3 things you missed in government this week
RFK Jr., appropriations, student loans
“Three Things You Missed in Government This Week” is designed to offer a way to stay informed on the topics of the week. These updates are meant to offer brief details on legislative or regulatory topics to keep dentists engaged and up to date. To explore the ADA’s latest advocacy efforts, more information is available at ADA.org/Advocacy.
1. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, faced bipartisan questioning in a tense Senate Finance Committee hearing Sept. 4. During the three-hour hearing, both Republicans and Democrats questioned him on his attempts to restrict access to vaccines and sweeping structural changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mr. Kennedy, who engaged in heated exchanges with several senators, refused to budge from his stance on vaccines and the CDC. He also mentioned that community water fluoridation is among the issues HHS has taken on this year.
2. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education advanced the FY 2026 bill, setting Health and Human Services discretionary funding at $108 billion — about a 6% cut from current levels and $7 billion below last year. The package includes investments in rural hospitals, allocates $1.85 billion to primary health care and provides $48 billion for the National Institutes of Health. It appears to reject President Donald Trump’s proposal to consolidate and restructure NIH, reduces funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and consolidates several public health grant programs. The bill also directs $100 million to the Make America Healthy Again initiative. The legislation now moves to full committee markup next week, when additional details on oral health-related programs are expected.
3. Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will impact the 78% of dental school graduates starting their careers with more than $312,000 in student loan debt, the ADA said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education. This was in response to the department’s proposal to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee to implement the higher education provisions of the legislation. The letter outlined how those provisions would impact dental students who participate in federal student loan programs and potentially threaten the strength of the dental workforce.
