Majority Leader | Research | The Leader Board | THE NEWSR...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMThe Leader Board02.04.26Senate Republicans Deliver Member-Driven Health Care Wins for AmericansAmong the Positive Results of Senate Republicans Bringing Back the Regular-Order Appropriations Process Are Numerous Bipartisan Achievements, Health Extenders, and President Trump’s Priorities THE APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS WAS MEMBER-DRIVEN AND INCLUDED NUMEROUS BIPARTISAN LEGISLATIVE ITEMS“I’m proud that despite some hiccups along the way, we have returned the lead to the committees and have now considered 11 of the 12 individual bills on the Senate floor. The advantages of a member-driven process are myriad. First and foremost, it empowers senators – of both parties – to make their voices, and the voices of their constituents, heard.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, contains critical health care wins: (U.S. Congress: H.R.7148 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 – accessed 2/4/26)Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.)’s PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act, which helps seniors and our most vulnerable Americans find affordable medicines. (U.S. Congress: S.3345 - PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act – accessed 2/4/26)Chairman Cassidy and Sen. Marshall’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act to lower drug costs for Americans at the pharmacy counter. (U.S. Congress: S.1339 - Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act – accessed 2/4/26)Chairman Crapo’s Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, which beginning in 2028, allows “for Medicare coverage and payment for multi-cancer early detection screening tests that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that are used to screen for cancer across many cancer types.” (U.S. Congress: S.339 - Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act – accessed 2/4/26)“Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) is a groundbreaking new type of cancer screening test that utilizes advances in genomic science and machine learning to transform cancer detection.” (Prevent Cancer Foundation: Multi-Cancer Early Detection – accessed 2/4/26)Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-Okla.) Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, “which will improve outcomes for children with cancer by advancing (or promoting) critical research and ensuring they have access to essential treatments.” (Sen. Mullin: RELEASE: Mullin Champions Bipartisan Give Kids a Chance Act, Condemns “The Grinch” Bernie Sanders for Blocking the Bill – 12/18/25)Sen. Grassley’s Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, which “simplifies out-of-state Medicaid screening and enrollment processes for pediatric care providers, while retaining key safeguards to preserve the integrity of the program,” as well as his bill with Chairman Cassidy to improve the organ transplant system. (Sen. Grassley: Grassley, Bennet Launch Bill to Improve Kids’ Access to Life-Saving Medical Care – 2/27/25; U.S. Congress:S.532 - OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act – accessed 2/4/26)Sen. Tim Scott’s provision to extend the Acute Hospital at Home Waiver program, which will provide “better outcomes for patients while reducing costs,” and his bill, the Telehealth Modernization Act, to extend telehealth flexibilities to seniors, as well as his bill to improve prevention and treatment of Sickle Cell Disease. (Sen. Scott: Sens. Scott, Warnock and Colleagues Introduce Hospital at Home Healthcare Bill – 7/10/25; U.S. Congress: S.735 - Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2025 – accessed 2/4/26; U.S. Congress: S.2709 - Telehealth Modernization Act – accessed 2/4/26)Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-Maine) Special Diabetes Program Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes “funding for the Special Diabetes Program – comprised of the Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians – which has delivered meaningful resources and research breakthroughs for those with Type 1 diabetes and also for Native Americans and Alaska Natives,” and Lifespan Respite Care Act, which supports caregivers. (U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations: Senate Appropriations Committee Hosts Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress – 7/9/25; U.S. Congress: S.830 - Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2025 – accessed 2/4/26)Sen. Young’s Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which updates a requirement for the Department of Health and Human Services to release suicide prevention practices and ways to improve mental health resiliency among health care professionals, as well as an education awareness initiative to promote mental health and substance use services by health care providers. (Sen. Young: Young, Kaine Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Mental Health Resources for Health Care Providers – 2/3/25)Sen. Capito’s bill to prevent maternal deaths as well as her Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act, which helps children get the medicine they need. (U.S. Congress: S.2621 – accessed 2/4/26; U.S. Congress: S.705 - Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act of 2025 – accessed 2/4/26)Sen. Blackburn’s provision to support hospitals in Tennessee as well as patients receiving telehealth care in their homes to improve the health of their hearts and lungs. (U.S. Congress: S.248 - Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act – accessed 2/4/26)Sen. Marshall’s Fair Billing Act, to require unique health identifiers for providers. (U.S. Congress: S.2497 - Fair Billing Act – accessed 2/4/26)Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), and Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) Increasing Transparency in Generic Drug Applications Act, which will “speed up the approval of generic drugs.” (Sen. Husted: Husted returns more than $31 million for Ohio projects in FY26 funding package – 1/30/26; Sen. Paul: Senators Paul, Hassan, Lee, and Hickenlooper Reintroduce Bill to Lower Prescription Drug Prices by Streamlining Generic Drug Approvals – 4/11/25)Sen. John Boozman’s (R-Ark.) Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act, which reauthorizes “critical federal research, education and intervention activities to reduce preterm birth and infant mortality. The legislation also calls for a study to better understand the factors that lead to preterm birth and identify effective prevention and treatment options.” (Sen. Boozman: The PREEMIE Act Renews Programs Aimed at Understanding Causes of Preterm Birth and Improving Infant Health Outcomes – 5/5/25) Sen. Boozman’s Honoring Our Living Donors Act, which expands “support available to living donors by allowing more donors to be eligible for compensation to cover wages, travel, childcare and caregiver expenses associated with donation.” (Sen. Boozman: Boozman, Luján Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Organ Donations and Save Lives – 12/16/24;U.S. Congress: S.957 - Honor Our Living Donors Act – accessed 2/4/26)THIS LEGISLATION SUPPORTS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S GOAL TO REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS FOR AMERICANS, INCLUDING PBM REFORMS, AND REAUTHORIZES CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS“I absolutely agree with President Trump that we must make health care affordable and give power to the patient, not more profit to insurance companies. This plan lowers the actual costs of care for all Americans.” – Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.)The legislation includes “long-stalled priorities like an overhaul of the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers [PBMs] — the ‘middlemen’ between drug manufacturers and insurers — and new controls on how hospitals bill for outpatient services.” (Axios: Scoop: Bipartisan health package likely moving forward – 1/19/26)“Drug middlemen, known as pharmacy-benefit managers, have accomplished something rare in Washington: Their business practices have led to a bipartisan consensus of sorts around the need for more regulation.” (The Wall Street Journal: How Drug Middlemen Keep Beating the System – 7/10/24)The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, enacts a major “overhaul of the pharmacy benefit managers. The legislation limits PBMs’ abilities to keep rebates as profits. It also tightens oversight of PBMs.” (Punchbowl News: Midday: What to watch for in the minibus – 1/20/26)This significant reform takes steps toward the goals of President Trump’s new health care plan, which called on Congress to examine the role of PBMs in rising health care costs. (White House: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Calls on Congress to Enact The Great Healthcare Plan – 1/15/26)And last week, the Department of Labor “issued new requirements for disclosing [PBMs’] financial dealings with drugmakers, pharmacies and others health system players…The proposed rule stems from President Trump's executive order on lowering drug prices and comes as Congress is targeting the drug supply intermediaries with more transparency rules.” (Axios: PBMs hit by Trump transparency rule – 2/2/26; U.S. Department of Labor: US Department of Labor proposes historic pharmacy benefit manager fee disclosure rule – 1/29/26)THE APPROPRIATIONS PACKAGE, WHICH BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS OF LAST YEAR’SBIPARTISAN PASSAGE OF THE SUPPORT ACT AND THE HALT FENTANYL ACT, ALSO ENACTS REAUTHORIZATIONS OF CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICARE PROGRAMS“The health care agreement would extend several public health programs, including major telehealth flexibilities, through the end of 2027. It also would fund, through the end of the fiscal year in 2030, a program run through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that reimburses facilities for offering hospital-level care in the home.” (Politico: Congress clinches bipartisan health deal – 1/20/26)Notable investments and authorizations include:Community Health CentersTeaching Health CentersNational Health Service CorpsSupport for hospitals and physicians treating seniors on MedicareRelief for hospitals serving a significant share of low-income AmericansThe World Trade Center health program, which will continue and update the funding formula for 9/11 responders and survivors through 2040 (U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations: Committee Releases Conferenced Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bills – 1/20/26)In December, President Trump signed legislation reauthorizing the SUPPORT Act, “major legislation to prevent and treat illicit opioid use, more than two years after it expired.”“The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act reauthorizes billions of dollars in funding for states and tribes to fight opioid addiction and to provide first responders with the opioid reversal medication naloxone, among many other provisions.”“Trump signed the original SUPPORT Act in 2018. It was seen as one of the most significant domestic policy laws of his first term.” (PoliticoPro: Trump signs major opioid-fighting legislation – 12/1/25)And in July, led by Chairmen Cassidy and Grassley, President Trump signed into law the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently schedules fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I and expands research flexibilities into Schedule I drugs for medical research. (White House: President Trump Signs HALT Fentanyl Act into Law – 7/16/25)PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
