Looking Ahead: Rescissions Package in the Senate
The U.S. House of Representatives returns from a district work period. The U.S. Senate is expected to consider the $9.4 billion rescissions package that passed the House last month. If not passed by July 18, 2025, the recissions package expires and previously appropriated funding would remain intact.
This week will include the release of several healthcare regulations, including the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule, which remains under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review at the time of writing, and the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule, which was released July 14, 2025. Holland & Knight's analysis of these rulings is forthcoming.
Hearings This Week
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a business meeting on July 15, 2025, to enact new subcommittee leadership and changes to subcommittee memberships. The following changes to subcommittee leadership and rosters will be enacted:
- Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) will leave as chair of the Subcommittee on Health to focus on other priorities.
- Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) has been appointed as chair of the Subcommittee on Health.
- Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) has been appointed as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Health.
- Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) has been appointed as chair of the Subcommittee on Environment.
- John Joyce (R-Pa.) has been appointed as chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
- Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) has been appointed as vice chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) will hold a hearing on July 15, 2025, titled "Voices of the Vaccine Injured."
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will hold a hearing on July 16, 2025, on the nomination of three individuals, including Dr. Brian Christine, to be assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health will hold a legislative hearing on July 16, 2025, titled "Legislative Proposals to Maintain and Improve the Public Health Workforce, Rural Health, and Over-the-Counter Medicines." The following bills will be considered during the hearing:
- H.R. 4273, Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments, introduced by Reps. Latta (R-Ohio) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.)
- H.R. 3686, SAFE Sunscreen Standards Act, introduced by Reps. Joyce and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.)
- H.R. 2821, FDA Modernization Act 3.0, introduced by Reps. Carter and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.)
- H.R. ____, Title VII Reauthorization
- H.R. ____, Title VIII Reauthorization
- H.R. 2493, Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2025, introduced by Reps. Carter and Shomari Figures (D-Ala.)
- H.R. 3419, to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs, introduced by Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.)
- H.R. 3302, Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025, introduced by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.)
- H.R. 2846, to amend Title II of the Public Health Service Act. The amendments will include, as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries), certain leave provided under title 10, U.S. Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries), introduced by Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.)
- H.R. ____, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2025
Week in Review: Cybersecurity Acts
The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on July 9, 2025, titled "Securing the Future of Health Care: Enhancing Cybersecurity and Protecting Americans' Privacy," which focused on cybersecurity in healthcare, with lawmakers raising critical questions about the future of data privacy and security. A bipartisan area of focus was the upcoming expiration of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act on Sept. 30, 2025, and whether it should be reauthorized. Members also debated whether consumer health technologies not currently covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), such as wearables and wellness apps, should fall under existing protections or be governed by a new privacy framework. The future of the HIPAA Security Rule itself remains uncertain, as stakeholders called for greater clarity and modernization.
Administrative Updates
Executive Order Updates
The Trump Administration has continued to release wide-ranging executive orders (EOs). For the latest updates, see our "Trump's 2025 Executive Orders: Updates and Summaries" tracking chart.
Legislative Updates
Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Bill Introduced by Bipartisan Members of Congress
Rep. Carter and 11 bipartisan colleagues on July 10, 2025, introduced the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform Act, which includes provisions to ban spread pricing and implement survey requirements for certain pharmacies, among others. Many provisions included in the PBM Reform Act were previously advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and included in the December 2024 health title and reconciliation package, but were ultimately removed from both packages.
Members that joined Rep. Carter in introducing the legislation include Reps. Dingell, Harshbarger, Malliotakis, Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), John Rose (R-Tenn.) and Derek Tran (D-Calif.).
Senate Committee on HELP Advances CDC Nominee
The Senate HELP Committee voted along party lines on July 9, 2025, to advance the nomination of Dr. Susan Monarez to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Monarez's nomination will next be considered on the floor of the Senate and, if confirmed, would be the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate since the passage of a law in 2023 to require the position be Senate-confirmed. The vote on her confirmation may be as soon as the end of July 2025, though at the time of writing, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has not filed cloture on the nomination, which would begin the process for the nomination to be considered on the floor.
Regulatory Updates
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Planned Meeting Postponed Shortly After Supreme Court Ruling
A meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) previously scheduled for July 10, 2025, was postponed by the HHS on July 7, 2025. A notice released by the office of the HHS Secretary announced the postponement, adding that "HHS looks forward to engaging with the task force to promote the health and well-being of the American people." Given the myriad changes to the membership of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that the HHS secretary has immense power to hire and fire task force members – as well as review and make determinations on their recommendations before finalized – it is likely the HHS secretary may move to exert additional influence over the body in the weeks ahead.
Any change to recommendations made by the task force may have an immediate impact on patients, given that the task force's recommendations are required to be covered at no-cost by insurers if an "A" or "B" rating is given to signify the quality of certainty level regarding the net benefit of a specific service.
A group of more than 100 health organizations sent a letter to the leadership of congressional committees with oversight of the USPSTF urging the leaders to protect the integrity of the task force, noting the loss of "trustworthiness in the rigorous and non-partisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers."
FDA Releases Complete Response Letters in New Transparency Effort
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released more than 200 complete response letters (CRLs) on July 10, 2025, which were issued between 2020 and 2024 for drugs and biological products in an attempt to increase transparency and predictability for drug developers. CRLs are delivered to product sponsors to reflect concerns of the FDA with a specific product's safety or effectiveness. The CRLs published were issued to sponsors of products that were eventually approved by the FDA and are redacted to protect proprietary information. While the FDA notes it plans to release more CRLs moving forward, stakeholders have raised questions about the timing for additional releases of CRLs, how the releases will be managed and by which staff.
HHS Reinstates PRWORA Compliance, Restricts Access to Federal Benefits for Undocumented Immigrants
The HHS announced a policy update on July 10, 2025, rescinding a 1998 policy interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), originally issued under the Clinton Administration. The earlier interpretation had expanded access to certain federal benefits, including to individuals without certain documentation requirements. The Trump Administration emphasizes that the change in interpretation corrects the 1998 policy interpretation which went "beyond the intent of the statute."
The Trump Administration stated its intent to align agency operations with long-standing federal law, reaffirming that taxpayer-funded program benefits are reserved for those legally eligible under the law. HHS stated that the change is part of a broader commitment to transparency, lawful stewardship of public funds and prioritization of services for eligible Americans.
Judicial Updates
Leading Physician Groups Sue HHS Over Vaccine Policy Changes
Several prominent medical organizations filed a federal lawsuit against HHS and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging what they describe as unlawful and unilateral changes to federal vaccine policy.
The lawsuit was filed July 7, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Six national medical associations are listed as plaintiffs. A pregnant woman has also joined the case as an individual plaintiff.
According to the filing, the plaintiffs argue that recent vaccine-related actions taken by HHS exceed the agency's legal authority and sidestep established scientific and regulatory processes.
Federal Judge Strikes Down CFPB Rule on Medical Debt Reporting
A federal judge in Texas overturned a Biden Administration rule that would have removed nearly $49 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans. The rule, finalized in January 2025, was struck down by a U.S. district judge, who ruled that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) had exceeded its statutory authority under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
The rule aimed to prohibit the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports and prevent lenders from using medical information in credit decisions. The CFPB argued that medical debt is an unreliable indicator of credit risk and disproportionately harms individuals who experience unexpected health events. The policy was expected to boost average credit scores by roughly 20 points and could have led to about 22,000 additional mortgage approvals per year.
With the court's decision, the rule is vacated, and medical debt will continue to appear on credit reports unless further action is taken by higher courts or Congress.
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