On February 3, President Trump signed H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) into law, enacting fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations for the Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS), as well as extenders for key Medicare, Medicaid, and public health programs and several reforms focused on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The PBM changes, which had been under consideration by Congress for several years, will institute certain oversight and reporting measures for PBMs in Medicare Part D and the commercial health insurance market. 

Except for funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which was extended through February 13, Congress has completed the FY 2026 appropriations process, and will now look to begin work on FY 2027 appropriations. Congressional appropriations leaders have indicated that they are working to schedule key hearings with agency leadership, tentatively slated to begin as soon as this month with markups anticipated in the House in May. Additionally, in the coming weeks, President Trump is expected to submit the FY 2027 budget request to Congress. As hearing and markup schedules develop, stakeholders should anticipate that there will be deadlines announced for submission of FY 2027 funding and policy priorities to appropriations committees in the coming weeks. 

On February 5, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a shift in approach to relax how it enforces manufacturers’ use of “no artificial colors” labeling on food products. In a letter sent to industry, FDA provided notice of its intent to exercise enforcement discretion in voluntary labeling claims. This will allow food and beverage companies to have the flexibility to label products with “no artificial colors” as long as petroleum-based colors are not present. Previously, companies were only able to make this claim if their products did not include any added colors, including those derived from natural sources. According to FDA, this decision will “make it easier for companies to move away from petroleumbased synthetic colors and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives.” The agency also noted that it approved two petitions: beetroot red was added, expanding the palette of allowable natural colors, and the food categories where spirulina extract can be used was expanded. 

This work builds on previous actions by the Department of Health and Human Services and FDA encouraging companies to phase out petroleum-based colors, as articulated in the administration’s MAHA Strategy. FDA is also tracking voluntary commitments from food manufacturers that have agreed to limit the use of petroleum-based dyes. 

On February 5, the White House officially launched TrumpRx.gov, a website described by the administration as “giv[ing] Americans direct access to dramatically lower prices on dozens of common, high-cost brand-name prescription drugs.” According to a fact sheet accompanying the launch, the initial rollout of the platform featured “40 of the most popular and expensive branded medicines in the nation,” developed by the “first five manufacturers to reach [most-favored-nation (MFN)] pricing deals,” although the document indicated that the website would add additional products “in the coming months.”  

As summarized by The Wall Street Journal, rather than serve as a marketplace for direct sales in and of itself, the platform “allows customers to search for specific medicines and purchase them through a manufacturer’s direct-to-consumer site, or in some cases gives users coupons that they can present at certain pharmacies.” The site’s launch received praise from some Republican policymakers, such as Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL), although recent reporting indicates that President Trump’s broader MFN initiative has “b[een] met with a skeptical eye from Republicans.” Congressional Democrats have broadly criticized the platform, which Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) described as a “glorified coupon book.” At a high level, while the website’s supporters have framed it as a source of savings and simplified access for uninsured and underinsured Americans, the platform’s skeptics have criticized its narrow scope, its potential incompatibility with insurance benefit designs, and its promotion of certain drugs with low-cost generic competitors. 

On February 3, HHS announced the appointment of Diana Diaz-Harrison as National Autism Coordinator in a series of posts on X. The National Autism Coordinator leads the coordination of autism-related research, services, and supports across the HHS agencies and other federal partners. Ms. Diaz Harrison most recently worked as Principal Deputy Commissioner in the Administration on Disabilities, an agency under the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Prior to her federal service, Ms. Diaz-Harrison founded a network of autism-focused charter schools in Arizona, as well as an organization seeking to expand such charter schools for autistic children nationally. In comments to local Arizona press, Ms. Diaz-Harrison emphasized the sharp rise in autism prevalence over recent decades and stated the necessity of identifying the disorder’s causes—generally aligning with Secretary Kennedy’s stated objectives for autism policy and among several newly appointed members of the reconstituted Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). 

This month the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released the 2026 MACStats: Medicaid and CHIP Data Book, which includes Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) data on eligibility and enrollment, benefits, service use, access to care, and state and federal spending. Total Medicaid spending grew 6.3 percent in fiscal 2024 to $957.4 billion. Total CHIP spending was $28.2 billion.