This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases. Note: On Friday, the US Federal Government is observing the new Juneteenth holiday. POTUS’ Schedule* 10:30 a.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT receives the President’s Daily Brief | Oval Office 2:15 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT … Continue Reading
This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases. POTUS’ Schedule* *The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change. 2:00 p.m. EST – The President arrives in South Texas to Visit the U.S.-Mexico Border (1:00 PM Local) | … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House and Senate Pass FY 2017 Budget Resolution to Set into Motion the Repeal of Obamacare Last week, Congress passed a budget resolution (S Con Res 3) that will serve as a first step in paving the way for budget reconciliation and eventual repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. … 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 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 House Republicans May Select New Ways and Means Committee Chair With Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-OH) having now officially resigned from his post as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, this week it is expected that House Republicans will elect a new leader of the tax-writing committee. Presently, the race … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House To Vote On ACA Repeal Provisions House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has included two health-related bills on this week’s floor schedule. On Wednesday, the House is expected to consider S. 1362, a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to clarify waiver authority regarding programs of all-inclusive care … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Health-Focused Reconciliation Recommendations Clear Three Committees Last week, three House committees considered and passed reconciliation recommendations that included health-related language. The House Committee on Ways and Means approved language that would repeal the individual and employer mandates, the excise taxes on medical devices and high cost employer-sponsored health coverage (also known as the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Health Legislation Hits House Floor House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that the following health-related bills will be considered this week under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1624, the Protecting Affordable Coverage of Employees Act, as amended, which provides that employers with 51 to 100 employees are small employers for purposes … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Committee on Energy and Commerce to Mark Up Health Legislation The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has announced that it will hold a markup on Tuesday, July 28. Several health bills are on the agenda: H.R. 1344, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2015, which reauthorizes a program for … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Shuffles Closer to a Budget Deal, as Appropriations Process Stops The appropriations process is all but over, after a Confederate flag flap during floor debate of the House Interior-Environment bill brought the process to a standstill. While the appropriations committees in both the House and Senate may mark-up their final appropriations bills … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Republicans Postpone Reconciliation Actions Until After August Recess With the August District Work Period only weeks away, House Committee on the Budget Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) announced this past week that the House Committee on the Budget would not act on reconciliation until after the lawmakers reconvene in September. The three House committees … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Republicans Consider Obamacare Repeal Through Reconciliation Some GOP lawmakers continue to advocate for an Affordable Care Act repeal via the budget reconciliation process. Others, however, have been questioning whether this budget tactic would be better used for different policy objectives, such as tax reform. The budget resolution provided a July 24 deadline for … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Vote on Medical Device Excise Tax and IPAB Repeals In the House of Representatives, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced that several health care bills will be considered on the floor this week. Two of these bills dismantle portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). H.R. 160, the Protect Medical … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Wednesday, June 10: The House Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing titled “Obamacare Implementation and the Department of Health and Human Services FY 2016 Budget Request.” Wednesday, June 10: The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled “Prescription Mismanagement … Continue Reading
