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Volume 3, No. 93, August 6, 2025 |
ADEA Advocate on Hiatus During August Recess
The ADEA Advocate will pause publication during the congressional August recess.
We will resume our regular weekly editions in September. In the meantime, if you
have any questions or need assistance, please contact the ADEA Advocacy and Government
Relations team at [email protected].
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Senate Funding Committee Reports HHS and Higher Education Bill
On July 31, the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations reported its Departments
of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations
Bill for fiscal year (FY) 2026, which begins on Oct.
1. Despite President
Trump’s request to end all federal funding for health profession education and
several higher education programs, the Committee funded most of them at the current
year’s funding level and thus rejected his requests.
The programs of most interest to oral health education were all funded at their
current funding level, as noted in the table below.
The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) received an increase of $400 million and maintained the National
Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) as an independent and separate
entity, despite the President’s budget proposal to consolidate it with two other Institutes.
The Committee report commended NIDCR for establishing Advancing Head and Neck Cancer
Early Detection Research (AHEAD) to accelerate translational and clinical research
on early detection of head and neck cancers.
The Committee report also stated,
“The Committee reaffirms that dental care is integral to the medical management
of numerous diseases and medical conditions and that the lack of medically necessary
oral healthcare heightens the risk of costly medical complications.
The Committee
appreciates NIH’s support for research that has demonstrated that dental care
is closely linked to and crucial to the clinical success of other covered medical services.”
The Committee also had this to say about the Health Care Training for Diversity
Programs: “Training for Diversity—The Committee supports programs that improve
the diversity of the healthcare workforce.
HRSA’s diversity pipeline programs
help advance patient care and ensure opportunity for all healthcare providers.”
Below is a brief table summarizing the Senate Committee’s recommendations.
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*Of which, $13,000,000
each is provided for Residencies in Pediatric & General Dentistry.
There are reports that the Trump administration has reversed its days’ old decisions
to pause $15 billion in NIH research grants for a “programmatic review.” There
is still confusion about what was included and when funds will begin to flow again.
ADEA will report on any additional action as it is warranted. Because the ADEA
Advocate will be on hiatus during the congressional August recess, please
watch ADEA Connect for any further information.
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U.S. Senate Confirms the First Nonmedical Doctor Since 1953 as CDC Director
The U.S. Senate voted 51-47 along party lines to confirm
President Trump’s nominee, Susan Monarez, Ph.D., as the new Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Monarez, a veteran public health
official who had been serving as Acting CDC Director, will now oversee the nation’s
response to public health threats under the leadership of Robert F.
Kennedy Jr.,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and a longtime critic of vaccine safety.
During her confirmation hearing, Dr.
Monarez acknowledged her differences with
Kennedy on the issue, stating she had seen no credible evidence linking vaccines
to autism and pledging to make vaccine availability a priority.
Dr. Monarez is the first CDC Director without a medical degree since 1953. Instead,
she holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where her research
focused on diagnostic and preventive technologies for infectious diseases.
While
she expressed respect for Kennedy’s leadership, she made efforts to distance
herself from some of his controversial views, seeking to reassure lawmakers of
her commitment to evidence-based public health policy.
Her appointment comes as the White House is seeking to cut CDC’s budget by $3.6
billion, leaving it with a $4 billion budget. Kennedy is also enacting a layoff
plan that calls for HHS to cut thousands of employees.
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FDA Orders Major Changes to Opioid Labeling
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring safety labeling changes
to all opioid pain medications
to better emphasize and explain the risks associated with their long-term use.
The impetus behind this change is twofold. First, the changes reflect recent reviews
of data focusing on the serious impact of long-term opioid use. Second, the FDA
hopes that this improved labeling will support more informed decision-making by doctors and patients.
The FDA is requiring the following label changes:
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Clearer Risk Information: Labels will include a summary of study results showing
the estimated risks of addiction, misuse and overdose during long-term use.
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Dosing Warnings: Labels
will offer stronger warnings that higher doses come with greater risks, and that those risks remain overtime.
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Clarified Use Limits:
Labels will remove language which could be misinterpreted to support using opioid
pain medications over indefinitely long durations.
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Treatment Guidance: Labels will reinforce that long-acting or extended-release
opioids should only be considered when other treatments, including shorter-acting opioids, are inadequate.
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Safe Discontinuation:
Labels will include a reminder not to stop opioids suddenly in patients who may
be physically dependent, as it can cause serious harm.
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Overdose Reversal Agents: Labels will provide additional information on medicines
that can reverse an opioid overdose.
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Drug Interactions: Labels will offer enhanced warnings about combining opioids
with other drugs that slow down the nervous system, such as gabapentinoids.
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More Risks with Overdose:
Labels will include new information about toxic leukoencephalopathy, a serious
brain condition that may occur after an overdose.
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Digestive Health: Labels will provide updates about opioid-related problems with the esophagus.
The companies will have 30 days to submit their labeling updates to the FDA for review. |
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Congressional Bill Seeks to End H-1B Cap Exemption for Higher Education Institutions
On July 25, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) introduced in the House of Representatives
the Colleges for the American People Act (CAP Act), which would eliminate
a longstanding exemption in the H-1B visa process for higher education institutions.
On July 31, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced
a companion bill in the Senate.
H-1B visas are nonimmigrant visas that allow U.S. employers to temporarily hire
foreign workers in specialty occupations, requiring at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent expertise.
Under the current Immigration and Nationality Act, most H-1B applicants are subject
to an annual cap of 65,000 visas, plus an additional 20,000 for holders of U.S.
advanced degrees. However, university employees—including faculty, clinical
educators, and researchers—are currently exempt from this cap.
The CAP Act proposes that new H-1B applicants at these institutions would no longer
be exempt, meaning they must compete within the general 65,000 cap. According
to a statement
issued by Tiffany, the bill would not affect current H-1B holders working at higher
education institutions; it would only apply to new applicants moving forward.
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