October 2025—Washington Update is a monthly publication by RSNA Government Relations, intended to deliver updates regarding current federal policy developments and to highlight RSNA’s initiatives to advance the Society’s policy objectives. All material featured in this newsletter reflects the most current information available at the time of release.

RSNA in Action

RSNA Meets with Special AI Advisor at the FDA

Members of the RSNA Government Relations Technology and Practice Subcommittee met with Rick Abramson, MD, a senior consultant to U.S. FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, MD, MPH. The conversation explored key policy areas of mutual interest between RSNA and the FDA, namely the need for effective AI governance models that promote trust and transparency, and the importance of monitoring AI-enabled medical devices after they are deployed in health care settings. RSNA looks forward to collaborating with Dr. Abramson and the FDA on AI policy issues.

RSNA Warns Regulators: Global Supply Disruptions to Medical Devices Threaten Patient Care

RSNA submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding its Section 232 investigation into imports of medical equipment and supplies. In its letter, RSNA emphasized radiology’s reliance on advanced technologies like CT and MRI to deliver accurate diagnoses and improve patient outcomes. RSNA urged regulators to consider the global nature of medical device manufacturing and warned that supply chain disruptions could negatively impact patient care. Read the letter.

Coalition Urges Congress to Finalize 2026 Funding for NIH

The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Coalition, of which RSNA is a member, sent a letter to leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor-HHS spending bill with at least $47.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The letter emphasizes NIH’s essential role in advancing medical breakthroughs, supporting researchers and strengthening national health. Read it in full.

RSNA Attends The Hill’s Health Next Summit

RSNA staff participated in The Hill’s Health Next Summit to gain insights from top policymakers, health care innovators and industry experts about the future of AI and health technology. The event offered a valuable perspective on how new medical technologies can be used to support patient care. Summit participants noted radiology’s leading role in implementing AI in health care and discussed the need to expand the use of AI across medicine.

Policy Update

Congressional Conversations: Lawmakers Focus on Safeguards for AI Development

Congress continued its AI policy blitz following the release of the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan in late July. Although much of the conversation surrounding AI policy has centered on the need to regulate chatbots, especially those used for mental health applications, lawmakers from both parties have expressed interest in developing policy for AI applications in medicine.

Earlier this month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on AI's Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children, and Families. During the hearing, lawmakers highlighted the need to use high-quality, representative data to train AI systems. Senators also emphasized the need for physicians to play a role in supervising AI applications in clinical settings and explored the issue of liability when AI is used in patient care.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) affirmed their interest in AI liability policy by introducing the Aligning Incentives for Leadership, Excellence, and Advancement in Development Act (S. 2937), which would allow individuals to sue the developer of AI tools for any harm that their products may cause. Although this bill does not specifically call out health care technology, it demonstrates the ongoing congressional interest in developing policies to protect individuals from harm related to the use of AI.

RSNA Government Relations will continue to monitor policy developments regarding AI applications in medicine.

Immigration Insights: Recent Policy Changes and Impacts for the Health Care Enterprise

Over the past several months, the Trump Administration has announced several policy changes to the immigration process for skilled workers, including International Medical Graduates (IMGs) coming to the United States for additional medical training. Thousands of IMGs come to the United States each year on J-1 and H-1B visas to complete their medical residency. IMGs are essential to the U.S. medical workforce, filling approximately 30% of all residency positions across all specialties and accounting for approximately 10% of radiology residency spots, according to data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

In August, the Trump Administration issued a Notice of Public Rulemaking (NPRM) to change admission for skilled workers on an F, J, or I visa. Under the current system, IMGs can stay in the U.S. under the duration of status (D/S) classification, which allows trainees to remain in the country for the duration of their training program without needing to complete additional documentation. The NPRM proposes to eliminate the D/S classification and require a fixed maximum 4-year stay for individuals on an F, J, or I visa. IMGs who rely on these visas for their training would need to apply for an extension of stay, causing a potentially harmful disruption to their education.

Adding to concerns among medical education and research organizations, President Trump issued a proclamation that significantly increased the fee employers must pay to obtain an H-1B visa for employees. This proclamation went into effect immediately, generating concern over the impact this could have on existing health care workforce shortages. The proclamation does provide fee exemptions to classes of workers identified as serving in the national interest, although it remains unclear if IMGs qualify for this status.

RSNA Government Relations will continue tracking updates related to U.S. immigration policy and its impacts on the medical workforce as we expand our efforts in this domain.

In The News

Radiology Business: Radiology groups endorse bipartisan bill to boost specialist counts in rural areas

In July, Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC) and Representative John Joyce (R-PA) introduced the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act to help medical students pay off their debt while bringing more specialty physicians to rural areas. The bill would reauthorize up to $250,000 in student loan repayment over six years for physicians and other advanced-practice providers in exchange for requiring providers to practice in rural areas.

Healthcare Dive: HHS says it can still fire workers despite judge’s order pausing shutdown layoffs

Nearly 100 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were fired due to the government shutdown. These firings come after a judge ruled on Oct. 15 that the Administration must pause all layoffs of federal workers during the government shutdown.

Becker’s Hospital Review: Healthcare disruptions mount as shutdown enters day 20

The government shutdown persists as Democrats negotiate with Republicans to get them to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits in a continuing resolution, which when passed, would reopen the government. The shutdown is worsening existing strains on the medical ecosystem by interfering with the disbursements of federal research funds and disrupting disease surveillance and vaccine distribution.

Stat News: Doctor groups need to ‘step up to the plate’ as CDC guidance becomes harder to trust, former leaders say

Leaders in the biomedical advocacy community are calling on medical societies and physicians' groups to initiate more immediate response and issue their own guidelines in response to the changing medical guidelines from the Trump Administration.

Contact RSNA Government Relations with questions or feedback.

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