The House Ways and Means Committee (W&M) released an amendment in the nature of a substitute (AINS) to its budget reconciliation legislation ahead of the full committee markup on Tuesday, May 13.   Health-Related Proposals. The 389-page AINS adds numerous provisions that were not included in the 28-page draft released on Friday, May 9. Major proposals include: Commercial Insurance Expand… (Llamas, May 12, 2025) #Health Insurance Exchanges, #Insurance Reform

President Trump signed an executive order entitled “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients” (fact sheet). Overall, the EO calls out the American subsidization of prescription drugs through research and development and higher prices compared to other developed countries and attempt to end “global freeloading” and establish MFN pricing for the United States. The EO comes amid… (Slifer, May 12, 2025) #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Prescription Drugs

On March 27, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a significant reorganization plan pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order on government efficiency, aiming to consolidate several of its operating divisions. The reorganization includes the formation of the Administration for Healthy America (AHA) by combining five existing agencies, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), the… (Colocho, May 9, 2025) #Budget, #Food and Drug Administration, #National Institutes of Health, #Program Integrity, #Public Health, #Workforce

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee convened a hearing to consider the nomination of James O’Neill to serve as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Mr. O’Neill largely aligned himself with the views of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and frequently praised the administration’s recent actions. The hearing, originally scheduled to also include testimony… (Eisen, May 8, 2025) #Public Health, #Women’s Health

President Trump has signed more than 145 Executive Orders (EOs) since taking office, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed, and at least 143 rulings have led to full or partial temporary pauses on the government’s ability to implement EOs or other executive actions.  Our litigation tracker is updated daily with information regarding legal cases filed in response to Executive Branch actions. Tab 1 includes instructions for using the tracker. Tab… (Joyce, Eisen, May 8, 2025) #Health Equity

The Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies each held hearings to discuss the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. Much of the hearings focused on agricultural issues, but some legislators included nutrition programs in their remarks. Democrats noted their concerns about staff reductions,… (McClurg, May 7, 2025) #Nutrition