One More Week Until Election Recess

The House and Senate are in Washington, DC, for one more week before leaving until after election day. Over the weekend, congressional leaders struck a deal on a continuing resolution (CR) through December 20, 2024. The House is expected to pass it midweek, followed by expected Senate passage ahead of the September 30, 2024, government shutdown deadline. The CR includes very limited add-ons to strictly funding the government. However, it does include $231 million in additional Secret Service funding for presidential candidate protection, and a few healthcare-related extenders such as extensions of programs related to autism and Medicaid funding for the Northern Mariana Islands. October should be a quiet month for Congress, but after the election, things will heat up quickly with a lame duck session that will include:

• An end-of-year funding bill.
• Action on committee assignment movements.
• New Republican leadership election in the Senate.
• Other changes based on election outcomes.

Congressional committees are busy this week with several healthcare-related hearings. These hearings focus on a range of topics, including cost of diabetes and obesity prescription drugs, AI, and women’s reproductive health.

We will publish the McDermott+ Preview and Podcast intermittently during the month of October because of limited congressional activity. Our next publication will be Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

Today’s Podcast

In this week’s Healthcare Preview podcast, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Maddie News to discuss the status of government funding and provide an outlook on congressional activity during the upcoming October recess.