Lawmakers return to Washington following a week of Republican rebellion, including a bipartisan Senate War Powers Resolution to limit future military action against Venezuela and a House bill to extend Obamacare subsidies with more than a dozen House Republicans voting yes. 2026 is off to a rough start for party unity but let’s see what happens this week! Welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
Speaking of Republicans sticking together, did you see this one? The President casually mentioned he might veto an extension of enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) if the Senate passed one. Wait, what?
It’s one thing to break with leaders on Hyde Amendment restrictions – the President doesn’t necessarily agree with his party on that one – but comments like these make the already-difficult path ahead on the insurance subsidies just that much harder.
And on the AI front, the President also praised the Meta’s hiring of Dina Powell McCormick in a new role to impact governments and sovereigns on AI. Reporting directly to Mark Zuckerberg, Powell McCormick has been a leader in global finance since her post with President George W. Bush, and also happens to be the wife of Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania.
The Senate
The Senate is feeling the heat to act on APTCs, given the House passage of a 3-year extension of the enhanced APTCs with a whopping 17 GOP members voting for it. As we mentioned previously, this bill has no chance in the Senate, but there has been discussion of using it as a vehicle for the bipartisan proposal.
Now, the details of what that bipartisan package could look like are starting to come into focus. It’s expected that the bipartisan bill would include a 2-year extension of the enhanced APTCs, with reforms such as an income cap, the elimination of zero-premium plans, and expanded access to health savings accounts.
The talks over this proposal have been complicated by the fact that Republicans want to include language called the Hyde Amendment which prevents tax dollars from going to plans that provide abortions. Although some Senate Republicans have reportedly indicated a willingness to be flexible on this point, our conversations on the Hill indicate that this remains a potential pitfall. Democratic Senators, including Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), have also raised concerns that eliminating zero-premium plans would harm low-income enrollees.
The Senate Appropriations Committee released text for a Fiscal Year minibus for State and Financial Services programs, a step towards preventing a government shutdown at the end of the month. However, the package notably does not fund the Department of Homeland Security, which was reportedly under consideration. This may mean there is disagreement, or this may be a reaction to the continuing controversial actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Health Care Hearings This Week
- January 15: Senate HELP Committee Executive Session to consider legislation on lung cancer research, ED fentanyl testing, rural hospital cybersecurity, and infant formula safety
The House
The House made progress on appropriations by passing H.R.6938 to fund Commerce, Energy and Water, and Interior. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-LA) schedule for the week of January 12 says “consideration of items related to FY26 Appropriations are possible” as leaders work to combine the remaining appropriations bills into at least two separate minibuses.
In case you’ve lost count, there are still six appropriations bills left to pass before January 30 to avoid a partial government shutdown, including the bill that funds the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
House health care committee leaders are busy prepping for their affordability hearing on January 22. The Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees announced they would haul in 5 of the largest insurance companies to face questions about lower costs in the commercial market.
Health Care Hearings This Week
- January 13: House Oversight Subcommittee on Gov Operations hearing on preventing fraud in federal programs
- January 13: House VA Health Subcommittee legislative hearing
There You Have It
Did you watch the Golden Globes? Hamnet, a recently released dramatic tale about Shakespeare and his family, won Best Picture and Best Female Actor. Have you seen it? Tell us if you would have voted for it! Make it a great week.