With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) passed by U.S. Congress and signed into law, Congress now has less than three weeks that it will be in session before government funding expires on Sept. 30, 2025. Appropriators will...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...more
The U.S. Senate is in session for three days this week while the U.S. House of Representatives is in recess all week. Both chambers will return for a week before breaking for the July 4 recess. Negotiations on the...more
THIS WEEK’S DOSE - - Reconciliation Moves Forward. Senate committees continue to release their reconciliation provisions. - NIH Director Testifies on FY 2026 Budget. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Bhattacharya...more
U.S. House of Representatives committees are scheduled to begin markups on additional portions of the budget reconciliation package on May 13, 2025. Both the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Energy...more
Over the past few weeks, we have been closely following the Trump administration’s restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the major reduction in the department’s workforce (RIF), and its broader...more
New rounds of cuts and organizational shifts for HHS staff and operating divisions could dramatically impact the healthcare and life sciences industry....more
On March 5, 2025, a US district court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from implementing a February 7, 2025, “Supplemental Guidance” notice that would establish...more
If NIH succeeds in imposing an across-the-board indirect cost rate of 15%, rough estimates indicate the University of Michigan could lose $119 million a year. Emory University could be down $75 million. For the University of...more
RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary. In a 52 – 48 Senate vote, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. was confirmed as the next HHS secretary. All Democrats voted no, and Sen. McConnell (R-KY) was the only Republican to join them. He...more
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has been confirmed by the Senate as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this capacity, RFK Jr. will oversee 13 agencies that are critical to U.S. health policy,...more
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published guidance late on Feb. 7, 2025, setting the indirect cost rate for NIH grants at 15 percent, replacing the negotiated indirect cost rates at many universities, which typically...more
In his first week in office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders and took other actions with significant implications for the life sciences and health care industries that mark substantial departures from the...more
When President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025, he is expected to hit the ground running. A few months into his presidency, he will likely release the fiscal...more
Some funding applications submitted to NIH beginning Jan. 25 will face new requirements and undergo a revised peer review process. To prepare investigators and institutions, NIH launched a dedicated website with details about...more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking strategies from Jeffrey W. Taub, M.D., to prevent future violations of human subject regulations the agency said were documented during site visits in September and October...more