1182: View from Washington, D.C.: Congress Heads into Recess as Budget and Public Health Decisions Loom

JOHN SHEEHAN: 

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, August 7, 2026. I'm John Sheehan with news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

On today's View from Washington, D.C., ASTHO Vice President for Government Affairs Jeffrey Ekoma provides a Federal Health Policy Update on recent movement in Washington. He discusses the Senate confirmation of Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, the status of Sean Kaufman's nomination to lead ASPR, and the latest developments in FY2027 appropriations.

Jeffrey Ekoma, welcome back to the show.

JEFFREY EKOMA: 

It's a pleasure to be back.

SHEEHAN: 

So, Jeffrey: nominations, where are we?

EKOMA: 

So, there's been some movement to note here. Earlier in the week, Senate Leader Thune filed cloture on the nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz, and she was voted to serve as the next CDC director, which we're really happy about. With respect to Mr. Sean Kaufman, who was nominated to serve as the next ASPR, he did receive enough votes to advance out of the Senate HELP Committee, and we do expect a vote for his nomination on the full Senate floor when the Senate returns from its upcoming recess vote in mid-September.

SHEEHAN: 

Okay. So, that's some movement. That's positive movement. Another big category: appropriations. When last we talked, there was a lot of uncertainty. Has anything changed? Do you feel any more settled?

EKOMA: 

There's also been some movement here as well. Some considerable movement, actually, to note when you think about sort of funding for the federal government for the fiscal year that begins on October 1. So, over the last week, Senate Appropriations released a bipartisan continuing resolution that will fund the federal government through December 11. From my last update, I know that the House passed a continuing resolution bill that sought to extend funding through December 4. So, there's a pretty substantial difference there. Also included in the Senate bill was several short-term extensions of various expiring authorities that were essentially provided by the White House, as well as a provision that temporarily blocks the administration's uniform guidance proposal on federal financial assistance, which would have a sizable impact on state and territorial health departments. The bill did advance through the Senate and will be sent to the House for consideration when they return from their August recess. Now, the prospects of the bill in the House are somewhat unclear, to say the absolute least. But it is important to restate that the bill in the Senate is bipartisan and is inclusive of interest from both Republicans and Democrats. Both chambers will need to pass one package, and it seems as though that the House will need to consider the Senate's package, considering the Senate's package was bipartisan in nature.

SHEEHAN: 

Okay, there are some big things to watch out for. As you mentioned, the August recess, at this point, both chambers are in recess through August. What are you going to be watching for while they're out, and what should we be looking for when they return?

EKOMA: 

Well, John, there's a lot that can happen in a couple of weeks. So, a couple things we'll be paying really close attention to that I think will rise to the priority list for both Congress and the administration: I think specifically things that may impact discussions around a continuing resolution bill that may advance out of the House and the Senate will be really top of mind for us. We will also be closely monitoring discussions around reconciliation 3.0 that I've talked about in the past, and really the need for the House and the Senate to pass a joint budget resolution that will really unlock both in the House and the Senate to continue their work in that manner. Also, too, as I mentioned before, the White House also sent up a supplemental funding request that includes things as funding for military-related expenses, temporary economic assistance for farmers, funding to support the Ebola response, funding for a lot of infrastructure-related projects and activities. So, I say this to say there's a lot that can happen within the next month that may change the trajectory of interest just around the administration's supplemental request, and also can impact other things like appropriations and reconciliation, and really, you know, Congress rounding out the remaining of the fiscal year that ends on September 30.

SHEEHAN: 

Absolutely. Jeffrey Ekoma, thanks as always.

EKOMA: 

Thanks so much. Always a pleasure to be here.

SHEEHAN: 

Jeffrey Ekoma is vice president for Government Affairs at ASTO.

Stay informed on the latest federal developments with the View from Washington, D.C. segment on this podcast, which offers timely updates from Capitol Hill.

ASTHO's Government Affairs team provides public health policy analysis, federal updates, and insights on emerging actions and what they mean for state and territorial public health. So, be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode.

ASTHO, Johns Hopkins University, and CSTE have created a new collaborative tool, the U.S. Disease Tracker, a first-of-its-kind dashboard providing timely, state-validated data on vaccine-preventable diseases across the country. The platform offers weekly updates, interactive visualizations, and state and sub-state-level trends for measles, meningococcal disease, and whooping cough, with additional diseases planned. Explore reliable, actionable public health data to better understand disease trends and support informed decision-making. Find out more about the dashboard by clicking the link in the show notes.

This has been another View from Washington, D.C., part of Public Health Review Morning Edition. I'm John Sheehan for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.