Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Committee Looks For Ways To Block White House Interference In Medical Research Grants
Roll Call: Lame-Duck Effort Brewing To Protect NIH Grantmaking
Senate appropriators from both parties are workshopping language that could be added to a spending bill to prevent the White House from exerting political influence on medical research grants. The provision would go into the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that lawmakers hope to pass before stopgap funding expires Dec. 11. (Cohen, 10/1)
Stat: Analyzing FY 2026 NIH Grants: Budget Spent, But Uncertainty Lingers
A STAT analysis of National Institutes of Health spending shows that in the 2026 fiscal year, which ended Wednesday, the agency continued reducing grant awards involving health disparities, race, and ethnicity but made little progress toward other Trump administration priorities, including disbursing funds more evenly across the country and expanding support for early-career scientists. (Oza, Wose and Parker, 10/2)
More news from Capitol Hill —
Roll Call: Bill Easing Seniors’ Wheelchair Upgrade Costs Clears Senate
Legislation reversing a decade of Medicare payment policy that made it too expensive for many seniors to buy ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk after the Senate quietly cleared it late Wednesday night. (Cohn, 10/1)
The Hill: GOP Senators Call For DOJ Probe Into Chinese Role In Illegal Hemp, Cannabis Networks
Four GOP senators who opposed the delay of a ban on intoxicating hemp products are calling on the Justice Department to investigate the role of Chinese criminal networks in America’s cannabis and intoxicating hemp markets. In a Wednesday letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche, the senators said Chinese criminal networks “are exploiting vulnerabilities in federal law to operate expansive illicit drug enterprises that threaten our communities and national security.” (Weixel, 10/1)
The midterm elections are Nov. 3 —
The New York Times: Congress Leaves With A Whimper, As The G.O.P. Braces For Midterm Pain
Republicans lined up a series of doomed votes in their final hours, hoping to portray Democrats as obstructionists. But some conceded that their party was more likely to be punished. (Gold and Hulse, 10/1)
KFF Health News: Midterms Have Revived Universal Healthcare Debate. These States Are Ahead Of Everyone
Democratic congressional members and candidates are already planning to use any midterm election gains to expand health coverage, including boosting Affordable Care Act subsidies, reversing Medicaid cuts, and lowering the Medicare eligibility age. But Democratic strongholds across the country — including Oregon, California, New York, and Washington — have more ambitious goals: single-payer, universal healthcare systems. (Hawryluk, 10/2)
NBC News: Abdul El-Sayed Tries To Woo MAHA Voters As Democrats Seek Inroads With RFK’s Supporters
A Democrat in one of the most competitive Senate races is making a play for the MAHA vote as some in the party seek to win over supporters of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s movement in the run-up to November’s elections. (Smith, Bendix and Tsirkin, 10/1)
