March 11, 12, 13 and 14: The Trump administration unveils its fiscal 2020 budget request on March 11. The spending blueprint was delayed by nearly a month thanks to the partial government shutdown. And it’s the first Trump budget during divided government. HHS Secretary Alex Azar will have a busy week dissecting the document. He treks up to Capitol Hill March 12 for what will likely be a grilling by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. Next, he’ll have to defend the budget before a House Appropriations subcommittee on March 13. And on March 14, he crosses the Hill for what should be a slightly more favorable reception before the GOP-controlled Senate Finance Committee.
March 12: In a Jan. 19 Q&A with Modern Healthcare, Sanford Health CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft alluded to a precision medicine initiative the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based system was gearing up to launch with the Veterans Affairs Department. Well, it’s ready. The two organizations will unveil the program during an event at the National Press Club. It will be spearheaded by Sanford Imagenetics, a part of Sanford Health that integrates genomics and primary care. Officials say it will reach 250,000 veterans at 125 sites by 2022.
March 13: Democrats are using their power in the House to spur more debate on gun violence. Earlier this year, the House Judiciary Committee held the first hearing in eight years on the topic. A House Appropriations subcommittee is now set to take up the issue. Thomas Brandon, deputy director at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Christine Halvorsen, acting assistant director for criminal justice information services at the FBI, are slated to appear.
