There are only 8 more days left with both the House and the Senate in session before the August recess, and Congress has a lot on its plate. The top of the list includes fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills, Republican hopes for Reconciliation 3.0, and dealing with renewed conflict in Iran. Overshadowing it all is the unexpected death of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Let’s get into it. Welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) postponed the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s meeting for the fourth time in the past year, citing an “unprecedented” volume of applications from prospective members. The delay follows a broader overhaul of the task force’s membership. In May, HHS removed chair John Wong and vice chair Esa Davis, and the agency has been soliciting nominations for a new slate of members. Given the pattern of repeated delays over the past year, it will be important to see if HHS names new task force members or sets a new meeting date in the coming weeks, and whether congressional Democrats and advocacy groups, who have previously pushed back on changes to the task force, respond to this latest postponement.
Meanwhile, the White House is once again focusing on the H-1B visa program with new a Department of Labor (DOL) investigation into visa fraud. Vice President Vance announced the new effort, following court challenges to the $100,000 H-1B fee imposed by the Trump administration in September 2025. The initiative will focus on checking underpayment of foreign workers, layoffs of qualified Americans, and labor trafficking. While much of the focus has been on the information technology industry, it will be important to pay attention to how the investigation impacts the health care workforce, which includes a significant number of H-1B visa holders.
The Senate
The passing of Sen. Graham has major implications for the Senate’s agenda, as he chaired the Senate Budget Committee, which would be responsible for drafting instructions for a third reconciliation bill. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is the most senior Republican on the Committee without an existing chairmanship, is next in line for the post and his office has said he is “prepared to serve.” Sen. Johnson is a staunch fiscal hawk who previously called for cuts during the debates over the first reconciliation package. This suggests he may demand cuts to offset the price tag of a third package. Sen. Graham’s passing also means that, until his temporary replacement is named and until Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) returns, the Republican majority is down to 51 Senators.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is looking to start filling in the gaps in federal health policy leadership with a nomination hearing on July 15. Up for review are Sean Kaufman to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Dr. Erica Schwartz to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The nomination hearings indicate that HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is willing to work with the Trump administration to move forward with their picks despite losing his primary in May. Also, on his to-do list are nomination hearings for the US Surgeon General and the yet-to-be-announced Director for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And that’s assuming that Dr. Schwartz lasts longer than her predecessors’ 29 days!
We are also tracking a July 14 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on how the debate over what products are eligible for patents impacts genetic medicine. Our conversations on the Hill indicate that the hearing will be focused on S. 1545, the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2025 (PERA). If this bill were to eventually become law it would make it easier for diagnostic methods, genetic testing applications, and personalized-medicine inventions built around genetic material to be patented.
Other Health Care Hearings This Week
- July 15: Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing on the Tricare pharmacy program
- July 15: Senate Aging Committee hearing on foreign ownership and control in America’s drug supply chain
The House
House Republican leadership is returning to Washington after failing to advance appropriations bills before the July 4th recess. The House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider a rule on July 13 that would include the national security and Department of State appropriations legislation (along with a Veterans bill with a variety of health care provisions). However, it remains to be seen if House Republican leadership can overcome the efforts by some House Republicans to halt floor action unless progress is made on the SAVE America Act. At the same time, there continues to be interest in reconciliation 3.0 in the House, with some calling for provisions to enact health care priorities such as expanding access to health savings accounts and strengthening federal price transparency requirements. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-4) reportedly met with members of the House Budget Committee on July 12. Despite this movement, hurdles such as a thin Republican majority and dwindling days on the calendar make a third reconciliation package a tall order.
While the House as a whole deals with all these priorities and more, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is set to examine America’s leadership in biomedical innovation and the FDA’s role in drug development on July 15. Based on our conversations on the Hill, we expect the hearing to include a focus on how the US can improve the drug research and approval process to be competitive with China, as well as drug user fee reauthorization.
Other Health Care Hearings This Week
- July 14: House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on the impact of DEI on medical schools
- July 15: House Select Committee on China hearing on the federal research security enterprise
There You Have It
Movies are a great way to take shelter from the summer heat, and July is setting up to have a lot of options between the new live-action Moana, The Odyssey, the next Spider-Man, and more. Is there one that you are looking forward to? Let us know. Make it a great week!