DOGE Team Gains Access To Systems at CMS, CDC, Other Health Agencies
Elon Musk and his team — said to be scouring systems for evidence of fraud, waste, and DEI contracts — have now accessed payment and contracting systems across the Department of Health and Human Services. More news is about the fallout from some of the White House's executive orders.
Bloomberg:
Elon Musk’s DOGE Team Mines For Fraud At Medicare And Medicaid Agency CMS
Elon Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency has been on-site at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to mine key systems for examples of what they consider fraud or waste, according to a person familiar with the matter. The DOGE representatives have gained access to payment and contracting systems, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing internal matters. They have also been working to cancel diversity, equity and inclusion-focused contracts at CMS and more broadly across the Department of Health and Human Services, the person said, including with organizations like Deloitte. (Griffin and Muller, 2/5)
The Washington Post:
DOGE Targets U.S. Health Agencies, Gains Access To Payment Systems
Representatives of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency fanned out across several agencies Wednesday, sending representatives to the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and meeting with the Labor Department, seeking access to sensitive data. The moves came on the heels of the DOGE team gaining access to sensitive health payment systems at the Department of Health and Human Services. (Diamond, Kaori Gurley, Sun, Knowles and Davies, 2/5)
In related news —
CBS News:
EPA's Office Of Environmental Justice And External Civil Rights Likely To Close
More employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed Wednesday that their jobs appear in doubt. Senior leadership at the EPA held an all-staff meeting to tell individuals that President Trump's executive order, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which was responsible for the closure of the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, will likely lead to the shuttering of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights as well. (Wholf, 2/5)
AP:
VA Nurses Are In Short Supply. Unions Say Trump's Deferred Resignation Plan Could Make Things Worse
For the federal government’s largest group of employees — nurses caring for military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs — the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer and its looming Thursday deadline come amid longstanding staffing shortages, deemed severe at more than half of all facilities. Unions are discouraging nurses from accepting the offer, and leaders say an exodus would directly and immediately affect the care of its 9.1 million enrolled veterans. (Johnson and Witte, 2/5)
Axios:
Academic Journals Push Back On Trump's Changes To Health Data
The scientific community is showing signs of pushing back against President Trump's blackout and selective changes to federal health websites and datasets. That data has long been considered the gold standard in public health. But the lack of visibility into to what's been altered is raising questions about the integrity of government reports. (Goldman, 2/6)
Also —
AP:
Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order Is Put On Hold By A Second Federal Judge
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a second nationwide pause on President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. to someone in the country illegally, calling citizenship a “most precious right.” U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said no court in the country has endorsed the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment. “This court will not be the first,” she said. (Kunzelman and Catalini, 2/5)
Fierce Healthcare:
AHA Asks Trump To Exempt Medical, Pharma Products From Tariffs
The hospital lobby is petitioning President Donald Trump to grant carve-outs for medical devices and pharmaceutical products to the tariffs his administration has enacted, or may soon enact, on Mexico, Canada and China. In a letter sent Tuesday, the American Hospital Association (AHA) told the president that the country’s hospitals “stand with you” on the tariffs’ stated goals of curbing the entry of fentanyl and other addictive drugs from these countries. (Muoio, 2/5)
