CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz is pressing senators to reject an amendment from Sen. Ted Budd that would remove a one-month delay to a federal ban on most hemp-derived products from a government funding bill. In a Friday letter, Oz said he has "grave concerns" that the change would hurt access to clinically appropriate full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD for seniors and individuals with disabilities who rely on Medicare. The dispute centers on a Trump administration pilot program launched earlier this year that lets certain Medicare providers offer eligible hemp products to eligible beneficiaries. Participating organizations can provide up to $500 in hemp products annually, although Medicare does not reimburse those costs. The administration has highlighted full-spectrum CBD, which includes cannabis plant compounds and trace THC below intoxicating levels, while the program covers hemp-derived products with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by total weight under the 2018 Farm Bill definition. The spending bill would push restrictions on intoxicating hemp products enacted last year to December, while cannabinoids that cannot naturally be produced by the cannabis plant would still lose federal hemp status on November 12. Industry groups say the extra month could help persuade lawmakers that regulation rather than prohibition is the better approach. Budd and 13 co-sponsors say they want a vote as they seek to protect children from illicit products marketed as hemp but containing very high levels of synthetic THC. Oz said the administration shares those public health goals while opposing the amendment.