Congressional:

House & Senate Pass Funding Bill Ending Government Shutdown

On Wednesday evening, President Trump signed H.R.5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, into law, ending the six-week-long shutdown. The House passed the measure in a 222-209 vote on Wednesday evening, following the Senate’s passage on Monday in a 60-40 vote. The legislation provides full-year FY 2026 funding for three regular appropriations bills (Agriculture-Rural Development, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs) and extended funding for all other agencies through January 30, 2026. As part of the deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) committed to hold a vote by mid-December on a Democrat-drafted extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), enhanced advanced premium tax credits (APTCs), which are set to expire at the end of this year. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had said that he cannot promise a vote in the House.

In addition to providing government funding, the law rescinds more than 4,000 federal worker layoffs that occurred during the shutdown and includes language to provide back pay to those furloughed. In addition, it bars further workforce reductions until January 30, 2026. The legislation also extends or funds several expiring Medicare, Medicaid, and public health provisions through January 30, including:

• Funding for the Community Health Center Fund ($1.4 billion), the National Health Service Corps ($115.3 million), and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program ($58.5 million)
• Extension of increased inpatient hospital payment adjustment for certain low-volume hospitals
• Extension of the Medicare-dependent hospital program
• Extension of floor on the geographic index used to calculate provider payment rates under Medicare
• Extension of add-on payments for ground ambulances
• Delay of scheduled Medicaid payment cuts to disproportionate share hospitals
• Extension of coverage of certain oral antiviral drugs under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit
• Funding for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality measure development programs ($14 million for fiscal year 2025 and $13.3 million for fiscal year 2026)
• Extension of waivers for the Acute Hospital Care at Home program
• Extension of Covid-era telehealth flexibilities for Medicare
• Funding for the Special Diabetes Program and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians ($53.1 million each)

Read the section-by-section of the bill here. 

Notable Bills Introduced:

Senators Collins, Welch Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Treat-in-Place Emergency Medical Services

Late last week on Friday, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the bipartisan Comprehensive Alternative Response to Emergencies (CARE) Act. This bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to test a five-year “treatment-in-place” model in which Medicare reimburses emergency medical service (EMS) providers when they treat a patient outside of the hospital, such as for minor medical incidents, rather than transporting them to a hospital for care. Read the press release here and the bill here. 

Executive Branch:

Richard Pazdur Appointed as Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Richard Pazdur, M.D., has been appointed director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). Pazdur is a 26-year veteran of the FDA and the founding director of its Oncology Center of Excellence. His appointment comes after George Tidmarsh resigned from the role. Read the press release here.