Watchful Waiting: Three Weeks Left in Lame Duck

Congress returns on Tuesday to begin the remaining three weeks of the lame duck session. Lawmakers have a packed agenda, and they have 18 days to pass a bill funding the government by the December 20 deadline. They also must address disaster relief, the National Defense Authorization Act, the farm bill, and healthcare extenders. It is highly unlikely that the government will shut down. Lawmakers will likely fund the government through a continuing resolution (CR) that includes the must-do items, including the healthcare extenders and Medicare telehealth flexibilities.

The length of the CR is unknown, but healthcare extenders most likely will be extended through the end date of the CR. All other healthcare priorities will likely be punted into 2025, when Congress aims to pursue a reconciliation package.

While the focus remains on wrapping up this Congress, it is worth noting that the 119th Congress will be sworn in in just 32 days, and President-Elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated in 49 days. Trump continues to make nominations for key positions in his second administration. He has nominated:

• Former George W. Bush Administration official Jim O’Neill for deputy secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Surgeon Marty Makary, MD, for commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.
• Researcher Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, for director of the National Institutes of Health.
• Former congressman Dave Weldon, MD, for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Former Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, MD for administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

All five need to be confirmed by the Senate, as does Trump’s previous pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of HHS.

Today’s Podcast

As Congress returns this week for the final stretch of lame duck, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Julia Grabo to provide their thoughts on how these last three weeks might play out, with funding the federal government, disaster relief, the National Defense Authorization Act, the farm bill, and healthcare extenders all on the agenda.