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Senate panel clears FDA appropriations |
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance its agricultural funding bill Thursday, which, if approved, could curtail the impact of some of President Trump's more controversial provisions in his sweeping tax and spending package. |
The bill provides the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with $27.1 billion in discretionary funding in fiscal year 2026. It essentially maintains FDA funding at its FY 2025 levels. The FDA would be funded at $7 billion, with $3.6 billion coming from taxpayer funds and $3.4 billion in user fee revenues. The House version of the bill came in slightly under the Senate's, at $6.8 billion. Buried in the committee's report is a request for FDA to provide a briefing on how it's combating the ever-worsening drug shortages and potential recommendations for improving supply chain resilience. The committee report also raised concerns about hiring restrictions in place at the FDA for scientists, product reviewers and inspectors, which could lead to a showdown with the Trump administration. - "The Committee is aware of the challenges facing recruitment and retention of qualified candidates for these positions and directs the FDA to remove the hiring restrictions in place for these key roles within 30 days of enactment of this act," the report stated.
- "As the FDA continues necessary modernization to meet the needs of the fast-paced development of innovation in the United States, a key component is ensuring its workforce has the up-to-date expertise to meet those needs."
The bill calls for allocating $8.2 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income women and children and $425 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program to help low-income seniors. - Trump's "big, beautiful bill" will change how SNAP is funded. Under the law, states will be required to partially pay for SNAP funds if they have an error rate of 6 percent or higher for the program.
- The working age to stay in the program will be raised from 54 to 64, and only parents with children younger than 14 will be exempt from work requirements.
The bill also sets aside funds for some international food assistance, including $1.5 billion for Food for Peace Title II grants. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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More than 30 percent of American teenagers were considered prediabetic in 2023, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC calculated there were 8.4 million children between the ages of 12 and 17 who were labeled prediabetic — or those whose blood sugar level may be higher than normal — that year, putting them at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes or other health problems like … |
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately declare a public health emergency for measles, blaming the senior Trump administration official for failing to respond to the rapid resurgence of the disease. Schumer accused Kennedy in a bluntly worded letter Friday of walking “our country into the nation's largest measles outbreak in 33 years, … |
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) says it sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics "involved in performing transgender medical procedures on children," furthering a Trump administration goal of banning gender-affirming health care for minors. |
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A MESSAGE FROM EXPRESS SCRIPTS PHARMACY BENEFIT SERVICES |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- FDA's vaccine advisory committee meets Wednesday to discuss GlaxoSmithKline's application for an RSV vaccine in people ages 60+.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed a measure Thursday that repeals the state's guaranteed paid sick leave law, less than a year after nearly 58 percent of voters approved it. |
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A MESSAGE FROM EXPRESS SCRIPTS PHARMACY BENEFIT SERVICES |
PBMs are essential partners in the U.S. healthcare system. |
Pharmacy benefit managers reduce drug costs and improve health care outcomes. Proposed PBM reforms risk cutting competition and harming patients and plan sponsors. Learn more. |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Missouri's paid sick leave law set to end next month due to Republican-led repeal (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Higher premiums and lost coverage: How Trump's budget will change healthcare in California (Cal Matters)
- Medicaid cuts will pummel NY jobs and health care. The Bronx could take the biggest hit (Gothamist)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- UNAIDS report warns that HIV progress is at risk as U.S. funding cuts take hold (NPR)
- California stem cell agency shutting down unique human tissue biobank (Stat)
- More than a dozen states consider laws around menopause care and training for doctors (CNN)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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The Democratic Party’s credibility with voters has plummeted even further since the 2024 election, raising alarm bells as the party looks to … Read more |
| Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is at the center of internal fighting in the Trump administration about the handling of files related to disgraced … Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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