Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Spending Bill That Includes Funding For Gun Violence, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Moves Forward
CQ: House Panel Advances Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill
A House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would provide nearly $204 billion for the departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and other agencies in fiscal 2020. The Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee approved the bill by voice vote, although panel Republicans did not support it. The bill would provide substantial funding increases to the departments it funds, setting a high bar for spending as House Democrats begin working on fiscal 2020 appropriations. (Siddons, 4/30)
Politico Pro: House Appropriations Subcommittee Advances Massive HHS Budget Along Party Lines
Ranking member Tom Cole (R-Okla.) criticized the bill for “tying the administration’s hands” and micromanaging agencies. It would roll back the Trump administration’s Title X family planning rule, which cuts funding to clinics that provide abortions or abortion referrals, and orders HHS to restore outreach and advertising during the Obamacare open enrollment period. Lawmakers from both parties aired concerns about beginning to mark up individual spending bills without an agreement on overall government spending caps. House progressives tanked a potential agreement just before the April recess, over concerns that it favored military over domestic spending. (Ollstein, 4/30)
The Associated Press: Democrats Using Veterans Bill To Try To Block Border Wall
Democrats controlling the House are trying to use a popular veterans measure to block President Donald Trump from transferring $3.6 billion from military base construction to build his long-sought wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Tuesday's move faces certain opposition from Trump and a potential veto threat. Lawmakers often try to use essential spending bills to reverse presidential moves, but they are often unsuccessful. Republicans tried in futility on numerous occasions to advance conservative policy "riders" on topics such as the Affordable Care Act, financial regulations and the environment. (Taylor, 4/30)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
CQ HealthBeat: VA, Lawmakers Focus On Veteran Suicides
Lawmakers are turning their attention to the rising rate of veteran suicides as the Department of Veterans Affairs asks for more funding to address the issue. The attention comes as four veterans in the past week took their lives at VA facilities. The department estimates that 20 veterans commit suicide every day, 14 of whom have not seen a VA provider in the past two years. (Clason, 4/30)
The Hill: Trump Urges Dem Senator To Revive Bipartisan ObamaCare Talks
President Trump encouraged Democratic Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) to resume efforts to find a bipartisan deal to shore up ObamaCare at a White House meeting on Tuesday. Trump said that he did not understand why the bipartisan proposal that Murray worked on in 2017 and 2018 with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) had been dropped, according to a Democratic source. (Sullivan, 4/30)
