Congressional Bills Aim to Tackle Drug and Healthcare Provider Shortages in 2025

The U.S. is facing one of its worst drug shortage crises in decades. As of September 2025, 287 drugs were on the FDA’s official shortage list, with nearly half of them classified as critical-medications needed to treat heart attacks, cancer, seizures, and infections. Hospitals are rationing insulin, antibiotics, and chemotherapy drugs. Doctors are calling patients to explain why their prescriptions can’t be filled. And behind this crisis are two bills introduced in the 119th Congress that could change everything-if they ever get past the gridlock.

What the Drug Shortage Prevention Act Actually Does

The Drug Shortage Prevention Act of 2025 (S.2665) is the most detailed legislative response to the crisis. Introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar on August 1, 2025, it asks one simple thing: Make drug manufacturers tell the FDA when demand spikes. Right now, companies aren’t required to report early signs of supply problems. A factory in India shuts down for maintenance? A raw material shipment gets delayed? A surge in prescriptions hits? By the time the FDA finds out, it’s too late. Hospitals are already out of stock.

S.2665 would change that. Manufacturers would have to notify the FDA within 72 hours of any expected disruption or increased demand for critical drugs. The bill doesn’t say how big the penalty would be for missing the deadline. It doesn’t define exactly which drugs count as “critical.” And it doesn’t promise more money to fix the problem. But it does create a paper trail. That’s the first step toward accountability.

That’s not enough for many experts. The FDA’s Drug Shortage Portal-the main tool doctors and hospitals use to track availability-has been glitchy since the government shutdown began in October. With 800,000 federal workers furloughed, including FDA inspectors and data analysts, the portal hasn’t been updated in weeks. So even if manufacturers report on time, no one’s there to check.

The Other Bill Nobody’s Talking About

While S.2665 focuses on drugs, H.R.1160-officially the Health Care Provider Shortage Minimization Act of 2025-targets a different but equally deadly problem: too few doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 122 million Americans live in areas where there aren’t enough primary care providers. Rural clinics close. Emergency rooms turn away patients. People with chronic illnesses go months without checkups.

Here’s the catch: we don’t know what H.R.1160 actually says. No summary, no committee assignment, no sponsor list beyond the bill number. It’s been sitting in the House since its introduction, invisible to the public and even to most healthcare professionals. A September 2025 survey by the American Medical Association found that 87% of physicians are dealing with drug shortages-but only 12% even knew H.R.1160 existed.

That’s not an accident. In a Congress where partisan battles over phone records and foreign aid dominate headlines, bills that don’t make soundbites get buried. The American Hospital Association reported in October that 98% of hospitals faced at least one critical drug shortage in the third quarter of 2025. Yet, the House leadership hasn’t scheduled a single hearing on either bill.

Why the Government Shutdown Is Killing Progress

The 2025 government shutdown-now in its 44th day-is the longest in U.S. history. It’s not just about paychecks. It’s about broken systems. The FDA can’t inspect foreign drug factories. The CDC can’t track supply chain trends. The Department of Health and Human Services can’t approve new training programs for nurses.

Without FDA staff, S.2665’s notification system can’t be monitored. Without funding, H.R.1160’s workforce initiatives can’t be designed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing S.2665 would cost $45 million a year-tiny compared to the $1.74 trillion deficit, but still too much for a Congress that just cut $7.9 billion from foreign aid and $1.1 billion from public media.

Even the proposed continuing resolution-meant to keep the government running through January 30, 2026-doesn’t mention drug shortages once. Congressman Don Beyer called it “a failure of priorities.” He’s not wrong. While politicians argue over who gets to sue over phone records, real people are dying because their cancer drug isn’t in stock.

What’s Really Causing the Shortages?

It’s not just bad policy. It’s bad business. The Association for Accessible Medicines says 63% of drug shortages come from manufacturing delays. Many of these drugs are made overseas, in countries where quality control is weak and supply chains are fragile. A single power outage in a Chinese chemical plant can knock out the entire U.S. supply of a common antibiotic.

Meanwhile, the American Association of Medical Colleges predicts a shortfall of 124,000 physicians by 2034. Medical schools aren’t graduating enough. Residency slots are capped. Rural doctors retire without replacements. H.R.1160 could fix this-but only if it includes funding for loan forgiveness, expanded training programs, and incentives to work in underserved areas.

Right now, it doesn’t. And without details, it’s just a headline.

What Comes Next?

The clock is ticking. If the shutdown continues past November 30, 2025, the economy will lose $1.5 billion every single day. Congress won’t be able to pass any new bills unless they agree on funding. And even if they do, the 119th Congress ends in January 2027. Both S.2665 and H.R.1160 will die unless they move out of committee by then.

There’s no magic fix. No single law can undo years of underinvestment, outsourcing, and neglect. But S.2665 at least gives us a starting point: transparency. If manufacturers know they’ll be held accountable, they’ll plan better. If hospitals know what’s coming, they can find alternatives. If the public knows the truth, they’ll demand action.

Right now, the system is broken. The bills are sitting. The shortages are getting worse. And unless someone forces Congress to act, this crisis won’t end with legislation-it’ll end with lives lost.