Appropriations Update – The House Appropriations Committee advanced the fiscal year 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs spending bill last week. The measure contains $46.2 billion in total funding, a 22% cut to current spending. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) has started floating the idea of enacting a full-year continuing resolution to fund the government for the next fiscal year. This plan would freeze funding at current levels for federal agencies, with Chairman Arrington suggesting that Republicans could then proceed to pass rescission packages throughout the year to claw back money previously approved by Congress. While the most conservative members of Congress have historically been opposed to the long-term use of stopgap spending bills, some are now expressing openness to this idea as a means to cut spending. The House of Representatives is not scheduled to reconvene until September 2 due to the August recess. The Senate remains in session this week before recessing until September.
E&C Advances OMUFA Reauthorization – The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced H.R. 4273, the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments, during a markup on Wednesday. The bill would reauthorize the Food and Drug Administration’s over-the-counter monograph drug user fee program for the first time since its creation in 2020. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee plans to markup S. 2292, the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments on July 30. The program is currently set to expire on September 30.
Executive Nominations Update– The Senate confirmed Terry Cole to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in a 50-47 party-line vote on Tuesday. Cole has spent more than two decades of his career at the DEA in various roles, but he most recently served as the state of Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The Senate HELP Committee advanced the nomination of Dr. Brian Christine to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday. Dr. Christine is a urologist who has pledged support for the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and expressed opposition to gender-affirming care. If confirmed, he would be responsible for helping implement Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plans to create a new office within HHS, the Administration for a Healthy America, and also oversee the 6,000 member U.S. Public Health Service. Cloture was filed in the Senate for the nomination of Susan Monarez to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A confirmation vote on her nomination is expected on the Senate floor before the chamber’s August recess.
GOP Doc Caucus Hosts NIH Director – Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Jay Bhattacharya, MD met with the GOP Doctors Caucus on July 17 to discuss the agency’s priorities for improving medical research and the health of America. The group considered how the NIH is working to restore scientific integrity, revitalize biomedical innovation, and improve the health of Americans through gold standard science. In a press release following the meeting, Doc Caucus co-chairs Greg Murphy, MD (N.C.) and John Joyce, MD (Pa.) expressed their support for the NIH Director’s “efforts to increase collaboration across government to ensure the United States is driving progress in the new frontiers of medical science.”
Senate Republicans Raise Concerns With Slow Disbursement of NIH Funding – Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is urging the Trump administration to release delayed funding at the NIH. In a letter signed by 13 other Senate Republicans, the lawmakers express concern that the slow disbursement of funds appropriated by Congress “risks undermining critical research and the thousands of American jobs it supports.” The letter urges the White House Office of Management and Budget to fully implement the government funding package enacted in March. “Our shared goal is to restore public trust in the NIH precisely because its work is focused on results, accountability, and real-world impact,” the letter states. “Withholding or suspending these funds would jeopardize that trust and hinder progress on critical health challenges facing our nation.”
Cassidy, Hassan, Marshall Urge Full Implementation of No Surprises Act – Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) sent a letter to the administration highlighting the need to fully implement the No Surprises Act, which was signed into law by President Trump in 2020. Cassidy, joined by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Roger Marshall, MD (R-Kan.), request rules to implement provisions in the law to give covered patients clear cost estimates before scheduled medical care. While the good-faith estimate provision has already been implemented for uninsured and self-pay patients, additional rulemaking is required to implement the good-faith estimate and the advanced explanation of benefits for covered patients. “Full implementation of both the good faith estimate and advanced explanation of benefits are critical to providing patients with the entirety of protections enacted under the No Surprises Act,” the letter states. “We commend President Trump’s commitment to price transparency and stand ready to assist to ensure a successful and complete implementation of the No Surprises Act.”
Senate Democrats Probe New Rural Health Fund – Sixteen Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requesting information on how the Trump administration plans to use the $50 billion rural health fund created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The letter, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), characterizes the provision as “wholly insufficient to plug the massive hole created by the Big, Ugly Betrayal.” The lawmakers express concern about reports suggesting that funds “are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal,” and that vague legislative language will result in the fund being distributed according to “political whims.”
CBO Releases Final Score of Reconciliation Bill – The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released its score of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as signed into law earlier this month. CBO estimates that the law will cut approximately $1 trillion in federal health care spending, with most of the cuts coming from Medicaid, while still increasing the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion over the next decade. CBO also estimates that changes in the law will increase the uninsurance rate by 10 million people over 10 years.
WSJ Reports on Planned Changes to USPSTF – The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to dismiss all members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The 16-person Task Force was established in 1984 to advise the federal government on issues related to preventive health. In 2010, the Affordable Care Act made USPSTF responsible for determining which preventive services must be covered by health insurers without patient cost sharing. A Supreme Court decision issued in June upheld the constitutionality of the Task Force given the HHS Secretary’s authority to appoint and remove panel members at will. According to the Wall Street Journal, the HHS Secretary considers the current Task Force members too “woke.” The July meeting of USPSTF was recently postponed by the Secretary’s office. An HHS spokesperson stated that Secretary Kennedy has not yet made a decision regarding USPSTF members in response to the article published on Friday.
DOGE Builds AI Tool to Target Regulations for Deletion – The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is deploying the use of a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool aimed at slashing federal regulations, according to a report from The Washington Post on Saturday. The DOGE AI Deregulation Decision Tool is being used by administration officials to analyze approximately 200,000 federal regulations to determine which can be eliminated, with the goal of abolishing half of all regulations by the end of the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. According to an internal administration PowerPoint obtained by the Post, DOGE plans to start training agency staff on how to use the AI this month. The next five months will then be spent working to identify regulations to eliminate, responding to public comments about the proposed deletions, and submitting formal deregulation proposals.
Upcoming Congressional Hearings and Markups
Senate HELP Committee executive session to consider legislation including S. 2292, Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments, S.2398, Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act, and S. 2301, Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2025; 10:00 a.m.; July 30
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs business meeting to consider S.854, Risky Research Review Act; and the nominations of Pedro Allende, of Florida, to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and Sean Plankey, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, both of the Department of Homeland Security; 10:00 a.m.; July 30
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs hearing “The Future is Loper Bright: Congress’s Role in the Regulatory Landscape;” 2:00 p.m.; July 30
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee business meeting to consider pending legislation; 4:00 p.m.; July 30
Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the “Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026” and “Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026;” 9:30 a.m.; July 31
Senate HELP Committee hearing “Making Health Care Affordable: Solutions to Lower Costs and Empower Patients;” 10:00 a.m.; July 31
Senate Finance Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Bryan Switzer, of Virginia, to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (Asia, Textiles, Investment, Services, and Intellectual Property), with the rank of Ambassador; Gustav Chiarello III, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services; The Honorable Michael Stuart, of West Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Derek Theurer, of Virginia, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury; 10:00 a.m.; July 31
Recently Introduced Health Legislation
H.R.4573 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a credit to small businesses for research activities related to the mitigation of certain drug threats; Sponsor: Neguse, Joe [Rep.-D-CO-2]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.R.4570 — To amend title 35, United States Code, to establish an interagency task force between the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Food and Drug Administration for purposes of sharing information and providing technical assistance with respect to patents, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Neguse, Joe [Rep.-D-CO-2]; Committees: House – Judiciary
H.R.4569 — To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act and title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to require no-cost coverage of human milk fortifier; Sponsor: McGarvey, Morgan [Rep.-D-KY-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4564 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to create a special rule for treating trained individuals as trained personnel of a school for purposes of giving preference to States for children’s asthma treatment grant programs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Grothman, Glenn [Rep.-R-WI-6]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4559 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish payment parity between Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service Medicare, and to establish prompt payment requirements under Medicare Advantage; Sponsor: Doggett, Lloyd [Rep.-D-TX-37]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.R.4556 — To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to carry out a rapid response evidence review of proposed rules relating to fluoride, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cleaver, Emanuel [Rep.-D-MO-5]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
S.2377 — A bill to ensure affordable abortion coverage and care for every person, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Duckworth, Tammy [Sen.-D-IL]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2373 — A bill to amend section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require certain institutions of higher education to develop and implement a venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action plan, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Alsobrooks, Angela D. [Sen.-D-MD]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2372 — A bill to ensure accessibility of drugs furnished through the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act; Sponsor: Welch, Peter [Sen.-D-VT]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2371 —A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the impacts of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in infant formula on infant health and establish standards for regulating the content of such substances in infant formula; Sponsor: Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.R.4581 – A bill to ensure the accessibility of drugs furnished through the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act; Sponsor: Matsui [D-CA-07]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce.
H.R.4582 – A bill to amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and title 5, United States Code, to clarify that organ donation surgery qualifies as a serious health condition; Sponsor: Bacon [R-NE-02]; Committees: House – Education and Workforce, Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration.
H.R. 4583 – A bill to promote and protect from discrimination living organ donors; Sponsor: Bacon [R-NE-02]; Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Financial Services.
H.R. 4595 – A bill to provide authority for small cultivators of cannabis and small manufacturers of cannabis products to ship cannabis and cannabis products using the mail, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Huffman [D-CA-02]; Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Agriculture, Oversight and Government Reform, and Judiciary.
H.R. 4605 – A bill to ban drug manufacturers from using direct-to-consumer advertising, including social media, to promote their products; Sponsor: Nadler [D-NY-12]; Committees: House Energy and Commerce.
H.R. 4606 – A bill to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require coverage of hearing devices and systems in certain private health insurance plans, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Neguse [D-CO-02]; Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, and Ways and Means.
H.R. 4607 – A bill to provide protections from prosecution for drug possession to individuals who seek medical assistance when witnessing or experiencing an overdose, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Neguse [D-CO-02]; Committees: House Judiciary, Energy and Commerce.
H.R. 4611 – A bill to ensure affordable abortion coverage and care for every person, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Pressley [D-MA-07]; Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Armed Services, Veterans’ Affairs, Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform, and Foreign Affairs.
H.R. 4618 – A bill to establish a Federal tort against pediatric gender clinics and other entities pushing gender-transition procedures that cause bodily injury to children or harm the mental health of children; Sponsor: Steube [R-FL-17]; Committees: House Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Workforce.
H.R. 4619 – A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Sponsor: Tonko [D-NY-20]; Committees: House Ways and Means.
H.R. 4623 – A bill to require direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products to include truthful and not misleading pricing information; Sponsor: Williams [D-GA-05]; Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means.
S.Res.334 — A resolution supporting the designation of the week of August 25 through August 29, 2025, as the third annual “National Community Health Worker Awareness Week”; Sponsor: Wyden, Ron [Sen.-D-OR]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2420 — A bill to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase penalties for group health plans, health insurance issuers, and nonparticipating providers or facilities for practices that violate balance billing requirements, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Marshall, Roger [Sen.-R-KS]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2418 — A bill to amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide leave for the spontaneous loss of an unborn child, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2410 — A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide a higher Federal matching rate for increased expenditures under Medicaid for behavioral health services (including those related to mental health and substance use), and for other purposes; Sponsor: Smith, Tina [Sen.-D-MN]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2408 — A bill to require health insurance plans to provide coverage for fertility treatment, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Booker, Cory A. [Sen.-D-NJ]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2398 — A bill to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Collins, Susan M. [Sen.-R-ME]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2397 — A bill to require implementation by the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs of certain recommendations relating to the provision of health care through community care providers, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Ricketts, Pete [Sen.-R-NE]; Committees: Senate – Veterans’ Affairs
H.Res.607 — Supporting the designation of the week of August 25 through August 29, 2025, as the third annual “National Community Health Worker Awareness Week”; Sponsor: Ruiz, Raul [Rep.-D-CA-25]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.601 — Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to lead the world in biomedical research; Sponsor: DeGette, Diana [Rep.-D-CO-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4752 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide hereditary cancer genetic testing for individuals with a history of a hereditary cancer gene mutation in a blood relative or a personal or ancestral history suspicious for hereditary cancer, and to provide coverage of certain cancer screenings or preventive surgeries that would reduce the risk for individuals with a germline (inherited) mutation associated with a high risk of developing a preventable cancer; Sponsor: Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [Rep.-D-FL-25]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.4745 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide a higher Federal matching rate for increased expenditures under Medicaid for behavioral health services (including those related to mental health and substance use), and for other purposes; Sponsor: Tonko, Paul [Rep.-D-NY-20]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4744 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promote mental wellness and resilience and prevent and heal mental health, behavioral health, and psychosocial conditions through developmentally and culturally appropriate community programs, and award grants for the purpose of establishing, operating, or expanding community-based mental wellness and resilience programs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Tonko, Paul [Rep.-D-NY-20]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4731 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sewell, Terri A. [Rep.-D-AL-7]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.4729 — To codify Executive Order 14292 relating to improving the safety and security of biological research; Sponsor: Self, Keith [Rep.-R-TX-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Science, Space, and Technology
H.R.4723 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a behavioral and mental health outreach and education strategy to reduce stigma associated with mental health among the Hispanic and Latino population, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Salinas, Andrea [Rep.-D-OR-6]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4722 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require a Federal medical assistance percentage of 100 percent for urban Indian organizations, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Ruiz, Raul [Rep.-D-CA-25]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4710 — To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase penalties for group health plans and health insurance issuers for practices that violate balance billing requirements, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Murphy, Gregory F. [Rep.-R-NC-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education and Workforce; Ways and Means
H.R.4709 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain programs under part A of title XI of such Act relating to genetic diseases, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Morrison, Kelly [Rep.-D-MN-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4705 — To place a moratorium on the issuance and renewal of certain Federal authorizations for mountaintop removal coal mining until a health study is conducted, and for other purposes; Sponsor: McGarvey, Morgan [Rep.-D-KY-3]; Committees: House – Natural Resources; Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R.4704 — To direct the Director of the Defense Health Agency to conduct a study on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among military rotary wing pilots and aviation support personnel, and for other purposes; Sponsor: McCormick, Richard [Rep.-R-GA-7]; Committees: House – Armed Services
H.R.4698 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Director of the National Institutes of Health from conducting or funding research that causes significant pain or distress to a dog or cat, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Mace, Nancy [Rep.-R-SC-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4681 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in rural communities experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Joyce, John [Rep.-R-PA-13]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4668 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to end the liability shield for vaccine manufacturers, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Gosar, Paul A. [Rep.-R-AZ-9]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4655 — To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to increase cooperation on post-traumatic stress disorder research between the United States and Israel; Sponsor: Fine, Randy [Rep.-R-FL-6]; Committees: House – Armed Services
H.R.4648 —To require health insurance plans to provide coverage for fertility treatment, and for other purposes; Sponsor: DeLauro, Rosa L. [Rep.-D-CT-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Education and Workforce; Oversight and Government Reform; Armed Services; Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.4641 — To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to provide for continuous eligibility for certain children under the Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; Sponsor: Castor, Kathy [Rep.-D-FL-14]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.4639 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an income tax credit for the costs of infertility treatments; Sponsor: Carey, Mike [Rep.-R-OH-15]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.R.4627 — To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to modify treatment activities for assistance to combat HIV/AIDS; Sponsor: Ansari, Yassamin [Rep.-D-AZ-3]; Committees: House – Foreign Affairs
S.Res.338 — A resolution recognizing the importance of independent living and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities made possible by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and calling for further action to strengthen and expand health care for individuals with disabilities to work and live in the community; Sponsor: Duckworth, Tammy [Sen.-D-IL]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2448 — A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to improve dependent coverage under the TRICARE Young Adult Program; Sponsor: Kelly, Mark [Sen.-D-AZ]; Committees: Senate – Armed Services
S.2447 — A bill to repeal changes to Medicaid cost sharing requirements and the exclusion for orphan drugs under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program; Sponsor: Welch, Peter [Sen.-D-VT]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2446 — A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a behavioral and mental health outreach and education strategy to reduce stigma associated with mental health among the Hispanic and Latino population, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Padilla, Alex [Sen.-D-CA]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2445 — A bill to promote mental wellness and resilience and prevent and heal mental health, behavioral health, and psychosocial conditions through developmentally and culturally appropriate community programs, and award grants for the purpose of establishing, operating, or expanding community-based mental wellness and resilience programs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Markey, Edward J. [Sen.-D-MA]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2439 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Boozman, John [Sen.-R-AR]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2433 — A bill to require providers to disclose policies regarding the minimum gestational age at which life-saving care will be provided to an infant in the case of a premature birth; Sponsor: Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2426 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide pharmacy payment of certain services; Sponsor: Thune, John [Sen.-R-SD]; Committees: Senate – Finance