Government Shutdown Continues Through Fourth Week

As major parts of the U.S. Government remain closed going through week four, NAAOP continues its advocacy on tariffs, funding of O&P research and service programs, and opposition to competitive bidding of off-the-shelf (OTS) orthotics.

Commerce Department Investigation on Medical Devices: Annika Berlin, NAAOP’s 2025 George and Dena Breece Fellow, dove into the O&P tariffs issue this past summer and produced a detailed analysis of how tariffs impact orthotics and prosthetics. This analysis included an explanation of how the so-called “Nairobi Protocol” is used to secure duty-free treatment of certain imported O&P components that assist people with disabilities and how manufacturers can obtain approval for duty-free O&P components manufactured outside the U.S. This formed the basis of the O&P Alliance-issued joint paper on this topic. This enabled NAAOP to work with its O&P Alliance partners to submit comments in mid-October on a Notice published by the Commerce Department announcing an investigation into medical device imports and their impact on national security. The O&P Alliance comment letter highlighted the importance of maintaining patient access to O&P care, the heavy reliance on American O&P manufacturing within the global supply chain, and the importance of maintaining the Nairobi Protocol to facilitate duty-free access to certain O&P imports.

Government Shutdown: As the government enters its fourth week of a partial shutdown, both parties are finally starting to discuss how to break the impasse. The U.S. Senate voted 11 separate times over three weeks on the same bill to extend temporary government funding through a so-called “Continuing Resolution” or “CR,” but failed to pass the bill each time. All government employees have been furloughed without pay except those deemed to be “essential” workers. The good news is that Medicare providers and suppliers, including O&P clinics, will continue to have their claims paid during this time period with limited delay. But major federal programs important to the O&P community are at risk. For instance, O&P outcomes research funding through the Department of Defense may have been diverted to pay the U.S. military due to the shutdown of the government. It is not clear whether those funds were, in fact, impacted, nor is it clear whether they will be restored once an appropriations bill finally passes and the government reopens. NAAOP will continue to closely monitor and report as this situation develops.

George Breece Retirement: NAAOP’s Founding Executive Director, George W. Breece, announced in September that he will soon be retiring after 38 years at the helm of NAAOP. The NAAOP board wishes George well in his next chapter and sincerely thanks him for his decades of service to O&P patients and the providers who serve them. While George cannot be replaced, NAAOP is planning for its next chapter as well and will have announcements in the near future. Until then, NAAOP thanks its members and friends for the long-standing support we have received over the past 38 years and looks forward to our next phase, together.