Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate GOP Reportedly Working On Legislation To Fund FDA, VA, More
Politico: Senate GOP Will Try To Advance Full-Year Spending Bills Amid Shutdown
Senate GOP leaders are looking to pressure Democrats to make progress on full-year spending bills that would fund the Pentagon and a handful of other federal agencies amid the government shutdown. Majority Leader John Thune teed up the House-passed Defense appropriations bill Tuesday for an initial procedural vote, where it will need 60 votes to advance. That vote is set for Thursday. Separately, Republicans are attempting to expedite the process of instructing lawmakers to go to conference with House counterparts on “minibus” legislation that would fund the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, the FDA and the operations of Congress, among other offices and agencies. The plan was described by three people granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. (Hill and Carney, 10/14)
Politico: Four GOP Ideas For An Obamacare Subsidies Compromise
A menu of options is starting to emerge around what a compromise might look like for extending a suite of Affordable Care Act tax credits, which have become a focal point in the current government funding standoff. With the shutdown about to enter its third week, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune continue to insist that any negotiation over the future of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies will need to happen after the government reopens. (Guggenheim, 10/14)
The Guardian: US Senate Again Rejects Republican Plan To End Government Shutdown
Congress remained deadlocked on legislation to reopen the federal government, as the US Senate on Tuesday again rejected a Republican plan to end the government shutdown that began two weeks ago. The eighth Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would fund government operations through 21 November failed on a 49-45 tally – far short of the 60 needed for advancement in the chamber. (Gedeon and Gambino, 10/14)
The Hill: Poll Finds More People Are Starting To Blame Democrats For Shutdown
Americans are more likely to blame Republicans than Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, but a new YouGov/The Economist poll shows that gap is beginning to narrow. Only 6 points separate the parties in this week’s poll, which shows 39 percent of surveyed Americans blame President Trump and the Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, while 33 percent blame the Democrats in Congress. (Fortinsky, 10/14)
Also —
AP: Shutdown Delays Social Security Cost-Of-Living Announcement
The ongoing government shutdown is delaying the announcement of the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for tens of millions of beneficiaries. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the 2024 Social Security COLA announcement will now be Oct. 24. It is timed to the September Consumer Price Index, which also has not yet been released. (Hussein, 10/15)
Updates on layoffs at the CDC —
Stat: CDC Team Behind Top Survey On Health And Nutrition Is Laid Off
Protecting the nation’s public health demands data, whether it be new measles cases, a surge in ER visits, or shifting patterns in obesity. The most recent job cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threaten the mostly unseen foundation of that research enterprise. (Cooney, 10/14)
Axios: CDC Cuts Put Injury Tracking And Prevention In Limbo
The job of tracking the ravages of the opioid crisis may come down to a bare-bones team of about 150 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers whose overdose division survived a mass firing that took out much of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control last week. (Reed and Goldman, 10/15)
The Hill: CDC Union Blasts Lack Of Transparency From HHS In Layoffs
Four days after the Trump administration initiated a wave of layoffs across the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s still no official accounting of how many people were eliminated. Current and former staff, as well as members of the union representing CDC employees at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, have been crowdsourcing data from impacted employees to estimate the exact number of people and positions that have been cut. (Weixel, 10/14)
PBS NewsHour: How The Latest Round Of Federal Layoffs Could Impact Public Health
Over the weekend, roughly 1,300 employees at the CDC received notices they were fired. As the Trump administration realized it had fired some key staff, reportedly half of them were reinstated the next day. It still leaves the health agency without many crucial professionals. Amna Nawaz discussed the impact with Dr. Nirav Shah. (Nawaz and Merchant, 10/14)
MedPage Today: Want To Call CDC To Report A Possible Disease Outbreak? Fuhgeddaboutit
Thinking of calling CDC to report a potential disease outbreak? Don't bother; no one will answer, a former CDC employee said Tuesday. "If it's an infection that is being seen in the hospital in four different patients, and the infection control nurse calls [the CDC] ... You are working with the physicians, the nurses, the schools, the restaurants, to try and sort through, 'What is going on and what can we do?'" said Karen Remley, MD, MPH, former director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. (Frieden, 10/14)
