119th Congress: Profile of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has jurisdiction over health care, education, employment and retirement policies, including authorization of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Education, and more. Like all Senate Committees, the leadership of the HELP Committee shifted to Republican-control following the 2024 elections. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is now serving as Chair and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as Ranking Member. As Ranking Member in the last Congress, Cassidy indicated his desire to restructure the National Institutes of Health through a series of public comments and a final set of recommendations (see previous COSSA coverage). As Chair, Cassidy is expected to prioritize lowering the cost of prescription drugs and improving child literacy rates. It is unclear at this time where NIH reauthorization ranks on his priority list.

One of the primary responsibilities of the HELP committee is to hold confirmation hearings for relevant agency heads, including the Trump-nominated NIH Director Jayanta Bhattacharya, which is currently scheduled for March 5. The hearing will be available to watch live here.

Stay tuned to COSSA’s continued coverage on the 119th Congress.