Congressional:

House Appropriations Committee Advances FY2026 Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its fiscal year 2026 Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services (HHS) departments and related agencies appropriation bill, as amended, in a 35-28 party-line vote with six amendments adopted, including a manager's amendment and an en bloc package of changes from Republicans. The bill proposes $108 billion in discretionary funding for HHS, a $7 billion reduction from FY 2025 levels. During the markup, Republicans adopted an en bloc amendment from Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), which reinforces the skilled trade workforce, upholds support to those suffering from eating disorders and mental health conditions, reinforces domestic manufacturing capacity for essential medications, and encourages school safety. Dozens of Democratic proposed amendments were rejected, which would restore funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs, HIV/AIDS prevention, Meals on Wheels, gun violence research, mental health and homelessness programs, and Planned Parenthood, among others. Democrats also proposed striking abortion restrictions, drawing down a $100 million Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) fund, studying the effects of cuts to the National Institutes of Health, and not extending the Affordable Care Act’s advanced premium tax credits, which expire at the end of 2025. One amendment from Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL) was adopted by voice vote with bipartisan support. The amendment blocks funding for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Medicare prior-authorization pilot model. Notably, the bill does not fund the Trump Administration's request for $20 billion for the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which would consolidate several HHS agencies. The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote. Read the press release here, and the bill report here.

House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Clears Several Public Health Reauthorization Bills

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee considered seven public health reauthorization bills. The bills were agreed to by voice vote and now head to the full committee for consideration. The legislation includes: 

• H.R. 4262, To reauthorize programs related to health professions education, and for other purposes, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 3593, Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 2493, Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2025, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 3419, To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 3302, Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 2846, To amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries), was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.
• H.R. 4709, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2025, was reported to the full committee by a voice vote.

House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Holds Hearing on Children’s Health

On Tuesday, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services held a hearing titled "Better Meals, Fewer Pills: Making Our Children Healthy Again." During the hearing, two officials, Dorothy Fink of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Eve Stoody of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), testified that the agencies would reverse the trajectory of chronic diseases. Fink stated, "By focusing on safe, wholesome food, clean water and environment, nutrition education, and physical activity, we can reverse disease, reduce dependency on medication, and restore hope to millions of families." Subcommittee Chair Glenn Grothman (R-WI) indicated Congress could prohibit the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from paying for junk food such as soda, stating, "It's going to take a lot of guts to stand up to the processed food industry." Democrats criticized recent actions by the Administration and Congress, including cuts to SNAP in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which they stated would undermine children's health. Subcommittee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) noted, "HHS and the USDA have actively contributed to a worsening health crisis in at least two ways: first by slashing critical programs like SNAP and Medicaid, and second by undermining public trust in vaccines and medical research that are proven to keep children healthy." Read Mehlman’s hearing summary here.

Ways and Means Republicans Urge HHS to Fully Implement No Surprises Act

On Monday, House Ways and Means Republicans urged the Trump Administration to fully implement the No Surprises Act (NSA) law aimed at eliminating surprise billing practices for health care services. The letter, led by Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith and signed by 24 others, was sent to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. In the letter, the members allege "inconsistent regulatory actions" by the previous administration for delays. "Nearly five years after the NSA's passage, and spanning multiple administrations, many of these identified challenges remain unresolved ... We look to this Administration to continue building on the work done by the Committee to prioritize necessary regulatory and sub-regulatory improvements so patients can realize the full potential and benefits of the NSA," the members wrote. The letter requested that the departments finalize and implement qualified payment amount calculations and take steps to address claim eligibility and issues with batching. Read the press release and letter here.

CBO Releases Report on Growth in the 340B Drug Pricing Program

On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report titled “Growth in the 340B Drug Pricing Program.” The report examined drug purchases made through the 340B program in 2021, growth in such purchases from 2010 to 2021, and factors that contributed to that growth. The report found that healthcare facilities participating in the Prime Vendor Program (PVP) spent $43.9 billion on 340B drugs in 2021, up from $6.6 billion in 2010 and that one-third of the increase in spending in the program from 2010 to 2021 can be attributed to trends in market wide growth in drug spending and disproportionate growth among drug classes that account for more spending in the 340B program than in the overall market. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) issued a statement on the report, stating, “Today, the Congressional Budget Office has further validated my long-standing concerns that the 340B program—while an important lifeline to many of our safety net providers—has the ability to be abused and drive-up overall health care costs for Americans.” Read the report here.

Representative Matsui and Colleagues Urge HHS to Abandon 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program

On Tuesday, Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Tracey Mann (R-KS) led a bipartisan group of 163 total lawmakers in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging him to abandon the newly announced 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program. The lawmakers warned that the proposal would fundamentally alter how the 340B program has operated for more than thirty years, jeopardizing the ability of safety-net providers to care for vulnerable patients. The members wrote in the letter that “Congress intended the 340B Program to enable the nation’s safety-net providers to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services…An unchecked rebate model would severely undermine that purpose.” Read the letter here.

Notable Bills Introduced:

Senator Cornyn, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Lower Prescription Drug Costs for Seniors

On Thursday, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Share the Savings with Seniors Act, which would lower out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for seniors with chronic health conditions and ensure that the patients most likely to face high out-of-pocket costs directly benefit from the savings that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and plans negotiate. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Senators Rosen, Boozman Introduce Bill to Establish National Advisory Commission on Long-Term Senior Care Services

On Thursday, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced a bill to create a National Advisory Commission on long-term care services for seniors and individuals in need of support for activities of daily living. The bipartisan Supporting Our Seniors Act would direct the new Commission to assess and provide recommendations to Congress on how to improve service delivery, financing, workforce adequacy, and other issues related to long-term care in order to help increase seniors’ and individuals with disabilities’ access to affordable care services. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Senator Wyden, and Representatives Costa, Van Duyne Introduce Bill to Put Patients First in Organ Donation System

On Thursday, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) introduced the Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act. The legislation would modernize the nation’s organ transplant system by ending private financial control and placing it under direct and fully transparent federal oversight. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Representatives Carter, Harshbarger Introduce Legislation to Ensure Access and Transparency in 340B Drug Pricing Program

On Wednesday, Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced the 340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-Net Act (340B ACCESS Act). This legislation proposes reforms to ensure the program better serves safety-net providers and vulnerable patients by requiring discounted medicines, codifying a clearer patient definition, and setting stronger eligibility standards for hospitals, child sites, and contract pharmacies. It also seeks to prevent middlemen and for-profit entities from profiting from the program, enhances transparency through standardized reporting, and strengthens federal oversight to improve accountability and patient affordability. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Senators Durbin, Cramer, and Representative Schneider Introduce Bipartisan Bill Addressing Shortage of Doctors, Nurses

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), along with Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL), introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to quickly address the nation’s shortage of doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for physicians that Congress has previously authorized. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Representatives Mann, Tokuda Lead Bipartisan Coalition of Members in Strengthening Rural Health Care

On Tuesday, Representatives Tracey Mann (R-KS) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI) led a bipartisan group of 13 members in introducing the Modernizing Rural Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner Utilization Act, the Rural Health Clinic Location Modernization Act, and the Rural Behavioral Health Improvement Act. The bipartisan package of legislation makes necessary updates and modifications to federal guidelines and regulations that will modernize access to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and improve services for Americans living in non-urban and rural communities. Read the press release here, the Modernizing Rural Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner Utilization Act here, the Rural Health Clinic Location Modernization Act here, and the Rural Behavioral Health Improvement Act here.

Representatives Dunn & Davis Introduce Bill to Advance Care for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

On Tuesday, Representatives Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) introduced the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act, legislation that would improve the quality of care for patients living with sickle cell disease on Medicaid. The legislation would allow states to submit a State Plan Amendment (SPA) to establish Health Homes for patients with SCD as the single qualifying condition. Health Homes are a proven care delivery model in Medicaid that Congress has successfully expanded for other patients, like children with complex medical conditions. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Senators Scott, Schatz Introduce Bill to Protect and Increase Telehealth Options

On Monday, Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced the Telehealth Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill that would extend telehealth access for Americans enrolled in Medicare through fiscal year 2027. Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) are leading the House companion bill. Read the press release here and the bill here. 

Executive Branch:

President Trump Announces Actions to Provide Greater Transparency and Accuracy in Prescription Drug Advertisements

On Tuesday, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing federal agencies to strengthen oversight of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. The action requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure ads provide accurate, transparent information about risks and benefits, and to enforce truth-in-advertising standards. Citing rising industry spending and concerns over misleading promotions, including social media campaigns, the memorandum emphasizes protecting patients from undue influence and misinformation. This effort builds on the administration’s broader push for healthcare price transparency and measures to align U.S. drug prices more closely with those in other countries. In a press release following the signing, HHS highlighted research showing a decades-long increase in direct-to-consumer advertising spending. "Pharmaceutical ads hooked this country on prescription drugs," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. "We will shut down that pipeline of deception and require drug companies to disclose all critical safety facts in their advertising." Read the White House fact sheet here.

MAHA Commission Releases Make Our Children Healthy Again Report & Strategy

On Tuesday, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Report and Strategy. The strategy outlines an approach to remedy childhood illness by improving diet and adding physical activity while reducing "overmedicalization" and chemical exposure. It calls for increasing research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Veterans Affairs, and other agencies. Topics to be studied include chronic disease, environmental exposures, autism, vaccines, air quality, microplastics, prescription drug prescribing, nutrition, oral health, and more. The report also introduced a broad framework for vaccines, stating that the United States should have "the best" childhood vaccine schedule and that it will modernize vaccines with "transparent, gold standard science." HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated at the launch event, “We’re looking at economic impacts and health impacts and environmental impacts, and we’re trying to make a policy that is gonna work.” Read the press release here, the report here, and the strategy here.

FTC Chairman Ferguson Issues Noncompete Warning Letters to Healthcare Employers and Staffing Companies

On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson sent letters to several large healthcare employers and staffing firms urging them to conduct a comprehensive review of their employment agreements, including any noncompetes or other restrictive agreements, to ensure they are appropriately tailored and comply with the law. “Enforcement against unreasonable noncompete agreements remains a top priority for the Federal Trade Commission,” said Kelse Moen, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition and co-chair of the agency’s Joint Labor Task Force. “We strongly encourage all employers—not just those receiving letters today—to review their contracts closely, to ensure that any restrictions on employee mobility are in full compliance with the law.” The FTC’s warning letters to health care companies come after the agency voted 3-1 to withdraw its appeal in a court case challenging a Biden-era rule to ban noncompete agreements nationwide. Read the press release here.

CMS Issues Guidance to Strengthen Oversight of Medicaid State-Directed Payments

On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released preliminary guidance for states on implementing new federal payment limits for State Directed Payments (SDPs) in Medicaid managed care. The guidance, issued ahead of a final rule, outlines restrictions on payment levels tied to Medicare rates, eligibility for a temporary grandfathering period, and required next steps for states. These changes are intended to curb rapid growth in SDP spending, which has expanded from two states in 2016 to 39 states today, while maintaining transparency and fiscal accountability. Certain eligible SDPs submitted or approved before July 4, 2025, may qualify for temporary grandfathering until rating periods beginning January 1, 2028, followed by a phased reduction until they meet the new payment limits. Read the press release here and the guidance letter here.