Weekend Update

David Ermer–Congress, SCOTUS, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • Roll Call reports
    • “President Joe Biden signed a short-term spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown starting Sunday after a dramatic turn of events Saturday that saw the House quickly pivot to bipartisanship.
    • “Hours before the midnight deadline, the Senate voted 88-9 to clear the House-passed, 48-day funding patch, which generally mirrors the Senate version except for one major omission: There’s no military or economic aid for Ukraine, unlike the Senate bill, which had $6 billion.
    • “Democrats grumbled about that and called on the House to bring a separate Ukraine aid bill to the floor. But ultimately, there was no stomach to allow a government shutdown over the lack of Ukraine money, which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said would be forthcoming in a separate package.”
  • The new deadline is November 17, the Friday before Thanksgiving. Bear in mind that the debt ceiling act incentivizes passing all twelve appropriations bills by the end of the calendar year.
  • Axios adds
    • Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wants to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for working across the aisle to stop a government shutdown — but some Democrats are not on board.
    • Why it matters: As Axios has previously reported, Gaetz will likely need the vast majority of Democrats to vote with him, barring an unprecedented GOP uprising against McCarthy.
    • Driving the news: Gaetz said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he planned to file a motion to vacate against McCarthy this week.
    • McCarthy responded in a CBS News interview that he will “survive,” calling Gaetz’s effort “personal.”
    • What they’re saying: “I’m not going to follow Matt Gaetz to Peter Luger’s Steakhouse,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a member of the Progressive Caucus.
      • Cohen said McCarthy “shouldn’t be put out” for putting a bipartisan stopgap funding bill on the floor: “He did the right thing … and I’ll definitely vote not to vacate. I expect a good number of Democrats will as well.”
      • “Every time we work together, he loses his mind,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said of Gaetz in a statement, adding: “This is all about TV appearances for him … just let us govern.”
      • “I see almost no way that Matt gets most of the Dems,” said one senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Many will vote present if they don’t vote No on [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’] recommendation.”
  • The U.S. Supreme Court begins its new October 2023 term tomorrow. The SCOTUS blog tells about the cases the Court will consider in the next two weeks.

In health news,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Hundreds of children die or are left severely injured around the country each year after they are rushed to hospital emergency rooms that are poorly prepared to treat them.
    • “Only about 14% of emergency departments nationwide have been certified as ready to treat kids, or are children’s hospitals specializing in treating young patients, The Wall Street Journal found.
    • “Many emergency doctors don’t treat enough children to be able to spot life-threatening illnesses obscured by run-of-the-mill symptoms, or conditions more common in kids. Some E.R. staff default to drug doses and protocols meant for adults and either don’t have or don’t know where to find child-size gear in a crisis.
    • “Doctors, health authorities and policy makers have known—and warned—of these failures for decades. Research in recent years has quantified the lack of readiness and number of child deaths that could have been avoided, and pointed to basic steps for solving the problem.
    • “Yet most hospitals haven’t taken action, according to the Journal’s investigation of certification levels in all 50 states, reviews of medical records and interviews with doctors, health officials and researchers.”
  • The Journal helpfully “put together the first comprehensive list of hospitals nationwide that have received state certification of some level of readiness for pediatric emergencies. The tally also includes certain children’s hospitals and certain pediatric trauma centers, which specialize in caring for kids.”