Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Policies Put On Hold; Judge Says Government Overstepped
The Washington Post: Federal Judge Block RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Policy Overhaul For Now
A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from implementing sweeping changes to the nation’s childhood immunization schedule, siding with major medical organizations that argue Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unlawfully altered vaccine policy and improperly reconstituted a federal vaccine advisory panel. Under Kennedy, the federal government has cut the number of shots routinely recommended to children, including for flu, hepatitis A, rotavirus and meningococcal disease. (Sun and Roubein, 3/16)
The Boston Globe: Massachusetts Health Officials Hail Vaccine Ruling
Massachusetts health officials hailed a ruling Monday by a federal federal judge blocking the Trump administration from implementing sweeping changes to the nation’s childhood immunization schedule. “The judge’s decision includes language and analysis that makes it really clear that it’s a win for public health, that it’s a win for science-based vaccine policy,” said Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, one of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs. (Laughlin, 3/16)
More news on the Trump administration —
The Guardian: Trump Chief Of Staff Susie Wiles Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but plans to continue working while undergoing treatment. The 68-year-old revealed on Monday that the illness had been detected in the past week. Both she and Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone, saying doctors expect a strong recovery. (Smith, 3/16)
Stat: NIH Grant Funding Slowdown Stalls New Awards And Training Grants
The last time Jay Bhattacharya testified before Congress, in early February, the biomedical research community watched optimistically as the National Institutes of Health director downplayed the impact of last fall’s government shutdown on the pace of grant funding. Coming on the heels of lawmakers passing an appropriations bill that pushed back on the most drastic changes to the agency proposed by the Trump administration, scientists were hopeful that 2026 would treat them better than 2025. (Oza, 3/17)
The New York Times: No H.I.V. Aid Without More Access To Minerals: U.S. Ponders ‘Sticks’ Against Zambia
The State Department is considering withholding lifesaving assistance to people with H.I.V. in Zambia as a negotiating tactic to force the government of the southern African country to sign a deal giving the United States more access to its critical minerals. “We will only secure our priorities by demonstrating willingness to publicly take support away from Zambia on a massive scale,” a draft of a memo prepared for Secretary of State Marco Rubio by the department’s Africa Bureau staff says. A copy of the memo was obtained by The New York Times. (Nolen, 3/16)
KFF Health News: Birth Control Skepticism, Teen Fertility Education Center Stage At Trump's Women's Health Summit
Surrounded by hot pink lights and cherry blossom pink drapes on a ballroom stage, family doctor Marguerite Duane offered a seemingly simple solution to infertility: Doctors should have conversations with young girls about whether they want to have children one day. “I have these conversations with children starting at 8, 10, 12 years old: What do you want to be when you grow up?” Duane said. If you’re a child who wants to be a doctor, for instance, “there are things you need to put in place. If you hope to have children one day, there are things that you need to consider and have the conversation early.” (Seitz, 3/16)
Health news from Capitol Hill —
Roll Call: Trump Lets Slip Rep. Dunn’s Medical Diagnosis
Republican Rep. Neal Dunn was diagnosed with a “terminal” heart illness, President Donald Trump said Monday, adding that doctors initially predicted the North Florida lawmaker would “be dead by June.” “OK, that wasn’t public,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in an awkward moment. Trump patted him on the back. Johnson said Dunn has “a new lease on life” after seeing White House doctors. Trump added that his doctors went to see Dunn and he was “on the operating table like two hours later. … They gave him more stents and more everything that you can have.” (Yurk, 3/16)
Stat: Senator: Asthma Patients Suffered As GSK Pursued 'Egregious' Price Hikes
After GSK replaced a popular asthma inhaler with an identical product at a much higher price in order to avoid paying Medicaid rebates, many families reported substantial financial and treatment problems, according to a new report from a U.S. senator. (Silverman, 3/16)
NPR: Dems Call For Full Funding Of Reproductive Health Clinics After HHS Stalled
A group of 128 Democratic members of Congress are calling on the federal government to prevent a funding shortfall for reproductive health clinics in two weeks. The letter, first shared with NPR, was drafted by the House Democratic Women's Caucus and Reproductive Freedom Caucus and sent to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday. "We call on HHS to immediately award a one-year full funding extension to all current Title X grantees as the funding process cannot be effectively executed before their funding runs out on March 31," the letter says. (Simmons-Duffin, 3/17)
Stat: Most-Favored Nation Drug Prices Divide Trump, Congress In Health Care Talks
Despite a cool reception from Congress, the White House is looking to intensify its pressure campaign on lawmakers to pass legislation that would codify a “most-favored nation” drug pricing policy, according to two Trump administration officials briefed on the conversations. (Payne, 3/17)
