AGD Capitol Connections

On May 13, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market. These supplements, which have been widely used to help prevent tooth decay in non-fluoridated areas, will undergo a final safety review before the FDA takes action.

On May 22, 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, established by the Trump Administration, released a preliminary report assessing the causes of childhood chronic disease.

On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its budget reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), by a vote of 215-214-1. The bill addresses multiple policy priorities for President Trump and Congressional Republicans, including an extension of expiring tax cuts under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and significant reforms to state-level financing mechanisms and beneficiary eligibility of Medicaid.

On May 8, 2025, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), alongside Representatives Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) and Neal Dunn (R-FL-02), reintroduced the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA), which would require all private health insurance plans to cover medically necessary treatments for congenital anomalies or birth defects.

On April 29, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a full committee mark-up of six health care-related bills, including the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R.2483).

During the week of May 5, 2025, AGD advocates and leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. to engage policymakers on key dental health issues.

In 2023, the President signed the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This legislation established a new requirement that prescribers of certain controlled substances complete a one-time, eight-hour training before registering or renewing their registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

On April 16, 2025, Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Health Subcommittee member Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) called for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the vertical consolidation of Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations (MAO) and its impact on Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) calculations.

On April 7, 2025, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the Associated Press that he plans to tell public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending the fluoridation of community drinking water as part of his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.

On April 10, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 216-214 to approve a budget resolution negotiated between House and Senate leadership with the full support of the Trump Administration.

On April 9, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a request for information (RFI) to “[solicit] ideas for deregulation from across the country.” According to the request, “commenters should identify rules to be rescinded and provide detailed reasons for their rescission.”

On March 27, 2025, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a law to outlaw the addition of fluoride to public drinking water in the state. The legislation will take effect on May 7, 2025. Utah is the first state to enact such legislation, in a time when fluoride has come under increased criticism.

On March 27, 2025, Representatives Mark Green (R-TN), Kim Schrier (D-WA), and Greg Murphy (R-NC) re-introduced H.R. 2433, the Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act of 2025.

On February 27, 2025, Representatives Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) re-introduced H.R. 1758, the Dental Loan Repayment Assistance Act. On March 14, 2025, Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced S. 1080, the companion bill in the Senate.

On March 27, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would be undergoing a significant workforce reduction alongside a number of additional administrative and organizational changes.

On March 13, 2025, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to favorably report the nominations of Dr. Martin Makary to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to be Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by votes of 14-9 and 12-11, respectively.

On March 14, 2025, Congress passed a six-month continuing resolution. The narrowly focused bill largely extends current funding for most federal agencies and programs through September 30, 2025 – the end of the fiscal year.

On February 25, 2025, the House of Representatives passed a budget resolution in a 217-215 vote. Unlike the Senate’s two reconciliation bill approach with their first bill focusing on border security, defense and energy policies, the House is pursuing a single reconciliation bill approach.

On February 25, 2025, the White House issued an EO entitled, “Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information.”

Advocacy doesn’t just happen in Washington, DC or in your state capital. This week U.S. Representatives and Senators are home for Presidents’ Day recess. During this week they will be meeting with their constituents just like yourself.