This week, the House introduced and is planning to vote on legislation to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. Also, the House recently introduced a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package, known as the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2). The bill includes a provision to authorize $10 billion over five years for health center capital projects. The House expects to take up this bill next week. While both bills will likely pass the House, the prospects in the Senate are less favorable. In addition, several congressional committees held hearings this week as they continue to monitor the COVID-19 response. The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on Monday to discuss how COVID-19 has exacerbated racial disparities, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on Tuesday to look at lessons learned from the pandemic and the House Energy and Commerce Committee looked at the Administration’s response to the pandemic.
