Congress Extends Government Funding Through Dec. 11 – The House of Representatives voted 370-48 to concur to the Senate amendment to H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, on Wednesday. The bipartisan package extends fiscal year 2026 funding through December 11. It includes provisions to block the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed rule regarding federal financial assistance from taking effect during the length of the stopgap, and would delay a ban on intoxicating hemp products, which was set to go into effect November 12. The President has signed the spending bill into law, preventing a government shutdown ahead of the end of the fiscal year on September 30 and delaying further appropriations debate until after November’s midterm elections.
Following passage of the continuing resolution (CR), House GOP leadership announced a change to the chamber’s calendar, cancelling the final two weeks of its scheduled September session. The House and the Senate will both reconvene on September 14 following this week’s Labor Day break. The House will then remain in session through September 17, when members will leave Capitol Hill and the chamber will recess until mid-November. House Republican leadership noted that lawmakers could still be called back to Washington pending Senate adoption of H.Con.Res. 113, the GOP’s budget reconciliation package, which focuses on defense spending, aid to farmers, and voting integrity.
Pallone Requests Information from Six IDREs – House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) wrote to six certified independent dispute resolution entities (IDREs) last week requesting details on how each company conducts arbitration in compliance with the No Surprises Act. “While the law has protected millions of families from surprise medical bills, I am concerned that the independent dispute resolution process is not functioning as Congress intended and is resulting in increased out-of-pocket costs and higher premiums for consumers,” Pallone writes, citing the increase in IDR case volume and the significant number of cases brought by a small number of private equity backed provider organizations. The letters were sent to the following companies that did not respond to previous requests for briefings and information: C2C Innovative Solutions, Inc., Commence, Dane Street, LLC, EdiPhy Advisors, LLC, National Medical Reviews, Inc., and ProPeer Resources, LLC. Responses from the companies are requested by September 24.
House VA Panel Votes to Subpoena Oracle Executives – The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted 19-0 on Wednesday to subpoena Larry Ellison, executive chairman of Oracle Corp., and Mike Sicilia, Oracle CEO, about the company’s prime contractor role for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ electronic health record system. While the panel has heard testimony from the VA and Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the recent increase to Oracle’s contract ceiling with the department, representatives from the company itself have declined to appear before the committee, citing time constraints. The GAO recently reported that VA has not implemented the majority of its recommendations to improve cost estimating, schedule, program management, user adoption and satisfaction, and operational testing of its health information system.
President Appoints Pastor Darrell Scott as CDC Tobacco Adviser – President Donald Trump has chosen Darrell Scott to serve as tobacco adviser to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. Scott is a pastor and a long-time supporter of the president, having cofounded the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. “For far too long, tobacco-related disease has taken an enormous toll on American Families, including Communities that have too often been overlooked and underserved. Pastor Scott understands these Communities, and the challenges they face, and he knows how to bring people together to get RESULTS,” President Trump wrote in a social media post.
Congressional Elections Update – Sen. Ed Markey (Mass.) defeated Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) in Tuesday’s Democratic Senate primary. Markey has served in the Senate since 2013 and is currently a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. In the House of Representatives, Reps. Everton Blair (D-Ga.) and Aisha Wahab (D-Calif.) were sworn in last week. Blair won a special election to fill the remainder of the late Rep. David Scott’s (D) term, while Wahab was the winner of a special election to complete the term of former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D). The total number of members in the House reached 433 upon their swearing in.
Recently Introduced Health Legislation
H.Res.1503 — Supporting the goals of Overdose Awareness Day and strengthening efforts to combat the opioid crisis in the United States; Sponsor: Trahan, Lori [Rep.-D-MA-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10185 — To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a temporary premium credit for enrollees in prescription drug plans under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Bilirakis, Gus M. [Rep.-R-FL-12]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.10197 — To improve the security of nucleic acid synthesis in interstate and foreign commerce, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Pfluger, August [Rep.-R-TX-11]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.1506 — Expressing support for the designation of September 2026 as “National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month”; Sponsor: Carter, Troy A. [Rep.-D-LA-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10206 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to terminate Federal student loan limits and restore the availability of Federal Direct PLUS Loans for graduate and professional students; Sponsor: Figures, Shomari [Rep.-D-AL-2]; Committees: House – Education and Workforce
H.R.10208 — To provide for the continued use of certain trust land in San Diego County for healthcare purposes; Sponsor: Issa, Darrell [Rep.-R-CA-48]; Committees: House – Natural Resources
H.R.10209 — To provide for green and resilient health care infrastructure, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Jayapal, Pramila [Rep.-D-WA-7]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10210 — 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 regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the review of claims by group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage; Sponsor: Landsman, Greg [Rep.-D-OH-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Education and Workforce
H.R.10212 — To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to study the potential benefits of peptide-based therapies for veterans receiving care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Mace, Nancy [Rep.-R-SC-1]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.10215 — To prohibit certain noncompete agreements, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Peters, Scott H. [Rep.-D-CA-50]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education and Workforce
H.R.10216 —To amend title 49, United States Code, to require recipients of assistance under chapter 53 of such title to display information regarding the suicide prevention hotline on public transportation owned or operated by the recipient; Sponsor: Pettersen, Brittany [Rep.-D-CO-7]; Committees: House – Transportation and Infrastructure
H.Res.1508 — Supporting the goals and ideals of “National Clinical Nurse Specialist Week”; Sponsor: Kiggans, Jennifer A. [Rep.-R-VA-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10223 — To prevent, treat, and cure tuberculosis globally; Sponsor: Bera, Ami [Rep.-D-CA-6]; Committees: House – Foreign Affairs
H.R.10227 — To reduce the price of insulin and provide for patient protections with respect to the cost of insulin; Sponsor: DeGette, Diana [Rep.-D-CO-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Education and Workforce
H.R.10228 — To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the provision of training and information to certain personnel relating to food allergy identification and response, and for other purposes; Sponsor: DeSaulnier, Mark [Rep.-D-CA-10]; Committees: House – Education and Workforce
H.R.10233 — To support programs for mosquito-borne and other vector-borne disease surveillance and control; Sponsor: Neguse, Joe [Rep.-D-CO-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.1509 — Recognizing the extraordinary resilience and courage of children and families fighting neuroblastoma and supports the incredible effort of clinicians and researchers working to address this disease and expressing support for September 3, 2026, to be designated as “Neuroblastoma Awareness Day”; Sponsor: Chu, Judy [Rep.-D-CA-28]; Committees: House – Oversight and Government Reform
H.R.10240 — To provide coverage of crisis response services under certain programs; Sponsor: McClellan, Jennifer L. [Rep.-D-VA-4]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Armed Services; Veterans’ Affairs; Oversight and Government Reform; Education and Workforce
H.R.10245 — To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a panel to issue recommendations relating to the training requirements and protocols for 9–1–1 dispatchers, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Balint, Becca [Rep.-D-VT-At Large]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10246 — To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to provide for health center capital grants, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Barragán, Nanette Diaz [Rep.-D-CA-44]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10252 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand coverage for adult children; Sponsor: Bynum, Janelle S. [Rep.-D-OR-5]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10254 —To promote affordable access to evidence-based opioid treatments under the Medicare program and require coverage of medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders, opioid overdose reversal medications, and recovery support services by health plans without cost-sharing requirements; Sponsor: Dean, Madeleine [Rep.-D-PA-4]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Education and Workforce
H.R.10258 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to clarify due process rights in the case of an action to terminate tax exempt status; Sponsor: Doggett, Lloyd [Rep.-D-TX-37]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.R.10270 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to revise the IMD exclusion under Medicaid; Sponsor: Goldman, Daniel S. [Rep.-D-NY-10]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10274 — To expand access to integrated, community-driven health and nutrition services for underserved populations with high chronic disease prevalence, through coordinated local partnerships, measurable outcomes, and sustainable delivery models, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Harder, Josh [Rep.-D-CA-9]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Agriculture
H.R.10280 — To provide for improvements in the implementation of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Matsui, Doris O. [Rep.-D-CA-7]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Armed Services; Veterans’ Affairs; Oversight and Government Reform; Education and Workforce
H.R.10287 — To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act and title XIX of the Social Security Act to promote access to mental health crisis response services; Sponsor: Schrier, Kim [Rep.-D-WA-8]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10293 — To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to make improvements relating to the designation of rural emergency hospitals; Sponsor: Tokuda, Jill N. [Rep.-D-HI-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.10295 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to new or existing crisis call centers serving regional or local areas, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Trahan, Lori [Rep.-D-MA-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce