AGD Capitol Connections

On March 11, 2024, the Biden Administration released its FY 2025 Budget Proposal. The Budget Proposal provides insight into the administration’s policy priorities, even though these legislative proposals are unlikely to be considered by the current Congress.

On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed a ‘minibus’ appropriations package for the remaining six of the 12 spending bills, finalizing fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding and averting a government shutdown.

On February 28, 2024, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced S.Res. 567, a bipartisan resolution to designate March 18, 2024, as the inaugural "Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness."

On March 8, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Action for Dental Health Act of 2023 (H.R. 3843) by a vote of 391 to 32. Thank you to the hundreds of AGD members who contacted their Representative via our action alert.

On March 9, 2024, a government shutdown was averted when President Biden signed a ‘minibus’ appropriations package for six of the 12 spending bills, including the Agriculture/FDA appropriations.

Over the past two weeks, AGD leadership held virtual meetings with Senior Administration Health Officials to discuss AGD’s advocacy priorities and opportunities for collaboration and federal engagement.

On February 21, 2023, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled, Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go from Here? The hearing examined the current and anticipated workforce shortages among health care personnel and addressed potential ways to mitigate the shortages.

S.1793, the Dental and Optometric Care (DOC) Access Act, was introduced in the Senate by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND).

S.3799, the PREVENT Pandemics Act is undergoing a markup by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee this week. The legislation is designed to prepare for and respond to existing and emerging viruses and other health threats.

Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package last week that would fund federal operations for the remainder of fiscal year 2022.

On Monday, AGD met with the offices of Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to discuss sponsoring H.R.4555, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act.

The AGD thanked Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) for introducing S.3658, the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act, in a letter addressed to their offices on Tuesday.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will issue $560 million in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments to more than 4,100 providers this week. The agency has issued nearly $11.5 billion in PRF Phase 4 payments and $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published proposed guidelines for prescribing opioids to treat pain in patients 18 years and older. The proposed guidelines mark the first update to the CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain since 2016.

On March 24, AGD sent a letter to Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., MBA, congratulating him on being confirmed by the Senate to serve as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States.

AGD joined allies in sending letters to the leaders of the House and Senate subcommittees that allocate funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling for $310 million in funding in FY2022 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH).

AGD sent a letter of support to Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) on March 25 for her bipartisan legislation, the Foster Youth Dental Act of 2021 (H.R.1794).

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told reporters on March 26 that he is urging the Administration and his Democratic colleagues in Congress to include a massive expansion of the Medicare program as part of a sweeping infrastructure package Democrats are currently developing.

On March 16, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Representatives Anna Eshoo (R-CA) and Drew Ferguson, D.M.D. (R-GA) reintroduced ELSA, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (H.R.1916/S.754).

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently introduced the Oral Health for Moms Act (S.560).