Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Pressures Hospitals To Provide Healthier Food
Axios: Exclusive: Trump Admin Presses Hospitals On Healthier Food
Trump administration health officials today are launching an effort to encourage hospitals to serve inpatient meals that more closely align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Axios has learned. (Bettelheim and Reed, 7/8)
Axios: Trump Plan Could Make Drug Ad Safety Warnings Longer
Those disclaimers in TV drug ads could get longer if the Trump administration makes good on plans to require all safety risks to be disclosed in the ads instead of referring consumers to another source. (Bettelheim, 7/8)
Stat: Trump Administration Pursues More Durable Changes To Science Policy After Setbacks In Court
Thousands of federal civil servants who academic researchers see as partners in conducting their work were fired. An unprecedented number of scientific projects funded by previous administrations were terminated. Universities were pressured to abandon diversity programs and work to curb health disparities. On a Friday evening, the government tried to push through a dramatic change to how it reimburses universities for research overhead. (Oza, 7/8)
On the immigration crisis —
The Washington Post: ICE Officer Fatally Shoots Mexican Man In Houston During Traffic Stop
The incident appears to mark the first deadly shooting by federal immigration officers since Renée Good and Alex Pretti were killed in Minneapolis in January. (Hennessy-Fiske, Nakamura, Hesson and Hernández, 7/7)
Verite News: Months After Immigration Surge, Volunteers Continue Food Deliveries In Latino Communities
When Amy Kussmann, 71, of Slidell, spotted a toddler walking shirtless and barefoot across the grass while she was delivering food on June 25, she exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. “Yes!” she exclaimed. Moments before, she was concerned that his absence meant something was wrong with the boy’s family to whom she was delivering the food — a concern that was heightened after a volunteer ran into the food-delivery staging room of the First United Methodist Church of Slidell earlier that day, shaken by rumors of a recent arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement nearby. (Stewart, 7/7)
Health news from Capitol Hill —
Military.com: 23 Veterans Organizations 'Urge' Congress To Pass 60-Provision Bill Package
As some have scrutinized the comprehensive Take Care of America's Veterans Act and called for sections to be modified or removed altogether, nearly two dozen veterans service organizations are "urging" Congress to move swiftly and enact the legislation as written. U.S. House and Senate lawmakers continue to debate the TCAVA and its more than 60 bill provisions that include the Major Richard Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, caregiver program reforms, Department of Veterans Affairs modernization initiatives and combat-injured veteran expansions. Drafted legislation also includes proposals to strengthen mental health support, improve spinal cord injury care and prosthetic services, expand resources for survivors and families, and advance services for women veterans. (Mordowanec, 7/7)
Politico: Why A Bitter Health Care Fight Is At The Center Of A High-Stakes House Battle
One of the most-watched House races in the country is setting the stage for how Democrats and Republicans will battle over federal health care cuts on the campaign trail. Swing seat GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, facing a tough reelection campaign against a moderate Democratic opponent, is being bombarded by attacks over his vote for President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy package, which cut Medicaid spending by nearly $1 trillion over a decade. (Cordero and Reisman, 7/8)
The Hill: Sen. Susan Collins Opposes Trump's Proposed Grantmaking Changes
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called on the Trump administration to withdraw some proposed changes to the federal grantmaking process, joining a growing chorus of opposition to a sweeping new proposal from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Collins on Monday sent a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought asking the agency to withdraw portions of the rule that she said would potentially harm small and rural communities and add uncertainty to scientific and biomedical research. (Weixel, 7/7)
CNN: Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden And The Growing Epidemic Of Politicians Hiding Health Problems
There was a national reckoning after the 2024 presidential campaign about federal officials — Joe Biden and his White House, specifically — hiding important health information from the public. But the hiding hasn’t stopped. If anything, it appears to be getting worse. (Blake, 7/7)
