For those who had Presidents’ Day off, we hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend. Even with the holiday, things continue to move quickly here in Washington. So, let’s get into it, Welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
Something is cooking at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and given the swearing-in of RFK Jr. as Secretary, we assume the food is not processed. His first full week on the job coincides with the first full week for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. The Secretary and his assistant chefs will have their hands full as the Executive Order creating the Commission calls for an assessment of how to address the childhood chronic disease crisis within 100 days.
Even with all the excitement of a new cook in the kitchen, it’s important to remember that the President remains the top chef and hasn’t been waiting for his staff to arrive. In just 4 weeks, President Trump has issued over 60 Executive Orders since January 20, more than he signed in the first year of his first term! These orders are on top of dozens of other Administration actions that include limiting National Institutes of Health grant funding for “indirect costs” to cutting funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Navigator Program—and we can assume there will be more to come. So, what will he be cooking up this week? We don’t expect Trump to take off his apron any time soon.
The Senate
Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is also eager to serve up his own special dish after the passage of a Senate budget resolution out of committee on February 12. Look for the full Senate to debate the measure soon— possibly as early as this week.
Regarding the ingredients list, several Senate Republicans have said they want to ensure a permanent extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts makes it into the final recipe. To make that easier, Republicans would have to use the Congressional Budget Office’s “current policy” baseline instead of using “current law” as the baseline. Using “current policy” means making the tax cuts permanent would cost significantly less dough.
Why does that matter? For health care, that means 2 big things. One, Republicans may be less inclined to take a big chunk out of Medicaid spending to offset the cost of extending the tax cuts if the tax cuts cost less. Two, other policies like the enhanced ACA premium tax credits, due to expire at the end of 2025, would also cost less. What Republicans want to do with the ACA tax credits is far from being baked at this point.
In non-budget news, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing to consider the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be the Secretary of Labor. In that role, she will be in a position to impact health care policy in several ways, including through the administration of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act which sets minimum standards for private, employer-based health plans. While some of her positions have garnered praise from Democrats, we will see if her confirmation will be more like Secretary of Agriculture Rollins, who garnered 19 Democratic votes, or if she will face united Democratic opposition like HHS Secretary Kennedy.
The House
After the House Budget Committee came together to pass its own version of a budget resolution, the House of Representatives adjourned on February 13. This gives the cooks in the House a chance to take their menu on the road and hear from the diners directly while allowing critics to organize their messaging about why the menu should be rejected.
Don’t forget that the expiration of the continuing resolution is less than a month away. Appropriators are rumored to release topline numbers to come out for fiscal year 2025 any day now.
There You Have It
In honor of Presidents’ Day, we wanted to share some presidential trivia with you all, courtesy of the Library of Congress. How many did you get right? Let us know! Make it a great week!