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In Partnership With:
May 15, 2025
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Spotlight
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- Yesterday, the House Energy & Commerce Committee advanced their portion of budget reconciliation on a 30-24 party line vote after a 26 hour marathon session. The legislation includes steep cuts to Medicaid funding. Under the GOP plan, states are required to impose work requirements on childless adults ages 19 to 64. It also stops the longstanding practice of states levying taxes on health providers to pay for their Medicaid programs and to boost their federal match, and penalizes states that pay for Medicaid for those who entered the country without authorization. According to analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, 10.3 million people would lose coverage by 2034 and 7.6 million would be uninsured if the legislation is signed into law. The bill also includes an excise tax on private foundations. A 1.39 percent tax would apply to foundations with assets less than $50 million, a 2.78 percent tax would apply to foundations with assets between $50 million and $5 billion, and a 10 percent tax for foundations with assets over $5 billion. The full House is expected to consider the legislation next week, as Speaker Johnson has set a deadline to pass a bill before Memorial Day.
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Congressional and Administration Updates
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- Last month, the Trump Administration revealed its "skinny budget request" for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The request includes proposing cutting a quarter of discretionary funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes:
- $3.6 billion reduction in discretionary funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (45 percent cut)
- $18 billion reduction for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (38 percent cut)
- $674 million reduction for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Program Management (18.3 percent cut)
- $1 billion (14.3 percent) decrease for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- $1.7 billion (19.4 percent) decrease for the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), among other proposed cuts and eliminations.
- CDC Centers such as the National Center for Environmental Health and National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion would be eliminated. In a letter addressed to Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought justified the elimination of NIH’s National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities for being “replete with [DEI] expenditures.”
- The budget proposal allotted $500 million in funding for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s new Make America Healthy Again initiative. A more detailed request is expected in the coming weeks.
- Yesterday, Secretary Kennedy testified before both the House Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriation Subcommittee and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). The hearings focused on the FY 2026 budget proposal, and reorganization at HHS which resulted in mass layoffs at the agency. Secretary Kennedy’s views on vaccines were a frequent topic in both hearings. During his House testimony, Secretary Kennedy told Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI) that he would “probably” vaccinate his children against measles, but stated that “[his] opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.” Kennedy also stated that “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.” During his Senate testimony, Kennedy said “I’m going to tell the truth about everything we know and we don’t know about vaccines. I am not going to just tell people everything is safe and effective if I know that there are issues” during a contentious exchange with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) paused the hearing to correct the Secretary, stating "For the record, that's not true. Rotavirus, measles and HPV vaccines have been [evaluated against a placebo] and some vaccines are tested against previous versions. So just for the record, to set that straight."
- The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation released a new strategy this week, focused on promoting evidence-based prevention, empowering people to achieve their health goals, and driving choice and competition. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., and Innovation Center Director Abe Sutton hosted a webinar outlining the new strategy.
- President Trump issued an Executive Order that would give drug manufacturers 30 days to lower prescription drug costs. The order calls on Secretary Kennedy to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices and if an agreement is not made within the 30 day window the price the U.S. would pay would be tied to the lower prices other countries paid under what President Trump called a “most favored nations” policy. Pharmaceutical companies have been critical of the proposal, which they claim could inhibit their ability to develop new drugs and treatments. President Trump issued a similar Executive Order in the final weeks of his first term, but a court order blocked the rule from going into effect under President Joe Biden’s administration. It is likely that this new proposal would face similar legal challenges.
- President Trump has nominated wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means to serve as the next U.S. Surgeon General. Dr. Means is a former practitioner of functional medicine and was a close advisor to HHS Secretary Kennedy’s presidential campaign. Janette Nesheiwat was the original nominee, but the White House pulled her nomination just a day before her scheduled confirmation hearing.
- The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced the release of $1.1 billion in funding and new grant opportunities to provide services to older adults, people with disabilities, and their family caregivers. This represents the full release of FY 2025 funding to formula grant recipients, ensuring services continue without interruption. These grants support a wide array of low-cost services that reach one in six older adults annually and address significant needs such as nutrition, assistance with daily living activities, chronic disease management, and the prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The funding also strengthens resources for family caregivers, recognizing their vital role in supporting aging loved ones.
- Last Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing for two top HHS posts—James O’Neill, the nominee for deputy secretary, and Gary Andres, the assistant secretary nominee. Both nominees previously served at HHS during President George W. Bush’s Administration. O’Neill used the majority of his testimony pushing back on criticisms of Secretary Kennedy from Senate Democrats. Andres faced less contentious questions, partly due to his background as a Congressional staffer and role as a lobbyist in helping broker the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act in 2016. O’Neill also testified before the Senate HELP Committee on Thursday, where he faced questions related to the current measles outbreak.
- House Appropriations Committee Democrats released a new resource that tracks the $430 billion in funding that has been either frozen or cancelled since the beginning of the current Presidential Administration. Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released a statement on the new project.
- Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Providing Resources and Occupational Training for Emotional Crisis and Trauma (PROTECT) 911 Act, alongside U.S. Representatives Norma Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). This critical legislation will improve the mental health and well-being of the nation's 911 operators and dispatchers, a group often exposed to high-stress and traumatic situations.
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Reports and Announcements
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- CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report featured an update on measles outbreaks in the United States from January 1 to April 17 of this year. During this period, a total of 800 confirmed measles cases occurred, with a peak of 99 on the week ending March 22. Amongst the total group, 96 percent were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Only 3 percent of those infected has received at least one does of the mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine. The article found that to prepare for and prevent measles cases and outbreaks, health departments should work with trusted messengers on culturally competent community engagement, education, vaccination efforts, and other infection prevention approaches. Increasing national and local measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination coverage is essential to preventing measles cases and outbreaks.
- Additionally, CDC developed the Be Ready for Measles toolkit, which provides preparedness and outbreak response tools and communication materials to health departments that make it easy to communicate with the public, clinicians, and partners before and during a measles outbreak.
- A provisional data release from CDC's National Vital Statistics System shows nearly a 27 percent decrease in predicted drug overdose deaths in 2024 compared to 2023 on average. Since late 2023, overdose deaths have steadily declined each month. Despite these overall improvements, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.
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Open Comment Opportunities, Requests for Information (RFIs) and Membership Applications
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- Reminder – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposal to require a front-of-package nutrition label for most packaged foods. If finalized, the proposal would give consumers readily visible information about a food’s saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars content—three nutrients directly linked with chronic diseases when consumed in excess. Comments are due May 16, 2025.
- Reminder – FDA issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine in those products. The agency intends to seek input on the proposal, including through public comment and the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Comments are due September 15, 2025.
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If your organization submits comments, please share a copy with GIH (info@gih.org) so we can track and compile input from health funders.
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- June 16 – 20, 2025: Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy (New Orleans, LA)
- June 16 – 20, 2025: American Public Health Association (APHA) Policy Action Institute (Washington, DC)
- July 13 – 18, 2025: 2025 Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress (Washington, DC)
- September 7-12, 2025: National Tribal Health Conference (Chandler, AZ)
- September 16 – 18, 2025: Public Health Law Conference (Seattle, WA)
- November 2 – 5, 2025: APHA Annual Meeting and Expo (Washington, DC)
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