AGD Capitol Connections

With Congress currently in its August district work period, lawmakers are back in their home states and districts meeting with constituents and participating in local events.

On August 5, 2026, the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director by a vote of 51-44, with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joining Senate Republicans in support.

On August 7, 2026, the Senate advanced a Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Continuing Resolution (CR) that would extend government funding at current levels until December 11, 2026, by a vote of 90-6. Notably, the Senate’s CR contains language delaying finalization of OMB’s proposed Uniform Guidance for federal grantmaking for the duration of the CR.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing entitled, Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing Marketplace.

On July 22, 2026, HHS announced that CMS sent a notification urging every state Medicaid director to phase out the use of mercury-containing dental fillings by restricting or ending their respective state’s Medicaid coverage for dental procedure codes for dental amalgams, a material that combines mercury with other heavy metals to fill cavities.

On July 22, 2026, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Representative Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44) introduced two bicameral bills that aim to close gaps in dental coverage across the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid.

On Monday, July 20, 2026, H.R. 2001, the Action for Dental Health Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, as amended, by a voice vote.

AGD has signed on as a supporting organization of H.R. 3277 / S. 1677, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA Act). This bill was introduced by Representatives Neal Dunn (R-FL-02) and Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) in the House of Representatives and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in the Senate.

On July 2, 2026, CMS released a proposed rule entitled, Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; and Quality Reporting Programs; etc. This proposed rule would update the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System for CY 2027.

On June 26, 2026, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed H.B. 4464, the Ins-Dental Coverage Reimbursement Act, into law. This legislation was introduced by Illinois State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17) on January 15, 2026.

On June 8, 2026, a federal court blocked the Trump Administration from implementing a $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visa applications.

On June 9, 2026, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2027 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill by a vote of 34–28. The legislation proposes $189.3 billion in discretionary funding, representing a $5.6 billion, or three percent, decrease from FY 2026 enacted levels, and prioritizes investments in biomedical research, biodefense, and rural health while shifting greater responsibility for education to states.

On Thursday, May 21, 2026, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Action for Dental Health Act (H.R. 2001) by a unanimous roll call vote.

On May 12, 2026, the Trump Administration announced that FDA Commissioner Martin Makary would be resigning from his role after 13 months leading the agency.

On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education released a final rule which updates federal student loan regulations. The changes implement legislative language enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025.

Dr. Darren Greenwell, Chair of the AGD Legislative and Governmental Affairs Council and Jay Fisher, JD, Manager, Government Relations attended the Spring NCOIL Meeting in Louisville, KY from April 16th to the 18th.

During the week of April 27, 2026, AGD advocates and leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. to engage policymakers on key dental health issues.

On April 3, 2026, the Trump Administration released its fiscal year (FY) 2027 Budget Proposal. Overall, the HHS Budget-in-Brief proposes $111.1 billion in discretionary budget authority for FY 2027, a decrease of $15.8 billion or 12.5 percent.

CMS is preparing states for an upcoming change that will limit the ability to claim federal matching funds for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals.

On March 16, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) entitled, Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

On March 17, 2026, the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The hearing featured NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., as the sole witness.

On March 20, 2026, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson issued a memorandum directing the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Bureau of Economics, Office of Policy Planning, and Office of Technology to form a Healthcare Task Force.

On March 11, 2026, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), House Committee on Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA-01), House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), and Senate Committee on Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz expressing opposition to the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.

On March 12, 2026, Representatives Jeff Van Drew, DMD (R-NJ-02) and Herb Conaway (D-NJ-03) introduced the Improving Dental Administration Act of 2026. The legislation would apply state dental insurance reform and patient protection laws to self-funded dental plans and their administrators.

On March 9, 2026, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled, Private Dental and Vision Insurance: Market Concentration Varied Among States.

On February 25, 2026, Vice President J.D. Vance and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD announced several actions to address Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

On February 25, 2026, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled, Nomination of Casey Means to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service.

On February 27, 2026, AGD submitted a comment letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to the agency’s notice entitled, Review of Science on Fluoride in Drinking Water: Preliminary Assessment Plan and Literature Survey.

On February 10, 2026, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Break Up Big Medicine Act, which would prohibit companies from owning health care providers while also owning a health insurer, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), or prescription drug or medical device wholesaler.

On February 9, 2026, the Indian Health Service (IHS) announced that it would end the use of dental amalgam in its facilities by 2027.

On February 9, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule entitled, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027 and Basic Health Program.

On February 3, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the remaining five FY2026 appropriations bills, along with a two-week Continuing Resolution (CR) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by a vote of 217-214, bringing to an end a brief partial government shutdown.

The AGD Advocacy Fund supports national and constituent advocacy efforts by providing resources to tackle new matters, such as legislation or legal action affecting the practice of general dentistry. The fund accumulates across budgetary cycles, allowing the AGD to act nimbly and substantially when the need arises.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have extended the temporary telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances through December 31, 2026.

On January 20, 2026, House and Senate appropriators released a four-bill funding package covering the Defense; Homeland; Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agencies.

In 2026 AGD is joining the National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) as a Corporate and Institutional Partner. This allows AGD access to special events during NCOIL meetings and free exhibit space during NCOIL meetings. NCOIL is a very influential organization of state legislators who are involved in insurance reform.

On December 17, 2025, the House passed H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, a Republican-led proposal to address health care affordability. The bill includes provisions to enhance association health plans, fund cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, expand eligibility for bronze catastrophic plans, and implement pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms.