Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios
The Republican electoral trifecta means that top congressional staff will be consumed with a reconciliation package next year that could include major health provisions, along with pushing other policies through committees.
- Some congressional staffers could also be plucked to work in the new administration at HHS or the White House.
Here's whom we're watching, and why:
Dan Ziegler, policy director for House Speaker Mike Johnson
Ziegler joined the speaker's office to run the policy shop a year ago, soon after Johnson assumed the speakership.
- He was previously a principal at Williams and Jensen, where he lobbied on behalf of pharmaceutical and insurer clients, including Amgen, Elevance Health, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and PhRMA.
- Ziegler was also executive director of the Republican Study Committee for four years, including when Johnson was RSC chair.
Drew Keyes, health policy adviser for House Speaker Mike Johnson
Keyes also joined the speaker's office last November. The House's biggest health care accomplishment to date was passing the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.
- He worked as professional policy staff for Johnson when the lawmaker was RSC chair, during which time Keyes helped run the Health Care Task Force portfolio.
- Before coming back to the Hill last year, Keyes worked at Paragon Health Institute as a senior policy analyst, where he wrote analyses on public health agency reform and wrote a takedown of PhRMA.
Dominique Yelinski, policy adviser for Majority Leader Steve Scalise
Yelinski has been working in the majority leader's office since January.
- Before taking that role she was the deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Kevin Hern, who is on the Ways and Means Committee and was the RSC chair this Congress.
- Yelinski also worked for HHS during the first Trump administration as an adviser in the Office of the Secretary.
Nolan Ahern, deputy policy director for Majority Whip Tom Emmer
Ahern has been with Emmer's whip operation since January 2023.
- Before that he served as a professional staff member for both the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce committees, where he worked on health issues.
Grace Graham, chief health counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Graham has been the chief health counsel for Energy and Commerce since 2021 under the leadership of departing Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
- She was formerly the health policy director for the Senate HELP Committee and served in other health roles there.
- Even though Energy and Commerce is due to get a new chair next year, Graham could be kept on to help run the health care portfolio.
Jay Gulshen, senior professional staff member for the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Gulshen has been on the Hill since 2015, where he's worked on health care issues on both the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees.
- Before joining Energy and Commerce this year, he was a health staffer for the Ways and Means health subcommittee. He had been a staffer on Energy and Commerce before that.
- Gulshen could also potentially be kept on, depending on what the new chair wants.
Patrick Dumas, health care staff director for the House Ways and Means Committee
Dumas has been running the health care portfolio of Ways and Means since Rep. Jason Smith became the chair in January 2023.
- Ways and Means' main health accomplishments in the 118th has been assembling the Lower Costs, More Transparency package and getting Medicare telehealth flexibilities approved in committee.
- Dumas previously worked as a health care staffer on the House Budget Committee under Smith as chair.
Braden Murphy and Charles Chapman, senior health policy adviser and professional staff member at the House Budget Committee
Murphy and Chapman work on the health care portfolio at the House Budget Committee under Chair Jodey Arrington.
- Murphy previously worked as a legislative assistant in the office of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
- Arrington has been big on Medicare site-neutral hospital payment reforms and overhauling Medicaid and balancing the budget.
- House Budget could play a crucial role in the next Congress by crafting the resolution that launches reconciliation.
Brian Fahey, legislative director for Rep. Brett Guthrie
Fahey has been the legislative director for Guthrie since 2021, where he's worked on health care as part of his portfolio.
- Before joining Guthrie's office he worked for Rep. John Curtis, who has just been elected as Utah's newest senator, and Sen. Joni Ernst.
- If Guthrie wins the Energy and Commerce chair, Fahey will likely be instrumental in helping to push his policy agenda, including health care.
Emily Hebein, legislative director for Rep. Bob Latta
Hebein has been the legislative director for Latta since 2023 and has been with his office since 2018.
- She helps manage his entire legislative portfolio, including Energy and Commerce issues, which will be crucial if Latta becomes committee chair.
