House floor today.

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This Week on the Hill: Mental Health, Financial Services Approps in the House; GMOs in the Senate

Posted on by Thornrun

Congress returns from its brief Independence Day recess with a full slate of legislative work to tackle before breaking for the national conventions and the body’s traditional August break later this month. The House reconvenes today and is set for a busy week after its last floor session ended abruptly due to Democrats’ dramatic sit-in on the chamber floor to force a vote on gun control proposals. House lawmakers will be set to vote tomorrow afternoon on Rep. Tim Murphy’s (R-PA) mental health bill (H.R. 2646) that was unanimously passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month. Today, the lower chamber will consider a series of 16 bills under suspension of the rules, including a measure that would authorize a strategic approach for US foreign assistance directed towards alleviating global hunger (S. 1252) and another (H.R. 5210) that would aim to improve access to durable medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries. Details on the other 14 bills due for consideration can be found here. 

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Financial Services Report

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Our Take

When the House returns today, and the Senate a day later, from their 4th of July breaks it is unlikely that the time spent extolling the virtues of our country, wrapping themselves in patriotism or recalling the words of the Declaration of Independence will have any effect on the partisan gridlock that has continued to grip Congress in a vice lock this year.   With only two weeks of session before an elongated summer recess that will include each party’s respective Presidential convention we should continue to expect rhetorical fireworks for the remainder of their time in DC.  

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Health Policy Report

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The Week in Review

With the House out for the week ahead of the Independence Day holiday, the Senate’s work was divided between the hugely successful and the continually frustrating. On the latter, senators began the week by continuing consideration of the House-passed Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (H.R. 2577) that includes a funding package to combat the Zika virus. Democrats successfully blocked the bill over insufficient Zika funds and policy riders that would restrict access to birth control and suspend pesticide permitting requirements near waterways. The Senate will be scrambling to try again on the bill in order to pass a Zika funding package before Congress leaves for its summer recess later this month.

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