Summary
Congress returns this week after a week and a half off for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Senate returns on Monday evening and the House comes into session on Tuesday afternoon. Prior to leaving town for the holiday Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government in operation until January 19 (for the Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the Energy and Water appropriations bills) and until February 2 for the remaining 8 bills. The CR was passed due to broad Democratic support and was “clean” with no steep spending cuts or controversial policy riders. The CR further included an extension until January 19, for key health programs that would have otherwise expired on November 19, including community health centers, the National Health Service Corps, teaching health centers and graduate medical education programs. The stopgap measure also includes a delay of the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) pay cuts until January 19, a temporary extension of the Special Diabetes Program for Type I Diabetes and Special Diabetes Program for Indians, and portions of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act. The bill further includes an extension for programs covered under the Farm Bill until September 20, 2025.
House Freedom Caucus Members were very much in opposition to the CR and have pledged to not support any spending measure that does not contain drastic spending cuts. So far, the House has been unable to pass the Labor-HHS, CJS, Transportation-HUD, Financial Services, or Agriculture bills due to a deep divide within the Republican party. Needless to say, while there may be a reprieve for a short time, finding consensus on a final spending package remains a major challenge.
In the meantime, there are several other bills for Congress to focus on. In a letter to Senate Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined the work that needs to be done over the next month including “national security supplemental funding, NDAA reauthorization, and military promotions, among others.” Senator Schumer states he plans to bring the emergency supplemental to the floor for a vote as soon as the week of December 4th, though no agreement has been reached on the border security provisions that Republicans insist be included. The health committees of jurisdiction are also expected to use the month of December to try and negotiate a healthcare package that could include legislation focused on increased transparency, prescription drug affordability, provider payment reform, and bolstering the health care workforce. An early 2024 omnibus still seems like the most likely legislative vehicle to move such a package, but with this Congress everything is fluid.