Capitol Hill Report: March 14 government funding deadline
March 10, 2025
The AAN is monitoring all changes made by Congress and the administration to evaluate any impacts on neurology and the patients we serve. If your practice, research, or patients have been impacted by recent changes at the federal level, please let us know by emailing advocacy@aan.com.
Issue in focus
On Friday, March 14, the continuing resolution that funds the federal government expires. If Congress is unable to come to a final agreement, the government will shut down. This shutdown will impact the entire federal government and could have significant impacts on research and your patients.
In addition to government funding, Congress needs to include several policy extenders as part of an agreement to keep the government open, including a telehealth extension and fixing the 2.8% cut to physician Medicare reimbursement that went into effect on January 1.
On Saturday, March 8, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives released their version of a continuing resolution to fund the government. This bill seeks to close out negotiations over FY 2025 funding by pushing the continuing resolution funding date until September 30, the end of the current fiscal year. The legislation, while a step towards finding a solution to fund the government, makes significant cuts to medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD) rather than holding funding even with FY 2024 levels. The bill extends telehealth flexibilities for Medicare through September 30, but it does not address the cuts to reimbursement under Medicare, nor does it extend the Alternative Payment Model (APM) bonus that is set to expire in March.
The AAN is in constant communication with policymakers asking them to address these important issues and repair cuts to research funding in any final bill. You can assist us in these efforts by using our to write to your member of Congress today.
Keep reading to see what’s at stake for neurology.
Research
If the government shuts down, there could be an impact on how the NIH can distribute research dollars. The new administration has canceled or postponed many of the advisory councils that approve proposed projects for funding, causing the pace of grants to slow significantly. Allowing the government to fully shut down would stop all nonessential functions at the NIH, likely leading to further delays in grant approvals and disbursements.
The House-led continuing resolution that was released on March 8 would keep the NIH open but make significant cuts to research funding. The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs at the DOD were cut by 57% in this proposal for a total of $859 million. These programs fund high-risk, high-reward biomedical research to help meet the needs of active duty service members, veterans, and—through the breakthroughs discovered—the American people at large. There are also significant cuts to NIH research in the CURES program, which partially funds the BRAIN Initiative. It was cut by $280 million, or 68%.
Reimbursement
One area that would not be impacted by a government shutdown is your ability to be reimbursed by Medicare. Medicare payments will continue even in a government shutdown. However, Congress has viewed the funding package as the likely vehicle for a fix to this year’s Medicare physician reimbursement cut. If Congress cannot reach an agreement on legislation to fund the government, legislation that would address those cuts is unlikely to pass.
The House-led continuing resolution does nothing to address the physician payment cuts that went into effect on January 1. Further, it does not include any language to extend the Alternative Payment Model (APM) bonus. This bonus, which has been extended in continuing resolutions for the past several years, is meant to incentivize providers to move into APMs. As APMs are still not practically available to many specialties, it is imperative that this bonus continue in order to facilitate the shift from fee-for-service to new value-based payment models in Medicare.
Telehealth
At the end of last year, Congress expanded telehealth flexibilities from the COVID-19 public health emergency until March 31, 2025. Government funding legislation is also the presumed vehicle for an extension of these flexibilities past the end of this month. If Congress does not act by March 31, telehealth will revert back to pre-pandemic rules, negatively impacting neurology practices and the patients they serve.
The House-led continuing resolution does contain a short-term extension to telehealth flexibilities under Medicare through September 30. This extension includes access to reimbursement for audio-only telehealth. While the extension maintains access to telehealth, the AAN would like to see a longer extension included in any legislation in order to bring more stability to neurology practices and the patients they serve.
The AAN is advocating for neurology and the patients you serve every day, and we will continue to work with lawmakers to ensure that these issues are resolved in a timely manner. If you want to have your voice heard in Washington, DC, please visit our where it will take 60 seconds to have the system send a letter to Congress on your behalf.
If you have any questions about the impending government funding deadline and how it may affect your practice, please contact us at advocacy@aan.com.
Latest advocacy news
AAN urges VA to support veterans’ access to remote neurological care
Citing concerns related to the federal "Return to In-Person Work” mandate’s impact on the neurology workforce within the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), the AAN submitted a letter to the Secretary of the VA urging corrective action to ensure veterans retain robust access to care through the VA’s several remote neurological programs. The AAN will continue to work with policymakers in support of access to neurological care through the VA.
AAN joins call to protect Medicaid, SNAP from cuts
The AAN recently joined the Alliance for Aging Research in requesting House and Senate leadership oppose cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including those outlined in the proposed budget resolution. The letter outlines the immediate effects these cuts would have on the nation's most vulnerable patient populations and their caregivers, such as older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and people in low-income households.
Organizations call for robust NIH funding
The AAN also joined over 500 organizations in signing onto a letter urging appropriations leaders to prioritize robust funding for the NIH in FY25 and to preserve existing protections against cuts to reimbursement for NIH grantee facilities and administrative costs. The AAN strongly supports the preservation of funding for neuroscience research and will continue to work with Congress to advocate its significance.
AAN monitors health care agency leadership nominations
The AAN is closely monitoring confirmation hearings for nominees to leadership postings within key health care agencies, including the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration. Once confirmed, the AAN will conduct outreach with relevant appointees in support of policies that support neurologists and their patients.
What we're reading
- The US is losing its next generation of health scientists (Op-Ed, )
- States Facing Doctor Shortages Ease Licensing Rules for Foreign-Trained Physicians ()