Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Expected To Sign Spending Bill Passed By Congress To Avert Government Shutdown
Congress has approved a bill keeping the government open through Dec. 7, as lawmakers move to avert a government shutdown looming next week. The $854 billion bill also funds the military and a host of civilian agencies for the next year. The House approved the bill, 361-61, on Wednesday, a week after the Senate approved it, 93-7. (Daly, 9/26)
The massive package includes some $675 billion to fund the Department of Defense for the full year ending on Sept. 30, 2019, as well as about $180 billion for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Departments. (Zengerle, 9/26)
The bill also raises spending for the National Institutes of Health to $39 billion, a $2 billion increase, and provides a 1.6% bump in the maximum Pell grant award for college students with financial need. (Duehren, 9/26)
President Trump pledged Wednesday that he would not allow the government to partially shut down next week, backing down from his demand that Congress appropriate billions of dollars for new construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Keeping the government open after Sunday would require Trump to sign a bipartisan spending bill from Congress, something he had resisted committing to for weeks. (Werner and Paletta, 9/26)
