The AAMC outlined its main priorities and concerns related to the budget reconciliation process in a Feb. 21 letter (PDF) to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.). The letter follows the release and mark-up of competing budget resolutions by the House and Senate Budget Committees last week [refer to Washington Highlights, Feb. 14]. The budget resolution represents a first step in the budget reconciliation process, which would provide an expedited process to bypass the Senate filibuster and enact President Donald Trump’s domestic policy agenda by a simple majority vote.
In the letter, the AAMC urged congressional leadership to avoid financing this policy agenda through cuts to key health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. In response to the House budget resolution (PDF), which instructs the Energy and Commerce Committee to identify $880 billion in savings, the AAMC urged policymakers to protect the Medicaid program and reject damaging cuts to Medicaid. The association further encouraged policymakers to preserve nonprofit teaching hospitals’ tax-exempt status, maintain access to care for Medicare beneficiaries, and strengthen and enhance the physician workforce. In addition to these recommendations, the letter outlined the association’s priorities in the immigration and student financial aid space, calling on lawmakers to safeguard access to high-quality medical education and support legal immigration for health care workers.
On Feb. 21, the Senate voted 52-48 to adopt their budget resolution (PDF) following a 10-hour “vote-a-rama,” which featured 25 roll call votes on amendments largely offered by Senate Democrats.
- Washington Highlights