{"id":2307,"date":"2026-08-31T12:27:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/?p=2307"},"modified":"2026-08-31T12:29:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:29:05","slug":"appropriations-update-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmsdev.hhs.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/appropriations-update-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Appropriations Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Appropriations Update \u2013 <\/strong>The House of Representatives is expected to vote under suspension of the rules this week on the Senate-passed continuing resolution (H.R. 6500) to fund the federal government through December 11. The bill would block the Office of Management and Budget\u2019s 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 is set to go into effect November 12. The White House has issued a statement of administration policy backing the Senate-passed bill.<\/p>\n

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New MFN Deals Expected from Trump Administration \u2013 <\/strong>The White House is expected to announce a new slate of most-favored-nation (MFN) deals with several midsized biotech companies as early as Monday of this week. The agreements reportedly involve discounts on outpatient drugs for state Medicaid programs to keep prices aligned with those charged in foreign countries. The Trump administration has already signed confidential MFN agreements with 17 pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n

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Senate Republicans Release Report on Chemical Abortion Companies \u2013 <\/strong>Senate Republicans have released a new report<\/a> on the business practices of chemical abortion companies and prescribing patterns of mifepristone. The report, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and the late Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), asserts that Danco, GenBioPro, and Evita have not taken sufficient steps to ensure that certified prescribers and pharmacies comply with the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) requirements for chemical abortion drugs, particularly when the pills are sold online. Since the 2016 removal of the requirement for prescribers to report non-fatal adverse events to the mifepristone sponsor, the total number of adverse events reported to the FDA has dropped from over 4,000 events between 2000 and 2016 to only 150 events in the time that followed. The report\u2019s authors have since raised questions about whether adverse events are being undercounted.<\/p>\n

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Darline Graham Wins GOP Runoff Race \u2013 <\/strong>Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) won the South Carolina Senate GOP primary on Tuesday, defeating \u00a0Rep. Ralph Norman in the runoff election. She will replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, on the ballot in November as the Republica nominee. Sen. Graham will face Annie Andrews, MD, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, in November.<\/p>\n

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Georgia\u2019s 13th<\/sup> District Special Election Runoff \u2013<\/strong> Everton Blair (D) has won the special election runoff for Georgia\u2019s 13th<\/sup> Congressional District, defeating Marcy Scott to complete the remainder of her father\u2019s term. Blair will serve through January 3, 2027, filling the seat left vacant after Rep. David Scott\u2019s death in April. The District will have new representation in the upcoming 120th<\/sup> Congress since neither Blair nor Scott are running in the general election.<\/p>\n

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MedPAC 2026-2027 Analytic Agenda \u2013 <\/strong>The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has announced its analytic agenda for its 2026-2027 meeting cycle. Issues the commission plans to consider include:<\/p>\n