With two weeks left in this work period, we are already seeing signals that the House E&C effort to pass an opioid package may spill into June. The House Ways & Means Committee is joining the conversation. On Friday, they released four packages which will contain language from as many as 21 pieces of legislation. While the Senate HELP Committee has legislation that it moved through Committee, the Finance Committee is still contemplating legislation. All of which is to say the June work period is a more likely target for floor action in both houses.

Once the House processes its opioid package, where will it go next? While it could move alone, Congress will also have to reauthorize the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). Attaching opioid legislation to a ‘must-pass’ vehicle is always an approach. The strategic maneuvers necessary to get opioid legislation signed prior to the election remain unclear.