/>iTwo long weeks until August recess
This is the last week with both chambers in session until September, and things are relatively slow as lawmakers count down the days to the month-long August recess. With reconciliation passed and the rescissions package approved, lawmakers likely won’t start major legislative initiatives or health packages before the recess. Fiscal year 2026 appropriations markups will continue, however, as we near the September 30, 2025, government funding deadline. That said, both the House and Senate appear to have opted not to broach the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding bill before September.
The House Appropriations Committee will hold three full committee markups this week. Senate Republicans could move the military construction appropriations bill and potentially combine it with other bills (into a minibus) on the Senate floor to see if they can get 60 bipartisan votes after the partisan reconciliation and recissions packages.
Over the weekend, President Trump told Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) to keep the Senate in session through August to advance Trump’s nominees, but that is unlikely to happen. The Senate is in session the last week of July, and they could try to achieve confirmations then. This week, the Senate Finance Committee will consider the nomination of Alex Adams to be HHS assistant secretary for family support. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will vote on the nomination of Brian Christine, MD, to be HHS assistant secretary for health.
The House health committees will also be active this week. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will examine the US organ procurement and transplant system, which has been a bipartisan focus for both Energy and Commerce and the Senate Finance Committee. The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a Joint Health and Oversight Subcommittee hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA), which likely will include much discussion on prior authorization.
Looking ahead, Republicans have been talking about resurrecting the bipartisan healthcare package from December 2024. The package included multi-year funding for key healthcare extenders, including Medicare telehealth flexibilities and policies focused on pharmacy benefit managers. It remains to be seen if Democrats would get on board with this, and the August recess could change priorities and outlooks for the end of the year.
Today’s Podcast
In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Maddie News to discuss the upcoming August recess and how that is contributing to a slow healthcare congressional week.
