The Week Ahead

Congress is back in town and has a lot on its plate. Members left for the 2-week scheduled work period without fully funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and while they were away, President Trump released his Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request, which his cabinet will now need to justify. So, let’s get into it. Welcome to the Week Ahead!

The Administration

Not wanting to be left out of the podcast trend, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. Jr. has announced that the first episode of his podcast, aptly named “The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,” will premiere this week. Kennedy will host discussions with doctors, scientists, and HHS staff to begin “a new era of radical transparency in government.” The podcast will act as another tool for the administration to spread the message of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement ahead of the midterms, which is crucial as President Trump looks for wins to highlight.

Secretary Kennedy has also been busy working on his vaccine priorities through changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) charter. The changes are designed to expand the fields from which the Secretary of HHS can draw from when appointing ACIP members, including those who are knowledgeable in the field of “recovery from serious vaccine injuries.” The charter also adds several vaccine skeptic organizations to the list of organizations that supply non-voting liaison representatives to the Committee. Richard Hughes, an attorney who represented the groups that successfully halted Kennedy’s previous attempt to remake ACIP, commented that “the purposes (of the document) are likely two-fold — attempting to create the appearance of conformity to legal challenges while laying the groundwork for furthering an anti-vaccine agenda.”

The Senate

 As the House considers the DHS funding bill, minus funding for immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Senate is looking at ways to maneuver ICE and CBP funding through. President Trump agreed with plans to move forward with a plan to finish DHS funding through reconciliation after meeting with Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, on April 10. Our conversations on the Hill support the idea that this second reconciliation bill would focus exclusively on ICE/CPB funding. This will certainly raise questions for the Senate parliamentarian, who will have to decide if the Senate can use reconciliation for funding normally passed through the annual appropriations process. Our conversations also indicate that a desire to keep this reconciliation bill focused on ICE and CBP could push any other potential items into a third reconciliation bill.

It is the last full week for Senators to submit appropriations requests for consideration by the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee as the deadline for submission is April 21.

Health Care Hearings This Week

• April 16: Senate Budget Committee hearing to examine the Presidents FY27 budget proposal with Office of Management and Budget Director Vought
• April 16: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing to examine lowering drug costs

The House

The House is kicking off consideration of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal and will be hosting multiple cabinet members throughout the week. HHS Secretary Kennedy, for his part, will appear before the House Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee and the House Ways and Means Committee on April 16. Sec. Kennedy will be likely be facing questions about the large cuts to HHS, especially the National Institutes of Health. We also expect Democratic members to take advantage of the opportunity to hit the administration on everything from vaccines to Medicaid cuts.

Public health legislation will be the focus of a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing on April 15. Bills being discussed include reauthorizing funding for research related to areas including tick-borne diseases, school-based health centers, stem cell therapeutics, and others. The hearing will also cover legislation to expand services offered at community health centers, require HHS publication of physical fitness recommendations, and establish rules related to the regulation of general wellness products. This hearing is the first step in moving these bills through committee and onto the floor. Those bills that pass and that are bipartisan would be likely targets for inclusion in a potential health care package later in the year.

Other Health Care Hearings This Week

• April 14: House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee field hearing on modernized health care in practice
• April 17: House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on HHS Policies and Priorities

There You Have It

Congratulations to the Artemis II crew for successfully completing their mission around the moon, the first trip towards the moon for humans in over 50 years, and for setting a new record for farthest distance ever traveled from Earth. Did you watch the splashdown? Let us know. Make it a great week!

President Trump recently shared his top legislative priority: send the voter ID bill called the SAVE America Act to his desk or nothing else will get signed. That’s a tall order, right now, but let’s see what happens. With that, welcome to the Week Ahead!

The Administration

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be busy this week, as they host their Quality Conference and work with states behind the scenes on their rural health transformation plans. Reports on implementation have been quiet as each state works with its legislature to approve its funding.

The clock is running out on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) lack of permanent leadership. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the National Institutes of Health Director, has been filling in, but his ability to exercise the “exclusive powers” of that office expires on March 26, per the timeline set out in the Administrative Procedures Act.

If the President decides to leave the position vacant, the authority to make decisions on things like the vaccine schedule would go to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., while someone like Dr. Bhattacharya could continue to perform “non-exclusive” duties. Was this the plan all along?

The Senate

Pay attention to the Senate floor on the SAVE America Act even as health care may be embroiled in the voter ID debate. Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) promised a full discussion but using a sequence of votes and debate that avoids the “talking filibuster.” Expect some health care-related amendments, including one requested by the President to add language prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors. Could this new method of debate-amendment-vote become a new norm in the upper chamber? We will see.

We have also hit the one-month mark for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. While there is still no end in sight, the Senate Homeland Security Committee is holding a hearing on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) on March 18, advancing the confirmation process.

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently laid out his health care priorities, including codifying some of President Trump’s most-favored-nation pricing policies as well as price transparency. The decision to focus on areas of agreement with the President may be strategic, as he faces Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA-5) in a primary on May 15.

Health Care Hearings This Week

• March 19: Senate HELP Committee Member Day hearing

The House

While the Senate is distracted by voter IDs, House committees are focusing on health.

Health affordability hearings are back as the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hears from health care providers on March 18.  On the docket will be the American Hospital Association (AHA) and could also include representatives from groups such as the American Medical Association (AMA). We expect the Committee to focus on issues such as the impacts of consolidation in the health sector and concerns about price transparency.

Continuing its work on fraud, waste, and abuse from February, the House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee will examine the role of CMS in preventing and detecting fraud in federal programs. The Committee will focus on vulnerable programs, using technology to stop fraud, and the role of states in preventing Medicaid fraud.

NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will be back on Capitol Hill on March 17, this time in front of the House Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee for an oversight hearing.

Not to be left out of the health care discussion, the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee will examine current challenges in kidney disease care and how prevention and treatment options can improve the lives of patients.

Looking ahead, hospitals will take center stage in April, as the House Ways and Means Committee continues its own health affordability series with a focus on the impact of consolidation.

Other Health Care Hearings This Week

• March 18: China Select Committee hearing on the drug supply chain
• March 18: House VA Committee hearing on health care legislation

There You Have It

Did you catch the MAHAspital sketch on Saturday Night Live, spoofing Sec. RFK, Jr?  What did you think? Let us know. Make it a great week!

The attack on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces has brought foreign affairs back to the forefront of Washington’s attention. However, concerns about affordability continue to dominate domestic headlines, as Republicans and Democrats begin to refine their messaging for the November midterm elections. Health care is a critical part of that messaging, and both sides are trying to shape the narrative. How will they do it? Let’s get into it. Welcome to the Week Ahead!

The Administration

In response to the Supreme Court decision striking down most of his 2025 tariffs, President Trump imposed a new 10% tariff for the next 150 days. While there were carve-outs for some products, such as pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients, there are still implications for the wider health sector. The impacts are still to be felt, but concerns have been raised by groups such as the Healthcare Financial Management Association about supply chain delays  impacting the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical equipment and supplies.

Meanwhile, March marks the start of much of the annual payment rules season, so the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is busy. OMB has already received the Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities and Hospice Prospective Payment System proposed rules, and more are on their way, including IPPS and OPPS for FY 2027. We expect these proposed rules in March or April.

The Senate

There were fireworks during the Senate HELP Committee hearing to consider the nomination of Dr. Casey Means to be the next United States Surgeon General. Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with many Democrats, expressed concerns about Dr. Means’ views on vaccines. While these concerns are not the same as voting against the nomination, they could make Dr. Means’ road to the office a bit bumpier. At the time of publication, Sens. Murkowski and Susan Collins (R-ME) were still undecided on the nomination. Dr. Means can only afford one Republican defection in order to avoid being rejected by the Committee.

Will HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. be heading to the Hill any time soon? During an executive session on February 26, Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) urged the Committee to hold future hearings on the impact of last summer’s Reconciliation bill on health care. While Chairman Cassidy did not comment on that request, he did express support for bringing Kennedy, Jr. to testify before the committee again, where the department’s changes to the Childhood Vaccination Schedule and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are likely to be a hot topic.

Health Care Hearings This Week

• March 5: Senate HELP Committee hearing on transforming health care with data and improving patient outcomes

The House

Whispers of Reconciliation 2.0 are making the rounds, and Rep. Richard Hudson, Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told an audience at a BGov event that his members have begun discussing what could potentially be included. According to Rep. Hudson, any potential 2^nd reconciliation package would be smaller in scope and would need alignment from all Republicans, likely making it more difficult to get off the ground.

The House Appropriations Committee is getting started on FY 2027 funding, holding a Member Day hearing for Labor-HHS on March 5. The deadline for programmatic language has been moved up several weeks (now March 20). The Labor-HHS bill will allow earmarks for the first time in 3 years, specifically for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s community project funding. This would see funds allocated to rural clinics, hospitals, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. March 20 is also the deadline for members to get these community project funding requests submitted.

Other Health Care Hearings This Week

• March 4: House Oversight Committee hearing on fraud and misuse of federal funds in Minnesota
• March 4: House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight Subcommittee hearing on oversight of Veterans’ health care and benefits legislation
• March 5: House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee hearing on supporting Veterans with traumatic brain injury

There You Have It

The newly renamed Actor Awards were last night, with many worthy nominations. Were you surprised by the winners? Let us know. Make it a great week!