Bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act Clears House, Heads To President Trump
The legislation makes permanent an emergency rule issued in 2018 that classifies copycats of fentanyl as Schedule I controlled substances. However, it does not add funding for public health or anti-drug-trafficking efforts to combat addiction and deaths. Another bill advancing in the House would legalize for-profit VA claims consultants, a measure veterans' advocates have fought against.
AP:
House Sends Trump A Bill That Would Combat Fentanyl Trafficking
The House overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation Thursday that would solidify federal policies cracking down on the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogs in a bid by lawmakers to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic. The HALT Fentanyl Act makes permanent a 2018 emergency rule that classifies knockoffs of fentanyl as Schedule I controlled substances, which results in harsher sentences for possession of the drug. The bill passed the House 321-104 and now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. (Brown, 6/12)
In related news about overdoses —
Fierce Healthcare:
Urine Drug Test Data Can Help Chart National Overdose Trends: Study
Urine drug test (UDT) data can generate timely estimates of overdose deaths, a new study suggests. The study, published in JAMA Network Open by specialty lab Millennium Health and The Ohio State University, aimed to determine whether UDT data could provide near real-time indications of overdose trends. Effective responses to the overdose crisis must be prompt, the study noted, which requires a timely evaluation of current trends. However, current publicly available data on fatal overdoses in the U.S. can lag by at least six months. (Gliadkovskaya, 6/12)
More news from Capitol Hill —
The War Horse:
Congress Advances Bill For Firms To Charge Veterans For VA Help
Veterans’ advocates have worked for years to stop unaccredited consultants from charging vets thousands of dollars for help filing disability claims, but setbacks in court and on Capitol Hill indicate their quest to ban the deep-pocketed companies could be in peril. With Republicans in control of Congress, a bill legalizing for-profit claims consultants nationwide will advance to a full House of Representatives vote, the first time such a measure has made it out of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Meanwhile, a competing bill introduced by a Democrat, which would crack down on for-profit companies by imposing criminal penalties, has not advanced. (Rosenbaum, 6/12)
AP:
House Approves Trump's Request To Cut Funding For NPR, PBS, Foreign Aid
The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to follow through on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk. The package targets foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service as well as thousands of public radio and television stations around the country. The vote was 214-212.Republicans are characterizing the spending as wasteful and unnecessary, but Democrats say the rescissions are hurting the United States’ standing in the world and will lead to needless deaths. (Freking, 6/12)
Politico:
White House Looks To Freeze More Agency Funds — And Expand Executive Power
The Trump administration is working on a new effort to both weaken Congress’ grip on the federal budget and freeze billions of dollars in spending at several government agencies, people familiar with the strategy told POLITICO’s E&E News. The strategy: order agencies to freeze the spending now — then ask Congress’ approval, using a maneuver that allows the cuts to become permanent if lawmakers fail to act. (Waldman and Hiar, 6/12)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicaid Fraud Targeted In Democratic Bill
Senate Democrats introduced legislation Thursday to target waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid as the GOP majority hastens to cut more than $800 billion from the program. The Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 would enact a slew of tax cuts that are at the heart of President Donald Trump’s agenda, partially paid for by slashing healthcare spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years, with most of the money coming from Medicaid. (McAuliff, 6/12)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Big Bill Would Be More Regressive Than Any Major Law In Decades
The Republican megabill now before the Senate cuts taxes for high earners and reduces benefits for the poor. If it’s enacted, that combination would make it more regressive than any major tax or entitlement law in decades. (Badger, Parlapiano and Sanger-Katz, 6/12)
KFF Health News:
‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Would Batter Rural Hospital Finances, Researchers Say
Cuts to Medicaid and other federal health programs proposed in President Donald Trump’s budget plan would rapidly push more than 300 financially struggling rural hospitals toward a fiscal cliff, according to researchers who track the facilities’ finances. The hospitals would be at a disproportionate risk of closure, service reductions, or ending inpatient care, according to a report authored by experts from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research following a request from Senate Democrats, who released the findings publicly Thursday. (Orozco Rodriguez, 6/12)
