A monthly wrap-up of the Endocrine Society’s Advocacy efforts on behalf of the practice and science of endocrinology in the U.S. and around the world.
Short-term Extension of SDP and Telehealth Waivers Signed into Law
On December 21, 2024, President Biden signed into law a slimmed-down, temporary government spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
The legislation which funds the government through March 14, 2025, also included a short-term extension of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) and an extension of the Medicare telehealth waivers until March 31. This short-term agreement, reached just a few days before Christmas, means that government funding and many health priorities still will need to be addressed before the March deadlines during the first months of President Trump’s new term.
Earlier in December, congressional leaders had reached bipartisan agreement on a broad package of health legislation that they had tied to the FY 2025 funding bill. The package included Endocrine Society policy priorities: a two-year extension of SDP, increasing funding for the program to $200 million per-program per-year; and a two-year extension of telehealth waivers and language to avert a 2.8% physician payment cut. However, as the Congress was readying for a vote, President-Elect Trump argued against it. While the short-term bill that passed protected the country from a government shutdown at Christmas, it meant that these health priorities will still need to be addressed.
The Endocrine Society continues to advocate for these issues with the new Congress. Visit our website at www.endocrine.org/advocacy for updates.
NIH Funding in Jeopardy
Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is at a standstill. Congress passed a temporary spending bill in December called a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March 14, meaning that the NIH and other agencies are operating under the previous year’s budget at this time. CRs are disruptive to research as they hinder scientific progress by delaying the distribution of grants and may lead to inadequate support of scientific talent.
The Endocrine Society will continue to urge Congress to complete the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations process and to protect and increase funding for the NIH in FY 2026. To make the case for NIH funding, the Society will bring endocrine scientists to Washington, D.C., for a research-focused Hill Day in March and will also participate in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Capitol Hill Day to deliver a similar message.
As traditionally expected with a new presidential administration, Monica Bertagnolli, MD, submitted her resignation as the director of the NIH in January. Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, a professor of health policy at Stanford University, is President Trump’s nominee to replace Bertagnolli as the NIH director. Presidentially appointed nominees must undergo a Senate confirmation process and at the time this article was written, a date has not been selected for Bhattacharya’s hearing.
Last summer, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), introduced a proposed framework for reforming the NIH which included the consolidation of the 27 Institutes and Centers down to 15, raising many questions about funding for the Institutes. The proposed framework was included in the House FY 2025 Appropriations bill to start a conversation about NIH reform. While there has not been any further movement from Congress on NIH reform, we expect the conversation to restart as the new session of Congress begins.
Meanwhile, the NIH has reestablished the Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) to conduct a thorough review of the NIH and to provide recommendations to the NIH director and secretary of Health and Human Services. Endocrine Society staff are closely monitoring SMRB and Congress for information on NIH reform and are engaging with members to develop the Society’s recommendations for improvements for biomedical research at the NIH.
European Commission Bans BPA in FCMs
On December 19, the European Commission announced a ban on bisphenol-A and other bisphenols in food contact materials (FCMs).
This action follows the revised assessment from the European Food Safety Agency, indicating substantial harm from BPA at extremely low levels of exposure. As a consequence of the ban, BPA “will not be allowed in products that come into contact with food or drink, such as the coating on metal cans, reusable plastic drink bottles, water distribution coolers and other kitchenware.”
The Endocrine Society welcomes this science-based regulation as an important step in reducing exposure to BPA and other bisphenols which are known to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). However, because the ban does not comprehensively address all bisphenols, we remain concerned about regrettable substitutions with uncertain safety profiles for endocrine effects, and we need stronger data requirements for chemicals in food contact materials to enable efficient regulatory action. Further, because this ban only addresses a specific sector of the economy, a comprehensive revision of EU chemicals legislation remains necessary to better protect consumers from other sources of exposure to EDCs.
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