Policy Updates: Hill Happenings and Administration Activities
Hill Happenings
FY2025 Appropriations
Republican appropriators are moving forward with dueling proposals to advance the fiscal year 2025 (FY2025) spending bill. On February 12, the Senate Budget Committee marked up and approved a budget resolution that kicks off the budget reconciliation process, enabling Congress to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass a spending bill on party lines. On February 13, the House advanced its own budget resolution which aims to advance more of the GOP policy priorities through the FY2025 cycle than those included in the Senate version. The Republican caucus has been split on whether to leverage the budget reconciliation process for both FY2025 and FY2026 to advance President Trump’s priorities, like enhancing immigration enforcement and cutting federal spending, through two bills or to pass “one big, beautiful bill.”
Lawmakers have until March 14 to advance the FY2025 spending bill or a pass a stopgap funding measure to avert a government shutdown. Due to the controversial spending cuts proposed by Republicans and disagreements on how to advance the FY2025 and FY2026 spending bills through budget reconciliation, appropriators may have to resort to a full-year continuing resolution for FY2025.
NASTAD will continue to monitor the congressional appropriations process and advocate for the highest possible funding for HIV, hepatitis, and drug user health programs.
Senate Confirms RFK Nomination for HHS Secretary
On February 13, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) was sworn in as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Senate voted to confirm his nomination along party lines (52-48), with former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) being the sole “no” vote in the GOP caucus. RFK secured a majority vote after winning over Senator Cassidy (R-LA), Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, by assuring him that he would not make changes to existing vaccine recommendations.
NASTAD Welcomes New Lawmakers to the 119th Congressional Session
On February 13, NASTAD and the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP) welcomed new members of Congress to the 119th legislative session. The coalition highlighted progress made to end the HIV epidemic and provided recommendations for Congress to maintain commitments and build upon gains to reduce HIV morbidity and mortality. The recommendations include providing strong funding for core public health programs like HIV prevention and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, opposing cuts to Medicaid and Medicare coverage and services, and engaging with impacted communities and stakeholders in the fight to end the HIV epidemic.
Administration Activities
President Trump Launches Make America Healthy Again Commission
On February 13, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) that launched the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be chaired by HHS Secretary RFK. The Commission aims to increase the life expectancy of Americans by addressing chronic diseases, particularly in pediatric populations. The EO highlights reforms for food systems and agricultural policies, prescribing practices for mental and behavioral health conditions, and a review of medical data and the current evidence-base for health rulemaking.
Trump Admin Lays Off Over 5,000 Federal Health Employees
On February 14, HHS officials announced that the Department would implement mass layoffs of probationary employees at federal health agencies, including 1,300 staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and up to 5,200 total staff at HHS. The layoffs are part of the Administration’s efforts to reshape the federal government and reduce spending, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The layoffs affect about 10% of the CDC workforce and target staff working on DEI programs, recent hires, and long-time staffers who were recently moved to a new position in the CDC.
Supreme Court Announces March Argument Schedule
On February 10, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) released the schedule for its March argument session, slating arguments for Kerr v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic on April 2. The Justices will assess whether a South Carolina woman and Planned Parenthood have the standing to bring a legal challenge against the state for its decision to bar Planned Parenthood from participating in the Medicaid program. The case hinges upon the Medicaid Act’s “any-qualified-provider” provision, which prohibits states from interfering with Medicaid patients’ access to the qualified family planning provider of their choice. The case could have significant implications for coverage and access to family planning and reproductive services for beneficiaries of state Medicaid programs.
Resources
GU O’Neill Institute: Reinvigorating the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative
“While Congress increased funding for EHE during both the Trump and Biden Administrations, it never funded EHE at the levels requested by either administration. Success of the EHE will lead to more people with HIV in care and population trends mean that growing numbers of younger adults and others will need effective prevention services. Investments in EHE, however, will enable us to forego even greater national investments in treatment and services for ever larger numbers of people.”
Job Postings
Executive Director of Programs – New York City, NY
The New York City Health Department is seeking an Executive Director of Programs to join its Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STIs (BHHS). The Executive Director of Programs will provide day-to-day oversight and operational support to BHHS’s HIV Care and Treatment Program, HIV Epidemiology Program, HIV Prevention Program, STI Program, and Viral Hepatitis Program, which comprise the majority of the bureau’s staff. The Executive Director of Programs will report to BHHS’s Assistant Commissioner and work alongside the Assistant Commissioner and BHHS leadership to ensure these Programs are supported to function optimally and collaboratively, and that BHHS is well-positioned to implement its strategic priorities and achieve its mission to improve the lives of New Yorkers by ending transmission, illness, stigma, and inequities related to viral hepatitis, HIV, and STIs. For more information or to apply for the position, visit the job posting on NYC Jobs, here.
Communicable Disease Epidemiologist – Cheyenne, Wyoming
This position will serve as the Communicable Disease AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Coordinator, Wyoming TB Controller, and Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) for the Communicable Disease (CD) Treatment Program. Assist in outbreak response to ensure the safety of Wyoming residents; by interviewing cases for exposure information, updating news outlets on the progress of outbreak control, analyzing exposure data utilizing epidemiological and statistical methods.
News Bulletin
Judge says Trump administration violating order to lift spending freeze
“A federal judge says the Trump administration has been violating his order to resume funding federal grants that the White House attempted to block with a blanket spending freeze last month. U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to “immediately restore frozen funding” while his order remains in effect, including to the National Institutes of Health and to fulfill the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act.”
U.S. Businesses Seek to Accelerate the Movement to End HIV
“One initiative that grew out of USBAEH and launched in partnership with HIV community organizations and coalition members, she says, is called RxEACH, in which typically rival pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens have banded together to promote more offering of HIV testing and PrEP services on site at pharmacies. Research has shown that doing this could vastly expand the reach of such services at a time when new HIV rates remain stubbornly flat within certain demographics, such as young Black and Latino men who have sex with men, even as those rates have plummeted dramatically the past decade among white men who have sex with men (heavily due to higher adoption of PrEP).”
Health clinics grapple with US funding squeeze
“President Donald Trump's executive orders have begun to disrupt patient care in the United States, as some providers cannot access essential federal funding, according to interviews with a dozen healthcare providers and policy advocates.
Facilities in Virginia and West Virginia told Reuters they were forced to shutter primary care clinics or lay off staff. Other community health clinics in California and Virginia said they received notices of termination for federal grants that support HIV prevention care.”
CMS slashes ACA navigator program funding 90% to $10M
“Funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) navigator program will get cut to just $10 million, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Feb. 14. It’s one of the agency’s first official moves signaling the priorities of the CMS under President Donald Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”