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G2G Bio Bulletin – May 23, 2026

Federal Legislative Updates
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G2G Bio Bulletin – May 23, 2026

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G2G Updates

This past week, the G2G team, as part of Women’s Health Advocates (WHA), co-sponsored and participated in the Illuminators: Navigating the Waters to Advance the Health of Women conference. This event brought together a curated group of founders, executives, innovators, investors, and decision-makers in women’s health. This was followed by the the Second Annual WHA Capitol Hill Day and Congressional Briefing that brought together advocates from across the country to lobby for women’s health priorities with Members of Congress and their staff.

Funding Opportunities

Following significant delays, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) has posted opportunities for most programs. CDMRP is hosting webinars on all programs in June and July for interested applicants. The first one is on June 3 at 12 pm EST. It will cover the Alzheimer’s, ALS, Peer Reviewed Medical, Vision and the Breast, Lung, Ovarian, Pancreatic and Peer Reviewed Cancer programs. It can be accessed here.

Updates from Washington

Congress:
  • FY 2027 Appropriations & Budget Requests:
    • On Thursday, Senate Appropriations Committee’s LHHS Subcommittee convened a hearing to discuss the FY 2027 President’s Budget Request for NIH, with agency leaders including Director Jay Bhattacharya, and the leaders of five Institutes. Both Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) sharply criticized the proposed cuts to biomedical research funding. Highlights of the hearing include:
    • Chair Collins reiterated her criticism of the Administration’s latest attempt to cap indirect cost rates for awards at 15% and urged Director Bhattacharya to explore alternative routes to pursue more structured changes.
    • Vice Chair Murray and Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) criticized termination of infectious disease research grants, and cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts in light of the Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks.
    • Republican Senators asked NIH leaders to support enhanced biomedical research infrastructure in traditionally underfunded states through the IDeA program, and to include more participants from rural areas in clinical trials.
  • Other Legislation, Hearings & Committee Activity:  
    • Congressional Democrats introduced resolutions to use the Congressional Review Act to dismantle CMS' Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model, that utilizes AI/ML in Medicare decision making.
    • The Chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), lost his primary last weekend. The loss may prompt him to more aggressively exert oversight authority over HHS, during the remainder of his term. Potential successors to Cassidy as the top Republican position on HELP include Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), both of whom are doctors.
    • The Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR) and other Senate Democrats have authored a letter outlining their goals to enhance coverage of aged care under CMS.
    • The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed bills to modernize the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) to increase payments to independent doctors and to provide Medicare reimbursement for pharmacist-administered tests for respiratory illnesses, among other bipartisan legislation. Other Republican-led bills considered by the Committee focused on healthcare fraud, and mostly advanced on party lines.
    • The House Energy & Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health held its own hearing on the PFS and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), which featured testimony from representatives of healthcare professional organizations and trade groups. Key topics discussed include:
      • The need for significant inflationary adjustments to physician payments and site neutral payment reform in order to reduce healthcare consolidation and keep more independent practices viable.
      • The use of Merit-Based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPs) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs) in advancing value-based care over the traditional fee-for-service model.
      • The significant gaps in compensation between primary care physicians and specialists, and low reimbursement rates for OB/GYN services.
Administration & Agencies:

  • NIH:
    • Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger, acting Director of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease (NIAID) has left his position, adding to the unprecedented number of vacant NIH leadership positions.
  • FDA:
    • The agency will convene an advisory panel to evaluate Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine in June. This comes several months after former CBER Director Vinay Prasad attempted to halt its review altogether.
  • CMS:
    • The Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals filed by pharmaceutical companies seeking to end the Medicare Drug Discount Program.
    • The agency has proposed a rule that would cap the amount that states can pay providers for Medicaid services, to align with Medicare payment rates. The effort is intended to generate billions of dollars in savings.
    • Administrator Mehmet Oz, has elevated Rebekah Armstrong to the position of chief of staff of the agency. She will assume duties from Stephanie Carlton, who will retain her other position as Deputy Administrator.
  • CDC:
    • As a result of an administrative error, HHS has abandoned its efforts to reorganize the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to give greater power to the HHS Secretary to appoint and remove members. The previous ACIP structure will stay in place for two years.
  • White House, Other HHS Divisions & Departments:
    • Ebola: The State Department announced an initial $23 million in assistance to African governments to address the ongoing Ebola outbreak. This is part of wider departmental response that includes the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), and the standing up of 50 Ebola Treatment Units. Concurrently, under CDC advisory, non-citizens who have traveled outbreak impacted areas are prohibited from entering the US.
    • Drug Prices: The Administration has announced the that of hundreds of generic drugs will be made available at discounted rates on the TrumpRx platform, in partnership with Cost Plus, GoodRx and Amazon.
    • Surgeon General: Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, a current HHS official, will assume some of the Surgeon General’s responsibilities, as a confirmation hearing for the position’s nominee, Dr. Erica Schwartz, has yet to be scheduled.
    • United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF): Two officials at USPTF were dismissed from their positions earlier this month, amid Secretary Kennedy’s criticism of the panel. However, both officials have been invited to reapply to their positions.

Reminder: Don’t miss the monthly GBG Report call every third Thursday of the month at 12 pm ET where the team discusses the latest federal life sciences funding opportunities. G2G has raised $612M and is eager to share our expertise to help companies grow and accelerate bringing innovations to patients.