Appropriations, Rural Health, and Reconciliation. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee to defend the Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for HHS, which proposes an approximately $16 billion (12.5%) cut to the department and the consolidation of several subagencies into the new Administration for a Healthy America. The House Appropriations Committee also unanimously approved a $157 billion FY 2027 Military Construction/Veterans Affairs bill that would provide increased funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In committee news, Congressman Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-6) recently joined the House Appropriations Committee, representing a sliver of Indianapolis and most of the suburbs south of the city.

On the floor, the U.S. House of Representatives will use an expedited process to consider noncontroversial bills that reauthorize critical federal programs expanding rural patients’ access to care. Across Capitol Hill, the U.S. Senate is considering a budget resolution to kickstart the reconciliation process and move legislation directing $70 billion toward immigration enforcement. The U.S. House of Representatives is then expected to take up the resolution. Once both chambers approve the measure, lawmakers will begin crafting the reconciliation package, which is not expected to include tax or health care provisions. ANA continues to monitor these developments.

President Nominates New CDC Director. President Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Schwartz would fill a role that has been vacant since August 2024. Schwartz, a retired U.S. Public Health Service Rear Admiral, previously served as Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to 2021 and holds medical, public health, and law degrees.

Executive Order Advancing Psychedelic Drug Research and Increasing Access. On April 18, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness. This Order directs the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide National Priority Vouchers to certain psychedelic medications that have received Breakthrough Therapy designations, and instructs both the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to establish a pathway that will allow eligible patients to access psychiatric drugs. Additionally, the Order directs the Secretary of HHS to allocate $50 million from existing funds to support state governments with programs aiming to advance the use of and access to psychedelic drug treatments for serious mental illnesses.