The approaching funding deadline will dictate the scope of what lawmakers can achieve before the transition of power takes place next year. Because of this restricted legislative window, any health care legislation passed this year would almost certainly need to be incorporated directly into the broader government funding package. Meanwhile, Republicans are focusing additional efforts on confirming several of President Trump’s nominees for the Department of Health and Human Services before Democrats assume majority control.
Key points
The looming fiscal deadline will dictate the entire legislative agenda for the remainder…: The looming fiscal deadline will dictate the entire legislative agenda for the remainder of the lame-duck session.
Outgoing Republican leadership must bundle priority health care policies into the governm…: Outgoing Republican leadership must bundle priority health care policies into the government funding vehicle to ensure their passage.
Senate Republicans are prioritizing the confirmation of several Department of Health and…: Senate Republicans are prioritizing the confirmation of several Department of Health and Human Services nominees before losing their majority.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
WASHINGTON — Democrats decisively won control of the House and Senate, but Republicans are still in charge until next year, and Congress has until Dec. 11 to pass a bill to fund the government.
Those are the dynamics determining what’s possible during the lame duck session, which begins next week and ends when the next Congress is seated in January. Any health care legislation that gets done this year would almost certainly have to be part of a government funding bill.
Republicans also need to confirm several of President Trump’s HHS nominees before Democrats take charge.
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