Difficult to make
Harder to keep together
Deals - it's what we need
The Rundown
- Congress working to strike a year-end deal on government funding, healthcare, defense, and everything else
- What’s up, NC delegation?
- From our desks
- Join the Duke Health Advocacy Network!
Federal Updates
What’s the deal with a deal – and everything else?
Congress loves deadlines. Well, they don’t really. No one actually does, but they help keep work mostly on track – and the 118th Congress wants to clear the decks as much as possible and keep the lights on for the federal government beyond the current continuing resolution’s (CR) December 20th expiration date.
With top-line funding decisions in the works, reports of offers being traded on an adjoining healthcare package emerged mid-week. Among the priorities being discussed for inclusion are extending expiring Medicare provisions for hospital-at-home and telehealth, addressing pending cuts to physicians mandated by the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and passing long-stalled reauthorization bills, including the Duke Health-supported Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness (PAHPA) Act and the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act. News of possible deals are likely to spring up throughout the weekend and next week, but bipartisan support in both chambers is essential for a final package to come together.
House Republicans are planning to move forward with the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) next week. The legislative text for the NDAA is expected to be released later today, so it remains to be seen what, if any, controversial components will be included. This timing would kick the annual defense policy bill to the Senate the same week the chamber is expected to consider a stopgap spending bill to fund all federal agencies into 2025.
The NDAA formally authorizes broad programmatic and spending initiatives at the Department of Defense (DOD), including the Defense Health Program, which supports and funds DOD medical research, as well as the Defense-supported medical workforce. Passing the policy bill also creates a roadmap for broader discussions on final FY 2025 defense funding.
This week Senate Democrats formally voted Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to again lead the party in the Senate next Congress. As previously reported, when the Senate flips to Republican control next year, Senator John Thune (R-SD) will take over as Senate Majority Leader, replacing Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who will step down from that role.
President-elect Donald Trump continues to round out his HHS nominees, stating that he will nominate Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bhattacharya is a physician and a professor of health policy and economics at Stanford University. Dr. Bhattacharya was an anticipated frontrunner for the position, which will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
What’s Up, NC Delegation?
On Monday, Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) joined Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Cliff Bentz (R-OR) in sending a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the role pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) may have played in the opioid crisis.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC-03) was recently elected to the House Republican Policy Steering Committee, an advisory committee tasked with driving the House Republican’s legislative policy agenda in the upcoming Congress.
From our desks
This week our team has been meeting with internal leaders and experts on issues that will be on the congressional agenda next year. If you are considering joining your professional association in any of its 2025 advocacy days, please be in touch! We are glad to learn more about your outreach and share updates on Duke Health’s advocacy plan.
Our office also conducted outreach in support of provisions in a possible end of the year package, and met with staff for Senator Tillis about the Pediatric Trials Network.
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