Rescissions rescissions

Congressional focus this week is on the rescissions package and appropriations. The rescissions bill has a July 18 deadline to reach the president’s desk for signature.

The bill is pending in the Senate now. If they make any changes, and they are making noises that they will do so, it will also need to pass the House again by this Friday, July 18.

The rescissions bill is part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to reduce federal spending. It would rescind $9.4 billion that Congress previously appropriated, including funds for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the US Agency for International Development, and public broadcasting (such as NPR, PBS, and local broadcasting networks).

Several Republican senators have indicated concerns with particular cuts, so it is not a given that the package will pass. It also could be amended. During the first Trump administration, a rescissions package passed the House, then failed in the Senate. The last president to successfully initiate a rescissions bill was President Clinton, and that bill was changed from his original request. That said, the 119th Congress has rallied around the president’s agenda before, so we will wait and watch.

In the administration, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule cleared the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review over the weekend, so we expect that rule to drop as early as Monday afternoon. OMB is still reviewing the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule, but it may be released this week as well. It is possible that these rules will contain significant proposed policy changes, as the administration continues to build on priorities from Trump’s first term.

Today’s podcast

The deadline to pass the White House’s recissions package is this week. In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Julia Grabo to discuss the package’s state of play and why it matters.