HHS
In a reversal, the Trump administration restores funding for women’s health study
The unexpected elimination of funding for the decades-long research project focused on women's health shocked scientists. They were heartened by the quick restoration of support.
House oversight committee demands answers on gutting of CDC public records office
House Rep. Gerry Connolly is pushing CDC leadership to explain why the personnel who handle FOIA requests lost their jobs, noting that that the public has a right to access federal records.
First meeting of CDC vaccine advisers under RFK Jr. is mostly ‘business as usual’
An independent vaccine advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met to discuss and vote on vaccine policy for the first time since the change in administrations.
In the middle of a hepatitis outbreak, U.S. shutters the one CDC lab that could help
All 27 scientists at the CDC's viral hepatitis lab were told their duties were "unnecessary." Ongoing outbreak investigations have now been halted.
As measles spreads, federal budget cuts force closure of vaccine clinics
Federal funding cuts, though temporarily blocked by a judge, have upended vaccination outreach across the country, including in Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Texas, and Washington state.
‘Your RIF notice is not cancelled.’ Inside a chaotic week of massive layoffs at HHS
Health agency staffers describe a week of chaos and continued uncertainty about who still has a job and how the work will get done. To many it's the opposite of 'government efficiency.'
On top of layoffs, HHS ordered to cut 35% of spending on contracts
Federal health agencies have to slash their spending by more than a third, on top of the 10,000-person staffing cuts.
HHS guts the teams that fulfill public records requests for health agencies
Despite promises for 'radical transparency,' HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. laid off many staff on teams that fulfill public records requests at health agencies.
White House withdraws controversial pick to run the CDC
Dr. Dave Weldon, Trump's pick for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was withdrawn from consideration shortly before a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing.
Nominee to run NIH faces Senate scrutiny
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor of health policy, appears before the Senate HELP committee, which will vet his nomination to become the next director of the National Institutes of Health.
Trump’s picks to oversee Medicare and biomedical research will divest stock
Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominated to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will sell shares in Eli Lilly and UnitedHealth. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, NIH nominee, will shed stock in Walmart and Nvidia.
First CDC vaccine meeting under Trump administration is postponed
The panel of vaccine experts were supposed to hold their first meeting under the Trump administration in late February. It's not clear when that meeting will now take place.
Layoffs start at CDC, targeting probationary staff
As many as 1,300 probationary employees at CDC are being let go, at the direction of the Trump administration. The cuts represent around 10% of the agency's workforce.
ICE officers granted access to unaccompanied minors database
Trump administration officials say the move was necessary "to build a culture of child safety and accountability." But advocates say they fear the administration will use it for immigration enforcement.
Judge orders restoration of federal health websites
The pages that are set to be revived include information for patients about HIV testing and HIV prevention medication, guidance on contraceptives and data on adolescent and youth mental health.
Stress and uncertainty at Head Start and clinics as federal health funding system sputters
Many groups that rely on a federal payment portal started experiencing problems accessing funds last week. HHS says "technical issues" are to blame and lag times continue.
