Health Care Watch: January 27, 2025
The following Federal Health Policy (FHP) Strategies Weekly Health Care Watch provides a summary of legislative and regulatory health care activities from January 19 – January 25. Where available, hyperlinks are included to the relevant documents. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like additional information on the items below.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
House
On January 22, Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO) met to discuss the health care package that was ultimately pulled from the year-end funding deal last Congress. Reps. Carter and DeGette voiced their support for the deal, which had broad bipartisan backing and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms.
On January 22, Congressional appropriators held a private meeting to discuss a potential government funding deal ahead of the March shutdown deadline. The meeting led to discussion of cross-party ideas including raising the debt limit and increasing disaster aid and boarder security funding. Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) stated that the four lawmakers hope to strike a topline agreement by the end of this month.
On January 24, the Budget Committee adopted committee rules and membership for the 119th Congress. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) will continue to serve as Chairman and Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) will remain as Ranking Member. A list of all members on the committee can be found here.
Senate
On January 21, Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR); Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reject calls to “pause” the Medicare drug price negotiation program and to defend the program “aggressively” in court.
On January 22, HELP Committee Ranking Member Sanders held a roundtable to discuss the importance of vaccines and their impact on public health. The roundtable included panelists: Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Vice Dean of Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Dr. Gregg Gonsalves, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health; andCatherine Kennedy, President of the California Nurses Association.
REGULATORY UPDATE
On January 21, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved Johnson & Johnson’s supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for SPRAVATO (esketamine) CIII nasal spray, making it the first and only monotherapy for adults living with major depressive disorder (MDD) who have had an inadequate response to at least two oral antidepressants.
On January 21, Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Acting Secretary Dorothy Fink sent a memo to all HHS division heads calling for an “immediate pause” to all HHS outside communications, website updates, and speaking engagements through February 1, 2025. Acting Secretary Fick also stated that the Office of the Executive Secretary withdrew, from the Office of the Federal Register, all documents that had not yet been published in the Federal Register to allow for review and approval by a Presidential appointee.
On January 21, Derek Maltz was appointed as interim Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Maltz was an official with the DEA for nearly three decades before retiring in 2014 and previously served as Chief of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force.
On January 23, Susan Monarez was appointed as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez previously served as Deputy Director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
WHITE HOUSE
On January 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.
On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). President Trump also rescinded a number of President Biden’s health related EOs including those directing HHS to: rescind policies that may undermine Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage; consider models that would lower drug costs and promote access to innovative drug therapies in Medicare and Medicaid programs; and follow requirements that AI be safe, secure, responsible, and equitable.
On January 20, President Trump announced Cabinet, sub-Cabinet, and acting agency leader appointments.
On January 20, President Trump announced regulatory and hiring freezes. The regulatory freeze includes prohibiting all executive departments and agencies from proposing or issuing any rule in any manner, including by sending a rule to the Office of the Federal Register, until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President reviews and approves the rule. The hiring freeze prohibits any Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, from being filled and prohibits the creation of any new position except as otherwise provided for in the memorandum or other applicable law. The EO states that the hiring freeze will not adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans’ benefits.
On January 21, Don Dempsey was appointed as Associate Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Dempsey will oversee health care programs at OMB. Dempsey previously served as Associate Director for Human Resources at OMB during President George W. Bush’s administration, where he oversaw Social Security and health care programs.
On January 21, President Trump canceled a variety of scientific gatherings including several meetings of National Institutes of Health (NIH) study sections, a February 20-21 meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria that was scheduled for January 28 and 29.
On January 22, President Trump announced that Michael Kratsios will serve as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Kratsios previously served as Chief Technology Officer in the first Trump Administration.
On January 22, President Trump announced the establishment of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST will spearhead innovation and competitiveness in critical and emerging technologies and will include up to 24 members, with representation from leading American scientists and technologists from industry, academia, and government.
HEARINGS
Senate
Finance Committee
January 29; 10:00 AM; 215 Dirksen
Hearing to consider the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services
Witness: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Special Committee on Aging
January 29; 3:30 PM; 106 Dirksen
Making Washington Work for Seniors: Fighting to End Inflation and Achieve Fiscal Sanity
Witnesses: Tarren Bragdon, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Government Accountability; Alex Lawson, Executive Director, Social Security Works; Jeff Ferry, Chief Economist Emeritus, Coalition for a Prosperous America;EJ Antoni, Research Fellow, Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget
HELP Committee
January 30; 10:00 AM; 562 Dirksen
Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services
Witness: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
ADDITIONAL POLICY NEWS
On January 21, Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family agreed to a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with 15 states to resolve thousands of lawsuits filed over the role they allegedly played in the United States' opioid crisis.