DelBene, Suzan RSS Articles

DelBene, Joyce Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Patient Understanding of Kidney Disease Risks

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) introduced bipartisan legislation to help Americans understand kidney disease risks and treatment so they can get care before the condition worsens, potentially leading to kidney failure, and forcing them onto dialysis or the transplant list.

Thirty-seven million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), but 87% of them don’t know that they have it. Many more are at risk of kidney disease because they have a chronic condition, like hypertension or diabetes. Medicare currently covers up to six sessions of kidney disease education for patients with Stage 4 CKD, which helps patients manage advanced kidney disease, understand treatment options, and delay progression. The Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act would expand access to this benefit earlier, helping patients access treatment sooner and slow the progression of the disease.

“Kidney disease education is a trusted, evidence-backed tool that helps patients manage their condition and prevent kidney failure,” said DelBene. “But millions of Americans who are at risk don’t have access to this important tool. This bipartisan bill aims to expand important educational resources for all Medicare patients, which will make a significant difference in disease prevention and treatment.”

“This legislation meaningfully expands access to quality care for individuals living with Chronic Kidney Disease by ensuring eligibility is not limited based on stage of diagnosis,” said Joyce. “The sad reality is that more than 37 million Americans are living with CKD, and the majority don't know that they have it. Often, early prevention is overlooked, and screening is not consistently accessible. This lack of early diagnosis is preventable and causes serious health impacts. This comes down to education and a commonsense pathway to better supporting patients from the very start of their care journey.”

The legislation is endorsed by the American Kidney Fund, American Nephrology Nurses Association, American Society of Nephrology, Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists, Dialysis Patient Citizens, IGA Nephropathy Foundation, Kidney Solutions: A Network of Transplant Experience, Kidney Transplant Collaborative (KTC), National Kidney Foundation, NephCure, Nonprofit Kidney Care Alliance, PKD Foundation, and Travere Therapeutics.

“Medicare only covers kidney disease education once a patient has already reached stage 4 — by then, the damage is often done,” said Kevin Longino, Chief Executive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. “This bill corrects that by covering education for anyone at high risk for chronic kidney disease, such as those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other risk factors, long before kidney failure becomes a crisis. It also adds kidney screening to the wellness visits Americans already receive. It's a simple, common-sense fix: catch the disease early, equip families with the knowledge to act, and keep more Americans healthy and out of the hospital. We're grateful to Representatives DelBene and Joyce for leading this effort, and we urge Congress to act quickly.”

“The single most important thing we can do to treat kidney failure is to prevent it in the first place. The Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act substantially improves our ability to help Americans affected by kidney diseases never progress to kidney failure. I commend Rep. DelBene and Rep. Joyce for introducing this legislation, which has the power to change the lives of the 37 million Americans with kidney diseases, many of whom today don't even know they are affected,” said Samir M. Parikh, MD, PhD., President, American Society of Nephrology.

The text of the bill can be found here.

DelBene, Raskin, Trahan Call on Trump Administration to Stop Inserting MAGA Agenda into Federal Grantmaking

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Lori Trahan (MA-03), along with 122 of their colleagues, demanded that the Trump administration stop injecting its MAGA agenda into the traditionally nonpartisan federal grantmaking process. In a letter to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, the lawmakers demonstrated how the administration’s proposed changes will impede critical health research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Since the end of World War II, NIH has relied on qualified experts to determine which health care research puts Americans’ tax dollars to best use. This thorough, nonpolitical process has set the global standard for high-quality grant review and propelled U.S. institutions like the NIH and its grantees to the forefront of scientific innovation, discovery, and research.

A proposed policy change from OMB will give partisan political appointees final say over grant decisions. Undoing the peer review process in favor of political grantmaking will delay and disrupt health care research that millions of Americans depend on.

“We write in opposition to the Office of Management and Budget’s disastrous and likely unlawful proposed rule that would devastate American health care innovation for generations,” the lawmakers wrote. “This alarming change would convert our venerable grant review process into a political obstacle course and insider’s game, irreparably damaging our nation’s leading health research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health and its grantees across the country.”

The lawmakers called on the Trump administration to halt any rule changes that will allow grantmaking and research decisions to be made based on the president’s personal or ideological agenda, by political appointees and without congressional authorization.

“OMB’s guidance would provide little recourse to people subject to political retribution,” the lawmakers continued. “President Trump’s sacking of thousands of NIH researchers and scientists has led to severe understaffing and grant approval delays at NIH. This rule change would make an already problematic situation disastrous.”

The full letter can be read here.

DelBene, Patients, Providers Raise Alarm About Medicare AI Denial Experiment

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) hosted health care providers and Medicare patients at UW Medical Center to raise growing concerns about the Trump administration’s Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) program, which pays private companies to use AI to delay and deny care to Washington seniors.

Since the program began in January, patients have been left in severe pain as they are unable to access the care prescribed by their doctors. During the event, patients and providers shared firsthand stories about the impact these delays and denials have had on their health and ability to provide care.

DelBene announced that Virtix, the company handling WISeR claims in Washington, has been ordered by CMS to submit a corrective action plan for “noncompliance” with the program’s 72-hour prior authorization review requirement. CMS previously maintained that all participating companies were meeting this benchmark.

DelBene also announced the release of a letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz demanding detailed data on the program’s impact and seeking greater transparency around it. So far, no information has been released about denial or appeals rates for the program. WISeR implements a similarly flawed prior authorization process that exists in Medicare Advantage in traditional Medicare, which has rarely required prior authorization before. Medicare Advantage data shows that only 11.5% of denials are appealed but 80% of those appeals are overturned, demonstrating that the care should never have been denied in the first place.

“Seniors deserve to get the care they need when they need it,” said DelBene. “But the Trump administration’s WISeR program is delaying and denying care for Medicare patients, leaving them in severe pain and increasing red tape for providers. Make no mistake, in addition to hurting patients, WISeR is also a Trojan horse for privatizing Medicare. That’s why I’m conducting Congressional oversight and demanding transparency from CMS Administrator Oz to get to the bottom of this harmful program.”

“The WISeR model is delaying medically necessary care for Medicare patients while adding significant administrative burden for providers,” said Jita Buno, CEO of UW Medical Center. “Many affected patients have complex, chronic conditions, and treatments already recommended by their physicians. These delays risk worsening health outcomes, avoidable complications, and added stress for patients and families, while diverting critical hospital resources away from patient care. I want to thank Congresswoman DelBene for her leadership on this critically important issue.”

“The Washington State Medical Association appreciates Representative DelBene's leadership in highlighting concerns with the WISeR model,” said Dr. Bindu Nayak, Vice President of Washington State Medical Association. “Traditional Medicare has long provided patients with timely access to care without many of the burdensome administrative barriers common in other coverage programs. Medicare should work for patients and the physicians who care for them, strengthening the patient-physician relationship and helping patients receive the right care at the right time. We are concerned that WISeR moves Medicare in the wrong direction.”

Also speaking at the event were:

Keith Magnuson, a Seattle resident who had his care delayed because of this program
Jita Buno, CEO, UW Medical Center
Dr. Christopher McMullen, Physiatrist, UW Medical Center
Dr. Bindu Nayak, Vice President, Washington State Medical Association

DelBene was the first in the Washington delegation to raise the alarm about the program. In August 2025, she urged the administration to explain how the program would be implemented on such a short timeline. She has led several legislative efforts to repeal the program and confronted HHS Secretary Kennedy about how the program is leaving Washington patients in pain. She also wrote an op-ed about the impacts of this program.

DelBene was also joined by Representatives Ami Bera (CA-06), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), and Mark Pocan (WI-02) along with 25 of their colleagues in the letter. The text can be found here.

You can watch the video of the event here.

DelBene Responds to Latest Inflation Report

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement after new data shows prices rose 4.2% annually in May.

“The latest inflation report shows what working families across the country have been feeling for months: prices are too high, budgets are squeezed, and paychecks don’t go as far. President Trump's illegal tariffs and Congressional Republicans’ economic policies are directly increasing the price of groceries, housing, health care, and child care. Fuel oil is up nearly 60%, and gasoline prices have increased over 40% since last year because of Trump’s war with Iran.

“Trump has callously dismissed the struggles facing everyday families right now, saying last month that he doesn’t ‘think about Americans' financial situation.’ No matter how the White House tries to spin this, they cannot explain away the fact that too many families believe that America is unaffordable. House Democrats will continue to fight for policies that will help lower prices and support working families.”

WA Suffers if Trump Abandons US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement after President Trump said he was “not looking to renew” the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement is critical to Washington state’s economy. We export planes, agricultural goods, & equipment to Mexico and Canada, and our farmers get for 80% of their potash fertilizer from Canada. These mutually beneficial partnerships are made possible by this signature economic deal that Trump himself negotiated in his first term, and I proudly supported when Congress approved it.

“While we should continue looking at how to improve it, abandoning this agreement would be incredibly irresponsible and damaging to our state. We should be using this deal to advance our global economic goals instead of letting Trump’s tariffs undermine our economy.”

Trump Tries to Withhold Tariff Refunds Despite Losing in Court

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on new reports that the administration is attempting to avoid issuing refunds for Trump’s illegal tariffs.

“President Trump stole money from American families and small businesses with his illegal tariffs and is doing everything he can to avoid paying it back. At every turn since the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down Trump’s tariffs, his administration has made it incredibly challenging for consumers and importers to get their money back. Their latest claim that the administration needs a court order to issue refunds is a thinly veiled attempt to ignore the courts and break the law.

“Congress should speak with one bipartisan voice that enough is enough on Trump’s tariff chaos. Congress should make clear these sweeping tariffs are illegal, prevent the White House from continuing to try to reimpose them, and ensure Americans can get their money back.”

Budget Bill Shows How Disconnected Republicans Are from Struggles of American Families

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on the Republican budget bill.

“With this bill, Republicans are saying that they would rather spend over $70 billion to continue enabling ICE’s campaign of violence instead of lowering prices for American families.

“Trump and Congressional Republicans are indifferent to the challenges facing Americans. While working families are struggling to make ends meet because of the rising cost of food, health care, child care, housing, and energy bills, Republicans in Congress are yet again breaking their promise to lower the high cost of living in America.

“Instead, they are falling in line behind President Trump’s demands to continue ICE’s campaign of violence while leaving the door open for Trump to bring back his slush fund. After the waves of violence that immigration agents have committed across the country and the brutal killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in broad daylight, Americans demanded reforms to ICE. But Republicans refuse to make any commonsense changes, like requiring judicial warrants, prohibiting masks, and mandating body cameras.

“House Democrats will keep fighting to make life more affordable, our communities safer, and to hold this administration accountable for its broken promises.”

The legislation, which passed the Senate, now goes to the president.

Democrats Raise Alarm Over Anti-Abortion Moms.gov

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswomen Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), and Judy Chu (CA-28) led 83 of their colleagues in conducting oversight of the recently-launched Moms.gov. The letter demands that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. provide answers about the department’s goals in developing, funding, reviewing, and operating Moms.gov.

Moms.gov launched in May with the purported goal of offering guidance to expectant mothers, but the website instead features potentially harmful information about crisis pregnancy centers and puts sensitive health information at risk.

“This website purports to be a resource to support the health and well-being of women and families, yet it deceives vulnerable people by sending them to anti-abortion centers, or so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ that are not real medical providers,” the lawmakers wrote to Secretary Kennedy. “Additionally, these organizations often engage in questionable data collection practices of individuals’ sensitive health information. We have long raised concerns about deceptive practices that jeopardize patient privacy and mislead people seeking reproductive health care, and we urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to guarantee that all federally supported public-facing maternal health resources provide medically accurate, evidence-based, and comprehensive information and protect Americans’ private health information.”

The “Find Pregnancy Centers Near You” feature on Moms.gov appears to direct users to Option Line, a 24/7 contact center managed by Heartbeat International, a nationwide anti-abortion organization and network of over 1,000 crisis pregnancy centers. Heartbeat International’s mission is to make abortion “unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations,” and it has faced significant scrutiny regarding the collection, storage, and handling of sensitive reproductive health information through services including the Option Line.

“Deciding whether or when to bear a child is a deeply personal decision that should be made by the patient and trusted health care providers using medically-accurate and comprehensive information, not by opponents of reproductive freedom,” the lawmakers continued. “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services already has resources with comprehensive information for women on reproductive health, including pregnancy, birth control methods, infertility, sexually-transmitted infections, and more. Moms.gov is duplicitous, a waste of government resources, and a thinly-veiled attempt to push a far right agenda onto people at a vulnerable time in their lives.”

The letter is supported by the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Reproductive Freedom for All, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Power to Decide.

The full letter can be found here.

DelBene Introduces Bipartisan Digital Services Tax Resolution

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Ron Estes (KS-04), Darin LaHood (IL-16), Nathaniel Moran (TX-01), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and Brad Schneider (IL-10) introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing strong opposition to Digital Services Taxes (DSTs) and other foreign taxes that unfairly target and discriminate against American companies and workers.

The resolution highlights that several countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Austria, and the United Kingdom, have already implemented DSTs, while others, such as Poland and Belgium, are actively considering them. These taxes deviate from established international income tax systems by targeting a company’s gross revenue rather than its net income, regardless of whether the business has a physical presence in that country.

This resolution aligns with past investigations conducted by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Those investigations concluded that DSTs are explicitly structured to discriminate against U.S. digital companies, are unusually burdensome due to retroactive applications, and violate prevailing international tax and trade agreements.

“The U.S. should be rule makers, not rule takers, in the growing global digital economy. Digital trade is far more than just a technology issue. It is fundamental to our modern economy, supporting millions of American jobs and growing Washington state’s technology, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors,” said DelBene. “This resolution urges the U.S. to oppose digital service taxes that undermine the competitiveness of our digital sector and defend the high-quality jobs it supports.”

“Free and fair trade relies on international cooperation, mutual respect, and legal certainty,” said Estes. “DSTs are designed to unfairly penalize American innovation, creating a hostile environment of double taxation and market distortion that harms not just our premier tech companies, but also the U.S. small businesses and consumers who rely on them. This resolution sends a clear message: the United States will use every trade and tax tool at our disposal to protect our workers and businesses from discriminatory foreign overreach.”

“As co-chair of the Digital Trade Caucus, I have witnessed firsthand how fair and effective digital trade rules directly correlates to the success of manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses across Illinois’ 16^th District,” said LaHood. “We must remain aggressive in using the necessary tools to combat unfair foreign digital trade policies that are in direct contradiction to our values and seek to undermine American businesses.”

"Foreign governments that single out American companies for discriminatory taxation are undermining free and fair trade. This resolution puts Congress on record demanding they stop,” said Moran. “I'm proud to join Representatives Estes, LaHood, DelBene, Panetta, and Schneider in sending that message clearly and with one bipartisan voice."

“Multiple reports have made clear that other countries' digital service taxes unfairly discriminate against the United States, violating principles of free and fair trade and undermining existing international agreements,” said Panetta. “I’m proud to join a bipartisan group of colleagues in strong opposition to these harmful taxes that target American digital businesses and hurt their customers. We must build an international consensus against these taxes which undermine fundamental tax principles and fairness.”

“I’m proud to join my colleagues on this resolution to show strong bipartisan support for multilateral engagement to address the rise of digital services taxes and other similar taxes that blatantly target U.S. companies,” said Schneider. “We must stand together as members of the Ways and Means Committee to work with our global partners and ensure a fair playing field for U.S. companies.”

The text of the legislation can be found here

DelBene Grills Treasury Secretary on Exposing Financial Data of Millions of Americans to DOGE

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) grilled Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on why he authorized Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff to have access to a sensitive payment system that sends out money on behalf of the entire federal government. This system contains the personal information and financial data of millions of Americans. Secretary Bessent personally granted the DOGE team access to the system. This has been called “the biggest breach of US government data” ever known.

Here is a link to the video, and below is the transcript:

DelBene: One of President Trump's first actions was to put his billionaire donor, Elon Musk, in charge of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. By the end of Musk’s short, but destructive tenure, DOGE had nearly quadrupled its original budget, lost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in estimated interest and fee revenue, and paid 200,000 federal employees roughly $22 billion to stop working. DOGE was a massive failure. It turns out moving fast and breaking things and having no clue what the heck you're doing is not the most efficient way to govern. Unfortunately, DOGE’s destruction wasn't limited to wasting taxpayer dollars and gutting the federal service. DOGE staffers also abused their position to gain access to taxpayer-sensitive private data. Mr. Secretary, on January 31, 2025, you personally granted DOGE access to one of the Treasury Department's payment systems at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. This database houses Americans' most sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and bank account information. Shortly after, my colleagues and I requested the GAO review DOGE’s unprecedented access to this critical payment system. GAO completed that report last month, and I ask for unanimous consent to insert it in the record.

Chairman Smith: Without objection.

DelBene: Thank you. GAO’s audit determined that a DOGE employee was inadvertently granted temporary access to create, modify, and delete data from the payment system. Mr. Secretary, you failed to impose basic safeguards that left millions of Americans' personal data vulnerable to unauthorized access and abuse. And so my question for you is, do you take responsibility for that, and what specific managers, if any, have you taken afterwards to protect the affected individuals' data and rebuild confidence in your department's handling of sensitive information?

Bessent: Again, would you care to look up what is inadvertent mean?

DelBene: Did you – Have you taken – But you're in charge? You are responsible for this. Do you take responsibility for that? Do you take responsibility?

Bessent: I will take responsibility –

DelBene: Okay. And then what has been done to make sure that can never happen again?

Bessent: Congresswoman, it was read only. They had no ability to edit.

DelBene: What has happened to make sure that never happens again?

Bessent: We have, just as we have at the IRS, we have tightened up all protocols on systems.

DelBene: I guess that's not very specific, but the GAO also found that a DOGE staffer sent an unencrypted file containing USAID payment information and individuals' names to external DOGE personnel at the General Services Administration. Soon after, it was reported no disciplinary action was taken, despite the employee's failure to protect federal and non-federal employees' sensitive personal data and comply with security requirements. So, again, Mr. Secretary, when employees who violate IT security rules are not held accountable – what does that message send to agencies? And why don't you hold –

Bessent: Why are you bringing up USAID with me?

DelBene: Because a DOGE staffer – GAO found that a DOGE staffer had payment information, payment information –

Bessent: USAID I do not oversee. I wear many hats in this administration –

DelBene: And this is still – this is a file containing payment information. Are you not in charge also of the Treasury?

Bessent: That has – USAID, that has nothing to do with us.

DelBene: But payment information has nothing to do with you?

Bessent: Again, it was not sourced at the Treasury. Why are you bringing this up with me?

DelBene: So, GAO provided six recommendations to address identified weaknesses, including ensuring staff agree to comply with IT security rules and configuring systems to detect and prevent the transmission of unencrypted payment data. The report states that the Fiscal Service, again, the Fiscal Service – part of your agency – agreed with three of the recommendations and did not state whether it agreed or disagreed with the other three. So, Mr. Secretary, can you confirm Treasury's position? – This is part of your purview – Treasury's position on all six recommendations, and if you agree that they're warranted, please let us know, and if you disagree with the recommendations, please explain why.

Bessent: Again, I don't have a copy of the recommendations in front of me, your office did not share them in advance. We'd be happy to get back to you. That we would obviously agree with the ones where we've already agreed.

DelBene: So I hope that you understand that these are findings from the GAO about ensuring that information is protected. And again we have seen access to taxpayer information. What are you doing to address this? And are you taking responsibility? People don't have faith that access has been given against the law.

Bessent: Well, again, President Trump and his family and employees of the Trump Organization – 400,000 people – had their tax returns stolen at the IRS.

DelBene: You are in charge. What are you doing to prevent that? Americans peoples’ sensitive information has been leaked outside –

Smith: Ms. DelBene, your time has expired.

Bessent: We have tightened the protocols. We have tightened access.

DelBene: And you have said nothing specific of what you've done to ensure –

DelBene Hosts Telephone Town Hall

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 02:15:00 GMT

Join Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) for a telephone town hall on Monday, February 24 at 6:16 PM PT for a discussion on what's happening with the Trump administration and what she's doing in Congress to protect Washington families.