Health Policy Report (2/13)
The Senate will be in session this week to close out the February work period. On the floor, senators will resume consideration of pending presidential nominations, beginning with Cindy Chung’s nomination to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court. Meanwhile, House lawmakers have wrapped up legislative business for the month and will […]

- August 8, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review In the presidential race, Hillary Clinton opened a significant lead in the latest polls following the Democratic National Convention and a series of controversies involving her opponent, Donald Trump. With just under 100 days until the election, Clinton has approached a double digit lead nationally and carries an advantage beyond the […]
- August 1, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review Following the Republican convention in Cleveland two weeks ago, Democrats convened in Philadelphia last week to officially nominate Hillary Clinton for President. The biggest scandal of the convention struck before the gavel even dropped as Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz (D-FL) was forced to resign amid the release […]
- July 25, 2016
Health Policy Report
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 […]
- July 18, 2016
Health Policy Report
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 […]
- July 11, 2016
Health Policy Report
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 […]
- July 5, 2016
Health Policy Report
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 […]
- June 27, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review In Washington and abroad, last week brought unprecedented action that caught most political analysts by surprise. On Thursday, the United Kingdom (UK) shocked the world by voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a highly anticipated public referendum. The move brought turmoil to global financial markets, forced British Prime Minister […]
- June 20, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review After consideration of dozens of amendments, House lawmakers approved defense appropriations legislation (H.R. 5293) on Thursday by a vote of 282-138. The bill provides $517.1 billion of funding to defense programs, with another $58 billion allocated to the Overseas Contingency Operations account for combat operations against the Islamic State of Iraq […]
- June 13, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review House leaders from both parties successfully shepherded a revised bill (H.R. 5278) addressing the Puerto Rico debt crisis through the lower chamber, putting the legislation on track to be on the president’s desk before a July 1 deadline for the island territory’s next debt payment. The measure, which was approved on […]
- June 6, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review Both chambers were in recess last week for the Memorial Day holiday. The Senate is expected to reconvene today, with the House set to return tomorrow.
- May 31, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review Before breaking for Memorial Day on Friday, lawmakers in both chambers tried to clear the decks on bipartisan measures with mixed success. In the House, a rewrite of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (H.R. 2576) – which governs regulations for toxins used in the manufacture of consumer products – was […]
- May 23, 2016
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review Even without a budget resolution, the House passed the first of its fiscal 2017 appropriations bills last week, as well as this year’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a bill transferring Ebola funds to fight the Zika virus. On Wednesday, House lawmakers approved the $610.5 billion spending […]