Trump Expected To Sign Spending Bill Passed By Congress To Avert Government Shutdown
The National Institutes of Health is a big winner in the bill, which passed the House 361-61. The agency will see a 5 percent boost in its budget.
The Associated Press:
Congress Sends Bill To Trump 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. (9/26)
Reuters:
Trump To Back U.S. Spending Bill, Avert Government Shutdown
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. (Cowan and Zengerle, 9/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Passes Spending Bill To Avert Shutdown
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)
The Washington Post:
Trump Pledges ‘We’ll Keep The Government Open’ Days Ahead Of Shutdown Deadline
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)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
80,000 People Died Of Flu Last Winter In US
An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter — the disease's highest death toll in at least four decades. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, revealed the total in an interview Tuesday night with The Associated Press. Flu experts knew it was a very bad season, but at least one found the size of the estimate surprising. (9/26)
The New York Times:
Dozens Of Doctors Who Screen Immigrants Have Record Of ‘Egregious Infractions,’ Report Says
The doctors tapped by the federal government to medically screen immigrants seeking green cards include dozens with a history of “egregious infractions,” according to a report from a federal watchdog agency. The report looked at more than 5,500 doctors across the country used by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as of June 2017 to examine those seeking green cards. More than 130 had some background of wrongdoing, including one who sexually exploited female patients and another who tried to have a dissatisfied patient killed, the report said. (Zaveri, 9/26)
The Hill:
Dems Want To Hold Officials’ Feet To The Fire On ObamaCare
Democrats say they will grill top Trump administration officials over what they say has been its efforts to “sabotage” ObamaCare, if they take back the House majority this fall and win committee chairmanships with subpoena power. While Democrats are unlikely to see significant health-care legislation enacted while President Trump is in the White House, they say they’ll work to advance several bills designed to “undo” the damage caused by the administration and build up the Affordable Care Act (ACA). (Hellmann, 9/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
More Young Veterans Committing Suicide, VA Data Show
The rate of suicide among young military veterans has increased substantially despite efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs to curb the problem, though overall veteran suicides declined slightly, according to new data to be released Wednesday. The VA’s National Suicide Data Report paints a troubling picture for vets ages 18 to 34, for some troops who served in the National Guard or reserves, as well as female veterans. (Kesling, 9/26)
The New York Times:
Male, Female Or ‘X’: The Push For A Third Choice On Official Forms
Charlie Arrowood does not identify as male or female. So in January, when a new New York City law takes effect, they plan to modify the sex recorded on their birth certificate to one that fits: “X,” a gender-neutral option. Mx. Arrowood, who is transgender, changed both their name and sex on the certificate last year. But putting “male” instead of “female” on the document did not feel quite right either. (Newman, 9/27)