On Thursday, July 13, the House Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education approved an appropriations bill that would cut FY 2017 funding by an additional $5 billion. While it provides an increase of $1.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), rejecting the President’s request of severe cuts, it does little else for human
House Budget Committee Chair Congresswoman Dianne Black (R-TN) continued to struggle with the most conservative members of her House Caucus over the level of mandatory and entitlement cuts. There seems to be agreement over discretionary (annually appropriated) spending. Nondefense programs would be cut to $511 billion. (Under the existing Budget Control Act—BCA, the spending level
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pulled the Better Care Reconciliation Act from a vote during the Republican weekly luncheon last Tuesday, June 27 concerned that the bill would go down to defeat. Once that happened he intensified rounds of negotiations looking at nearly $200 billion in projected savings to try and buy enough support
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) plans to have a final vote on the Senate majority health bill by the end of this week. The Senate bill, released on Thursday morning, modifies the House bill but for the most part sticks to the same core elements: eliminates the individual mandates, weakens requirements that all
As the week came to a close, Budget Committee leaders in the House of Representatives appear to be getting closer to a final deal. The budget resolution sets the spending levels for fiscal year 2018 and it can also set up another reconciliation instruction/bill that would ultimately have as its goal cuts to mandatory and
It would not be an exaggeration to say that advocates for preserving the Affordable Care Act are extremely concerned that a Senate bill will pass shortly before the July 4th break. If that happens and 50 votes are rounded up, passage by the House is very likely. The Senate language is being held very tight
This Wednesday is the target date for the House Budget Committee to move a budget resolution for FY 2018. At least that is the goal but it is still an open question as to whether or not they will meet that goal this week. Since House leadership would like to pass the resolution in one
The President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis, Chaired by Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) met for the first time on Friday, June 16. The Commission was established to develop interim recommendations to the President with final recommendations by October 1, 2017. Other members of the Commission include Governor Charlie Baker (R-MA), Governor Ray
Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is bound and determined to have a vote on the Senate ACA repeal bill by the end of this month. The logic is that the Senate needs to move the issue one way or another so that the rest of the legislative year and priorities such as a tax
Last week, the Trump Administration announced the appointment of Jerry Milner as the next head of the Children’s Bureau and Lynn A. Johnson as the new Assistant Secretary for Family Support. Milner becomes the Associate Commissioner at the Children’s Bureau. While holding that formal title, he will also hold the position of Acting Commissioner for