By Julian Pecquet, The Hill, July 25, 2011
It's down to the wire for debt-ceiling negotiators as they enter the final week before Aug. 2. That's the drop-dead date for the U.S. to raise the $14.3 trillion limit on how much it can borrow or start defaulting on some of its obligations, according to the administration.
Healthcare lobbyists and advocates will be ramping up efforts to prevent cuts to their cherished programs as the White House and congressional Republicans hammer out entitlement cuts that could help a debt ceiling increase clear the GOP-controlled House. At this point, the attention is focused on negotiations between House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the White House to cut the deficit by a reported $3 trillion; talks are expected to continue through the weekend even though Congress won't be in session.
The Senate on Friday rejected the House's "cut, cap and balance" bill that the White House has warned would lead to "severe cuts" in Medicare. A bipartisan Senate proposal instructing Congress to keep Medicare spending under control and find billions of dollars in health entitlement cuts also appears to have been shelved.
While deficit negotiators do their thing, activity in Congress slows to a crawl.
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing to review the key issues that need to be tackled to get the deficit under control. Witnesses come from an array of think tanks, including the liberal Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the Center for American Progress and the libertarian Cato Institute.
And on Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee holds a hearing on the Food and Drug Administration's user fees and their public health implications. The FDA is in the process of reauthorizing the pharmaceutical and medical device user fees that help fund its oversight of the two industries.
Off the Hill, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosts a who's who of policy experts Wednesday for a policy briefing on the healthcare reform law's insurance exchanges. Speakers include Steve Larsen, the director of the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, and Medicaid director Cindy Mann.
The briefing includes two panel discussions exploring states' progress and next steps. State insurance exchange development leaders from Virginia, Maryland, Washington and Kansas are scheduled to appear.
On Thursday, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg is the guest for Public Citizen's Speaker Series. She'll talk about drugs and safety while the FDA is in the midst of overhauling its medical device approval process and the user fees that help fund its oversight functions.
For more read, Boehner proposal includes vote on balanced-budget amendment.