Hospitals urge Congress not to pay for infrastructure with unspent COVID relief

The nation's largest hospital groups really don't want the Senate to pay for its infrastructure deal with funding that would otherwise go to them.

Why it matters: The hospital industry has a lot of sway in Washington, and its opposition could further complicate the deal's narrow pathway to passage. 

State of play: The White House last week released a blueprint for the bipartisan infrastructure plan. Its potential revenue-raisers included "unused relief funds" from last year's coronavirus aid legislation along with an extension Medicare payment cuts.

• Hospitals are lobbying for all providers to have more time to spend the relief money — the opposite of using it for something else.