Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House To Take Procedural Vote On ACA Today; GOP's Grip On Congress Slips
Punchbowl News: Congress Heads Toward Another ACA Showdown
Congress’ health care battle continues on Wednesday when the House will take its first procedural vote on the Democratic discharge petition to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits for three years. The procedural motion will pass. And the bill is expected to pass later this week. Four House Republicans signed the petition, hoping it would reignite Senate momentum toward an Obamacare deal after a pair of health care votes failed in the chamber last month. Those hopes seem to be playing out, although there are still big obstacles to a deal and a very limited window to secure it. (1/7)
NPR: A Once Rare Legislative Tool Is Causing Headaches For Mike Johnson
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a measure to renew now-expired Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies — over the objection of House Speaker Mike Johnson. It is not the first time this Congress that enough Republicans have joined with Democrats to circumvent the speaker using an obscure maneuver called a discharge petition. (Gringlas, 1/7)
Axios: Inside The Senate's Last-Gasp Effort To Solve The Health Care Crisis
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) isn't giving up on a health care plan that can win 35 Senate Republicans and a majority of Democrats — but he and a small bipartisan group have about three weeks left to find it. (Kight, 1/6)
E&E News By POLITICO: Takeaways From Congress’ Latest Spending Package
Congressional appropriators’ latest bipartisan spending package, unveiled Monday, would reduce funding for a host of energy and environment programs while rejecting the Trump administration’s requests for even greater cuts. The House and Senate are set to take up the compromise three-bill “minibus” this month with hopes of providing updated funding levels for the Department of Energy, the Interior Department, EPA and a number of science agencies for the first time in nearly two years. (Picon, 1/6)
The GOP majority in Congress is now razor-thin —
The New York Times: Doug LaMalfa’s Death Further Depletes House G.O.P. Majority
The sudden death of Representative Doug LaMalfa, Republican of California, cast a pall over the first day of the new session of Congress on Tuesday, when House Republicans mourned their colleague and also watched their tiny majority dwindle to the bare minimum of 218 votes. The passing of Mr. LaMalfa, 65, who died during an emergency surgery, came on the same day that the resignation of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia took effect. That left Speaker Mike Johnson able to afford just two defections on any party-line vote, if all members are present — and in an election year, they seldom are. (Karni, 1/6)
AP: Rep. Jim Baird Hospitalized After Car Crash Is Expected To Recover
Indiana U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, 80, is expected to make a full recovery after his vehicle was struck in a car accident that hospitalized him, the Republican's office said Tuesday. News of the accident came as Republicans in D.C. mourn the death of Republican Doug LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative from California. His death, along with the resignation of Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, narrows the party's control of the House to 218 seats to Democrats' 213. (Volmert, 1/7)
Politico: Mortality And Margins Weigh On House Republicans As They Kick Off The Election Year
Tuesday was supposed to be a rah-rah day for House Republicans — a chance to strategize with President Donald Trump about their agenda for the tough election year ahead. Instead, 2026 got off to an unexpectedly somber start as they confronted the sudden death of a well-liked colleague and pondered the dire political and policy straits their dwindling majority has to navigate. Most members learned about California Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s overnight passing as they boarded buses outside the Capitol to head to the Kennedy Center for their annual policy meeting. (Lee Hill, 1/6)
