AGD Capitol Connections

On January 15, 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a proposed rule establishing a framework for practitioners to prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances via telemedicine without a prior in-person medical evaluation entitled, Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation.

On January 7, 2025, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) was named Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee for the 119th Congress, a key position overseeing more than 50 percent of federal spending with jurisdiction over federal tax policy; federal social safety net and health care programs, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; and implementation of foreign trade agreements.

On January 20th Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, beginning his second term. Shortly after taking office, President Trump signed a multitude of executive orders and national proclamations, including actions to strengthen border security, increase domestic energy production, and reduce the size of the federal workforce.

On January 6, 2025, JAMA Pediatrics released a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis entitled, Fluoride Exposure and Children’s IQ Scores. This review of 74 international studies on the effects of fluoridation in water concluded that most of the studies associated drops in children’s IQ with increasing levels of fluoridation in water.

On December 20, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 levels through March 14, 2025.

On January 2, 2024, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) posted new Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) designations and withdrawals and shared information on the process to submit comments on these decisions.

On January 8, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Stacy Sanders will serve as the Department’s inaugural Chief Competition Officer, a newly created role aimed at reducing healthcare and prescription drug costs by promoting competition.

On January 18, 2024, President Biden signed into law another Continuing Resolution (CR) necessary to keep the government open, H.R.2872, Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024.

The AGD Advocacy Fund supports national and constituent advocacy efforts by providing resources to tackle new matters, such as legislation or legal action affecting the practice of general dentistry.

On December 11, 2023, the House of Representatives passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, H.R. 5378.

This week, the House and Senate both took major steps towards reauthorizing the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, which was originally enacted in 2018 to comprehensively address to the opioid epidemic.

On January 14, President Joe Biden delivered public remarks in which he detailed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal, the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan will be the first piece of Biden’s two-part response to the pandemic.

In a letter, the AGD congratulated Administrator Carole Johnson for her recent appointment to lead the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

S. 3017, the Veterans Dental Care Eligibility Expansion and Enhancement Act, will reportedly undergo markup in the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs sometime in the near future.

In a ruling last Thursday by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), SCOTUS permitted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to resume enforcement of its interim final rule mandating COVID-19 vaccination for staff at covered Medicare and Medicaid facilities.

The White House spent part of the holiday recess calling Democratic Senators in an effort to get the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, President Biden’s broad social spending package, back on track after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) came out against the legislation late last month.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 technical assistance, adding a new section to clarify when COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act.

Following a ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, a judicial stay on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) COVID-19 vaccine rule has been lifted in 25 states. CMS will move forward with its vaccine enforcement in the states and territories not enjoined by the court’s ruling.

Carole Johnson will assume her role as the new Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) this month. Johnson most recently served as Testing Coordinator for the White House’s COVID-19 Response Team.

The U.S. Treasury and Small Business Administration (SBA) rolled out a new round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) last week. Businesses will be able to use PPP funding over a period of eight to 24 weeks. This new round is said to be more flexible and clearly defined than the previous round of loans.