Funding bill skips measure to avert physician pay cuts, a blow to GOP Doctors Caucus

The funding bill House Republican leaders released on Saturday does not avert cuts for doctors who treat Medicare patients — a blow to Republicans who had pushed for the changes that also could risk alienating members whose support will be needed to pass the legislation.

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), who co-chairs the GOP Doctors’ Caucus, said in recent months that Republican leadership was open to including the policy in the bill to keep the government funded through September, and that Trump administration officials had assured it would be addressed. Five health industry lobbyists, granted anonymity to share details of private negotiations, were also anticipating it would be a part of the funding measure to avoid a shutdown after March 14.

Murphy said in an interview its inclusion would be a “line in the sand” necessary for his support. A Murphy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the lawmaker was still adhering to that position.

Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose two votes on his side of the aisle if all Democrats band together and oppose the government funding bill, a position the minority party could ultimately take.

Two lobbyists aware of the closed-door negotiations said the patch for doctors was ultimately not included amid broader concerns among Republican leadership that adding more than standard extensions of programs would open the door to more demands for other policies to be attached.

But the legislation released Saturday, which would hold most current spending levels through the end of the fiscal year, is far from “clean": It would boost spending for illegal immigrant deportations while cutting money for a variety of non-defense programs. In some cases, Republican leaders are seeking to completely zero out funding for a slew of priorities — many of which had previously been subject to earmarks personally requested by lawmakers. It’s not clear how leadership will justify the exclusion of one policy provision when other priorities are getting addressed.

The doctors' pay fix would have prevented further cuts from going into effect that would slash deeply into salaries for doctors providing Medicare services based on an outdated formula. It was part of a larger health care overhaul package set to pass as part of a year-end government funding bill in December. Then-President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk complained that bill was overly broad, and the package got scrapped.

Members of both parties warn the stakes are high for not addressing this issue quickly: Decades of payment reductions in Medicare have put physician practices in difficult financial straits, doctors groups say — meaning they could be forced to close their practices and reduce access to care.

But while though there is no relief for doctors, the stopgap funding bill would — as expected — include an extension of eased telehealth rules until September, avoiding a potential disruption in access to care if adopted.

Those relaxed telehealth rules were first introduced by the Center for Medicaid Services during the Covid-19 pandemic when physical doctor offices were closed. Congress has extended those telehealth rules several times, but a permanent solution has remained elusive.

The stopgap bill would also extend hospital-at-home waivers that enable facilities to offer more care at home. It would, as well, extend funding for community health centers, alongside a delay in funding cuts to safety-net hospitals.

The Affordable Care Act called for such cuts, expecting such hospitals wouldn't have to offer less care without getting paid as millions more got covered through the law, but Congress has never let them go into effect.

Topics

GOP Doctors Caucus chair: Johnson, Scalise ‘agree’ to address doctor pay in party-line bill

Politico - 1d
House GOP releases stopgap bill to avert shutdown

House GOP leaders on Saturday unveiled a stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, that will fund the government at current levels through September 2025.
ABC News - 3d
House GOP seeks spending cuts, defense increases in plan to avert shutdown

House Republicans on Saturday unveiled a six-month stopgap government funding plan, that seeks cuts to nondefense programs while boosting funding for defense. The bill's rollout kicks off a crucial ...
The Hill - 3d
Live updates: House sends funding bill to Senate; Ontario backs off power surcharge

Republicans in Congress are racing to pass a GOP stopgap funding bill by 11:59 p.m. Friday to avert a government shutdown. The House on Tuesday passed the measure 217-213, sending it to the Senate ...
The Hill - 14h
Sunday shows preview: House GOP unveils bill to avert shutdown; Trump's tariffs teeter

House Republicans have unveiled a 99-page, six-month stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown and increase defense funding while seeking cuts for nondefense programs, which is likely to ...
The Hill - 3d
House Republicans pass bill to avert government shutdown

The House on Tuesday passed a funding bill to avert an end-of-the-week government shutdown, teeing up the measure for consideration in the Senate. The chamber cleared the continuing resolution (CR) ...
The Hill - 14h
G.O.P. Spending Bill Would Force $1 Billion Cut to D.C. Budget

Republicans omitted a standard provision approving the District’s budget in a stopgap funding measure needed to avert a shutdown before the end of the week. The result would be a 16 percent cut.
The New York Times - 17h
House unveils stopgap measure to keep government funded, avert shutdown

The continuing resolution bill will go to the House Rules Committee on Monday and a floor vote is expected Tuesday.
CBS News - 3d
Lone Democrat to back House GOP spending bill explains decision

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) defied House Democratic leadership on Tuesday when he voted for the GOP’s bill to avert a government shutdown — the only one in the caucus to support the stopgap. ...
The Hill - 12h
House GOP budget plan would cut domestic spending by $13 billion

House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled his plan to avert a government shutdown by Friday night. The short-term stopgap bill would fund the government until Sept. 30, increase defense spending by ...
CBS News - 1d
House votes to avoid government shutdown by passing temporary spending bill

The House of Representatives has passed a short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown. The stopgap bill funds the government until Sept. 30. The measure increases defense spending by $6 ...
CBS News - 13h
Vance gives House GOP closing pitch on Trump-backed funding bill ahead of vote

Vice President Vance delivered a closing pitch in favor of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) government funding bill during the House GOP’s private conference meeting Tuesday, hours before the lower ...
The Hill - 20h
House Rules Committee advances GOP’s stopgap ahead of shutdown deadline

The House Rules Committee voted Monday night to advance the GOP's bill to avert a government shutdown, dispatching the measure to the full chamber for consideration ahead of Friday's deadline. The ...
The Hill - 1d
After House votes to avert shutdown, Senate Democrats face 'stark' choice

House Republicans passed a bill to fund the government through the end of September 2025. The measure now heads to the Senate, where Democrats face a "stark" choice.
ABC News - 11h
House GOP tees up final vote on bill to avert shutdown

House Republicans on Tuesday advanced their bill to avert an end-of-the-week government shutdown, teeing up a final vote on the legislation later in the day. The chamber voted 216-214 to adopt a ...
The Hill - 17h
Speaker Johnson unveils bill to avert government shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a new short-term funding bill that would avert a potential government shutdown. In order for the bill to pass, it must have bipartisan support. NBC’s Yamiche ...
NBC News - 2d
Aguilar: Democrats still working to unite party against GOP spending bill

The head of the House Democratic Caucus said Tuesday that party leaders are still working to unite their troops against the Republicans’ spending bill. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) bashed the GOP ...
The Hill - 19h
Trump lauds 'very good funding bill' after House GOP unveils CR

President Trump was quick to throw his support behind the House GOP's stopgap funding bill Saturday afternoon, calling it a "very good funding bill." "The House and Senate have put together, under ...
The Hill - 3d
Watch live: House GOP leaders speak ahead of key vote to avert shutdown

House Republican leaders will speak Tuesday morning ahead of a key vote on the stopgap bill that would fund the government through September. The House Rules Committee voted Monday night to advance ...
The Hill - 22h
House GOP Passes Spending Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

Approval of the bill sent it to the Senate, where Republicans need the cooperation of several Democrats to move it past a filibuster and to passage before a midnight deadline on Friday.
The New York Times - 13h
House narrowly passes six-month funding bill as shutdown deadline nears

Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans voiced confidence that they can push through a stopgap funding bill and avert a government shutdown at the end of this week.
NBC News - 18h
Trump-district Democrats face risky vote on GOP spending bill

House Democrats in districts carried by President Trump are confronting a potentially risky vote next week when GOP leaders are expected to put their partisan government funding bill on the floor. ...
The Hill - 3d
GOP funding patch boosts defense and deportations, cuts other programs

Ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline, House GOP leaders are serving up a plan Democrats will despise.
Politico - 3d
Government funding bill passes House 217-213, heads to Senate for vote

The House narrowly passed a six-month funding bill that would prevent a government shutdown at the end of the week. The measure’s fate is uncertain in the Senate, where several Democrats will be ...
NBC News - 13h
House to vote on government funding bill as shutdown deadline approaches

The House is expected to vote Tuesday on a stopgap measure to keep the government funded through September, days before Friday's shutdown deadline.
CBS News - 21h
Vought pushes for stopgap funding bill in GOP meeting

Politico - 1d
House spending bill to avert shutdown faces hurdles in Senate

House Speaker Mike Johnson was able to squeeze a short-term government funding bill through a vote by a slimmest of margins. Attention now turns to the senators across the hall with a government ...
CBS News - 11h
Democrats release their own stopgap funding bill as House GOP plows forward

Congressional Democrats rolled out their own short-term funding patch to keep the government running beyond Friday's shutdown deadline, as House Republicans barrel forward with a Trump-endorsed ...
The Hill - 1d
Speaker Mike Johnson unveils funding bill one week before potential shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Saturday unveiled a stopgap funding bill that would avert a shutdown at the end of next week and keep the government running through the end of September.
NBC News - 3d
Read: House Republicans' stopgap funding bill

House Republicans over the weekend rolled out a short-term government funding plan, kicking off a crucial stretch for GOP leadership to lock down support ahead of Friday's shutdown deadline. The ...
The Hill - 1d
Shutdown watch: GOP favors short-term bill as Democrats express opposition

Congress has one week to pass a spending bill that would avert a shutdown, but lawmakers from both parties are not on the same page about how they'll move forward.
ABC News - 4d
Details on House GOP bill to avoid government shutdown

House Republicans are expected to vote on a stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown this week. CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns reports.
CBS News - 1d
GOP holdouts push for Afghan visa changes in funding bill

Politico - 1d
Live updates: Trump says he hates to 'predict things like that’ when asked if he expects a recession

House Republicans on Saturday unveiled a 99-page, six-month stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown and increase defense funding while seeking cuts for nondefense programs, which will ...
The Hill - 2d
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick says "it remains to be seen" if GOP can pass bill to avoid shutdown

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is one of the bipartisan co-chairs of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, tells "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that he will be voting against the continuing ...
CBS News - 2d
Democrats ‘applying maximum hurt’ for ‘political gain’ in government funding fight: GOP lawmaker

President Trump is urging Republicans to support Speaker Mike Johnson’s short-term government funding bill. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss the upcoming vote.
NBC News - 15h
Senate Democrats leery of blocking GOP bill fear shutdown politics have changed

Senate Democrats are leery of blocking a House Republican-drafted six-month government funding bill, fearing that a government shutdown may backfire on them politically by giving Elon Musk and the ...
The Hill - 1d
Shutdown fears grow as House Republicans battle over funding bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to hold a vote on a GOP spending proposal, but opposition from both parties puts its passage in doubt. With Democrats vowing to vote against it and some ...
CBS News - 22h
Democrats unveil bill to reinstate veterans fired in Trump workforce cuts

Democrats are proposing a measure to reinstate veterans who were recently fired from the federal government without cause, which has affected an estimated 6,000 veterans who make up about 30 ...
The Hill - 1d