Senate Committee Chair Eyes End Of The Week For 21st Century Cures Act Deal
The main obstacle to a deal has been finding a way to pay for new mandatory funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health. In other news from Capitol Hill, senators ask HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell for information pertaining to data that was stolen from the agency and are frustrated by the answers she provides.
The Hill:
Alexander: Cures Bill Deal Could Be Reached By End Of The Week
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Monday that a medical innovation bill could be ready for the Senate floor as early as next week. The bill is the Senate’s companion to the House-passed 21st Century Cures Act, which seeks to speed up the Food and Drug Administration’s approvals of new drugs and devices and boost funding for medical research. (Sullivan, 4/4)
The Associated Press:
Senate: Few Answers On US Theft That Risked Data Of Millions
Senate investigators indicated Monday they've received few answers from the Obama administration after a laptop and portable hard drives — likely containing names and Social Security numbers of millions — were stolen from a federal building in Washington state. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the Republican chair of the Senate government affairs panel, asked Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Monday if the drives stolen from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement in Olympia, Washington, were ever recovered. (4/5)
