Patty Murray

This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on June 25, 2025.

The rule makes several changes to enrollment requirements for health insurance exchanges, including (1) requiring annual open enrollment periods for all exchanges to begin by November 1 and end by December 31, (2) requiring all exchanges to conduct pre-enrollment verification of eligibility for at least 75% of new enrollments through special enrollment periods, and (3) prohibiting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from enrolling in plans through exchanges or in state Basic Health Programs (state programs for certain low-income residents).

The rule also prohibits individual and small group health insurers from covering certain sex-trait modification procedures as an essential health benefit.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Estuaries Week.

This resolution recognizes September 20, 2025, as National LGBTQ+ Servicemembers and Veterans Day and celebrates the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer servicemembers and veterans who have served in the Armed Forces.

Additionally, the resolution (1) regrets the harm done to such servicemembers and veterans under policies that discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and (2) urges the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to ensure transgender veterans and servicemembers and their families have access to a full range of health care.

Caring for Survivors Act of 2025

This bill increases the monthly rate of dependency and indemnity compensation payable to surviving spouses through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Dependency and indemnity compensation is a monthly payment made to eligible survivors (i.e., spouses, parents, or children) of (1) certain veterans who died as a result of a service-connected condition; (2) service members killed while on active military duty or active or inactive duty for training; or (3) veterans who did not die from a service-connected condition, but were totally disabled by a service-connected disability for a certain period of time.

The bill also (1) reduces, from 10 years to 5 years, the period of time that certain veterans must have been rated totally disabled due to a service-connected disability in order for a survivor to qualify for benefits; and (2) specifies the amount that is payable to survivors of veterans who were rated totally disabled for a period of less than 10 years before their death.

Protect America's Workforce Act

This bill nullifies two executive orders: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs (issued on March 27, 2025) and Further Exclusions From the Federal Labor- Management Relations Program (issued on August 28, 2025). The executive orders exclude specified executive branch agencies and subdivisions from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and the Foreign Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The statutes authorize federal employees' participation in collective bargaining and enforce collective bargaining rights.

The bill also specifies that a collective bargaining agreement that is in place as of March 26, 2025, and is between an executive branch agency and any labor organization that is an exclusive representative of federal employees, shall have full force and effect through the stated term of the agreement.

Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act

This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.