Trump’s winning pattern with legislation might become a thing of the past

Trump’s winning pattern with legislation might become a thing of the past-rollcall:  Riding Republican majorities in both chambers last year, President Donald Trump put up strong numbers for the second consecutive year in getting support for his nominees and legislation he backed, winning 93.4 percent of the time, according to data compiled for CQ’s annual vote study of presidential support. 

‘Medicare-for-all’ is no longer purely theoretical

‘Medicare-for-all’ is no longer purely theoretical-rollcall: The single-payer “Medicare-for-all” bill that House Democrats are releasing Wednesday seems like it should stand a good chance of attracting more support than last year. But Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, who will introduce the bill, said 107 House Democrats are initially supporting the measure. That number is fewer than the 124 Democrats who had formally backed an earlier version of the measure by the end of the last Congress.

Can Roche’s little tech startup help the FDA change clinical trials?

Can Roche’s little tech startup help the FDA change clinical trials? -stat:  Could a startup founded by two guys in their 20s change the way medical researchers study patients? The Food and Drug Administration is open to the possibility.  Flatiron Health began as a small New York tech company trying to use real-world data from patient electronic medical records to replace more traditional clinical trial data.

Dems Face Internal Battle over Budget

Dems face internal battle over budget-thehill:  Democrats are bracing for an internal battle as the House Budget Committee starts cobbling together its budget for 2020, a blueprint that’s expected to put the party's progressive wing at odds with its moderates

Senate plots to avoid fall shutdown brawl

Senate plots to avoid fall shutdown brawl-thehill: Senators are hoping to get the government funding process back on track after the months-long fight over President Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall.  Though Congress managed to avoid a partial funding lapse after Trump agreed to sign a deal last week, lawmakers face another deadline later this year to prevent a government wide shut down that would strike roughly a year before the 2020 election.

Congress could block big chunk of Trump’s emergency wall money

Congress could block big chunk of Trump’s emergency wall money-rollcall: More than one-third of the money President Donald Trump wants to redirect from other federal programs to build a border barrier is likely to be unavailable from the sources he has identified.  As a result, it may be difficult for the president to circumvent Congress, even if a resolution disapproving of his “emergency” moves is never enacted

Healthcare spending will hit 19.4% of GDP in the next decade, CMS projects

Healthcare spending will hit 19.4% of GDP in thenext decade, CMS projects-modernhealthcare:
Healthcare spending growth will rise at an annual average of 5.5% over the next decade, slightly faster than in the past few years, due to the aging of the baby boomers and healthcare price growth, the CMS Office of the Actuary projects.

FDA funding set to jump as Congress votes to avert shutdown

FDA funding set to jump as Congress votes to avert shutdown-fiercebiotech: Congress has approved a budget deal to avert another government shutdown. The deal, which was signed into law on Friday by President Trump, includes the biggest increase in FDA funding in several years.

China, US announce more trade talks next week

China, US announce more trade talks next week-ap: With a deadline looming, U.S. and Chinese negotiators will hold more talks in Washington next week aimed at ending a battle over Beijing’s technology ambitions.

NAFTA 2.0’s impact on drug prices is more complicated than some Democrats are implying

NAFTA 2.0’s impact on drug prices is more complicated than some Democrats are implying-stat: Some House Democrats are raising new concerns about a landmark Trump administration trade agreement, implying that it will weaken the bipartisan effort to lower prescription drug prices.

Canada and Mexico will act on new NAFTA once tariffs end, Grassley says

Canada and Mexico will act on new NAFTA once tariffs end, Grassley says-rollcall: Mexican and Canadian officials are serious about their countries not ratifying the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement unless the Trump administration ends steel and aluminum tariffs on their products, Senate Finance Chairman Charles E. Grassley said Tuesday.

Trump inclined to sign funding bill to avert shutdown, Sanders says

Trump inclined to sign funding bill to avert shutdown, Sanders says-rollcall: The White House on Wednesday signaled President Donald Trump is inclined to sign a bipartisan border deal and then use executive powers to access additional funds for his proposed southern border wall.

Top appropriators reach ‘agreement in principle’ on funding border security, rest of government

Top appropriators reach ‘agreement in principle’ on funding border security, rest of government-rollcall: The top four congressional appropriators said Monday they had reached an “agreement in principle” that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and the rest of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year and could avoid a government shutdown if President Donald Trump signs off on it.

Down to the wire amid setback in government funding talks

Down to the wire amid setback in government funding talks-rollcall: A new snag over immigrant detention policy has thrown a monkey wrench into border security negotiations, as lawmakers look to prevent another government shutdown. CQ appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich explains what both sides are seeking and how the Trump administration is softening its demand on border wall funding. 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces presidential bid: 'I am running for every American, I'm running for you'

Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces presidential bid: 'I am running for every American, I'm running for you'-startribune: Against a wintry Minneapolis backdrop, Amy Klobuchar announced her run for President on Sunday with a vow to “heal the heart of our democracy” and an emphasis on her Minnesota roots.

Budget talks resuming amid pessimism over border differences

Budget talks resuming amid pessimism over border differences-ap: Budget negotiators will meet Monday to revive talks over border security issues that are central to legislation to prevent key parts of the government from shutting down on Saturday, but an air of pessimism remains after talks broke down over the weekend.

Trump Highlights Health Agenda With Vow To Lower ‘Unfair’ Drug Prices

Trump Highlights Health Agenda With Vow To Lower ‘Unfair’ Drug Prices-kaiserhealthnews: It was not the centerpiece, but health was a persistent theme in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday night.

Congress wants these 7 drug company CEOs to testify about prices

Congress wants these 7 drug company CEOs to testify about prices-stat: The Senate Finance Committee on Monday announced its second drug pricing hearing of 2019, with its leadership insisting on attendance from the executives of seven major drug manufacturers: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Pfizer, and Sanofi.

House, Senate panels begin hearings seeking drug cost solutions

House, Senate panels begin hearings seeking drug cost solutions-rollcall: Lawmakers emphasized the steep cost of the diabetes treatment insulin and ways to use Medicare and Medicaid to discourage companies from setting high prices as Congress kicked off a series of drug price hearings Tuesday.

New Democrats launch task forces to help craft the House majority’s policy agenda

New Democrats launch task forces to help craft the House majority’s policy agenda-rollcall: The New Democrat Coalition is ready to help the House majority craft its policy agenda for the 116th Congress, launching eight issue-focused task forces to develop proposals on party priorities such as health care, infrastructure and climate change.

Cory Booker announces 2020 presidential bid

Cory Booker announces 2020 presidential bid-rollcall: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker launched his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday, telling supporters he wants to be a uniting force in an increasingly divided country.