Billy Wynne

Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Law Banning Gender-Affirming Care for Minors; Current Policy Landscape and Implications Today, in a 6-3 decision on U.S. v. Skrmetti, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s 2023 law (S.B. 1) banning access to gender-affirming care for minors, marking the first time the Court has ruled directly on the constitutionality of a state law targeting…

Committee Democrats Question the Process and Data Used for the MAHA Commission Report Senior Democrats on the House Energy & Commerce (E&C) Committee sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. probing about the errors that were discovered in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s assessment…

Agency Launches Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher Program to Accelerate Drug Approvals Aligned with National Health Needs The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program, a new initiative designed to expedite the drug approval process for companies that align with U.S. national health priorities (FAQ). Unlike traditional review timelines of…

Summary of Health-Related Provisions in the FY 2025 Senate Finance Committee Reconciliation Bill Provisions the Senate Finance Committee released its budget reconciliation text. The text primarily focuses on President Trump’s priority tax policy changes, but includes the Senate’s proposed changes to Medicaid, which largely mirror the House Reconciliation bill (press release; section-by-section; one-pager). Key Health-Related Provisions:  Includes the…

Commission June 2025 Report to Congress Addresses Certain Youth Health Care Needs and Improving Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its March 2025 Report to Congress, with (1) transitions of care for children with special health care needs; (2) access to residential treatment for…

Senate Democrats Announce Legislation Countering Republican Proposals to Improve Medicaid Program and Fight Fraud Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and other Senate Democrats announced over a dozen bills to strengthen Medicaid and make investments in the program. The Ranking Member criticized the House passed reconciliation bill, stating that it fails to meaningfully…

Senate HELP Ranking Member Sanders Requests Input From Healthcare Providers on Cuts Proposed Under the House Reconciliation Bill Today, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) issued a request for information (RFI) on the potential impact of the House budget reconciliation bill for healthcare providers and the American…

House E&C Subcommittee Explores Bipartisan Approaches to Strengthen Domestic Health Care Manufacturing and Supply Chain Resilience The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to assess vulnerabilities in the U.S. health care supply chain and to explore bipartisan solutions for enhancing domestic production of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. While lawmakers agreed on…

USDA Secretary Rollins Discusses Priorities with House Agriculture Committee, Defends Cuts The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins to discuss the priorities and initial actions of the Trump Administration for agriculture and nutrition programs. Most of the hearing centered on farm and agricultural issues but some members…

Senate Subcommittee Presses NIH Director on Proposed 40% Budget Cuts to the Agency and Ongoing Research Disruptions The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with NIH Director, Dr. Jay…