DC Insight - 5/5/2023

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House Markup Schedule Announced
The Association of Public & Land Grant Universities – April 27, 2023
House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) sent a letter last week to committee members announcing the chamber’s FY24 markup schedule. The first round of subcommittee markups will occur on May 17 and 18, with full committee markups for those bills to take place on May 23-25. The next round of subcommittee markups are slated for June 7 and 8, with those bills being marked up by the full committee June 13-15. The Chair has not yet announced which bills will be marked up during each period. 

Leader Schumer Launches Initiative to Advance National Security and Create China Competition Bill
United States Senate Democrats – May 3, 2023
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) previewed a new initiative to task a number of Chairs to begin working with their ranking Members on a bipartisan China Competition bill that builds off the work the Senate accomplished last Congress. Leader Schumer announced that the Senate will hold hearings and mark-ups to shepherd this vital bipartisan legislation through Committees and onto the Floor.

DEA Extends Pandemic-Era Prescribing Measure
The Hill – May 3, 2023
The Biden administration is temporarily extending flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth that were adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Wednesday that the decision to allow continued virtual prescribing was informed by a “record 38,000 comments on its proposed telemedicine rules.”

Senate Agriculture Leaders Differ on Shifting Funds to Farm Bill
Roll Call – May 3, 2023
The chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee disagree over tapping billions of dollars from a health, tax, and climate law to expand baseline funding for the upcoming farm bill.

Education Department Sends Student Loan Forgiveness Emails to Next Group of Borrowers Covered by Settlement
Forbes – May 1, 2023
The Biden administration is sending out a new batch of emails to borrowers potentially eligible for student loan forgiveness under a recent class action settlement. The Supreme Court just rejected a challenge to that settlement, allowing the Education Department to move forward in implementing the student debt relief.