AGD Capitol Connections

On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education released a final rule which updates federal student loan regulations. The changes implement legislative language enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025.

Dr. Darren Greenwell, Chair of the AGD Legislative and Governmental Affairs Council and Jay Fisher, JD, Manager, Government Relations attended the Spring NCOIL Meeting in Louisville, KY from April 16th to the 18th.

During the week of April 27, 2026, AGD advocates and leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. to engage policymakers on key dental health issues.

AGD is addressing the most pressing issues faced by our members by advocating to government entities for general dentists.

On April 3, 2026, the Trump Administration released its fiscal year (FY) 2027 Budget Proposal. Overall, the HHS Budget-in-Brief proposes $111.1 billion in discretionary budget authority for FY 2027, a decrease of $15.8 billion or 12.5 percent.

CMS is preparing states for an upcoming change that will limit the ability to claim federal matching funds for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals.

On March 16, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) entitled, Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

On March 17, 2026, the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The hearing featured NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., as the sole witness.

On March 20, 2026, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson issued a memorandum directing the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Bureau of Economics, Office of Policy Planning, and Office of Technology to form a Healthcare Task Force.

On March 11, 2026, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), House Committee on Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA-01), House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), and Senate Committee on Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz expressing opposition to the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.

On March 12, 2026, Representatives Jeff Van Drew, DMD (R-NJ-02) and Herb Conaway (D-NJ-03) introduced the Improving Dental Administration Act of 2026. The legislation would apply state dental insurance reform and patient protection laws to self-funded dental plans and their administrators.

On March 9, 2026, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled, Private Dental and Vision Insurance: Market Concentration Varied Among States.

On February 25, 2026, Vice President J.D. Vance and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD announced several actions to address Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

On February 25, 2026, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled, Nomination of Casey Means to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service.

On February 27, 2026, AGD submitted a comment letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to the agency’s notice entitled, Review of Science on Fluoride in Drinking Water: Preliminary Assessment Plan and Literature Survey.

On February 10, 2026, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Break Up Big Medicine Act, which would prohibit companies from owning health care providers while also owning a health insurer, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), or prescription drug or medical device wholesaler.

On February 9, 2026, the Indian Health Service (IHS) announced that it would end the use of dental amalgam in its facilities by 2027.

On February 9, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule entitled, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027 and Basic Health Program.

On January 22, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a notice entitled, Review of Science on Fluoride in Drinking Water: Preliminary Assessment Plan and Literature Survey, seeking public comment on its plan to develop a toxicity assessment that will review scientific information on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.

On February 3, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the remaining five FY2026 appropriations bills, along with a two-week Continuing Resolution (CR) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by a vote of 217-214, bringing to an end a brief partial government shutdown.