Budget ax is poised as debt-ceiling deadline nears

{mosads}On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing to review the key issues that need to be tackled to get the deficit under control. Witnesses come from an array of think tanks, including the liberal Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the Center for American Progress and the libertarian Cato Institute.

And on Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee holds a hearing on the Food and Drug Administration’s user fees and their public health implications. The FDA is in the process of reauthorizing the pharmaceutical and medical device user fees that help fund its oversight of the two industries.

Off the Hill, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosts a who’s who of policy experts Wednesday for a policy briefing on the healthcare reform law’s insurance exchanges. Speakers include Steve Larsen, the director of the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, and Medicaid director Cindy Mann.

The briefing includes two panel discussions exploring states’ progress and next steps. State insurance exchange development leaders from Virginia, Maryland, Washington and Kansas are scheduled to appear.

On Thursday, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg is the guest for Public Citizen’s Speaker Series. She’ll talk about drugs and safety while the FDA is in the midst of overhauling its medical device approval process and the user fees that help fund its oversight functions.