The House committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means have postponed their reconciliation markups, which now are expected the week of May 12.
This decision comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), and President Donald Trump met May 1. These delays reflect ongoing discussions among congressional Republicans and the administration, as moderate Republicans in both chambers have grown increasingly vocal about their concerns with potential Medicaid cuts, while fiscal conservatives in both chambers continue to push for even more savings.
Speaker Johnson needs almost unanimous support among House Republicans to pass the package. He must put together a product that solves concerns from both wings of the party and doesn’t upset Republican senators who oppose drastic cuts to Medicaid.
Last Week’s Hearings
At an April 29 full committee markup, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved six pieces of legislation:
- H.R. 2483, SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (Reps. Guthrie and Pettersen)
- H.R. 1520, Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act (Reps. Cammack, Dingell, Issa, and Wasserman Schultz)
- H.R. 2319, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2025 (Reps. Boyle and Fitzpatrick)
- H.R. 1669, To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training Program. (Reps. Cohen and Carter of Ga.)
- H.R. 1082, Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act (Reps. Moolenaar and Dingell)
- H.R. 2484, Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act of 2025 (Reps. Harshbarger and Wasserman Schultz)
At an April 30 Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing, “Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation,” members from both parties warned that proposed funding cuts and caps on indirect costs could undermine U.S. leadership in biomedical research and compromise clinical trials, patient care, and research institutions.
Committee Activity This Week
The House and Senate are in session through Thursday, with just the Senate also convening on Friday.
The Senate Committee on Finance will hold a full committee hearing on May 6, at 10 am ET, to consider the nominations of James O’Neill as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Gary Andres as assistant secretary of HHS.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a nomination hearing on May 8, at 10 am ET, to consider James O’Neill as deputy secretary of HHS and Janette Nesheiwat to serve as medical director in the regular corps and surgeon general of the Public Health Service.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will serve as a witness at a HELP Committee hearing on the fiscal year 2026 HHS budget on May 14, at 1 pm ET.
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