Senate Committees Continue Nomination Hearings. The Senate VA Committee held a hearing for VA secretary nominee Doug Collins and subsequently voted for his confirmation with broad bipartisan support. His confirmation vote will now be scheduled for consideration by the full Senate. Russell Vought’s nomination for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director advanced out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an 8 – 7 vote along party lines earlier this week. The Budget Committee held another hearing for Vought’s nomination, where Democrats expressed concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid, especially for low-income and elderly individuals. Republicans focused on the importance of reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in healthcare and advocated against providing care to undocumented immigrants. The Senate Budget Committee will vote on Vought’s confirmation in the coming days, after which his confirmation should be scheduled for consideration by the full Senate.
House VA Committee Holds Oversight Hearing on Community Care. In the hearing, members agreed that Congress has a role to play in improving care for veterans and supporting community care, and expressed concern about the lack of access to VA facilities across the country. Many Democratic members emphasized the need for more hearings on this issue, particularly with witnesses from the VA and third-party VA administrators.
White House Revokes Biden-Era Healthcare EOs. President Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025, and he spent his first day issuing new EOs and revoking others signed into law by former President Biden, 12 of which were healthcare-related. Revoking these EOs has little immediate impact, because additional steps would be necessary to effectuate changes to current policy. The revocations may be indicative of future policymaking, however. Below is a summary of a few key rescinded EOs:
Through another EO, President Trump started the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and an inability to demonstrate independence from the political influence of WHO member states. The EO directs OMB and the US Department of State to pause transfer of funds to the WHO and recall any personnel working in any capacity at the WHO.
Trump Pauses Regulatory Activity. As part of the transition, the new Trump Administration issued an EO that paused regulatory activity, including issuance of new proposed rules unless an exemption is provided. While this is typical of a new Administration, memos from department heads have placed more restrictions on third-party and formal communications, even outside of the rulemaking process. For HHS, the “freeze” in regulatory activity is set to run until February 1, 2025.
We expect the new Administration to continue to release EOs and take additional actions on healthcare in the coming week. The House will be in recess next week, and the Senate will be in session, with confirmations expected to continue in committees and on the floor. HHS secretary nominee RFK Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committees next week. Other hearings include a Senate VA Committee hearing on the VA’s community care program, and a Senate Aging Committee hearing on fiscal policies related to seniors.
For more information, contact Debra Curtis, Kristen O’Brien, Erica Stocker, Julia Grabo, or Maddie News.
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