Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Criticism Swells Over Detainees' Medical Care, ICE Scales Back Its Death Reports: Memo
The Washington Post: ICE To Stop Reporting Deaths Of Newly Released Detainees, Internal Memo Says
As the number of immigrants dying in government custody rises, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is shrinking the scope of which deaths it will be required to report. In a memo sent to agency employees Thursday and reviewed by The Washington Post, acting director David Venturella said ICE is eliminating its requirement to report deaths that occur within 30 days of people being released from its custody. (MacMillan, 6/4)
The Washington Post: Whistleblower Claims DOGE Planned To Mark 2.7 Million People Dead
The Trump administration had plans to classify 2.7 million living people — including some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents — as dead as part of its immigration enforcement efforts, according to a former senior Social Security executive. The previously unreported plan, which the Social Security Administration said was not carried out, would have used one of the government’s most consequential identity databases to effectively erase people from the financial system, potentially cutting them off from wages, banking, government benefits and other services. (Kornfield, 6/5)
In military health news —
Military Times: Pentagon Balks At Court Order Allowing HIV-Positive Persons To Serve
The Department of Defense has filed a motion to block a June 2 court order that required it to allow recruits with asymptomatic HIV to enlist or commission into the U.S. military. Attorneys for the Pentagon filed a motion Wednesday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to reconsider its Tuesday decision in the case, Wilkins v. Hegseth, which lifted a stay on prohibiting HIV-positive people whose infections are controlled by medication and who otherwise qualify from serving while the case continues. (Kime, 6/4)
Military Times: Draft Defense Bill Would Halt Cuts, Closures Of Military Health Facilities
House lawmakers want to stop any reductions in service or closures of military hospitals or clinics by the Department of Defense, according to draft legislation under consideration this week in the Armed Services Committee. The panel’s personnel subcommittee has proposed limiting the DoD’s plans to restructure the military health system and called for reversing any changes the department has made to 41 military treatment facilities. (Kime, 6/3)
On RFK Jr. and vaccine policy —
The Hill: Sen. Cassidy Blames RFK For Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) directly blamed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a resurgence in vaccine-preventable illnesses Thursday. On the social media platform X, Cassidy shared a New York Times article reporting on hospitals seeing a resurgence in vaccine-preventable illnesses, with doctors telling the outlet they’re frequently seeing illnesses they used to rarely encounter. “A terrible outcome from RFK and others promoting vaccine skepticism,” wrote Cassidy. (Choi, 6/4)
More health news from the Trump administration —
The Hill: Trump Cuts Funding To Hawaii's Medicaid Fraud Unit
The Trump administration is cutting off $3 million in federal funding to Hawaii’s Medicaid fraud control program after it failed to bring a single indictment or conviction over the past four years. In a letter sent to Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General March Bell said his agency would not recertify the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), a body that investigates and prosecutes fraud by healthcare providers. Without a certified fraud control unit, the state’s Medicaid funding could be at risk. (Weixel, 6/4)
MedPage Today: New Change To PEPFAR Will Slash CDC's Presence Abroad
A major change to how the popular President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program operates took effect on June 1, which experts warn will result in a massive decline in the U.S.'s public health presence abroad. Historically, the U.S. State Department brokered Congress-appropriated dollars for PEPFAR programs and CDC would receive approximately $2 billion in PEPFAR funds annually for the agency's programs around the world. (Robertson, 6/4)
Stat: Drug Companies, Patient Groups Urge FDA To Pause Commissioner’s Voucher Program
Leaders at the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday listened to criticisms and recommendations for how to move forward with a speedy drug review program put in place by former FDA commissioner Marty Makary. The listening session, held on the FDA’s White Oak Campus, featured 17 speakers representing patient groups, drug companies, and academic organizations. Some had positive feedback, particularly those whose drugs have already been approved through the program. But most asked the agency to pause the program, and then bring it back through normal regulatory procedures that require public feedback. (Lawrence, 6/4)
The Hill: Senate Democrats Question Tobacco Firms On Lobbying In Wake Of New FDA Vaping Policy
A group of six Democratic senators sent letters to two tobacco companies on Thursday, asking for details on their dealings with the Trump administration in the wake of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) easing vaping restrictions. Last month, the FDA granted marketing authorization to four flavored vaping products and issued new guidance allowing unauthorized products to stay on the market. Previously, any electronic cigarette products on the market without official authorization were illegal. (Rego, 6/4)
Stat: Tiny HHS Office Tasked With Protecting Research Participants’ Safety Is Running On Fumes
Departures and budget cuts left Office of Human Research Protections with 10 staffers to oversee 13,000 institutions. (Molteni, 6/5)
