This Week In Congress

Appropriations

There are only about 50 days and counting left before January 19th, the first of the two staggered deadlines for the current continuing resolution. The House and Senate have yet to agree on a topline number- an issue further complicated by the White House, Senate Republicans, and Senate Democrats’ desires to have a topline spending number that was negotiated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. House Republicans are attempting to get spending below that agreement. Neither chamber moved appropriations bills this week.

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

The House and Senate are working to negotiate an agreement between their two versions of the NDAA. The House bill contains a provision that forces the Pentagon to rescind a policy that allows servicemembers who must travel out-of-state to access reproductive health care to be reimbursed for travel costs.

House

The House considered a number of bills regarding federal land use this week. On Wednesday, health care executives met before congress to share their positive input on the use of artificial intelligence in the field. This is the fourth hearing this fall on AI but the first to be focused entirely on its applications in health care settings and will likely inform regulations to come regarding AI. On Thursday, CDC Director Cohen testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She used the opportunity to advocate for the importance of fully funding the CDC to be prepared for future public health emergencies.

Senate

The Senate has spent much of this week working through US District Judge nominations.