House lawmakers will return tomorrow to kick off the September work period. According to a “Dear Colleague” letter from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), leadership could file a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government into mid-December for a vote prior to the end of the week. However, disagreements over policy riders — including the White House’s $47.1 billion supplemental funding request and energy permitting reforms — could shift the timing on this vote. In addition to the stopgap funding bill, lawmakers are slated to consider three bills out of the Oversight and Reform Committee that pertain to: (1) improving federal whistleblower protections (H.R. 2988); (2) modifying certain census bureau authorities to promote accuracy and fairness (H.R. 8326); and (3) prohibiting executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service (H.R. 302). In the upper chamber, senators will be in session this afternoon to resume consideration of pending judicial nominations.
Continue reading “Health Policy Report (9/12)”Author: Thornrun
Health Policy Report (8/29)
Both chambers are recessed to allow for district work and will return to Capitol Hill in September. The Senate returns first on Tuesday, September 6, followed by the House on Tuesday, September 13.
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Congress is set to break for the balance of the month and will return to action in September with a lengthy legislative to-do list. This includes, among other things: (1) government funding and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2023; (2) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fee agreements; and (3) the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), along with several other programs that are set to expire on September 30. Additionally, Democratic lawmakers will be scrambling to finalize other last-minute legislative wins — including permitting reform, tax extenders, retirement savings, water resources development projects, and more — before the conclusion of the 117th Congress.
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Senate Democrats clinched final passage of their long-sought reconciliation bill over the weekend, sending the measure to the House for a final vote later this week. Democratic leadership reached a breakthrough late last week after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) offered a series of tweaks to tax and climate policies within the underlying bill to appease some concerns from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who was the last remaining holdout on the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, the Senate Parliamentarian’s “Byrd bath” rulings — along with the marathon “vote-a-rama” amendment process — resulted in a pair of key changes to the drug pricing policies within the filibuster-proof measure, including: (1) the removal of a provision that would have required drug companies to provide rebates if the cost of their products sold to private insurers exceed inflation; and (2) nixing a proposed price cap for insulin in the private marketplace.
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The Senate will return to action on Monday as Democrats prepare to act on their newly-released Inflation Reduction Act. Text of the reconciliation bill, which includes an array of health, tax, clean energy, and climate policies, is currently being reviewed by the Senate Parliamentarian — a process that could result in additional changes to the legislation if its provisions run afoul of the chamber’s arcane budgetary rules.
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Senators will meet for legislative business today, eyeing passage of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act. The final vote on the bill, which includes funding and incentives to spur domestic semiconductor production, is expected to occur in the middle of the week absent a “time agreement” to expedite the process. Once the bill clears the Senate, House lawmakers are expected to move on the CHIPS legislation quickly next week for a vote to send it to President Biden’s desk before the August break. Meanwhile, House Democratic leadership has been pushing to shore up support among the caucus amid criticism from progressive lawmakers over the semiconductor subsidies. Should there be defections among progressives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will likely need the help of GOP lawmakers to ensure that the bill gets across the finish line.
Health Policy Report (7/18)
Senate Democrats are zeroing in on a health-focused reconciliation effort after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) expressed opposition to climate and tax-related policies within the filibuster-proof bill. In a statement on Friday, President Joe Biden endorsed the strategy that would couple policies from the latest Senate drug pricing title with an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsides. Process wise, the health care language still needs to go through the “Byrd bath” process with the Senate Parliamentarian to ensure compliance with the chamber’s reconciliation rules. Once this arcane process is complete, Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will likely move to get the updated reconciliation bill on the floor as soon as possible and vote to send it to the House before August recess.
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Senate Democrats are bracing for a busy July work period as leadership presses forward on a revival of the budget reconciliation process. After releasing an updated version of the drug pricing title last week, additional pieces of the new filibuster-proof bill are expected to be released in the coming days and weeks ahead so that the Parliamentarian can begin the “Byrd bath” review to ensure compliance with the Senate’s budgetary rules. These policies include tax hikes on high-income earners to shore up the solvency of Medicare and extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, as well as other climate, energy, and tax proposals. According to intel from Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is hopeful to get the updated bill on the floor ahead of the August break. However, it remains to be seen whether the deal can garner the support of the entire Democratic caucus in both chambers.
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Both chambers of Congress have adjourned for the Independence Day state work period, and will return next week. The Senate returns first on Monday, July 11, followed by the House on Tuesday, July 12. ‘
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President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law over the weekend after both chambers reached a breakthrough on the package of gun safety and mental health policies last week. The bill enjoyed bipartisan support in both chambers as lawmakers faced increase pressure to act following several deadly mass shootings across the country earlier this month. The Senate now stands adjourned for the two-week Independence Day state work period and will return to Washington during the week of July 11.
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