Senate passes funding bills, advancing Sen. Tim Scott’s health, defense, and South Carolina priorities

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) issued the following statement regarding the Senate passage of a spending package to avoid a government shutdown. The appropriations bills include full year funding for the Departments of Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs through September 2026 as well as continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

"This funding package delivers results on kitchen-table issues for patients, families, and service members by keeping our focus on affordability, access to care, and the safety of Americans," said Sen. Scott. "I'm proud to see multiple policies I've worked on pass the Senate and move one step closer to becoming law, improving the lives of South Carolinians across our state."

Key health care victories led by Sen. Scott

The Senate-passed appropriations package includes multiple provisions authored or co-led by Sen. Scott:

• Telehealth Modernization Act: Extends telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries through Dec. 31, 2027, expanding access to care for seniors and rural patients. The package also includes provisions improving in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation flexibility and telehealth services for individuals with limited English proficiency.
• Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act: Extends the Hospital at Home program for five years, supporting South Carolina hospitals, including Roper St. Francis and Prisma Health, to provide hospital level care at patients' homes. This bill continues the success of the program, which has routinely been demonstrated to reduce costs, improve patient outcomes, and lessen the burden on hospitals.
• PREVENT DIABETES Act: Allows CDC-recognized virtual care providers to continue delivering diabetes prevention care under the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Expanded Model through 2029.
• Family-to-Family Reauthorization Act: Reauthorizes Family-to-Family Health Information Centers for two years, ensuring nonprofit, family-led organizations can continue to provide free services and resources to families with children and youth with special health care needs.
• Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Program: Reauthorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration's Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Program through fiscal year 2029, continuing investments in the treatment, education, and care for sickle cell disease.

The extension of health care programs, including telehealth, are funded without increasing the deficit through Pharmacy Benefit Manager reforms, which will ensure Americans pay less for pharmaceutical drugs.

Funding highlights

• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education: Nearly $195 billion, including funding for federal sickle cell programs and about $20 million going to Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program Account through September 2027 to help with repair, renovation, and construction.
• Department of Defense: Nearly $839 billion to strengthen military readiness, increase munitions production, provide a 3.8% pay raise for service members, and invest in defense programs supported by South Carolina manufacturers, including BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and others.
• Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development: Nearly $103 billion for critical projects including modernizing transportation infrastructure, improving aviation safety, and expanding housing assistance.

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