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U.S. President Joe Biden and one of his top aides warned on Monday that a federal government shutdown could cause widespread suffering, including a rapid loss of food benefits for nearly 7 million low-income women and children. Biden told a meeting on Historically Black Colleges and Universities that failure by Congress to fund the federal government would have dire consequences for the Black community, including by reducing nutritional benefits, inspections of hazardous waste sites and enforcement of fair housing laws. (Holland, 9/25)

By Aidan Quigley and Paul M. Krawzak and David LermanPosted September 25, 2023 at 8:11pm​Even as Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., preps a last-ditch attempt to get his unruly conference in line behind a spending strategy, there were quiet staff-level talks happening among the “four corners” of the congressional leadership in both chambers to somehow avert a shutdown. Senate Democratic and Republican leaders have been negotiating the contents of a stopgap spending measure while keeping House GOP leaders in the loop, sources familiar with the talks said. They are cognizant of the pressures McCarthy is facing and are trying to give him something his conference can feasibly swallow, these people said. (Quigley, Krawzak and Lerman, 9/25)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food benefits to millions of low-income families, would continue throughout the month of October, he said. But if the shutdown drags on longer than October, SNAP funding would be put at risk. In more immediate danger would be the seven million moms and children relying on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC. That program, according to USDA, helps low-income mothers with infants and children at nutritional risk by offering easier access to things like food and healthcare referrals. Their benefits would dry up within a matter of days, Vilsack said, though some states might be able to use extra funding to stave off the effects for a week or two.  (Schermele, Ramirez and Collins, 9/26)

When it comes to health policy, a short shutdown wouldn’t affect major programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare’s federal insurance marketplace. Research into developing vaccines and therapeutics would continue as would the federal health department’s response to covid-19, while the Food and Drug Administration could still support drug and medical device reviews. But a funding hiatus would still impact federal workers and some programs. Roughly 42 percent of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services would be furloughed on the second day of a shutdown, according to a new HHS contingency plan quietly updated Thursday. (Roubein, 9/25)

The Senate has set its eyes on regulating insurance plans for some of the most vulnerable patients in the U.S. — the 12.5 million people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. “They’re a complex group of people with a lot of chronic conditions — mental illness, frailty, disability,” said Jose Figueroa, an internal medicine physician and health policy expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Over a third of these dual-eligible beneficiaries have less than a high school education, and about 90% make less than $20,000 per year. (Bajaj, 9/26)

Hearings in both the House and Senate will focus on water issues this week, as lawmakers assess recent regulatory developments and push agencies to do more against persistent problems. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment is set to discuss infrastructure financing for clean water projects. (Crunden, 9/25)

A key player in crafting the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief joined administration officials Friday in calling for a clean five-year reauthorization of the long-standing HIV/AIDS program. (Raman, 9/25)

Beset by a host of competing pressures, EPA is now in the last lap of a two-year marathon to tighten a particularly consequential set of air pollution regulations. At issue is a rule on airborne levels of soot, which is tied to a host of environmental and health concerns. Because human sources range from refineries and other types of heavy industry to residential wood stoves, the regulatory impact of any changes to the standards can be far-reaching. (Reilly, 9/25)

EPA scored a crucial victory Monday in defense of its latest bid to curb the cross-country spread of smog-forming emissions. In a brief order, a divided three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a flurry of motions from states and industry groups to stay the "good neighbor rule" released in March. Granting a national stay would have been a sign that the court was likely to throw out the rule, thereby gutting EPA's ability to enforce smog reduction requirements affecting almost half the country and predicted to yield substantial health benefits. (Reilly, 9/25)

The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it has deep reservations about NurOwn, an investigational ALS treatment from BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, citing a lack of evidence that the medicine works and the company’s failure to demonstrate that it can properly manufacture the product. (Garde, 9/25)

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he still needs a security detail, despite having retired from public service at the end of 2022, because of threats to his life inspired by comments from right-wing figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Hagy, 9/25)