Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
4 Democratic States Sue Over Trump's Plan To Slash $600M In Health Grants
AP: Democratic-Led States Sue Trump Administration Over $600M In Health Cuts
Four Democratic-led states that have become frequent targets of President Donald Trump sued Wednesday to try to block his administration from cutting off hundreds of millions in public health grants. The Department of Health and Human Services told Congress on Monday that it planned to withhold about $600 million in grant funding allocated to the four states: California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. Their attorneys general argue the cuts are backlash for the states’ opposition to Trump’s immigration crackdown. (Schoenbaum, 2/12)
Stat: Dr. Oz Denies That Medicaid Cuts Will Hurt Rural Providers, Patients
The Trump administration is reframing the steep Medicaid cuts in Republicans’ tax bill to pit states with large urban centers against those with large rural populations. (Wilkerson, 2/11)
Politico: RFK Jr. Ally Says GOP Risks Losing His Supporters
Tony Lyons, a top ally of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and principle architect of his Make America Healthy Again coalition, has a message for Republicans ahead of the midterms: Don’t take Kennedy’s followers for granted. In a new memo obtained by POLITICO, Lyons described the Republican Party as “renting MAHA voters” but not fully committed to “purchase.” (Haslett, 2/11)
Stat: Spike In NSF Fellowship Rejections Raises Life Science Bias Concerns
When Kulindu Vithanachchi’s phone lit up with an update from the National Science Foundation about his application for a high-profile early-career fellowship, he couldn’t wait to open the message, hopeful for big news. But not this news. (Wosen, 2/11)
On the immigration crisis —
The Washington Post: Partial Government Shutdown Looms As ICE Negotiations Stall
Large swaths of the Department of Homeland Security are set to shut down Saturday unless lawmakers strike a last-minute deal to fund the agency, with Democrats threatening to oppose any legislation that does not include new restrictions on federal immigration agents. (Meyer and Beggin, 2/12)
The Texas Tribune: Feds Are Sending Pregnant Migrant Girls To Texas Shelter
The Trump administration is sending all pregnant unaccompanied minors apprehended by immigration enforcement to a single group shelter in South Texas. The decision was made over urgent objections from the administration’s own health and child welfare officials, who say both the facility and the region lack the specialized care the girls need. (Betancourt, 2/11)
The New York Times: Woman In ICE Custody For Nearly A Year Suffers Seizure After Falling
A New Jersey woman who was detained by federal immigration agents nearly a year ago suffered a seizure after she fell and hit her head in a Texas detention center, her lawyers and federal officials said on Wednesday. The woman, Leqaa Kordia, who has been held at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, since March 2025, was brought to a hospital last Friday and remained there for 72 hours before being taken back to the detention center, said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, Ms. Kordia’s immigration lawyer. (Cramer, 2/12)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Forced To Share Personal Medicaid Data With Trump Administration, Including ICE
In January, the state’s flagship safety net hospital, Denver Health, distributed a one-page notice about patient privacy that carried ground-shaking implications, especially for Colorado’s immigrant population. The notice stated that due to federal changes within Medicaid, the federal-state program for millions of low-income and disabled Americans, “limited” personal information could be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Birkeland and Daley, 2/11)
The New York Times: Portland Lawsuit Alleges Tear Gas Use By ICE Is A Health Threat
Federal agents have fired so much tear gas near Mindy King’s apartment in Portland, Ore., that she and her 13-year-old son bought gas masks to wear inside. Her neighbor, Diane Moreno, has gone to urgent care, twice, with tightness in her chest, and bloody discharge from her nose. The problem, they say, is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office less than 100 feet away from their homes. For months, ICE agents have sporadically used tear gas against protesters outside the facility. The repeated use of the chemicals, Ms. King and others fear, poses a serious threat to their health. (Tabuchi, 2/11)
Iowa Public Radio: Wide-Ranging Iowa Bill Would Bar WIC Food Assistance For Some Immigrant Mothers And Babies
A bill that would make several changes to public assistance programs advanced through an Iowa House subcommittee Wednesday over the objections of people who said it would result in more babies going hungry. (Sostaric, 2/11)
