Well, it’s August in Washington, DC, which means two things—humidity and Congressional recess. The House went out of session on their recess last week, after passing a FY2027 Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government open through December 4^th.

On Sunday, the Senate released its version of an FY27 CR. Their CR extends programs at the current rate through December 11. The Senate bill includes a number of anomalies requested by the Administration but excluded from the House bill. It also includes a provision to prevent the Trump Administration from implementing the OMB proposed grants rule through the duration of the CR; rejects the $1 billion to build “Trump-class” battleships; and closes a “loophole” that would have allowed the administration to transfer further funding to the Border Patrol. Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) hopes to vote for final passage before the chamber leaves town at the end of this week for the August recess.

The bill text and section-by-section summary of the Senate CR can be found here.

On Wednesday, By a vote of 51-44 the Senate today confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as Director of the CDC. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) was the lone Democrat to vote in her favor.  Schwartz is the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in nearly a year. The agency has been under acting leadership since Susan Monarez was fired last August after what she described as a clash with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his attempts to roll back childhood vaccines.

Dr. Schwartz is a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as Deputy Surgeon General during Trump first term. She has publicly supported childhood vaccines and was viewed as a highly qualified, mainstream choice who could bring stability back to CDC. While Schwartz said she would lead with integrity and “never compromise on the science,” Cassidy said her responses were “not quite the direct answer” he’d been hoping for. Schwartz is the Trump administration’s third pick to fill the CDC director role. The administration’s first nominee, former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), withdrew when he did not have the votes for confirmation amid questions on his preparedness and views on vaccination.