MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) released the following statement after the House passed the remaining appropriations bills and concluded its work on FY26 appropriations:

“By passing the final spending bill for this year’s budget earlier this evening, House Republicans have fulfilled our commitment to fully fund our government for the next year, to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, and to make the America First agenda a reality,” said Rep. Kelly. “I want to thank Speaker Johnson and our entire leadership team for restoring regular order in the House. By passing all twelve appropriations bills, we are advancing a full-year budget that creates certainty in Washington and for the American people.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, during a Ways & Means Committee hearing, U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA), a member of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health, called on the CEOS from the nation’s top health insurance companies to publicly support his popular bipartisan legislation, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act. The legislation would streamline the Medicare Advantage (MA) Prior Authorization process, increase transparency around MA prior authorization, and more life-saving measures.

“If we can avoid the politics and talk about good policy, we can improve health care and lower costs for all Americans,” said Rep. Kelly. “Today’s hearing with health insurance CEOs highlighted the importance of passing quality bipartisan legislation, including my bill, the ‘Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act,’ which has nearly 250 co-sponsors. It would modernize and streamline the Medicare Advantage prior authorization process. 33 million Americans, including 1.5 million Pennsylvanians, who rely on Medicare Advantage would greatly benefit from this legislation. I call on these CEOs to support it.”

You can watch Rep. Kelly full questioning of the CEOs by clicking here.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act has previously passed the Ways & Means Committee on two separate occasions and has also previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Currently, the bipartisan legislation has 245 co-sponsors.

The legislation would:

• Establish an electronic prior authorization process for MA plans including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments.
• Increase transparency around MA prior authorization requirements and its use.
• Clarify HHS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-prior authorization requests including   expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other prior authorization requests.
• Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes.
• Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-PA process.

You can find bill text here and a section-by-section here.

Hearing witnesses included:

• Stephen Hemsley — CEO, UnitedHealth Group
• David Joyner — Chairman and CEO, CVS Health
• Gail Boudreaux — President and CEO, Elevance Health
• David Cordani — President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board, The Cigna Group
• Paul Markovich — President and CEO, Ascendiun

CVS recently endorsed the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)

Washington, DC – Congressman Gus Bilirakis today highlighted major policy and funding achievements he helped secure in the FY2026 Appropriations package passed by the House this week. The package includes eight health care policy measures he co-authored and $5.5 million for local projects he sponsored.

Key Bilirakis Authored Policy Wins to Help Seniors and Kids with Cancer:

• Senior Savings Protection Act – Co-authored by Bilirakis, this legislation reauthorizes programs under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), extending $30 million in federal funding through December 31, 2027. MIPPA grants help low-income Medicare beneficiaries access counseling, education, and enrollment assistance. “For years, MIPPA programs have been a lifeline for seniors, people with disabilities, and caregivers-helping them save money, access medications, and get the care they deserve,” said Bilirakis.
• PREVENT Diabetes Act – Expands the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) by allowing virtual suppliers to participate, increasing access for rural and homebound patients. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By expanding education and telehealth options, seniors can avoid costly complications and improve their quality of life,” said Bilirakis.
• Cutting Copays Act – Eliminates copays for generic medications under Medicare Part D’s Low Income Subsidy Program, lowering costs for vulnerable seniors. “Seniors should never have to choose between buying groceries and their medications,” Bilirakis noted.
• Special Diabetes Program Reauthorization Act – Provides $200 million for FY2026 to continue research into Type 1 diabetes, supporting breakthroughs like automated insulin-dosing systems and therapies that reverse vision loss. “Research holds the promise of better treatments and, ultimately, a cure,” said Bilirakis who is co-Chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus.
• Mikaela Naylon Give Kids A Chance Act – Accelerates pediatric cancer treatments and rare disease therapies by combining key programs to spur drug development and improve outcomes. “This bipartisan measure gives children battling cancer and rare diseases a real chance at life,” said Bilirakis.
• Enhanced Funding for Community Health Centers – $4.6 billion included in FY2026, with $1.2 billion allocated for the first quarter, ensuring stability and expanded access to care nationwide.
• Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reforms – PBMs often obscure pricing and drive up medication costs. Bilirakis championed reforms to increase transparency, ensure fair pricing, and lower out-of-pocket costs for patients.
• Delay of Medicare Lab Cuts – Scheduled reductions in Medicare lab services would have limited seniors’ access to essential diagnostics. Bilirakis successfully advocated to delay these cuts, ensuring continued access while providing time to develop sustainable solutions.

Local Funding Wins:

Bilirakis also secured another $5.5 million in federal grant funding for local projects:

• $4 million for housing for low-income seniors in Pasco County
• $1 million for a Hernando County Economic Development Hub
• $500,000 for infrastructure at Moffitt’s Speros campus

These funds add to previously approved appropriations, bringing his total FY26 impact to $20,875,000 in critical projects throughout Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. 

“From protecting seniors and patients to supporting families and local communities, this package delivers meaningful results,” said Bilirakis. “I am proud to fight for policies and projects that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

President indicted on charges of conspiracy to overturn 2020 election result and retain classified documents

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain released the following joint statement after the House passed the remaining appropriations bills and concluded its work on FY26 appropriations:

“Today, House Republicans completed another monumental achievement by completing Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations — without a bloated omnibus bill or another continuing resolution. Despite slim margins, nonstop media noise, and Democrats’ 43-day government shutdown, House Republicans have made significant progress to restore regular order and return the appropriations process to a committee-led, member-driven approach. Chairman Cole and our appropriators worked tirelessly for months to deliver this outcome, and today, the House joined them in getting the job done.

“Together, all twelve appropriations bills provide responsible, full-year government funding, spend less than another continuing resolution, and codify reforms to cut waste, fraud, and abuse. Once enacted, any last remnants of Biden-era spending will be replaced with President Trump’s spending levels. Many doubted us, but Republicans have delivered once again in making the America First agenda a reality. We have finally turned the page, and we are not turning back.”

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter bill preventing maternal deaths and improving health outcomes for mothers heads to Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  The House of Representatives today passed Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter’s (R-GA) Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. 

This bill reauthorizes support for State-based maternal mortality review committees through FY 2030. Additionally, it directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to disseminate best practices on maternal mortality prevention to hospitals, professional societies, and perinatal quality collaboratives.

“I’m proud to champion the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act, which will improve health care outcomes for mothers at all stages of pregnancy. Georgians are severely impacted by our nation’s alarming and preventable maternal mortality crisis, and this bill will help ensure that all families have access to lifesaving health care resources. I urge the Senate to quickly send this bill to President Trump’s desk so we can improve health care outcomes for mothers nationwide,” said Rep. Carter.

“Reauthorizing these vital maternal and infant health programs allows us to continue addressing preterm birth and maternal mortality at a time when the United States received a D+ on the 2025 March of Dimes Report Card,” said Stacey Y. Brayboy, March of Dimes, Sr. Vice President, Public Policy & Government Affairs. “Enactment of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act provides the authority needed to invest in essential CDC programs, ensuring we have the accurate data and actionable prevention strategies required to give every mom and baby the best possible start.”

Read the full bill text here.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter bill extending telehealth access for patients passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter’s (R-GA) Telehealth Modernization Act of 2025, a bill to extend telehealth flexibilities for seniors on Medicare through December 31, 2027, passed the House today as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026.

Absent congressional action, telehealth flexibilities in Medicare are set to expire on January 30, 2026.

“Telehealth is a vital part of our health care system, and we must ensure that it is available to patients who need it. By extending telehealth flexibilities for patients, we are making health care more accessible, regardless of their physical location. As a pharmacist, one of my top priorities has been increasing the accessibility and quality of health care; this bill does both, in a bipartisan manner, and paves the way for more patients and providers to use 21st century technology,” said Rep. Carter.

“This bill marks a major win for the millions of patients and clinicians who rely on telehealth and shows real momentum for telehealth policy. We are hopeful this legislation will advance, and are urging policymakers to take strong, swift action. We greatly appreciate the ongoing bipartisan support from Representative Carter and our telehealth champions in Congress, as well as President Trump’s Administration, and their continued efforts to secure years-long extensions for telehealth services,” said Alexis Apple, Deputy Executive Director, American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Action and Vice President of Federal Affairs, ATA.

Read the full bill text here. 

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter celebrates passage of his key PBM reforms to lower costs for patients

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today celebrated House passage of key portions of his PBM Reform Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. After more than a decade of advocacy, Rep. Carter’s efforts have resulted in a major win for patients and pharmacies that will increase transparency, preserve patient access to pharmacies, and lower health care costs by reforming the middlemen – pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

“As a pharmacist from coastal Georgia, I came to Congress with the goal of building a health care system that put patients before profits,” said Rep. Carter. “PBMs have been stealing hope and health from the American people for decades, inflating prescription drug costs, forcing pharmacy closures, and blocking access to medications. To that I say: Not on my watch. The PBM mafia has officially been put on notice. I call on the Senate to pass this bill and help build a quality, accessible, and affordable health care system for patients.”

Included in this funding package are Rep. Carter’s policies to:

• Prohibit PBM compensation in Medicare Part D from being tied to the manufacturer’s list price of a drug in an effort to reduce drug prices and save money for taxpayers.

• Promote price transparency for prescription drugs purchased by employer health plans by ensuring PBMs provide group health plans and issuers with detailed data on prescription drug spending at least semi-annually. Such data includes gross and net drug spending, drug rebates, spread pricing arrangements, formulary placement rationale, and information about benefit designs that encourage the use of pharmacies affiliated with PBMs. The section also ensures that health plans and individuals can receive a summary document regarding information about the plan’s prescription drug spending.

• Require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to define and enforce “reasonable and relevant” Medicare Part D contract terms, including information about reimbursement and dispensing fees, and establish an appeals process for pharmacies to dispute terms that do not follow the reasonable and relevant standards. CMS also has enforcement authority to impose monetary penalties, and CMS will receive $188 million for implementation.

• Promote transparency by allowing CMS to track payment trends to pharmacies and pharmacy inclusion in PBM networks, including a designation of essential retail pharmacies.

The PBM provisions included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, boast support from key stakeholders. 

“The PBM Accountability Project commends Representative Carter’s leadership in advancing meaningful PBM reforms. His efforts to increase transparency, curb abusive middleman practices, and protect patients and independent pharmacies are a critical step toward lowering prescription drug costs at the pharmacy counter and restoring accountability to the drug pricing system,” said Mark Blum, Managing Director of the PBM Accountability Project.

“For independent community and long-term care pharmacies, the PBM reforms included in this package are as welcomed as they are long overdue. We’re grateful for the doggedness of pharmacy champions like Rep. Cater in advancing them through House, and look forward to getting this through the Senate and to the president’s desk as quickly as possible. Independent pharmacies and the patients they treat need relief from PBM manipulations, and they need it soon,” said Anne Cassity, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

“The bill contains long-overdue, urgently-needed pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) middleman reforms that are crucial for reducing Americans’ drug costs and preserving access to their trusted pharmacies – which are being forced to close at an ever-accelerating rate,” said Steven C. Anderson, National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) President and CEO. “The PBM reforms are essential for seniors in Medicare and for their pharmacies. These reforms would advance the clear priority of Congress and the Trump Administration to bring down peoples’ drug costs, to bring healthcare more in-reach for all Americans, and to confront the PBM middlemen’s exorbitant profit-grabbing at the expense of taxpayers, all people, and local pharmacies. This bill must be enacted with these PBM reforms without delay.”

“Congress stands at the precipice of passing the most important legislation in history to reform the pharmacy benefit management industry. For too long, giant PBMs have taken advantage of their own clients – America’s employers and purchasers – to drive their own profits at the expense of working families. The comprehensive PBM reform legislation mandates end-to-end transparency, finally giving employers the information they need to ensure their employees and families are receiving the best price on drugs. Critically, the bill requires PBMs to transparently pass on all rebates and discounts to plan sponsors, ensuring that employers are paying a fair price for drugs and PBMs are only being paid on value added services,” said Shawn Gremminger, MPP, President and CEO, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

“Enacting the PBM reform measures in H.R. 7148 would be a significant and long-awaited step forward for patients and pharmacies. It is time to hold the PBMs accountable and put an end to abusive PBM practices that steer patients towards pricier drugs, charge steep markups on medicines and extract billions of dollars in hidden fees,” said Mike Stigers, Wakefern Food Corp. President.

“Affordable access to medications is essential for people with MS to manage their disease and live their healthiest lives. We continuously hear from those with MS on the challenges they face in getting their life-changing medications,” said Steffany Stern, VP of Advocacy, National MS Society. “The PBM reform provisions included in the minibus package are important steps in putting patients first and bringing much needed transparency to opaque business practices. We applaud Representative Carter for his longstanding leadership in championing bipartisan reforms to support patients.”

Read full bill text here.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to provide a full and detailed accounting of the legal basis for arrests made during her agency’s expanded immigration enforcement operation in Maine. In a letter to Noem on Thursday, Pingree expressed her outrage over the operation, which DHS has disturbingly dubbed “Catch of the Day.” 

“While Congress has given the Department of Homeland Security the authority to enforce federal immigration law, that authority is neither unlimited nor exempt from oversight,” Pingree wrote. “Enforcement actions that result in hundreds of individuals being abducted, serious and numerous apparent violations of due process rights, and widespread fear in immigrant communities require immediate, forthright answers.”

Pingree is demanding answers about who DHS has detained and why, where they were taken, whether their due process rights are being protected, and more pressing questions the Administration has so far not answered. 

Beyond the conduct of the operation itself, Pingree said DHS’s name for the operation is “dehumanizing, offensive, and wholly inappropriate for a federal law enforcement action involving real people, families, and communities.” 

“Referring to human beings as something to be caught in a net reflects a disturbing disregard for human dignity and reinforces the perception that this operation was designed to intimidate and degrade rather than to uphold the law responsibly,” Pingree said. “Such language is not humorous, and not consistent with the Department’s supposed commitment to professionalism and civil rights.

+++

Dear Secretary Noem,

I write to express my profound outrage regarding the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation underway in my home state of Maine. The execution of this operation and the Department’s related public messaging represent a deeply troubling breakdown in accountability, transparency, and respect for the Constitution. 

While Congress has given the Department of Homeland Security the authority to enforce federal immigration law, that authority is neither unlimited nor exempt from oversight. Enforcement actions that result in hundreds of individuals being abducted, serious and numerous apparent violations of due process rights, and widespread fear in immigrant communities require immediate, forthright answers. 

In my capacity as a Member of Congress, I demand a full accounting of the legal basis for arrests made during this operation.

• I am requesting a comprehensive report of “Operation Catch of the Day” that answers:

  • How many individuals were taken into custody pursuant to valid judicial warrants signed by a federal judge or magistrate;

  • how many were arrested without such warrants;

  • of those detained, how many had prior convictions for violent or otherwise dangerous crimes; and

  • how is the Department defining “dangerous criminal” when publicly characterizing this operation?

• Alarming reports suggest that basic due process protections may have been disregarded. Please explain, in detail:

  • How ICE ensured that individuals were informed of their constitutional and statutory rights at the time of arrest;

  • how many detainees were provided timely access to legal counsel; and

  • how many were placed into expedited or summary removal proceedings without a meaningful opportunity to present claims for relief under U.S. law.

• The Department must also account for the immigration status of those detained:

  • How many individuals taken into custody possessed documentation demonstrating authorization to remain in the United States, including pending asylum claims, Temporary Protected Status, lawful permanent residency, or other valid authorization?

  • What verification procedures were followed prior to detention, and how many lawfully present individuals were nevertheless detained, even temporarily, as a result of this operation?

• Additional transparency is necessary regarding where detainees were taken following arrest.

  • Where are these individuals currently being held, and under what custody classifications? 

  • Were families, legal representatives, or local officials notified prior to or following such transfers, or were individuals effectively disappeared from their communities without notice?

I am also outraged by multiple reports from Maine indicating that ICE agents engaged in brazenly intimidating and threatening behavior toward bystanders and local residents. According to local reporting, an ICE agent drove to the home of a resident who was observing and documenting an operation that morning and told her, “This is a warning. We know you live right here.” Residents also reported that agents threatened bystanders with pepper spray, creating a climate of fear and coercion. Agents’ visible presence during a school commute alarmed parents and community members, sending a clear message that ordinary citizens could be targeted simply for lawfully observing activity. You state that you are no longer allowing American citizens to be terrorized, yet that is exactly what your agents are doing: terrorizing everyday Americans for practicing their legal rights. This, yet again, suggests your operation was never intended to be a targeted enforcement activity, but rather an attempt to sow confusion, disrupt daily life, and create a pervasive atmosphere of cruelty.

Beyond the conduct of the operation itself, I am deeply disturbed by its name, “Operation Catch of the Day.” This terminology is dehumanizing, offensive, and wholly inappropriate for a federal law enforcement action involving real people, families, and communities. Referring to human beings as something to be caught in a net reflects a disturbing disregard for human dignity and reinforces the perception that this operation was designed to intimidate and degrade rather than to uphold the law responsibly. Such language is not humorous, and not consistent with the Department’s supposed commitment to professionalism and civil rights.

Finally, I am appalled that ICE appears to have prioritized a partisan media narrative over communication with the communities and officials most directly impacted by this operation. It appears Fox News received an exclusive look into the operation, as local officials, community leaders, legal service providers, and impacted families went without basic information. This approach gives the unmistakable impression that the operation was designed to generate political optics rather than to carry out careful, targeted, and lawful immigration enforcement. If the Department is prepared to publicly showcase this operation to the press, it should have no difficulty providing Congress, and therefore the affected communities, with full transparency and accountability.

Let me be clear: congressional oversight of federal law enforcement is not discretionary, and it is not subordinate to public relations strategy. I expect full and prompt cooperation. I look forward to your written response to all questions posed above within the next 48 hours, along with all relevant documentation.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

On Wednesday, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on increased immigration enforcement operations in Maine:

After first granting Fox News exclusive access to federal agents on the ground in Maine, Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security has finally confirmed details about their operation “Catch of the Day”—a truly heinous and inhumane name. DHS reportedly has a “list of 1,400” people and had already, as of Tuesday night, detained 50 individuals. While the Fox News report and DHS’s own statement conveniently only detail a handful of individuals detained who allegedly do have criminal records, we know many of those who have been picked up do not. 

One, for instance, is a mother of four, who had just dropped her kids off at school when she was picked up by agents. Another, a teenager who was buying his lunch for school was grabbed in a grocery store parking lot. And a caregiver for people with disabilities was detained while on his lunch break.

Let me be absolutely clear: this operation does not serve the public interest in any way. It exists solely to meet anti-immigration quotas.

I’ve heard from countless employers who are desperately worried for their employees—all of whom are authorized to work and remain in this country and are vital to our workforce, community, and economy. 

Many are scared to leave their houses; to send their kids to school; to go to work or the grocery store, the hospital, or the pharmacy. Because they know that, regardless of their immigration status or lack of criminal record, they could be detained by violent, masked agents for no reason other than the color of their skin. And because they have seen how agents behave. In Minneapolis. In Chicago. In LA. And in every other “blue” city this Administration has set its sights on.

My office and I are continuing to assist our constituents and their loved ones however we can. I remain committed to holding this lawless Administration accountable for their abuses, demanding transparency, and getting Noem removed from office. 

###