On July 3, the House adopted the Senate substitute to H.R. 1, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) by a vote of 218-214. The bill was signed into law on July 4, 2025 and is now Public Law 119-21....more
On May 22, 2025, the House of Representatives voted along party lines (with one Republican member voting present and two Republican members not voting) to advance the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (the OBBB) to the Senate for...more
Welcome to this week’s edition of Tax Bytes. Our team of tax lawyers is actively monitoring for federal and international tax developments and issues of note. Each week we pull together the items we deem most important to...more
MAHA and More Medicaid - Late Sunday night, May 18, 2025, the House Budget Committee voted to advance the reconciliation package drafted by the Energy and Commerce Committee and Ways and Means Committee last week. The four...more
Republicans hold a trifecta of control after winning the White House, US Senate, and US House of Representatives for the 119th Congress. They will aim to pass an agenda backed by President Trump that is focused on tax cuts,...more
On Tuesday, January 14, Tennessee’s 99 Representatives and 33 Senators gaveled into session for the first official day of business as the state’s 114th General Assembly. Among the first tasks were electing the top leadership...more
Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session....more
Both the House and Senate are in session this week as the 119th Congress kicks into gear, after formally being sworn in on Friday, January 3. Over the weekend, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced his intent for the House...more
A lot has happened in the last three weeks, so here’s a high-level recap: Congress successfully, albeit rockily, passed a continuing resolution that will fund the government through March 14, 2025. That legislation...more
118th Congress Wraps Up - Congress has five days to complete remaining business before the December 20 government funding deadline. It is still expected that the government will be funded via a short-term continuing...more
Senate Special Committee on Aging Holds Hearing on People with Disabilities. Senators and witnesses acknowledged the significant barriers that exist for Americans with disabilities and discussed current and proposed federal...more
Congress is back in session with a loaded agenda for the lame duck period. One of the top issues the life sciences industry is tracking is the potential passage of the BIOSECURE Act. Speaker Johnson has signaled the House...more
Republicans Win Control of White House and Senate, Seem Poised to Maintain Control of House. Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House, and Republicans also gained control of the Senate. Some toss-up House...more
This week, Donald Trump claimed a decisive victory in the presidential race, and Republicans picked up Democratic Senate seats in West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana, ensuring that they will flip the Senate and hold at least one...more
One More Week Until Election Recess - The House and Senate are in Washington, DC, for one more week before leaving until after election day. Over the weekend, congressional leaders struck a deal on a continuing resolution...more
Senate Staying Busy The House has started its August recess, so members are out until September 9, 2024. The Senate is in session, before joining the House in recess next week. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor...more
WILL WE EVER SEE “PRECEDENTED TIMES” AGAIN? If the last month, if not the last several years, has felt like emotional-political whiplash, it is for good reason. We’ve witnessed the US Supreme Court issue landmark rulings,...more
Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Medical Debt. The hearing examined the negative impacts of medical debt and explored potential solutions to address the growing issue. Senators and witnesses highlighted the disparity...more
House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Value-Based Care. The hearing examined the challenges and opportunities associated with delivering better health outcomes and Medicare savings through value-based care....more
HOUSE PARTIES - The Senate is in recess until July 8. The House returns tomorrow and will be in session until its Independence Day break next week. (Quick note: the Healthcare Preview will also be on break next week.)...more
Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Disability Benefits. The hearing discussed ways to improve work incentives for those on Social Security disability programs. Senators and witnesses noted that there are currently...more
The House is in recess this week, while the Senate is in today, tomorrow and Thursday. With this being a short work week, there is limited committee activity. However, the Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing on...more
House Energy & Commerce Committee Advances 13 Health Bills. The bipartisan legislation dealt with public health, Medicaid fraud and some small telehealth bills, but not the Medicare extension legislation that the committee is...more
House Oversight Subcommittee Hearing with Fauci. The hearing aimed to gather more information on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by Anthony Fauci, MD, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases...more
Congress is in session this week, with the Senate in today and the House returning tomorrow. They will both be out next week for the Memorial Day recess break. As such, this will be a busy week in Congress, though once again...more