Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Congress Agrees On Stopgap Funding Bill, Likely Averting Federal Shutdown
USA Today: No Government Shutdown For Now: Congress Agrees On Temporary Funding Deal Into December
Congress has reached a deal to extend government funding through Dec. 20, leaders announced on Sunday, kicking the can down the road as lawmakers try to dodge a devastating shutdown. The agreement avoids the shutdown that was slated to begin at midnight on Sept. 30, ensuring Americans retain access to crucial government services and sidestepping an embarrassing political blunder with just weeks until the presidential election. The House is expected to vote on the funding extension, known as a continuing resolution or CR, on Wednesday. The deal struck between the GOP-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate came after Johnson tried and failed to pass a six-month extension that included a bill requiring people to show proof of citizenship to vote. The deal announced on Sunday didn't include the effort. (Beggin, 9/22)
Reuters: US Victims Of Food-Benefit Theft Could Lose Means Of Recovering Funds
Recipients of U.S. federal food aid whose benefits are stolen will soon have no way to recoup the lost funds unless Congress takes action by the end of September. Roughly 42 million Americans receive food aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The benefits are loaded onto electronic benefit transfer cards, akin to debit cards, and can be stolen when illegal devices on card-swiping machines copy the card data. Congress passed a law in 2022 that for the first time enabled states to replace stolen benefits. The provision expires on Sept. 30. (Douglas, 9/20)
Military.com: Veterans Not Covered By Toxic Hazards Legislation Wait Decades For VA Recognition, Report Finds
The passage of the PACT Act gave millions of veterans the chance at expedited disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but thousands of others exposed to environmental hazards in military service wait roughly 31 years to receive similar recognition from the VA, a new report has found. (Kime, 9/20)
