Congressional Wrap-up
This week, Congress wraps up its summer session and members head back to their states/districts until September. While reconciliation dominated the first six months of the year, attention is now shifting to the FY26 appropriations process. The Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education bill on July 31 and the House will mark up this appropriations bill, which funds external research grants, when they return in September. The government must pass either an omnibus or a continuing resolution before Sept. 30 to prevent a government shut down. The Emory OGCA team continues to advocate for stable funding to allow Emory to continue advancing its tripartite mission. Over August, we will be hosting Congressional members and staff to let them see firsthand how federal dollars are being used at Emory.
Telehealth Advocacy
Emory joined more than 200 organizations in sending a letter to Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole advocating for continued access to telemedicine. The letter encourages the DEA to ensure a plan is in place by Fall 2025 to prevent millions of Americans from losing their medical treatments on Dec. 31, 2025. Ensuring stability for telehealth policy would provide certainty for Medicare beneficiaries, strengthen our national health care workforce by allowing a greater number of clinicians to provide telehealth services, and encourage investment in the technology tools and infrastructure to offer telehealth services.
Warnock Introduces GME Legislation
Last week, Sen. Raphael Warnock joined his colleagues in introducing a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation that would expand Graduate Medical Education (GME) slots across the country. The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act increases the number of GME slots by 14,000 over the next seven years. Emory’s federal affairs team has worked closely with Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Sen. Warnock’s team on this legislation. Emory appreciates the Senator’s focus on training the next generation of health care providers. | 
