Policy Corner: November 13, 2023
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
Congress Facing Appropriations Deadline to Avoid Government Shutdown
This Friday, Nov. 17, is the deadline for Congress to pass a funding measure to keep government open. Congress has had seven weeks to pass appropriation bills after it failed to pass spending bills by Sept. 30 when fiscal year (FY) 2023 ended. Instead, Congress approved a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund government starting Oct. 1 that ends Friday. Since then, the House of Representatives ousted the Speaker of the House and could not conduct business for three weeks when the Republican Conference finally elected a new Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), Oct. 25.
On Saturday, Speaker Johnson pitched a plan to the Republican Conference that would extend spending for some agencies to mid-January and to other agencies to early February. His proposal is to fund agencies covered by the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (VA), Agriculture, Energy-Water and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (HUD) bills to Jan. 19. The agencies covered by the other eight bills, which would include Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS)-Education, would be extended to Feb. 2. The proposal also would extend expiring health care provisions there were renewed through Nov. 17 under the current CR through Jan. 19, including funding for community health centers and teaching hospitals, special diabetes programs and a delay of Medicaid cuts to “disproportionate share hospitals” which serve predominantly lower-income patients. The plan does not include any of the supplemental funding packages that President Joe Biden has requested, including $106 billion for Israel, Ukraine, and U.S.-Mexico border management. The Republican Conference has yet voiced support for the two-step continuing resolution (CR) as many members wants to see massive cuts in funding, whereas the CRs would continue funding at the FY 2023 level. For the most part, democrats are opposed.
Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leaders have been considering a stopgap measure that would extend spending for all agencies to Jan. 19. The Senate is also proposing to extend several expiring authorizing measures, including the farm bill which authorizes funding also for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); a health care package; and flood insurance. Last Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer (D-N.Y.) filed cloture on the motion to proceed with the proposal. The vote is scheduled for later today and if passed, he could release a substitute amending containing CR text. The Senate passed a three-bill “minibus” appropriations package Nov. 1, and top appropriators have talked about moving the remaining nine spending bills altogether in a “megabus.” Other senators are pushing for a stopgap bill that would extend funding until just before Christmas in order to have time to pass a larger fiscal 2024 bills.
President Proclaims November as National Family Caregivers Month
President Biden has proclaimed November as National Family Caregivers Month in recognition of the invaluable role of caregivers in American society. The proclamation addresses common challenges faced by caregivers, including high care costs and inadequate worker wages, and the role of caregivers in caring for children, veterans who are injured, people with disabilities, and aging parents who need support and medical assistance. The proclamation also emphasizes the Administration’s commitment to supporting caregivers through legislative actions such as the American Rescue Plan, the Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, and the Executive Order to enhance access to high-quality child care and long-term care.
BIAA Supports HHS Rule to Protect People with Disabilities from Discrimination in Healthcare Decisions
As a member of the steering committee for the Disability & Rehabilitation Research Coalition (DRRC), the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) supported DRRC comments submitted today to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to the proposed rule that would update and advance protections for people with disabilities pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. BIAA supports the proposed rule’s overarching goal of ensuring nondiscrimination in the provision of health programs and activities to improve health care access and improve health outcomes for people with disabilities. The proposed rule would implement new requirements prohibiting recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating against people with disabilities in medical treatment decisions, including in the selection of participants for clinical research trials. The proposed rule also would prohibit imposing or applying eligibility criteria that screen out individuals with disabilities from fully and equally participating in any program or activity including research.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects people from discrimination based on disability in all federal programs and all programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The proposed rule updates regulations at HHS and adds new protections, including a section prohibiting discrimination in medical treatment decisions. Ensuring that people with disabilities are included in clinical research is a priority for the DRRC. This proposed rule makes significant strides toward achieving this goal.