Senate Committee Approves FY24 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
US Senate Appropriations Committee – June 22, 2023
The Senate Committee on Appropriations approved the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, providing support for critical agriculture, rural development, nutrition, conservation, and food and drug safety programs.
The measure, which was advanced by a bipartisan vote of 28-0, provides $25.993 billion in discretionary funding.
Senate, House Republicans on collision course over defense spending
The Hill – June 23, 2023
Senate Republicans are looking for a way to get around the caps on defense spending set by the debt limit deal that President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) negotiated last month, putting them on a collision course with House Republicans.
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House holds hearing on legislation to reauthorize, build on SUPPORT Act
American Hospital Association – June 21, 2023
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on legislation to reauthorize and build on the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act of 2018. AHA last week shared with the subcommittee its recommendations, which range from eliminating the Medicaid exclusion for Institutions of Mental Disease and the 190-day lifetime limit on Medicare coverage for psychiatric hospital care to bolstering reimbursement and reducing regulatory burdens for behavioral health providers to strengthening the health care workforce.
Schumer Launches SAFE Innovation in the AI Age at CSIS
Center for Strategic and International Studies – June 21, 2023
Senator Schumer will reveal his SAFE Innovation framework and announce a comprehensive approach in the Senate that will illuminate a bipartisan path forward on AI, meant to protect, expand, and harness AI’s potential.
House Armed Services passes $874 billion defense bill targeting diversity, culture issues
The Hill – June 22, 2023
The House Armed Services Committee passed the annual defense policy bill on a 58-1 bipartisan vote. But the draft NDAA, which passed just after midnight on Thursday after roughly 14 hours of debate and voting, also includes several amendments targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and other cultural issues, which led to hours of infighting on the committee.
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Senate Republicans unveil plan to cut down on high college costs
Washington Examiner – June 14, 2023
A group of Senate Republicans led by HELP Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA), released the “Lowering Education Costs and Debt Act,” a five-bill package billed as their solution to addressing the cost of college and increasing amounts of student loan debt. Included in the package are the bipartisan College Transparency Act, a priority for both Sen. Cassidy and APLU, and Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) bipartisan proposal for uniform financial aid offers. The package also includes a proposal from Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to impose new caps on graduate Stafford loans and eliminate the Grad PLUS program, a bill from Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) to expand federal student loan disclosures and entrance counseling, and a proposal from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to revamp income-driven student loan repayment plans and block ED’s proposed IDR plan. A summary of the bill can be found here.
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