This report provides a snapshot of the U.S. Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases. POTUS’ Schedule* 11:15 a.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing; The Vice President attends | Oval Office 2:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act; … Continue Reading
The debt limit (or debt ceiling) is the total amount of outstanding debt that the US Department of the Treasury can incur. The so-called “X-date” is the day on which the Department would no longer be able to pay interest to bondholders on existing debt or to incur new debt if doing so would exceed … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Secretary Price to Testify on HHS Budget Request This Thursday, June 8, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price will appear before the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means to defend the President’s FY 2018 Budget titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness.” The … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity AHCA Revival or Retreat Congress reconvenes this week after a two-week recess, with the possibility of a government shutdown looming at the end of the week. Speaker Ryan has made it clear to his colleagues that funding the government beyond April 28 will be his highest priority. With the American Health Care Act … Continue Reading
Squire Patton Boggs’ State Attorneys General Practice Group is comprised of lawyers who have served at senior levels in state AG offices around the country and whose practices focus, to one degree or another, on representing clients before these increasingly assertive and powerful, yet often overlooked, government agencies, as explained in detail here. In these … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Consider Bipartisan Public Health Legislation This week, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced the consideration of two additional pieces of bipartisan health legislation. H.R. 1877, the Mental Health First Aid Act of 2016, introduced by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Bipartisan Health Legislation to be Considered on House Floor House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy released a full legislative schedule for the week of September 19, which includes votes on various health priorities. The legislation being considered includes H.R. 670, Special Needs Trust Fairness and Medicaid Improvement Act; H.R. 5713, Sustaining Healthcare Integrity and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Republicans Seek to Attack the Affordable Care Act This week House Republicans are putting the Affordable Care Act’s summer headlines front and center. Both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as well as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will hold … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate to Vote on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Conference Report Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the Senate is expected to vote on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (S. 524) conference report this week. The bipartisan legislation authorizes grant programs; creates a task force on pain management; expands … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Republicans to Release ACA Alternative House Republicans announced they will release their long-awaited Affordable Care Act (ACA) Alternative this week. The Speaker’s Task Force on Health Care Reform was announced in January and is one of six committee-led task forces charged with developing “a bold, pro-growth agenda.” Members of the Health Care … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity H.R. 5273, Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016, scheduled for House Floor Vote House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, announced H.R. 5273, Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016 (HIP-C), introduced by House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Ranking Member Jim McDermott (D-WA), … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Energy and Commerce Committee to Hold Concussion Roundtable Last December, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) announced that the committee would commence a broad review of concussions and their implications. His initiative officially begins this week, with a roundtable titled “Broad Review of Concussions: Initial Roundtable.” The committee … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Two Health Bills Scheduled for House Floor House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has stated that the chamber may consider two health bills this coming week. On Tuesday, March 1, the House is expected to consider H.R. 2814, to Name the Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Base Outpatient Clinic in Sevierville, Tennessee, the Dannie … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Cloture Vote Scheduled for FDA Nominee, Chamber May Consider Opioid Legislation On Monday, February 22, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has scheduled a cloture vote on the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. Three Senators – Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Awaits Health Provisions in President’s Budget On Tuesday, February 9, President Barack Obama will submit his FY 2017 Budget Request to Congress, which is expected to include several large-scale investments for the nation’s health. Last week, the White House released a “sneak preview” of the Budget, which includes: $755 million for cancer … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Consider Overriding President’s Veto of Reconciliation Legislation Following a postponement due to weather last week, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that on Tuesday, February 2, the House will consider the President’s veto message on H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. The legislation seeks … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Blizzard Postpones House Consideration of Veto Message on Reconciliation Legislation Due to the winter storm in Washington, the House will no longer be in session this week. Previously, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had announced that on Tuesday, January 26, the House would consider the President’s veto message on H.R. 3762, the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President May Highlight Obamacare Successes in State of the Union Address On Tuesday, January 12, President Barack Obama will give his final State of the Union address to Congress. While details of the speech have yet to be released, last week, the President vetoed Congress’s budget reconciliation bill, which aimed to dismantle the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House To Possibly Consider Amended Reconciliation Bill Last week, the Senate passed an amended H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, on a vote of 52-47. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has stated that the House of Representatives could possibly consider the Senate-passed bill on the House floor … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Republicans Eye Obamacare Repeal Measures In Reconciliation Bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has scheduled a meeting on Monday, November 30, for Republican senators to discuss repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Senate Republican leaders are hoping to consider the Senate substitute amendment to the House-passed reconciliation bill, H.R. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Health Bills Scheduled For House Floor Action House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that on Monday, November 16, the House will consider two health bills under suspension of the rules: S. 599, the Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act, which extends and expands the Medicaid emergency psychiatric demonstration project; and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Two-Year Budget Agreement Approved Late last week, the House and Senate sent to the President a two-year bipartisan budget/debt ceiling agreement, The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (House vote 266-167; Senate vote 64-35). In addition to suspending the debt limit through March 15, 2017, the proposal raises sequestration-level discretionary budget caps by $80 … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to Mark Up Seven Bills On Tuesday, November 3, and Wednesday, November 4, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a markup to consider seven pieces of legislation: H.R. 2017, the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015, and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers To Vie For House Ways And Means Gavel With Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) expected to succeed Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) as Speaker of the House, some Republican lawmakers are eyeing the opening Rep. Ryan would leave behind at the helm of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Several congressmen are expected … Continue Reading
