Debt Limit Debate Continues  

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen previously announced that the government could run out of money to fund government operations “potentially as early as June 1” unless Congress acts to address the issue. Secretary Yellen is expected to make another announcement on the debt limit deadline this week. How Congressional Republicans and President Biden will reach a deal on the debt limit is unclear. Negotiations are ongoing regarding spending caps, use of unspent COVID-19 funding, permitting reforms and work requirements. (President Biden has made it clear that he is not considering work requirements in Medicaid, but work for SNAP could be on the table.) President Biden and congressional leadership are scheduled to meet on Tuesday. However, the clock is ticking toward June 1, with limited time in session for Congress and the president scheduled to leave the country later this week.

The House and Energy Commerce Committee is expected to hold a mark-up on healthcare-related bills on Wednesday. The mark-up is not yet posted, and the legislation that will be marked up is not known. However, this is likely to be a very important mark-up for stakeholders across all sectors in healthcare.