This Week in Congress

House

The House was in session this week and voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Until a new speaker is chosen, the House cannot conduct votes on legislation. The House adjourned on Tuesday evening and is expected to return to elect a new speaker next week.

Senate

The Senate voted on Administration and Federal Judge nominations. The Senate adjourned on Wednesday evening to allow members to travel to California for the funeral of Senator Diane Feinstein. The Senate will return for legislative business on October 16.

Appropriations

Continuing Resolution (CR)

Late on September 30, Congress passed, and the President signed the CR averting a government shutdown and extending funding at the FY’23 level until November 17. The legislation also extends the expiring FAA authorization through Dec. 31 and authorizations for the National Flood Insurance Program and community health centers through the CR’s duration. It also includes $16 billion for disaster assistance, but no additional funds for Ukraine. Congressional leaders stated that they expect more funding to be included before the end of this year.

Speaker of the House

On Tuesday, October 3, by voting 216-210, the House removed Speaker McCarthy from his post, the first time in American history that a Speaker was stripped of the gavel. Conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced the motion to vacate, with eight Republicans joining him to oust McCarthy. Rep. Patrick McHenry, Republican of North Carolina, will act as the speaker pro-temp until a new speaker can be elected sometime next week. Possible candidates to replace McCarthy include Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio and possibly Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern (R-Okla.). Other candidates include Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York, Chip Roy of Texas, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Democrats will nominate Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader.

Federal Happenings

CDC Backs Doxy-PEP to Prevent STIs

The CDC is expected to endorse the administration of doxy-PEP as a preventive against sexually transmitted infections for people who have had unprotected sex. The agency has released draft recommendations on the antibiotic’s use. The new guidelines will offer an important resource for healthcare providers to inform the use of Doxy PEP for preventing bacterial STI infections.

Other Happenings from Around the Nation

US Syphilis Cases are Rising as STD Clinics Struggle to find Bicillin L-A

The National Coalition of STD Directors and 38 other public health groups sent a letter to members of the White House Drug Shortage Task Force outlining how clinics are reporting trouble placing orders for the go-to syphilis drug Bicillin, a long-acting injectable form of the antibiotic penicillin, and those that have been able to place orders are receiving only partially filled or delayed orders. The letter calls for the White House task force to take up the Bicillin shortfall as a priority and work with drugmaker Pfizer to ensure an adequate supply.

David Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors said –  “It’s devastating to see the dramatic rise in completely preventable congenital syphilis cases while clinics can’t get their hands on the basic antibiotic they need to save lives and prevent profound consequences for newborn babies. The government must launch a response to the syphilis epidemic that guarantees clinics can get the Bicillin L-A they need right now and prevent the repeated shortages like this one from ever happening again.”

The article can be found here

The letter can be found here

Abortion

US Supreme Court

The Supreme Court declined to hear a case by anti-abortion activists to throw out more than $2 million in damages they were ordered to pay Planned Parenthood after secretly recording video of abortion providers in a scheme to try to show the illicit sale of aborted fetal tissue for profit.

Massachusetts

Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced the launch of the office’s reproductive justice unit Monday with the appointment of longtime abortion rights advocate Sapna Khatri as the unit’s first director. “Massachusetts has and will continue to show itself to be the north star for the nation on reproductive health access,” Campbell said during a press conference at her office. “We are here again leading the way by announcing the formation of the first of its kind Reproductive Justice Unit… and we’re really, really proud that we’re getting this off the ground today.”

Vasectomies

Vasectomies at clinics, hospitals and medical centers in Oregon and southwest Washington have increased since Roe vs. Wade was overturned last year. Why it matters: The trend, which isn’t isolated to the Pacific Northwest, could mark a shift in attitudes about a man’s role in family planning.

LBGTQ

California

A study out this month found that trans and nonbinary adults face staggering rates of violence in California, even as the broader population has reported a decline, underscoring how life in even the most welcoming states is still often fraught for trans people. The fourth annual California Violence Experiences Survey found that 1 in 20 adults surveyed reported experiencing physical violence in the past year. About 1 in 10 of the study’s more than 3,500 respondents experienced sexual harassment or assault in the last year.

Conversion Therapy

A substantial proportion of LGBTQ people report having been subjected to systematic efforts to deter them from expressing their sexuality or gender identity, according to a major new international review of over a dozen studies. Known as conversion therapy, such treatment has been broadly condemned by psychological and medical organizations and has been banned for minors in 22 states. Transgender people, the study found, reported a history of conversion therapy at a higher rate than gays and lesbians.

COVID-19

California

New COVID-19 hospital admissions have decreased for a second consecutive week in California, signaling a modest but reassuring trend as the state emerges from a late-summer swell of infections. The daily average of patients admitted for COVID-19 fell approximately 13% over the past two weeks, dropping from an average of 395 to 343 daily, according to recently  published health department data.

FDA Authorizes Novavax’s Vaccine

Novavax’s authorization means people will now have the choice of a protein-based non-MRNA option to help protect themselves against COVID-19. Novavax’s CEO John Jacobs said in a statement said the authorization provides an additional COVID-19 vaccine option that meets the FDA’s standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization.

Vaccine Availability

The troubled rollout of updated coronavirus vaccines is proving especially challenging for physicians and parents seeking to immunize children — a reflection of distribution delays, shortages at pharmacies, and financial obstacles confronting pediatric practices. The federal government is no longer buying and distributing all vaccines, unleashing a host of complications as the new shots, recommended for everyone older than 6 months, hit the private market in mid-September. The updated vaccines are tailored to provide a shield of protection against coronavirus variants in circulation, and arrive as the fall respiratory illness season dawns and an expected winter COVID-19 uptick looms.

Vaccine Cards

The CDC is no longer distributing COVID-19 vaccination cards. Instead, it recommends individuals contact the state health department’s immunization information system, or IIS, to record new vaccinations. “Your state’s IIS cannot issue you a vaccination card, but they can provide a digital or paper copy of your full vaccination record, including your COVID-19 vaccinations,” the CDC said in an update on its website.