Lawmakers are working to balance Democrats' calls for more COVID-19 and Monkeypox funding under a continuing resolution with Republicans' demands for a "clean" bill to fund the government through the November midterm elections.

The Biden administration requests an additional $47 billion in emergency funding in the continuing resolution, including $22.4 billion to fight COVID-19; Congress must reauthorize the FDA user fee program by Sept. 30.

Lawmakers return to their states and districts for August recess following last week's passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill includes provisions of note for essential hospitals, including those to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and fight climate change.

President Joe Biden signed the legislation Aug. 16 after the House sent it to his desk with a 220-207, party-line vote. It extends Affordable Care Act subsidies through 2025 and makes other changes of interest to essential hospitals.

The bill, which passed by a 51-50 margin, would extend Affordable Care Act subsidies through 2025, allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, invest in measures to mitigate climate change, and make other changes of interest to essential hospitals.

The $433 billion Inflation Reduction Act would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and would extend expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years. It also includes tax provisions and new investments related to energy and climate change.

Work continues on a bill to advance through the reconciliation process by a Sept. 30 deadline. America's Essential Hospitals is pressing lawmakers to include more support for essential hospitals in the final package.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) again halts Build Back Better human infrastructure package negotiations; House lawmakers will vote on a FY 2023 appropriations minibus.

Senate Democrats work to pass a revived human infrastructure bill before the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. The updated legislative language includes a Medicare prescription drug pricing proposal approved by all 50 Senate Democrats.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act seeks to close gaps in current gun safety laws and bolster mental health care, including through new support for hospitals and other providers.

The committee released a discussion draft of policies to improve youth mental health, the second of an expected five discussion drafts from the committee in advance of their full mental health legislative proposal.

Amid gun control negotiations and the Jan. 6 hearings, House appropriators will unveil their initial plans for fiscal 2023 spending with a goal of marking up all 12 appropriations bills before the July Fourth recess.

Both chambers of Congress return from the Memorial Day recess to a packed legislative agenda, including possible action on curbing gun violence following the Uvalde, Texas, shootings. Democratic leaders continue to negotiate possible paths to infrastructure legislation.

Congress last week passed aid for the Ukraine war effort but remains stalled on a $10 billion COVID-19 funding bill. A group of three House caucuses of Black, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific American lawmakers have introduced health equity legislation.

House and Senate lawmakers work to finalize a roughly $40 billion aid package for Ukraine but remain stalled on consideration of a COVID-19 aid package; a House panel considers two bills to reauthorize various federal health programs.

The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize programs under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration and is timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month.

Despite receiving bipartisan support in the Senate, a $10 billion COVID-19 relief bill remains stalled. The outlook for congressional action is uncertain, given a lack of clarity on legislative packages that might emerge in the coming weeks and months.

House and Senate lawmakers returned this week to Washington, D.C., and a full agenda, which could include renewed consideration of a $10 billion COVID-19 funding bill and work on a budget reconciliation measure.

Congress began a two-week recess without passing a bipartisan, $10 billion COVID-19 relief bill. Negotiations on the bill were derailed by immigration policy changes recently announced by the White House.

Party leaders in the Senate announced a compromise package that would fund $10 billion in COVID-19 relief for therapeutics, vaccines, and pandemic prevention. Meanwhile, a House panel continues work on legislation to aid small businesses.

Congressional panels will review President Joe Biden's fiscal year 2023 budget request. Sens. Robert Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate low vaccination rates among Medicaid beneficiaries.

President Joe Biden signed a $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2022 spending package; he already signed a four-day continuing resolution to provide time for the omnibus spending measure to move forward. 

Congress continues work on a roughly $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the government past March 11, but outstanding issues might force lawmakers to pass another short-term funding extension to buy additional time to reach a deal.

The association seeks hospital feedback on unintended cuts to disproportionate share hospital payments that resulted from Section 203 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th associate justice of the Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden signed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through March 11; Biden invited all members of Congress to attend the annual State of the Union address on March 1.

The Senate voted 50–46 to confirm Robert Califf, MD, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); The FDA has not had a confirmed commissioner for more than a year. Senators continue work to pass a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government past Feb. 18.

A short-term continuing resolution would maintain government funding through March 11, giving lawmakers more time to agree on a final funding bill; the measure is expected to clear both chambers. Activity on the Build Back Better Act pauses as Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) recovers from a stroke.

A bipartisan group of senators released draft legislation to improve the nation's capacity to respond to future public health crises. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announces his intent to retire. The Senate Committee on Budget considers the nomination of Shalanda Young as director of OMB.

In separate bipartisan letters, lawmakers called on the Biden administration to help mitigate dire hospital workforce shortages, particularly among nurses, and protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program from harmful drug manufacturer actions.

The nomination of Robert Califf, MD, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration advances to the Senate floor. The Republican-led Healthy Futures Task Force issues several requests for information on telehealth policies and health care affordability.

House lawmakers noted upcoming federal funding legislation could be an opportunity for additional COVID-19 relief. A Senate committee examines COVID-19 variants and the federal response. Both chambers released draft schedules for their 2022 work.