Trade Associations
Here's a look at documents from national and international trade associations
Trade Associations
Featured Stories
Members of Board of Governors at CFA Institute
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The CFA Institute, an association of investment professionals, issued the following news release:
* * *
New Members of Board of Governors at CFA Institute
Pamela Yang, CFA, new Board Chair; Richard Brandweiner, CFA, and Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, join the Board of Governors
-
CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, today announces its Board of Governors, effective 1 September 2026, the beginning of the new fiscal year.
Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA, will serve as Chair of the Board, having been re-elected by the membership to serve ... Show Full Article CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The CFA Institute, an association of investment professionals, issued the following news release: * * * New Members of Board of Governors at CFA Institute Pamela Yang, CFA, new Board Chair; Richard Brandweiner, CFA, and Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, join the Board of Governors - CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, today announces its Board of Governors, effective 1 September 2026, the beginning of the new fiscal year. Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA, will serve as Chair of the Board, having been re-elected by the membership to servea second, three-year term as governor. Heinz Hockmann, PhD, will continue to serve as Vice Chair. The Board also welcomes two newly elected governors: Richard Brandweiner, CFA, and Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA. Members elected the new Board members at the Annual Meeting of Members on 17 June, 2026.
"It is an honor to serve as Chair of the Board of Governors," said Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA. "I want to thank Marshall Bailey, OBE, CFA, for his leadership and stewardship as Chair. His partnership with societies and his commitment to advancing governance standards leaves us in a strong position to continue to fulfill our mission. As Chair, I look forward to building on that strength to guide the organization's long-term strategic direction and to ensure that CFA Institute continues to lead with the gold-standard CFA Program while adapting to the ever-evolving external environment. We will meet the needs of our members, our societies, investment professionals, and employers while remaining grounded in the principles and ethical values that have guided the organization for nearly 80 years. I also want to welcome Richard and Virginie to the Board and acknowledge all of my fellow governors for their continued voluntary service and dedication to CFA Institute."
Marshall Bailey, OBE, CFA, outgoing Board Chair said: "Investment professionals are navigating profound change, and I believe that creates an important opportunity for CFA Institute to continue leading through our flagship CFA Program and other educational offerings, research, events, and the ethical standards that have always set our organization apart. As my Board tenure concludes, I remain very confident in the organization's ability to lead through change."
"I'm excited to partner with Pamela, Heinz, and the entire Board as we continue building on the strong foundation of CFA Institute," said Tricia Rothschild, CFA, Interim President and CEO of CFA Institute. "I thank Marsh for his leadership as Chair and look forward to working alongside the Board as we continue delivering on that mission for our members, candidates, and the broader investment profession."
Incoming Board Chair Pamela Yang has served on the Board of Governors since 2023 and most recently chaired its Audit and Finance Committee. She is currently leading the search committee for a new CEO. In her professional life, she serves as Chief Financial Officer of Social Finance and has held senior leadership positions at The Bulfinch Companies, State Street Global Advisors, and Harvard Management Company.
For more than two decades, Yang has served CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston in a variety of volunteer leadership roles, including: as a long-time CFA Program exam grader and captain; a curriculum and exam questions writer; on the Standards of Practice Committee, which guides the development and maintenance of the Codes and Standards; serving as Executive Editor of the In Practice section of the Financial Analysts Journal; Chair of the Disciplinary Review Committee; and Board Chair of CFA Society Boston. In 2015, Yang received the Volunteer of the Year Award of Americas from CFA Institute.
Richard Brandweiner, CFA, brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across investment management, having served in executive roles in Australia. He currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of the Australian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Future Fund. A longtime CFA Institute volunteer, Brandweiner has been actively involved with CFA Society Australia for more than two decades, including serving as President and Treasurer of CFA Society Sydney, and has contributed to numerous CFA Institute committees and initiatives, including serving as a grader of the CFA Program exams for many years.
Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, is a global investment leader with more than 35 years of experience across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is the founder of Maisonneuve Global Advisors. She has also been an active CFA Institute volunteer, serving on the Advisory Council of the CFA Institute Research and Policy Center and previously chairing the CFA Society UK Women and Diversity Network, where she has helped advance the profession through research and member engagement.
The Board of Governors is elected by the membership. Members may submit potential candidates for consideration for nomination to the Board. In addition, a Candidate Advisory Council composed of chairs from the Presidents Council, the Council of Examiners, and the Education Advisory Committee help to solicit and recommend candidates for Governor. This includes reviewing the Governor slate nominated by the Nominating and Governance Committee prior to submission to the Board for approval. The average tenure for Board members is slightly under four years of service.
The FY2027 CFA Institute Board of Governors comprises 12 volunteer members based in eight countries: Australia, China, Germany, India, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. CFA Institute members elect Governors to serve three-year terms, and the Board elects its Chair and Vice Chair from among its elected members. The CFA Institute fiscal year runs from 1 September through 31 August.
The full list of Board of Governors members for the FY2027 term is:
* Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA (United States), Board Chair, CFA Institute; CFO, Social Finance, Inc; Independent Trustee, iM Global Partner Funds Trust
* Heinz Hockmann, PhD (Germany), Vice Chair, CFA Institute
* Richard Brandweiner, CFA (Australia), Chief Investment Officer, Future Fund Management Agency
* Oyebanji Fehintola, CFA (Nigeria), Executive Board Member & Head, Financial Services, Africa Finance Corporation
* Mei Gao, CFA (China/United States), Partner, IDG Capital
* Jennifer Garbowicz, CFA, CIPM (United States), West Florida Market President, BNY Wealth
* Ravi Gautham, CFA (India/United States), Senior Vice President and Head, Northern Trust Asset Management
* Kyung wook Hur, CFA (Republic of Korea) Senior Advisor, Bae Kim & Lee LLC
* Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA (United Kingdom), Founder, Maisonneuve Global Advisors
* Lindsey Matthews, CFA, CIPM (United Kingdom), Chief Risk Officer, USS Ltd and USS Investment Management Ltd.
* Vipin Mayar, MBA (United States), Executive Vice President, Fidelity Investments
* Tricia Rothschild, CFA (United States), Interim President and CEO, CFA Institute
* * *
About the CFA Institute Research and Policy Center
The CFA Institute Research and Policy Center brings together CFA Institute expertise along with a diverse, cross-disciplinary community of experts working collaboratively to address complex problems. Firmly anchored to the CFA Institute tenets of intellectual independence, impartiality, and technical rigor, its research, advocacy and standards work seeks to transform research insights into actions that strengthen markets, advance ethics and improve investor outcomes for the ultimate benefit of society. It is organized around four themes: capital markets, technology, the future of the investment industry, and sustainability.
* * *
About CFA Institute
As the global association of investment professionals, CFA Institute sets the standards for professional excellence and credentials. We champion ethical behavior in investment markets and serve as the leading source of learning and research for the investment industry. We believe in fostering an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. With more than 200,000 charterholders worldwide across more than 160 markets, CFA Institute has 8 offices and 157 local societies. Find us at www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe on YouTube.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.cfainstitute.org/about/press-room/2026/board-of-governors-fy27
[Category: Financial Services]
* * *
New Members of Board of Governors at CFA Institute
Pamela Yang, CFA, new Board Chair; Richard Brandweiner, CFA, and Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, join the Board of Governors
-
CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, today announces its Board of Governors, effective 1 September 2026, the beginning of the new fiscal year.
Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA, will serve as Chair of the Board, having been re-elected by the membership to serve ... Show Full Article CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The CFA Institute, an association of investment professionals, issued the following news release: * * * New Members of Board of Governors at CFA Institute Pamela Yang, CFA, new Board Chair; Richard Brandweiner, CFA, and Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, join the Board of Governors - CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, today announces its Board of Governors, effective 1 September 2026, the beginning of the new fiscal year. Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA, will serve as Chair of the Board, having been re-elected by the membership to servea second, three-year term as governor. Heinz Hockmann, PhD, will continue to serve as Vice Chair. The Board also welcomes two newly elected governors: Richard Brandweiner, CFA, and Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA. Members elected the new Board members at the Annual Meeting of Members on 17 June, 2026.
"It is an honor to serve as Chair of the Board of Governors," said Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA. "I want to thank Marshall Bailey, OBE, CFA, for his leadership and stewardship as Chair. His partnership with societies and his commitment to advancing governance standards leaves us in a strong position to continue to fulfill our mission. As Chair, I look forward to building on that strength to guide the organization's long-term strategic direction and to ensure that CFA Institute continues to lead with the gold-standard CFA Program while adapting to the ever-evolving external environment. We will meet the needs of our members, our societies, investment professionals, and employers while remaining grounded in the principles and ethical values that have guided the organization for nearly 80 years. I also want to welcome Richard and Virginie to the Board and acknowledge all of my fellow governors for their continued voluntary service and dedication to CFA Institute."
Marshall Bailey, OBE, CFA, outgoing Board Chair said: "Investment professionals are navigating profound change, and I believe that creates an important opportunity for CFA Institute to continue leading through our flagship CFA Program and other educational offerings, research, events, and the ethical standards that have always set our organization apart. As my Board tenure concludes, I remain very confident in the organization's ability to lead through change."
"I'm excited to partner with Pamela, Heinz, and the entire Board as we continue building on the strong foundation of CFA Institute," said Tricia Rothschild, CFA, Interim President and CEO of CFA Institute. "I thank Marsh for his leadership as Chair and look forward to working alongside the Board as we continue delivering on that mission for our members, candidates, and the broader investment profession."
Incoming Board Chair Pamela Yang has served on the Board of Governors since 2023 and most recently chaired its Audit and Finance Committee. She is currently leading the search committee for a new CEO. In her professional life, she serves as Chief Financial Officer of Social Finance and has held senior leadership positions at The Bulfinch Companies, State Street Global Advisors, and Harvard Management Company.
For more than two decades, Yang has served CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston in a variety of volunteer leadership roles, including: as a long-time CFA Program exam grader and captain; a curriculum and exam questions writer; on the Standards of Practice Committee, which guides the development and maintenance of the Codes and Standards; serving as Executive Editor of the In Practice section of the Financial Analysts Journal; Chair of the Disciplinary Review Committee; and Board Chair of CFA Society Boston. In 2015, Yang received the Volunteer of the Year Award of Americas from CFA Institute.
Richard Brandweiner, CFA, brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across investment management, having served in executive roles in Australia. He currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of the Australian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Future Fund. A longtime CFA Institute volunteer, Brandweiner has been actively involved with CFA Society Australia for more than two decades, including serving as President and Treasurer of CFA Society Sydney, and has contributed to numerous CFA Institute committees and initiatives, including serving as a grader of the CFA Program exams for many years.
Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA, is a global investment leader with more than 35 years of experience across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is the founder of Maisonneuve Global Advisors. She has also been an active CFA Institute volunteer, serving on the Advisory Council of the CFA Institute Research and Policy Center and previously chairing the CFA Society UK Women and Diversity Network, where she has helped advance the profession through research and member engagement.
The Board of Governors is elected by the membership. Members may submit potential candidates for consideration for nomination to the Board. In addition, a Candidate Advisory Council composed of chairs from the Presidents Council, the Council of Examiners, and the Education Advisory Committee help to solicit and recommend candidates for Governor. This includes reviewing the Governor slate nominated by the Nominating and Governance Committee prior to submission to the Board for approval. The average tenure for Board members is slightly under four years of service.
The FY2027 CFA Institute Board of Governors comprises 12 volunteer members based in eight countries: Australia, China, Germany, India, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. CFA Institute members elect Governors to serve three-year terms, and the Board elects its Chair and Vice Chair from among its elected members. The CFA Institute fiscal year runs from 1 September through 31 August.
The full list of Board of Governors members for the FY2027 term is:
* Pamela Yang, CFA, CPA (United States), Board Chair, CFA Institute; CFO, Social Finance, Inc; Independent Trustee, iM Global Partner Funds Trust
* Heinz Hockmann, PhD (Germany), Vice Chair, CFA Institute
* Richard Brandweiner, CFA (Australia), Chief Investment Officer, Future Fund Management Agency
* Oyebanji Fehintola, CFA (Nigeria), Executive Board Member & Head, Financial Services, Africa Finance Corporation
* Mei Gao, CFA (China/United States), Partner, IDG Capital
* Jennifer Garbowicz, CFA, CIPM (United States), West Florida Market President, BNY Wealth
* Ravi Gautham, CFA (India/United States), Senior Vice President and Head, Northern Trust Asset Management
* Kyung wook Hur, CFA (Republic of Korea) Senior Advisor, Bae Kim & Lee LLC
* Virginie Maisonneuve, CFA (United Kingdom), Founder, Maisonneuve Global Advisors
* Lindsey Matthews, CFA, CIPM (United Kingdom), Chief Risk Officer, USS Ltd and USS Investment Management Ltd.
* Vipin Mayar, MBA (United States), Executive Vice President, Fidelity Investments
* Tricia Rothschild, CFA (United States), Interim President and CEO, CFA Institute
* * *
About the CFA Institute Research and Policy Center
The CFA Institute Research and Policy Center brings together CFA Institute expertise along with a diverse, cross-disciplinary community of experts working collaboratively to address complex problems. Firmly anchored to the CFA Institute tenets of intellectual independence, impartiality, and technical rigor, its research, advocacy and standards work seeks to transform research insights into actions that strengthen markets, advance ethics and improve investor outcomes for the ultimate benefit of society. It is organized around four themes: capital markets, technology, the future of the investment industry, and sustainability.
* * *
About CFA Institute
As the global association of investment professionals, CFA Institute sets the standards for professional excellence and credentials. We champion ethical behavior in investment markets and serve as the leading source of learning and research for the investment industry. We believe in fostering an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. With more than 200,000 charterholders worldwide across more than 160 markets, CFA Institute has 8 offices and 157 local societies. Find us at www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe on YouTube.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.cfainstitute.org/about/press-room/2026/board-of-governors-fy27
[Category: Financial Services]
MGMA Urges CMS to Withdraw Medicare Enrollment Proposals
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 -- The Medical Group Management Association issued the following letter on Aug. 31, 2026:
* * *
MGMA Urges CMS to Withdraw Medicare Enrollment Proposals
The Honorable Mehmet Oz, M.D., Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201
Re: Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 -- The Medical Group Management Association issued the following letter on Aug. 31, 2026: * * * MGMA Urges CMS to Withdraw Medicare Enrollment Proposals The Honorable Mehmet Oz, M.D., Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201 Re: Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment(DME), and DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Policies
Dear Administrator Oz:
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is pleased to submit the following comments in response to the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update proposed rule, that includes numerous proposals to change Medicare enrollment, revalidation, and revocation policies that will affect all provider and supplier types, including physicians, medical groups and other physician organizations. With a membership of more than 60,000 medical practice administrators, executives, and leaders, MGMA represents more than 15,000 medical groups comprising more than 350,000 physicians. These groups range from small independent practices in remote and other underserved areas to large regional and national health systems that cover the full spectrum of physician specialties.
MGMA supports sensible measures to protect Medicare beneficiaries from fraud, waste, and abuse. While commonsense program integrity measures are prudent to safeguard the Medicare Trust Fund, we caution the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that the wideranging proposed Medicare enrollment changes would undermine physician practice operations and add undue compliance burden to already stretched thin physician practices dealing with declining Medicare reimbursement among numerous other financial and staffing concerns. These proposals may lead to unintended consequences such as medical groups operating in good faith who have not committed any fraud suffering enrollment consequences due to factors outside of their control, administrative or technical errors, or affiliations from years ago.
We urge CMS to withdraw these sweeping Medicare enrollment proposals as their cumulative effect would be significant and detrimental to medical group operations. These complex and extensive changes would introduce significant uncertainty and apprehension for physician practices treating Medicare beneficiaries, as many of these proposals are overly ambiguous and would not allow adequate due process. Further complicating these proposals is the potential for a swift turnaround on implementing these changes and their impact on an enrollment process that is laborious and cumbersome. The Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) already needs to be streamlined and improved to reduce administrative hurdles that MGMA members have highlighted for years. These proposals unnecessarily compound current issues.
We call on the agency to work with stakeholders on a targeted approach to balance program integrity concerns with legal and compliance costs. We believe a tailored approach would better assist CMS with weeding out bad actors while avoiding negative consequences for physician practices operating in good faith who are focused on providing high-quality care to their communities.
Expansion and Reorganization of Retroactive Revocation Grounds
CMS proposes to make all revocations retroactive effective as of the date of the triggering event. This proposal includes plans to restructure current prospective revocations and realign existing retroactive grounds so that all revocations are retroactive to the date of the non-compliance event. This expansion includes retroactive revocation for general non-compliance, licensure, and provider agreements; exclusions/debarments, felony convictions, false information, and nonoperational status; failure to satisfy enrollment requirements; misuse of billing number; abuse of billing privileges; reporting enrollment data changes; and more.
Retrospective revocations have historically been used for more serious violations, e.g. exclusion of a provider or supplier from participation in Medicare or Medicaid, state medical licensure disciplinary actions and felony convictions. This significant expansion of retroactive revocations to not just serious violations but potentially far smaller administrative or data entry errors would be a draconian measure. Retroactive revocations should be reserved for significant violations given the severity of the consequences. We urge CMS to not move forward with this broad expansion.
Modification to Existing Revocation Provisions
Abuse of Billing Privileges
CMS proposes to remove the four factors the agency previously used to determine if revocation of enrollment was warranted for the submission of a pattern or practice of non-compliant claims. The agency states that they need maximum flexibility to address all possible scenarios without the rigid constraints of the four factors currently in regulation. From the provider's perspective, "maximum flexibility" could well lead to arbitrary action, resulting in the loss of billing privileges instead of resolution of billing and coding disputes through established channels.
MGMA urges CMS not to remove the abuse of billing privileges factors to maintain clarity, so all providers understand the factors used to determine revocation. Removing these longstanding guardrails, while at the same time granting CMS broad discretion, increases confusion for Medicare-enrolled providers and diverges from established precedent. This leaves open the possibility of isolated billing issues leading to revocation. Stability is critical - these proposals introduce the possibility of unintentional errors triggering a total loss of billing privileges. Patients will suffer when they immediately lose access to long-time trusted providers.
False or Misleading Information
CMS proposes to expand revocation for the submission of false or misleading information on any CMS or Medicare enrollment-related form, including enrollment-related forms created by and/or submitted to CMS contractors. The submission of false or misleading information need not be intended to gain or maintain Medicare enrollment.
This expansion opens the door for revocations based on inadvertent administrative errors on a myriad of different enrollment forms that are not intentional deceptions. The term "misleading" is not a defined term in the Medicare statute or regulations and potentially could be invoked to apply to innocent mistakes in the expanded list of forms which had no material bearing on the provider's qualifications to serve Medicare patients. MGMA urges CMS not to finalize this proposal and to focus on intentionally false or misleading statements to avoid penalizing practices operating in good faith.
High-Risk Enrollments
CMS proposes adding a new reason for revocation where the agency may revoke a provider's enrollment if it deems the enrollment as presenting a high risk of fraud, waste, or abuse due to the provider's location within a limited geographic area that has an excessive number of providers and suppliers. This is in response to recent examples of fraud related to hospice providers, home health agencies, and other providers being congregated in a small geographic region.
This change has the potential to capture compliant providers who have not committed any wrongdoing in highly dense urban areas. There are numerous examples of multiple providers in close proximity due to purely geographic or other legitimate reasons; opening these providers up to revocation based solely on their location circumvents basic principles of due process. Physician practices that have not engaged in misconduct should not have their Medicare billing privileges revoked simply for being in operation. As noted below, this proposed change is equally problematic when applied to denial of enrollment for a new provider or a new location for an existing provider. MGMA urges CMS to withdraw this proposal.
Extension of Revocations
CMS proposes to expand its ability to revoke all Medicare enrollments held by a provider following the denial of any new enrollment application by the provider or its affiliate. CMS emphasizes that this would be a discretionary authority and offers examples of fraudulent behavior as justification for this policy.
CMS already possesses the tools to address conduct that would warrant a revocation related to fraud or other serious conduct. Revoking all Medicare enrollments for the denial of a single enrollment potentially based on an administrative or other inadvertent error, and without the ability to respond, would be unwarranted and an overly punitive measure. MGMA urges CMS not to move forward with this proposal.
Expanded and New Denial Grounds
Medicare Debt
Current regulations allow CMS to deny enrollment if the enrolling provider or owner has an existing Medicare debt; or was previously the owner of a provider that had a Medicare debt when the latter provider's enrollment was voluntarily terminated, involuntarily terminated, or revoked. CMS is proposing to expand this provision to apply to managing employees, managing organizations, and individuals and entities with any other form of business or financial relationship with the provider.
This expansion encompasses many potential business relationships such as vendors and contractors that may have a debt and yet have a minor relationship with the practice. While we support reasonable due diligence, this provision would be difficult for medical groups to comply with as "any form of business or financial relationship" is overly broad and could capture a wide range of relationships that do not materially impact medical group operations or expose the Medicare program to abuse by the provider. Medical groups working in good faith and reasonably attempting to comply may not be able to ascertain every issue under this proposal as written. MGMA urges CMS not to finalize this proposal.
Same Suite/Office
CMS is introducing a new denial ground based on the provider having its practice location in the same suite or office as another provider whose Medicare enrollment has been revoked or denied. The proposed rule discusses situations CMS has seen where providers in the same suite engage in fraud schemes as a reason for this change. The agency emphasizes that sharing an office or suite would not, by itself, automatically result in a denial.
This proposal would give CMS great discretion to deny Medicare enrollment for a provider based on location and without any reason other than the proximity to another provider who has had their enrollment denied or revoked. While the agency states it would only invoke this provision when proper, simply sharing an office or suite should not be the sole reason from a denial. There should be objective criteria and a material link to the revoked or denied provider. The potential for arbitrary denials is simply too great. MGMA urges CMS not to finalize this proposal.
Managing Employees
Currently, CMS defines a "managing employee" as, in part, a general manager, business manager, administrator, director, or other individual who exercises operational or managerial control over, or who directly or indirectly conducts, the day-to-day operation of the provider. The agency is proposing to expand the definition of "managing employee" to include medical directors, clinical directors, departmental heads, supervising physicians, nursing directors, alternate administrators, and all other clinical personal that meet the managing employee definition.
This broad definitional expansion would introduce substantial Medicare enrollment reporting complications. In addition to the sheer increase in reporting volume, medical groups will have to make difficult decisions to determine the scope of employees to report given the open-ended language in the proposal and lack of objective criteria to determine who should be reported. Given frequent employee turnover at many practices, this proposed change compounds administrative burden due to frequent reporting updates. Larger medical groups may have myriad department leaders and other employees that would fall under this new definition while not providing oversight of the organization like a senior executive. MGMA urges CMS to withdraw this proposal.
Affiliations
Upon CMS request, an initially enrolling or revalidating provider must disclose any and all affiliations that it or any of its owning or managing employees or organizations has or, within the previous 5 years, had with a currently or formerly enrolled Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP provider that has a disclosable event. CMS proposes to remove the 5-year period, and all affiliations would have to be reported regardless of how long ago it occurred or ended. The agency also proposes to add new paragraph to the "affiliation" definition, that would include any marketing, business, fulfillment, financial, managerial, or beneficiary relationship.
This significant expansion of affiliate reporting would add substantial compliance costs to medical groups and in many ways would be fundamentally unworkable in practice. Removing the 5-year lookback period would require physician practices, who often have long operating histories and complex ownership structures, to track numerous former employees and business relationships for affiliation disclosures from many years ago. Practices attempting to comply in good faith may not be able to capture the full extent of affiliations due to data availably issues, yet there is no safe harbor or reasonableness standard to ensure that they won't be penalized. CMS should not finalize this proposal.
Conclusion
While MGMA supports reasonable Medicare enrollment requirements and fraud prevention measures, we call on CMS to withdraw its extensive proposed changes to avoid introducing untenable administrative burdens on medical groups focused on providing the highest level of care possible to Medicare beneficiaries. These provisions are ambiguous, penalize groups for activity outside of their control, threaten denial or revocation for technical errors, and would inundate practices with unworkable reporting requirements. If you have any questions, please contact James Haynes, Associate Director of Government Affairs, at jhaynes@mgma.org or 202293-3450.
Sincerely,
Anders M. Gilberg, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
* * *
Original text here: https://www.mgma.com/getkaiasset/cbb65279-d52e-4247-afa9-c5e77489dcba/MGMA%20Final%20Medicare%20Enrollment%20Comment%20Letter.pdf
[Category: Medical]
* * *
MGMA Urges CMS to Withdraw Medicare Enrollment Proposals
The Honorable Mehmet Oz, M.D., Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201
Re: Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 -- The Medical Group Management Association issued the following letter on Aug. 31, 2026: * * * MGMA Urges CMS to Withdraw Medicare Enrollment Proposals The Honorable Mehmet Oz, M.D., Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201 Re: Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment(DME), and DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Policies
Dear Administrator Oz:
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is pleased to submit the following comments in response to the Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update proposed rule, that includes numerous proposals to change Medicare enrollment, revalidation, and revocation policies that will affect all provider and supplier types, including physicians, medical groups and other physician organizations. With a membership of more than 60,000 medical practice administrators, executives, and leaders, MGMA represents more than 15,000 medical groups comprising more than 350,000 physicians. These groups range from small independent practices in remote and other underserved areas to large regional and national health systems that cover the full spectrum of physician specialties.
MGMA supports sensible measures to protect Medicare beneficiaries from fraud, waste, and abuse. While commonsense program integrity measures are prudent to safeguard the Medicare Trust Fund, we caution the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that the wideranging proposed Medicare enrollment changes would undermine physician practice operations and add undue compliance burden to already stretched thin physician practices dealing with declining Medicare reimbursement among numerous other financial and staffing concerns. These proposals may lead to unintended consequences such as medical groups operating in good faith who have not committed any fraud suffering enrollment consequences due to factors outside of their control, administrative or technical errors, or affiliations from years ago.
We urge CMS to withdraw these sweeping Medicare enrollment proposals as their cumulative effect would be significant and detrimental to medical group operations. These complex and extensive changes would introduce significant uncertainty and apprehension for physician practices treating Medicare beneficiaries, as many of these proposals are overly ambiguous and would not allow adequate due process. Further complicating these proposals is the potential for a swift turnaround on implementing these changes and their impact on an enrollment process that is laborious and cumbersome. The Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) already needs to be streamlined and improved to reduce administrative hurdles that MGMA members have highlighted for years. These proposals unnecessarily compound current issues.
We call on the agency to work with stakeholders on a targeted approach to balance program integrity concerns with legal and compliance costs. We believe a tailored approach would better assist CMS with weeding out bad actors while avoiding negative consequences for physician practices operating in good faith who are focused on providing high-quality care to their communities.
Expansion and Reorganization of Retroactive Revocation Grounds
CMS proposes to make all revocations retroactive effective as of the date of the triggering event. This proposal includes plans to restructure current prospective revocations and realign existing retroactive grounds so that all revocations are retroactive to the date of the non-compliance event. This expansion includes retroactive revocation for general non-compliance, licensure, and provider agreements; exclusions/debarments, felony convictions, false information, and nonoperational status; failure to satisfy enrollment requirements; misuse of billing number; abuse of billing privileges; reporting enrollment data changes; and more.
Retrospective revocations have historically been used for more serious violations, e.g. exclusion of a provider or supplier from participation in Medicare or Medicaid, state medical licensure disciplinary actions and felony convictions. This significant expansion of retroactive revocations to not just serious violations but potentially far smaller administrative or data entry errors would be a draconian measure. Retroactive revocations should be reserved for significant violations given the severity of the consequences. We urge CMS to not move forward with this broad expansion.
Modification to Existing Revocation Provisions
Abuse of Billing Privileges
CMS proposes to remove the four factors the agency previously used to determine if revocation of enrollment was warranted for the submission of a pattern or practice of non-compliant claims. The agency states that they need maximum flexibility to address all possible scenarios without the rigid constraints of the four factors currently in regulation. From the provider's perspective, "maximum flexibility" could well lead to arbitrary action, resulting in the loss of billing privileges instead of resolution of billing and coding disputes through established channels.
MGMA urges CMS not to remove the abuse of billing privileges factors to maintain clarity, so all providers understand the factors used to determine revocation. Removing these longstanding guardrails, while at the same time granting CMS broad discretion, increases confusion for Medicare-enrolled providers and diverges from established precedent. This leaves open the possibility of isolated billing issues leading to revocation. Stability is critical - these proposals introduce the possibility of unintentional errors triggering a total loss of billing privileges. Patients will suffer when they immediately lose access to long-time trusted providers.
False or Misleading Information
CMS proposes to expand revocation for the submission of false or misleading information on any CMS or Medicare enrollment-related form, including enrollment-related forms created by and/or submitted to CMS contractors. The submission of false or misleading information need not be intended to gain or maintain Medicare enrollment.
This expansion opens the door for revocations based on inadvertent administrative errors on a myriad of different enrollment forms that are not intentional deceptions. The term "misleading" is not a defined term in the Medicare statute or regulations and potentially could be invoked to apply to innocent mistakes in the expanded list of forms which had no material bearing on the provider's qualifications to serve Medicare patients. MGMA urges CMS not to finalize this proposal and to focus on intentionally false or misleading statements to avoid penalizing practices operating in good faith.
High-Risk Enrollments
CMS proposes adding a new reason for revocation where the agency may revoke a provider's enrollment if it deems the enrollment as presenting a high risk of fraud, waste, or abuse due to the provider's location within a limited geographic area that has an excessive number of providers and suppliers. This is in response to recent examples of fraud related to hospice providers, home health agencies, and other providers being congregated in a small geographic region.
This change has the potential to capture compliant providers who have not committed any wrongdoing in highly dense urban areas. There are numerous examples of multiple providers in close proximity due to purely geographic or other legitimate reasons; opening these providers up to revocation based solely on their location circumvents basic principles of due process. Physician practices that have not engaged in misconduct should not have their Medicare billing privileges revoked simply for being in operation. As noted below, this proposed change is equally problematic when applied to denial of enrollment for a new provider or a new location for an existing provider. MGMA urges CMS to withdraw this proposal.
Extension of Revocations
CMS proposes to expand its ability to revoke all Medicare enrollments held by a provider following the denial of any new enrollment application by the provider or its affiliate. CMS emphasizes that this would be a discretionary authority and offers examples of fraudulent behavior as justification for this policy.
CMS already possesses the tools to address conduct that would warrant a revocation related to fraud or other serious conduct. Revoking all Medicare enrollments for the denial of a single enrollment potentially based on an administrative or other inadvertent error, and without the ability to respond, would be unwarranted and an overly punitive measure. MGMA urges CMS not to move forward with this proposal.
Expanded and New Denial Grounds
Medicare Debt
Current regulations allow CMS to deny enrollment if the enrolling provider or owner has an existing Medicare debt; or was previously the owner of a provider that had a Medicare debt when the latter provider's enrollment was voluntarily terminated, involuntarily terminated, or revoked. CMS is proposing to expand this provision to apply to managing employees, managing organizations, and individuals and entities with any other form of business or financial relationship with the provider.
This expansion encompasses many potential business relationships such as vendors and contractors that may have a debt and yet have a minor relationship with the practice. While we support reasonable due diligence, this provision would be difficult for medical groups to comply with as "any form of business or financial relationship" is overly broad and could capture a wide range of relationships that do not materially impact medical group operations or expose the Medicare program to abuse by the provider. Medical groups working in good faith and reasonably attempting to comply may not be able to ascertain every issue under this proposal as written. MGMA urges CMS not to finalize this proposal.
Same Suite/Office
CMS is introducing a new denial ground based on the provider having its practice location in the same suite or office as another provider whose Medicare enrollment has been revoked or denied. The proposed rule discusses situations CMS has seen where providers in the same suite engage in fraud schemes as a reason for this change. The agency emphasizes that sharing an office or suite would not, by itself, automatically result in a denial.
This proposal would give CMS great discretion to deny Medicare enrollment for a provider based on location and without any reason other than the proximity to another provider who has had their enrollment denied or revoked. While the agency states it would only invoke this provision when proper, simply sharing an office or suite should not be the sole reason from a denial. There should be objective criteria and a material link to the revoked or denied provider. The potential for arbitrary denials is simply too great. MGMA urges CMS not to finalize this proposal.
Managing Employees
Currently, CMS defines a "managing employee" as, in part, a general manager, business manager, administrator, director, or other individual who exercises operational or managerial control over, or who directly or indirectly conducts, the day-to-day operation of the provider. The agency is proposing to expand the definition of "managing employee" to include medical directors, clinical directors, departmental heads, supervising physicians, nursing directors, alternate administrators, and all other clinical personal that meet the managing employee definition.
This broad definitional expansion would introduce substantial Medicare enrollment reporting complications. In addition to the sheer increase in reporting volume, medical groups will have to make difficult decisions to determine the scope of employees to report given the open-ended language in the proposal and lack of objective criteria to determine who should be reported. Given frequent employee turnover at many practices, this proposed change compounds administrative burden due to frequent reporting updates. Larger medical groups may have myriad department leaders and other employees that would fall under this new definition while not providing oversight of the organization like a senior executive. MGMA urges CMS to withdraw this proposal.
Affiliations
Upon CMS request, an initially enrolling or revalidating provider must disclose any and all affiliations that it or any of its owning or managing employees or organizations has or, within the previous 5 years, had with a currently or formerly enrolled Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP provider that has a disclosable event. CMS proposes to remove the 5-year period, and all affiliations would have to be reported regardless of how long ago it occurred or ended. The agency also proposes to add new paragraph to the "affiliation" definition, that would include any marketing, business, fulfillment, financial, managerial, or beneficiary relationship.
This significant expansion of affiliate reporting would add substantial compliance costs to medical groups and in many ways would be fundamentally unworkable in practice. Removing the 5-year lookback period would require physician practices, who often have long operating histories and complex ownership structures, to track numerous former employees and business relationships for affiliation disclosures from many years ago. Practices attempting to comply in good faith may not be able to capture the full extent of affiliations due to data availably issues, yet there is no safe harbor or reasonableness standard to ensure that they won't be penalized. CMS should not finalize this proposal.
Conclusion
While MGMA supports reasonable Medicare enrollment requirements and fraud prevention measures, we call on CMS to withdraw its extensive proposed changes to avoid introducing untenable administrative burdens on medical groups focused on providing the highest level of care possible to Medicare beneficiaries. These provisions are ambiguous, penalize groups for activity outside of their control, threaten denial or revocation for technical errors, and would inundate practices with unworkable reporting requirements. If you have any questions, please contact James Haynes, Associate Director of Government Affairs, at jhaynes@mgma.org or 202293-3450.
Sincerely,
Anders M. Gilberg, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
* * *
Original text here: https://www.mgma.com/getkaiasset/cbb65279-d52e-4247-afa9-c5e77489dcba/MGMA%20Final%20Medicare%20Enrollment%20Comment%20Letter.pdf
[Category: Medical]
Lift Procedures Led Growth as Demand for Restoration Drove Plastic Surgery in 2025, New ASPS Report Reveals
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, Sept. 2 (TNSrep) -- The American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued the following news release:
* * *
Lift Procedures Led Growth as Demand for Restoration Drove Plastic Surgery in 2025, New ASPS Report Reveals
The annual report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons explores procedure trends and patient insights
-
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world, released its 2025 Procedural Statistics Report, highlighting an increased demand for plastic surgery. Developed in collaboration ... Show Full Article ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, Sept. 2 (TNSrep) -- The American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued the following news release: * * * Lift Procedures Led Growth as Demand for Restoration Drove Plastic Surgery in 2025, New ASPS Report Reveals The annual report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons explores procedure trends and patient insights - The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world, released its 2025 Procedural Statistics Report, highlighting an increased demand for plastic surgery. Developed in collaborationwith ASPS and The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) Procedural Statistics Data Insights Partner CosmetAssure, the report examines the key trends and patient preferences driving changes across the field.
The report (https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/news/statistics/2025/plastic-surgery-statistics-report-2025.pdf) found that the volume of cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2025 increased 7 percent compared to the previous year, with liposuction, breast augmentation and tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) as the most in-demand procedures. Neuromodulators and hyaluronic fillers accounted for 80 percent of all minimally invasive plastic surgery procedures last year, underscoring their continued popularity. Reconstructive procedures also experienced growth, led by increases in hand reconstruction, scar revision and implant revision, resulting in 6 percent year-over-year growth.
New data this year explores patient motivation, a rise in consultations related to GLP-1 weight loss and breast implant size preference. According to ASPS Member Surgeons, restoration following life changes such as pregnancy, aging and weight loss was the leading factor driving patient demand. Aesthetic enhancement, increased confidence and correction of longstanding concerns ranked as the next most common motivations for Americans to seek plastic surgery.
"Plastic surgery in 2025 reflects a broader shift in how people think about aging, wellness and quality of life," said Houston-based ASPS President C. Bob Basu, MD, MBA, MPH, FACS. "Today's patients are increasingly seeking authentic restoration rather than transformation. Many are looking to reverse physical changes that no longer reflect how they feel on the inside."
Volume Restoration and Lift Procedures Lead
In 2025, facial fat grafting posted the largest single-year gain of any tracked procedure with 39 percent growth. Additionally, lift procedures saw broad category growth compared to the previous year:
* Forehead/brow lifts increased 29 percent
* Upper body lifts increased 22 percent
* Arm and neck lifts increased 21 percent each
* Thigh lifts increased 20 percent
* Facelifts increased 13 percent
* Breast lifts increased 8 percent
Separately, 82 percent of ASPS Member Surgeons reported receiving consultation requests related to GLP-1 use in 2025. While this shows an increase in these conversations across plastic surgery practices, the procedural statistics do not establish a causal relationship or growth in any specific procedure category.
"Significant weight loss, regardless of how it is achieved, can leave some patients with excess skin, changes in skin elasticity and loss of facial volume that cannot be addressed through diet and exercise alone," said Dr. Basu. "For some, plastic surgery procedures can help restore body contour, address excess skin and rebuild volume in areas where substantial weight loss may have altered appearance."
Plastic Surgery Across Generations
Demand for cosmetic procedures increased significantly among older adults, with patients ages 66 and older recording a 24 percent rise in procedure volume, the largest gain of any age group.
Adults ages 36 to 55 continued to drive the market, accounting for nearly half of all cosmetic procedures performed. Meanwhile, procedure volume among patients ages 18 to 25 decreased 9 percent. Together, the findings suggest demand is concentrated among individuals navigating key life transitions.
Defining the Trends of 2025
The report highlights several trends, including growth in lift procedures, increased interest in facial volume restoration and overall growth in cosmetic procedures among older adults. Together, these findings provide a snapshot of how patient demand continues to evolve across the specialty.
As interest in plastic surgery grows, ASPS encourages patients to prioritize safety by choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon. Patients can use the ASPS Find a Surgeon tool to find a qualified plastic surgeon in their area who is the best fit for them.
To read the full report, visit PlasticSurgery.org/Stats2025.
* * *
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 11,000 physician members worldwide, the society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. Founded in 1931, the society represents physicians certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
* * *
About CosmetAssure
As the gold standard in complications insurance, CosmetAssure has been providing an extra measure of financial safety and peace of mind to board-certified plastic surgeons and their patients for more than twenty years! We work to preserve the surgeon-patient relationship in difficult times when unexpected post-surgery complications delay recovery.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/lift-procedures-led-growth-as-demand-for-restoration-drove-plastic-surgery-in-2025-new-asps-report-reveals
[Category: Medical]
* * *
Lift Procedures Led Growth as Demand for Restoration Drove Plastic Surgery in 2025, New ASPS Report Reveals
The annual report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons explores procedure trends and patient insights
-
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world, released its 2025 Procedural Statistics Report, highlighting an increased demand for plastic surgery. Developed in collaboration ... Show Full Article ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, Sept. 2 (TNSrep) -- The American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued the following news release: * * * Lift Procedures Led Growth as Demand for Restoration Drove Plastic Surgery in 2025, New ASPS Report Reveals The annual report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons explores procedure trends and patient insights - The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world, released its 2025 Procedural Statistics Report, highlighting an increased demand for plastic surgery. Developed in collaborationwith ASPS and The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) Procedural Statistics Data Insights Partner CosmetAssure, the report examines the key trends and patient preferences driving changes across the field.
The report (https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/news/statistics/2025/plastic-surgery-statistics-report-2025.pdf) found that the volume of cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2025 increased 7 percent compared to the previous year, with liposuction, breast augmentation and tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) as the most in-demand procedures. Neuromodulators and hyaluronic fillers accounted for 80 percent of all minimally invasive plastic surgery procedures last year, underscoring their continued popularity. Reconstructive procedures also experienced growth, led by increases in hand reconstruction, scar revision and implant revision, resulting in 6 percent year-over-year growth.
New data this year explores patient motivation, a rise in consultations related to GLP-1 weight loss and breast implant size preference. According to ASPS Member Surgeons, restoration following life changes such as pregnancy, aging and weight loss was the leading factor driving patient demand. Aesthetic enhancement, increased confidence and correction of longstanding concerns ranked as the next most common motivations for Americans to seek plastic surgery.
"Plastic surgery in 2025 reflects a broader shift in how people think about aging, wellness and quality of life," said Houston-based ASPS President C. Bob Basu, MD, MBA, MPH, FACS. "Today's patients are increasingly seeking authentic restoration rather than transformation. Many are looking to reverse physical changes that no longer reflect how they feel on the inside."
Volume Restoration and Lift Procedures Lead
In 2025, facial fat grafting posted the largest single-year gain of any tracked procedure with 39 percent growth. Additionally, lift procedures saw broad category growth compared to the previous year:
* Forehead/brow lifts increased 29 percent
* Upper body lifts increased 22 percent
* Arm and neck lifts increased 21 percent each
* Thigh lifts increased 20 percent
* Facelifts increased 13 percent
* Breast lifts increased 8 percent
Separately, 82 percent of ASPS Member Surgeons reported receiving consultation requests related to GLP-1 use in 2025. While this shows an increase in these conversations across plastic surgery practices, the procedural statistics do not establish a causal relationship or growth in any specific procedure category.
"Significant weight loss, regardless of how it is achieved, can leave some patients with excess skin, changes in skin elasticity and loss of facial volume that cannot be addressed through diet and exercise alone," said Dr. Basu. "For some, plastic surgery procedures can help restore body contour, address excess skin and rebuild volume in areas where substantial weight loss may have altered appearance."
Plastic Surgery Across Generations
Demand for cosmetic procedures increased significantly among older adults, with patients ages 66 and older recording a 24 percent rise in procedure volume, the largest gain of any age group.
Adults ages 36 to 55 continued to drive the market, accounting for nearly half of all cosmetic procedures performed. Meanwhile, procedure volume among patients ages 18 to 25 decreased 9 percent. Together, the findings suggest demand is concentrated among individuals navigating key life transitions.
Defining the Trends of 2025
The report highlights several trends, including growth in lift procedures, increased interest in facial volume restoration and overall growth in cosmetic procedures among older adults. Together, these findings provide a snapshot of how patient demand continues to evolve across the specialty.
As interest in plastic surgery grows, ASPS encourages patients to prioritize safety by choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon. Patients can use the ASPS Find a Surgeon tool to find a qualified plastic surgeon in their area who is the best fit for them.
To read the full report, visit PlasticSurgery.org/Stats2025.
* * *
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 11,000 physician members worldwide, the society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. Founded in 1931, the society represents physicians certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
* * *
About CosmetAssure
As the gold standard in complications insurance, CosmetAssure has been providing an extra measure of financial safety and peace of mind to board-certified plastic surgeons and their patients for more than twenty years! We work to preserve the surgeon-patient relationship in difficult times when unexpected post-surgery complications delay recovery.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/lift-procedures-led-growth-as-demand-for-restoration-drove-plastic-surgery-in-2025-new-asps-report-reveals
[Category: Medical]
American Trucking Associations Issues Letter to Secretary of War Hegseth
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 2 [Category: Transportation] (TNSletter) -- The American Trucking Associations posted the following letter to the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth:
* * *
Here is the text of the letter:
August 27, 2026
The Honorable Pete Hegseth
Secretary of War
Department of War
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Secretary Hegseth,
On behalf of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), I am writing to raise a serious issue and present an important opportunity to strengthen military readiness, freight security, and public trust. As the U.S. Department of Transportation ... Show Full Article ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 2 [Category: Transportation] (TNSletter) -- The American Trucking Associations posted the following letter to the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth: * * * Here is the text of the letter: August 27, 2026 The Honorable Pete Hegseth Secretary of War Department of War 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301 Dear Secretary Hegseth, On behalf of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), I am writing to raise a serious issue and present an important opportunity to strengthen military readiness, freight security, and public trust. As the U.S. Department of Transportation(USDOT) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continue advancing strong enforcement measures across the trucking sector, the U.S. Department of War can build on that momentum by ensuring freight moving in support of national defense is entrusted only to properly vetted, qualified, and compliant motor carriers.
Logistics are central to military readiness. Every shipment of arms, ammunition, combat vehicles, sensitive cargo, and general freight depends on a secure and reliable transportation network. When that network is compromised by unqualified carriers, opaque contracting practices, or providers that lack proper operating authority, insurance, equipment, or compliance capability, the consequences extend beyond waste or inefficiency. They can affect highway safety, operational security, and the integrity of the defense supply chain.
ATA members have identified troubling patterns within the military freight transportation system that deserve prompt attention. They have provided verifiable information to the U.S. Army Transportation Command (ARTRANS) indicating that some military shipments have been awarded to service providers that lack valid USDOT operating authority and required insurance, or do not appear capable of meeting basic shipment requirements. We have also seen instances in which shipments were awarded outside normal competitive processes, manually bypassing the Global Freight Management system, or directed to providers with little to no apparent asset capacity.
In many cases, these awards appear to involve rates far above those offered by compliant, asset-based transportation providers. ATA members have also provided information to ARTRANS showing that military freight has been awarded to service providers affiliated with individuals with prior federal convictions involving fraud and public corruption. These facts raise serious concerns about whether the current system is doing enough to protect taxpayers, support legitimate carriers, and safeguard sensitive freight.
The scope of the problem is significant. Over a 90-day period in 2024, ATA members reviewed activity at 12 GBLOCs out of roughly 400 and identified more than $20 million in shipments that we believe may have been improperly awarded. At those locations, approximately 80% of reviewed shipments appear to have been mishandled or awarded in a manner inconsistent with longstanding Department policy.
The good news is that this issue can be addressed. The Department has an opportunity to strengthen military readiness, protect sensitive cargo, and reinforce the same safety and enforcement principles that USDOT and DHS have advanced across the broader transportation sector. Ensuring that military freight is handled by legitimate, vetted, properly insured, and safety-compliant carriers is not just a contracting issue. It is a readiness issue, a national security issue, a fiscal responsibility issue, and a matter of basic public trust.
Congress has also recognized the need for reform. The FY26 National Defense Authorization Act included provisions intended to strengthen compliance, create a process for stakeholders to report noncompliance, clarify accountability tools, educate government and industry participants on applicable rules, audit the Freight Carrier Registration Program, and require an Inspector General review. ATA strongly supports these objectives and believes effective implementation will be essential to restoring confidence in the system.
ATA's goal is not simply to identify problems. Our goal is to help solve them. We believe there is a meaningful opportunity to work with your team to improve oversight, close loopholes, protect the defense transportation network, and ensure that taxpayer-funded freight is awarded through fair, transparent, and secure processes. At a time when American military forces are deployed across active operational theaters around the world, we must ensure the security and resilience of our military freight supply network.
We welcome the opportunity to brief you and your staff on our findings and recommendations at your convenience. Please contact Mike Matousek, Director of ATA's Government Freight Conference, at (202) 262-0099 or mmatousek@trucking.org to schedule a discussion.
Thank you for your leadership and attention to this important matter.
Respectfully,
Henry Hanscom, Chief Advocacy and Public Affairs Officer, American Trucking Associations
* * *
Original text here: https://www.trucking.org/sites/default/files/2026-08/ATA_GFC_Letter_to_Sec_Hegseth_Military_Freight_8.27.26.pdf
News Release here: https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-calls-pentagon-strengthen-security-and-oversight-military-freight
* * *
Here is the text of the letter:
August 27, 2026
The Honorable Pete Hegseth
Secretary of War
Department of War
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Secretary Hegseth,
On behalf of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), I am writing to raise a serious issue and present an important opportunity to strengthen military readiness, freight security, and public trust. As the U.S. Department of Transportation ... Show Full Article ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 2 [Category: Transportation] (TNSletter) -- The American Trucking Associations posted the following letter to the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth: * * * Here is the text of the letter: August 27, 2026 The Honorable Pete Hegseth Secretary of War Department of War 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301 Dear Secretary Hegseth, On behalf of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), I am writing to raise a serious issue and present an important opportunity to strengthen military readiness, freight security, and public trust. As the U.S. Department of Transportation(USDOT) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continue advancing strong enforcement measures across the trucking sector, the U.S. Department of War can build on that momentum by ensuring freight moving in support of national defense is entrusted only to properly vetted, qualified, and compliant motor carriers.
Logistics are central to military readiness. Every shipment of arms, ammunition, combat vehicles, sensitive cargo, and general freight depends on a secure and reliable transportation network. When that network is compromised by unqualified carriers, opaque contracting practices, or providers that lack proper operating authority, insurance, equipment, or compliance capability, the consequences extend beyond waste or inefficiency. They can affect highway safety, operational security, and the integrity of the defense supply chain.
ATA members have identified troubling patterns within the military freight transportation system that deserve prompt attention. They have provided verifiable information to the U.S. Army Transportation Command (ARTRANS) indicating that some military shipments have been awarded to service providers that lack valid USDOT operating authority and required insurance, or do not appear capable of meeting basic shipment requirements. We have also seen instances in which shipments were awarded outside normal competitive processes, manually bypassing the Global Freight Management system, or directed to providers with little to no apparent asset capacity.
In many cases, these awards appear to involve rates far above those offered by compliant, asset-based transportation providers. ATA members have also provided information to ARTRANS showing that military freight has been awarded to service providers affiliated with individuals with prior federal convictions involving fraud and public corruption. These facts raise serious concerns about whether the current system is doing enough to protect taxpayers, support legitimate carriers, and safeguard sensitive freight.
The scope of the problem is significant. Over a 90-day period in 2024, ATA members reviewed activity at 12 GBLOCs out of roughly 400 and identified more than $20 million in shipments that we believe may have been improperly awarded. At those locations, approximately 80% of reviewed shipments appear to have been mishandled or awarded in a manner inconsistent with longstanding Department policy.
The good news is that this issue can be addressed. The Department has an opportunity to strengthen military readiness, protect sensitive cargo, and reinforce the same safety and enforcement principles that USDOT and DHS have advanced across the broader transportation sector. Ensuring that military freight is handled by legitimate, vetted, properly insured, and safety-compliant carriers is not just a contracting issue. It is a readiness issue, a national security issue, a fiscal responsibility issue, and a matter of basic public trust.
Congress has also recognized the need for reform. The FY26 National Defense Authorization Act included provisions intended to strengthen compliance, create a process for stakeholders to report noncompliance, clarify accountability tools, educate government and industry participants on applicable rules, audit the Freight Carrier Registration Program, and require an Inspector General review. ATA strongly supports these objectives and believes effective implementation will be essential to restoring confidence in the system.
ATA's goal is not simply to identify problems. Our goal is to help solve them. We believe there is a meaningful opportunity to work with your team to improve oversight, close loopholes, protect the defense transportation network, and ensure that taxpayer-funded freight is awarded through fair, transparent, and secure processes. At a time when American military forces are deployed across active operational theaters around the world, we must ensure the security and resilience of our military freight supply network.
We welcome the opportunity to brief you and your staff on our findings and recommendations at your convenience. Please contact Mike Matousek, Director of ATA's Government Freight Conference, at (202) 262-0099 or mmatousek@trucking.org to schedule a discussion.
Thank you for your leadership and attention to this important matter.
Respectfully,
Henry Hanscom, Chief Advocacy and Public Affairs Officer, American Trucking Associations
* * *
Original text here: https://www.trucking.org/sites/default/files/2026-08/ATA_GFC_Letter_to_Sec_Hegseth_Military_Freight_8.27.26.pdf
News Release here: https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-calls-pentagon-strengthen-security-and-oversight-military-freight
Alliance Submits Comments in Response to CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The National Alliance for Care at Home issued the following news release:
* * *
Alliance Submits Comments in Response to CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies Competitive Bidding Program Updates proposed rule. The letter notes that the Alliance appreciates that, for the first time since CY 2022, ... Show Full Article ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The National Alliance for Care at Home issued the following news release: * * * Alliance Submits Comments in Response to CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies Competitive Bidding Program Updates proposed rule. The letter notes that the Alliance appreciates that, for the first time since CY 2022,CMS proposes a full annual payment update, does not propose to apply a new permanent adjustment, and acknowledges that behavior changes reflected in CY 2023 and later claims are attributable to confounding factors rather than to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). However, the comment also emphasizes that these decisions do not undo the harm already built into the payment rate, nor do they do enough to protect access to care across the country.
The letter states that four consecutive years of permanent adjustments have reduced the 30-day rate by 9.37% or over $1.5 billion annually. CMS also proposes to continue the -3% temporary adjustment, collecting approximately $500 million against a calculated balance of $4.9 billion. The Alliance estimates the permanent adjustments will produce aggregate reductions of $18.9 billion from CY 2020 through CY 2030.
A single positive update does not restore a base rate reduced by 9.37% that will continue to be cut by roughly 3% annually for the next decade. The confounding factors CMS correctly identified for CY 2023 and later were present earlier, and the methodology that produced the adjustments still embedded in the rate remains flawed. Unequivocally, more must be done to defend access to home health in the face of years of payment cuts paired with rising costs and increased demand.
The letter also details the Alliance's recommendations related to the broad set of enrollment proposals impacting the entire Medicare provider and supplier community. The Alliance supports CMS's goal of removing bad actors from the program, yet expresses concern that many of these proposals do not distinguish bad actors from legitimate providers operating in good faith. As proposed, CMS could deny or revoke a legitimate provider's enrollment based on a neighbor's conduct, a shared address, a vendor relationship, or an innocent administrative error. Revocations should be weighed carefully considering the impact they have not only on the provider, but also beneficiaries served.
The Alliance is committed to ongoing collaboration with CMS to achieve a payment system that supports the true cost of delivering high-quality care in the home and provider enrollment and program integrity measures that distinguish between bad actors and providers operating in good faith. Demand for care at home is rising, and studies show home-based care is the preferred option for those who need it. The Alliance urges CMS not to finalize the proposed temporary adjustment for 2027 and to provide a sufficient rate update that supports quality care delivery. The Alliance also urges CMS to remove provider and supplier enrollment proposals that will have serious and deleterious impacts on beneficiaries and providers alike.
Read the full comment letter (https://allianceforcareathome.org/wp-content/uploads/Alliance-CY-2027-HH-Proposed-Rule-Comment_8.31.26.pdf).
* * *
About the National Alliance for Care at Home
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the leading authority in advancing care in the home. We envision an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home. Through advocacy, education, and convening, we connect providers and stakeholders to strengthen care delivery across the home-based care continuum -- spanning home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and Medicaid home and community-based services. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org.
* * *
Original text here: https://allianceforcareathome.org/alliance-submits-comments-in-response-to-cy-2027-home-health-proposed-rule/
[Category: Health Care]
* * *
Alliance Submits Comments in Response to CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies Competitive Bidding Program Updates proposed rule. The letter notes that the Alliance appreciates that, for the first time since CY 2022, ... Show Full Article ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The National Alliance for Care at Home issued the following news release: * * * Alliance Submits Comments in Response to CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies Competitive Bidding Program Updates proposed rule. The letter notes that the Alliance appreciates that, for the first time since CY 2022,CMS proposes a full annual payment update, does not propose to apply a new permanent adjustment, and acknowledges that behavior changes reflected in CY 2023 and later claims are attributable to confounding factors rather than to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). However, the comment also emphasizes that these decisions do not undo the harm already built into the payment rate, nor do they do enough to protect access to care across the country.
The letter states that four consecutive years of permanent adjustments have reduced the 30-day rate by 9.37% or over $1.5 billion annually. CMS also proposes to continue the -3% temporary adjustment, collecting approximately $500 million against a calculated balance of $4.9 billion. The Alliance estimates the permanent adjustments will produce aggregate reductions of $18.9 billion from CY 2020 through CY 2030.
A single positive update does not restore a base rate reduced by 9.37% that will continue to be cut by roughly 3% annually for the next decade. The confounding factors CMS correctly identified for CY 2023 and later were present earlier, and the methodology that produced the adjustments still embedded in the rate remains flawed. Unequivocally, more must be done to defend access to home health in the face of years of payment cuts paired with rising costs and increased demand.
The letter also details the Alliance's recommendations related to the broad set of enrollment proposals impacting the entire Medicare provider and supplier community. The Alliance supports CMS's goal of removing bad actors from the program, yet expresses concern that many of these proposals do not distinguish bad actors from legitimate providers operating in good faith. As proposed, CMS could deny or revoke a legitimate provider's enrollment based on a neighbor's conduct, a shared address, a vendor relationship, or an innocent administrative error. Revocations should be weighed carefully considering the impact they have not only on the provider, but also beneficiaries served.
The Alliance is committed to ongoing collaboration with CMS to achieve a payment system that supports the true cost of delivering high-quality care in the home and provider enrollment and program integrity measures that distinguish between bad actors and providers operating in good faith. Demand for care at home is rising, and studies show home-based care is the preferred option for those who need it. The Alliance urges CMS not to finalize the proposed temporary adjustment for 2027 and to provide a sufficient rate update that supports quality care delivery. The Alliance also urges CMS to remove provider and supplier enrollment proposals that will have serious and deleterious impacts on beneficiaries and providers alike.
Read the full comment letter (https://allianceforcareathome.org/wp-content/uploads/Alliance-CY-2027-HH-Proposed-Rule-Comment_8.31.26.pdf).
* * *
About the National Alliance for Care at Home
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the leading authority in advancing care in the home. We envision an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home. Through advocacy, education, and convening, we connect providers and stakeholders to strengthen care delivery across the home-based care continuum -- spanning home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and Medicaid home and community-based services. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org.
* * *
Original text here: https://allianceforcareathome.org/alliance-submits-comments-in-response-to-cy-2027-home-health-proposed-rule/
[Category: Health Care]
ABI Launches Judicial Access Program Providing Complimentary Premium Resources to Courts
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The American Bankruptcy Institute issued the following news release:
* * *
ABI Launches Judicial Access Program Providing Complimentary Premium Resources to Courts
The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) launched the Judiciary Access program to provide complimentary access to ABI's premium tools, research and educational resources directly to judges and court staff who serve the bankruptcy bench. The Judiciary Access program furthers ABI's mission since its inception in 1982 to support the bankruptcy bench with nonpartisan research and education on matters related ... Show Full Article ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The American Bankruptcy Institute issued the following news release: * * * ABI Launches Judicial Access Program Providing Complimentary Premium Resources to Courts The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) launched the Judiciary Access program to provide complimentary access to ABI's premium tools, research and educational resources directly to judges and court staff who serve the bankruptcy bench. The Judiciary Access program furthers ABI's mission since its inception in 1982 to support the bankruptcy bench with nonpartisan research and education on matters relatedto insolvency.
"For more than four decades, ABI has served as the educational and research home for the bankruptcy and insolvency community -- and the federal judiciary has been at the center of that community from day one," ABI Chief Operating Officer Karim Guirguis said. "Judiciary Access is our standing commitment to put a select group of ABI's tools, research, and educational resources directly into the hands of the judges and court staff who serve the bankruptcy bench, at no cost."
Any judicial staff with a '@uscourts.gov' email address -- judges, chambers staff, law clerks, courtroom deputies and clerk's office personnel -- will be able to receive complimentary access to the following premium ABI offerings through the Judiciary Access program:
Restructuring Masterclass: ABI's in-depth, on-demand video program covering the doctrine, mechanics and practice of complex corporate restructuring, taught by leading practitioners and scholars.
Insolvency on Demand: ABI's on-demand streaming library of bankruptcy and restructuring programming -- with sessions, panels and educational content drawn from ABI's conferences and original productions.
LegalRecipes.ai: ABI's curated library of expert-built AI prompts for bankruptcy practice -- a working toolkit for using modern AI systems on the kinds of tasks insolvency professionals encounter on a daily basis.
InRe: A bankruptcy hearing research platform, built to make the spoken record of bankruptcy proceedings searchable and useful.
For more information on ABI's Judiciary Access program, please click here (https://www.abi.org/uscourts).
* * *
ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 10,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.abi.org/node/1003898
[Category: Financial Services]
* * *
ABI Launches Judicial Access Program Providing Complimentary Premium Resources to Courts
The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) launched the Judiciary Access program to provide complimentary access to ABI's premium tools, research and educational resources directly to judges and court staff who serve the bankruptcy bench. The Judiciary Access program furthers ABI's mission since its inception in 1982 to support the bankruptcy bench with nonpartisan research and education on matters related ... Show Full Article ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The American Bankruptcy Institute issued the following news release: * * * ABI Launches Judicial Access Program Providing Complimentary Premium Resources to Courts The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) launched the Judiciary Access program to provide complimentary access to ABI's premium tools, research and educational resources directly to judges and court staff who serve the bankruptcy bench. The Judiciary Access program furthers ABI's mission since its inception in 1982 to support the bankruptcy bench with nonpartisan research and education on matters relatedto insolvency.
"For more than four decades, ABI has served as the educational and research home for the bankruptcy and insolvency community -- and the federal judiciary has been at the center of that community from day one," ABI Chief Operating Officer Karim Guirguis said. "Judiciary Access is our standing commitment to put a select group of ABI's tools, research, and educational resources directly into the hands of the judges and court staff who serve the bankruptcy bench, at no cost."
Any judicial staff with a '@uscourts.gov' email address -- judges, chambers staff, law clerks, courtroom deputies and clerk's office personnel -- will be able to receive complimentary access to the following premium ABI offerings through the Judiciary Access program:
Restructuring Masterclass: ABI's in-depth, on-demand video program covering the doctrine, mechanics and practice of complex corporate restructuring, taught by leading practitioners and scholars.
Insolvency on Demand: ABI's on-demand streaming library of bankruptcy and restructuring programming -- with sessions, panels and educational content drawn from ABI's conferences and original productions.
LegalRecipes.ai: ABI's curated library of expert-built AI prompts for bankruptcy practice -- a working toolkit for using modern AI systems on the kinds of tasks insolvency professionals encounter on a daily basis.
InRe: A bankruptcy hearing research platform, built to make the spoken record of bankruptcy proceedings searchable and useful.
For more information on ABI's Judiciary Access program, please click here (https://www.abi.org/uscourts).
* * *
ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 10,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.abi.org/node/1003898
[Category: Financial Services]
AAFA Applauds Congressional Passage of Two-Year Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP Programs
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The American Apparel and Footwear Association issued the following news release:
* * *
AAFA Applauds Congressional Passage of Two-Year Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP Programs
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) celebrates the passage of a two-year extension of the Haiti Economic Lift Program and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the House with bipartisan support. The vote (370-48), which occurred as part of the Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government, provides for a crucial extension of both programs, ... Show Full Article ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The American Apparel and Footwear Association issued the following news release: * * * AAFA Applauds Congressional Passage of Two-Year Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP Programs The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) celebrates the passage of a two-year extension of the Haiti Economic Lift Program and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the House with bipartisan support. The vote (370-48), which occurred as part of the Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government, provides for a crucial extension of both programs,which were set to expire at the end of this year. Once the CR is signed into law, the programs will expire December 31, 2028.
For 25 years, AGOA has provided eligible Sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access, strengthening American exports in textiles and agriculture and fostering a wide array of U.S.-Africa commercial partnerships. Likewise, for more than 15 years, the Haiti HOPE/HELP programs have supported both U.S. and Haitian textile industries by granting Haiti duty-free access for apparel and textile products, building strong business ties between the two neighboring nations.
"We are grateful for the bipartisan, bicameral support these vital programs have received and look forward to President Trump signing the two-year extension into law," said Beth Hughes, AAFA's Vice President of Trade and Customs Policy. "Our industry remains firmly committed to these programs and encourages Congress to use this extension as an opportunity to modernize AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP and build toward a 15-year renewal. Long-term renewal continues to be the goal in order to encourage long-term investment, deepen trade partnerships, and strengthen industries at home and throughout the region."
AAFA has consistently urged Congress and the Administration to renew both AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP, offering testimony before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on AGOA's renewal in July.
Both AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP have been supported for decades by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. Long-term renewal of these programs will provide much-needed certainty for U.S. companies and provide stability for the workforces in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.
For regular updates on key trade and customs dates and deadlines, visit AAFA's Fashion Tariffs 101 page (https://www.aafaglobal.org/tariffs).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.aafaglobal.org/AAFA/AAFA_News/2026_Press_Releases/AAFA_Applauds_Congressional_Passage_of_Two_Year_Extension_of_AGOA_and_Haiti_HOPE_HELP_Programs.aspx
[Category: Business]
* * *
AAFA Applauds Congressional Passage of Two-Year Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP Programs
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) celebrates the passage of a two-year extension of the Haiti Economic Lift Program and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the House with bipartisan support. The vote (370-48), which occurred as part of the Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government, provides for a crucial extension of both programs, ... Show Full Article ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 2 -- The American Apparel and Footwear Association issued the following news release: * * * AAFA Applauds Congressional Passage of Two-Year Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP Programs The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) celebrates the passage of a two-year extension of the Haiti Economic Lift Program and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the House with bipartisan support. The vote (370-48), which occurred as part of the Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government, provides for a crucial extension of both programs,which were set to expire at the end of this year. Once the CR is signed into law, the programs will expire December 31, 2028.
For 25 years, AGOA has provided eligible Sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access, strengthening American exports in textiles and agriculture and fostering a wide array of U.S.-Africa commercial partnerships. Likewise, for more than 15 years, the Haiti HOPE/HELP programs have supported both U.S. and Haitian textile industries by granting Haiti duty-free access for apparel and textile products, building strong business ties between the two neighboring nations.
"We are grateful for the bipartisan, bicameral support these vital programs have received and look forward to President Trump signing the two-year extension into law," said Beth Hughes, AAFA's Vice President of Trade and Customs Policy. "Our industry remains firmly committed to these programs and encourages Congress to use this extension as an opportunity to modernize AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP and build toward a 15-year renewal. Long-term renewal continues to be the goal in order to encourage long-term investment, deepen trade partnerships, and strengthen industries at home and throughout the region."
AAFA has consistently urged Congress and the Administration to renew both AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP, offering testimony before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on AGOA's renewal in July.
Both AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP have been supported for decades by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. Long-term renewal of these programs will provide much-needed certainty for U.S. companies and provide stability for the workforces in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.
For regular updates on key trade and customs dates and deadlines, visit AAFA's Fashion Tariffs 101 page (https://www.aafaglobal.org/tariffs).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.aafaglobal.org/AAFA/AAFA_News/2026_Press_Releases/AAFA_Applauds_Congressional_Passage_of_Two_Year_Extension_of_AGOA_and_Haiti_HOPE_HELP_Programs.aspx
[Category: Business]