Both the House and Senate are in recess this week, for the first time this year. Despite that, negotiations continue on fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is the only federal agency in a shutdown. Resolving the DHS shutdown will be the main congressional focus this week.
In the meantime, we are anticipating various healthcare developments (or will be observing the fallout of previous developments) in the days to come. President Trump will give his State of the Union address to Congress on February 24, 2026. Affordability has been a significant focus of this administration and Congress, so that likely will be a key topic for that speech. The Trump administration will soon release its budget request for FY 2027, which will outline its top priorities for the rest of this year and funding level requests for federal agencies. That document release could be pushed into March, however. Late last week, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a personnel shakeup; various staff will take on additional roles, and others have left the agency altogether, including HHS Deputy Secretary/Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jim O’Neill. We are on the lookout for more insight into the impacts of these personnel changes.
Both chambers will be back in session next week, and healthcare hearings will pick up right where they left off, focusing on healthcare fraud and healthcare affordability. The House Ways and Means Committee reportedly will hold a healthcare hearing February 24, 2026, and additional hearings could be announced this week.
In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Erin Fuller to discuss what to watch during the congressional recess and examine how DOGE’s release of provider-level Medicaid claims data could shape stakeholder responses and future congressional or administrative oversight of the healthcare system.
