With the 2024 presidential election decided, we know that Donald Trump will become President again in January, with clear victories in winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote. At the same time, we wait for final vote counts in races for the U.S. Congress – although it is clear that Republicans will control the Senate and also lead with a slim majority in the House of Representatives.
As we prepare for the new Congress and a new presidential administration, our public policy and advocacy team is tracking the key cabinet and agency nominations and Congressional committee positions that will have the most influence and impact on our collective work across service lines and for the people we work with in community. With many moving parts and decisions still unclear, we are seeing some high-level stakeholders and priorities beginning to come into focus, which we wanted to share with our network.
Congressional and Agency Leadership
In Congress, the committees with jurisdiction over health issues (and specifically Medicaid) will see new leadership: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), current chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is retiring from Congress, while Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), current chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, will not be returning to that position. Their successors are not yet clear. In the Senate, with the majority flipping to the Republicans, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is poised to lead the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, with Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) in line to lead the Finance Committee.
President-elect Trump has announced his intention to nominate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Dr. Mehmet Oz as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). We will continue to monitor additional nominations at HHS among other key departments including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Policy Priorities
Prior to the election, we created a summary of what was potentially at stake for health & social service organizations specific to Medicaid under Republican rule. While it now seems more likely that these proposals will be considered, with slim Republican majorities in each chamber it remains to be seen if they will reach consensus to pass legislation, including: eligibility restrictions via work requirements, spending caps, and premium payments; a reduction in provider administrative burdens; modification of current waiver processes; a rollback of Medicaid expansion; and while unclear, changes to the way Medicaid is financed by moving to block grant the program’s funding. The first test will come in early 2025 as the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set to expire. As part of those negotiations, we expect changes to Medicaid funding to be in the discussion. We will continue to monitor and advocate on this issue.
For more information, contact Sue Polis, VP of Government Affairs and Public Relations, at Spolis@lutheranservices.org, Sarah Dobson, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, at SDobson@lutheranservices.org, or Bill Kallestad, Disability Network Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, at BKallestad@lutheranservices.org.
