With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill (H.R. 1), members of congress face a formidable challenge as they shift their focus to funding the government and considering a number of other important provisions prior to leaving for the holiday break on Friday.
Late Tuesday evening, House Republican leaders were discussing an option to put forth a “clean” short-term funding measure that would avoid a partial government shutdown, but would delay action on key issues such as a $81 billion Disaster Aid Package and a compromise on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the so-called “Dreamers” legislation.
It would also leave a number of priority health care issues unresolved, including:
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP);
- Medicaid Payments for Disproportionate Shares (DSH);
- 340B Drug Savings Program; and
- Medicare rural extenders and other proposed cuts.
We continue to work with our national partners urging our congressional delegation and other members of congress to include these provisions in the year-end legislative package.
Members are encouraged to contact Sen. Thune, Sen. Rounds and Rep. Noem to reinforce this message. Click here for more information.
