Policy Updates: Hill Happenings and Administration Activities
Hill Happenings
FY2025 Appropriations
Appropriators are weighing their options to advance a Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) funding measure by the December 20 deadline afforded by the current continuing resolution (CR) (H.R.9747). In September, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK-04) called on Republicans to advance the FY2025 spending bills before the new year, but Republicans may now try to pass another CR that extends past the start of the 119th Congress in January 2025 to leverage their new Congressional majority and advance a partisan FY2025 spending package.
Congress returned from recess on November 12, resuming efforts to advance must-pass legislation during the lame duck session, including the FY2025 spending bills. NASTAD will continue to monitor the congressional appropriations process and advocate for the highest possible funding for HIV, hepatitis, and drug user health programs.
119th Congress
Lawmakers are preparing the transition to the 119th Congress, which begins on January 3, 2025. House Republicans voted to maintain current leadership for the new Congress, including Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) as Speaker of the House and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA-01) as Majority Leader. After reclaiming the Senate majority, Republicans voted to approve Senator Mike Thune (R-SD) as the upper chamber’s Majority Leader on November 13, who will succeed Senator Mitch McConnell (R-TN). House Democrats will meet on November 19 to hold leadership elections. Senate Democrats have not scheduled leadership elections, but current Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is expected to retain the party leadership role as Minority Leader.
Administration Activities
Presidential Transition
On November 14, President-elect Trump announced his nomination of Robert F. Kennedy JR (RFK) to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). RFK, a former presidential candidate in the 2024 election, is known for his anti-vaccine advocacy and championed ending the “chronic disease epidemic” during his campaign. The announcement comes after the President-elect revealed the first few nominations to his future administration’s Cabinet. Trump has yet to announce a nominee for the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which now requires Senate-confirmation for the first time.
HHS Releases STI Progress Report
On November 7, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2021-2023 Progress Report for the Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan for the United States: 2021–2025. The progress report shows mixed results to achieve core epidemiologic indicators for on chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and human papillomavirus. Notably, the report showed persistent challenges to reduce overall rates of primary, secondary, and congenital syphilis, but improvements in reducing rates of gonorrhea. Additionally, the report includes the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Addendum to STI National Strategic Plan, which sets a unified national response to HSV, a condition that was not originally included in the STI National Strategic Plan.
Resources
HHS Resource: Guidance for Non-HIV-Specialized Providers Caring for Persons With HIV Who Have Been Displaced by Disasters
“This guide from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides guidance to health care providers attending to the medical needs of adults, adolescents, and children with HIV who have been affected by disasters or displaced from disaster areas and who have not yet secured HIV care in the areas where they have relocated.”
Date: Tuesday, November 19th | 4:30-6pm EST
Drug Policy Alliance, AIDS United, National Harm Reduction Coalition, NASTAD, Black Harm Reduction Network, and Human Impact Partners will host a webinar exploring the root causes of racial and ethnic disparities in the overdose crisis and offer racially and culturally specific solutions. This event will offer a counter story to the racial impacts of the overdose crisis and show why an accurate understanding of race and overdose is crucial to save lives.
Job Postings
Director of the Ryan White Office of Support—Harris County, TX
The Director serves as the liaison between the County Judge and the Houston EMA Ryan White Planning Council (RWPC), providing support to the Council and direct supervision to its staff as they fulfill their legislatively mandated responsibilities within the Ryan White Part A Program. The Director also works closely with Harris County Public Health/Ryan White Grant Administration (the Grant Administrator), other elected and appointed officials, service providers, community leaders, Persons Living with HIV (PLWH), and others within the six-county service area. Apply by December 9, 2024.
Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STI – Queens, New York
The NYC Health Department’s Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (BHHS) Policy and External Affairs Program seeks a Senior Policy Advisor to lead its health systems policy efforts and support its HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis policy advocacy more broadly. The Senior Policy Advisor will report to the Director of Policy and External Affairs and oversee BHHS’s health systems policy efforts, including monitoring, researching, and responding to Medicaid, Medicare, 340B program, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, New York State of Health Marketplace, New York City HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA), patient assistance programs, and commercial health insurance activity relevant to New Yorkers affected by HIV, STIs, and viral hepatitis.
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.
Open Positions – New York State
The New York State Department of Health, in partnership with Health Research, Inc, has various job openings, including some within the AIDS Institute. Please visit this link to learn about their current opportunities.
News Bulletin
“In its 78-year history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has evolved from its origins tackling malaria to an agency that aims to safeguard almost every aspect of Americans' health. But the CDC's sprawling mission could be in for some big changes in the new Trump administration. House Republicans have called for cuts to the CDC's budget, and former Trump administration officials have suggested restructuring the agency in ways that would diminish its reach and influence.”
‘Been a long time since I felt that way’: Sexually transmitted infection numbers provide new hope
“Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday shows meaningful declines in STI rates between 2022 and 2023, including a 7 percent reduction in gonorrhea cases and a 10 percent decrease in the most infectious forms of syphilis — the first substantial decline in more than two decades. Total cases of syphilis increased 1 percent and congenital syphilis ticked up 3 percent, but those represent a far slower rate of growth than the double-digit spikes of the last few years.”
Tribal Leaders Ask Feds To Declare Syphilis Outbreak a Public Health Emergency
“This year, the tribal leaders’ health board asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare the outbreak a public health emergency, which could ease access to other resources that tribal leaders asked for, including public health workers, data, national stockpile supplies and funding. According to the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, syphilis rates among Native Americans in its region, which covers Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, soared by 1,865 percent from 2020 to 2022 — more than 10 times the increase nationwide during the same period. The epidemiology center also found that 1 in 40 Native American babies born in the region in 2022 had a potentially life-threatening syphilis infection.”