Nominations

Last week, the nomination of Representative Tom Price (R-GA) to lead the Department of Health and Human Services was confirmed by the Senate.  Now that he has been confirmed, President Trump’s nominee for the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, has begun her conformation process.  As CMS Administrator, Verma would be able to shape Medicaid, particularly through granting waivers to state programs. Verma worked on several high profile Medicaid proposals expansion proposals that included controversial provisions, such as work requirements and lockout periods.

Mick Mulvaney, former Representative from South Carolina, was confirmed on Thursday to be President Trump’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

FY17 Appropriations

Senior House Republican appropriators have been given the “green light” by GOP leadership to begin negotiations with their Senate counterparts over final government funding for the current fiscal year. The tentative plan is to finish up the 11 remaining appropriations bills for FY17 in an attempt to pass them either individually or in small groups, difficult as that may be in a short time frame. Most federal agencies are operating under a short-term continuing resolution that expires April 28.  Congress has just seven weeks of legislative business scheduled between now and then, and, in the Senate, that period will include debate on confirmations of numerous executive branch officials and a Supreme Court justice.

Title X Resolution Vote

On Thursday, the House passed a resolution (H.J. Res 43) that would overturn an Obama administration rule to prevent states from limiting which organizations receive federal funding for family planning.  The Obama administration finalized its rule in December after 13 states passed laws to redistribute the funding away from certain reproductive health providers, and spend it at more general community health centers. The Obama administration’s rule prevents states from deciding who gets the funds based on anything other than the recipient’s ability to provide family planning health services. The Senate is expected to take up the resolution in early March.  The Senate, under the Congressional Review Act, has until early May to pass the resolution with just 51 votes.  The Congressional Review Act lets Congress pass a resolution to disapprove of new federal agency rules within 60 days of their passage and this resolution is not able to be filibustered in the Senate.  In your capacity as private citizens, we encourage you to participate in this action alert on the issue and to share this alert with your networks.

Affordable Care Act Replacement Legislation

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that Republicans will introduce legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when lawmakers return from next week’s recess.  He said that they are waiting to release the bill until the cost of the plan is estimated by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.  Speaker Ryan indicated that tax credits for consumers are likely to replace the government subsidies currently provided to purchase health coverage from the exchanges.  The ACA’s subsidies, which expand as income declines, give poorer people more assistance.  In contrast, fixed tax credits to help people buy insurance policies would increase only with age and would not vary with a person’s income.  The Policy Brief proposal for the new plan can be found here.  Although the Republicans can pass legislation without Democratic support in the House, they will need Democrats to pass a replacement plan in the Senate.