Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Efficiency A Priority, CDC Launches Influenza And Respiratory Viruses Division
CIDRAP: CDC Merges Its Flu, COVID Divisions To ‘Strengthen Operational Efficiency’
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is merging its Influenza Division with the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Diseases Division to create the Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Division (IRVD). The organizational change has been planned since the Biden administration. The new division is tasked with preventing disease, disability, and death through the control of seasonal epidemics and pandemic respiratory viral diseases. Its mandate includes disease surveillance, providing support and technical assistance to state and local health departments, and improving detection, diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments. (Boden, 9/9)
CIDRAP: BARDA Places First Order For Cefiderocol For Resistant Infections, Biothreats
Japanese drugmaker Shionogi announced last week that the US government has ordered $37 million worth of the antibiotic ceferidocol to support national preparedness. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA’s) Project BioShield exercised the $36.9 million procurement option on the antibiotic as a critical countermeasure against difficult-to-treat gram-negative bacterial infections and pathogens that could pose a biosecurity threat. (Dall, 8/31)
NPR: Head Of Special Education At U.S. Education Dept. Quits
Kelly Rogers told employees Wednesday that she is resigning from her post overseeing special education at the U.S. Education Department as the agency is in the midst of upheaval and downsizing. Rogers, who has been overseeing the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) since May, announced her departure less than a day before much of her staff were scheduled to move to the Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington D.C., according to internal emails reviewed by NPR. She was supposed to continue overseeing those staff from her perch at the Education Department. Now, it is unclear who will serve in the role after she leaves on Sept. 11. (Mehta, 9/9)
The Washington Sun: Trump Wants The Census To Stop Collecting Race And Ethnicity Data
For the first time, the federal government wants to stop collecting race and ethnicity information about Americans as part of the nation’s census, a move that could undercut market research, public policy, scientific study, civil rights enforcement and more. In a proposal published Wednesday, the Census Bureau argued that collecting demographic data doesn’t advance the “fundamental” purpose of the decennial census to dole out seats in the House of Representatives. (Alms, 9/9)
KFF Health News: Rural Americans Wait After Judge Delivers Mixed Ruling On Digital Equity Dollars
A federal judge in July gave digital equity advocates a partial victory against President Donald Trump, stopping his attempt to unilaterally kill a multibillion-dollar grant program Congress created. But U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, in a 35-page opinion, also agreed with the administration that it was unconstitutional for the government to use race or ethnicity as the basis to award money under a program created to expand internet skills and access. (Tribble, 9/10)
CIDRAP: Polls Show Americans Have Lost Confidence In Federal Government, Public Health Leaders
Two new polls, one from the Annenberg Foundation and one from the Associated Press (AP), show that American adults are losing confidence in the federal government in matters of healthcare, and trust in public health figures, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former US public health leader Anthony Fauci, MD, are dropping. In the Annenberg poll, just 38% of Americans said last month they are confident that Kennedy is providing trustworthy information about public health. That proportion is statistically unchanged from both April 2026 (37%) and February 2025 (38%), the Annenberg foundation said. (Soucheray, 9/9)
On federal funding cuts to USAID —
AP: Americares Receives $50M Donation To Boost Access To Medicines In High-Need Areas
A major American aid group is promising to deliver more medicines in high-need areas around the world after receiving its largest ever donation. Americares, a nonprofit that supports thousands of health centers globally, announced a $50 million gift Wednesday from an unidentified Connecticut family. The contribution represents an unusual expansion at a time when the United States’ sudden aid cuts have hamstrung programs ranging from maternal and child health to HIV treatment and prevention. (Pollard, 9/9)
In election news —
Axios: Trump Plans To Send $500 Obamacare Rebates Before Election
The Trump administration plans to send $500 rebate checks to as many as 1 million people who it says were overcharged for their coverage under Obamacare, Axios has learned. The direct-deposit payment would be sent to people in 30 states before the Nov. 3 midterm election, as Trump touts savings from his tax-cut legislation and prescription drug plan. (Caputo, 9/9)
The Washington Post: Rhode Island Governor Loses Democratic Primary Challenge To Former CVS Executive
Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes defeated Gov. Dan McKee, making him the nation’s first governor to lose renomination since 2018. McKee had attacked Foulkes for her past work at CVS, which is based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He accused Foulkes of contributing to the opioid crisis while at the health care giant, an allegation which she denies. Foulkes said that CVS reduced opioid dispersals by 40 percent when she led the pharmacy division, and the company settled related lawsuits in 2022, after Foulkes had left the company, without admitting wrongdoing. (9/10)
The Washington Post: Democrat’s Ad About Tragic Pregnancy Injects Abortion Into Tight Texas Governor’s Race
A personal campaign ad from the Democratic candidate for governor has introduced Texas’ strict antiabortion laws into a competitive race — without ever mentioning the word abortion. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who is running against three-term Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, recently released an ad called “Her Story,” in which she recounts the difficult decision she and her husband made 23 years ago to continue her first pregnancy even after genetic testing revealed a fetal anomaly. (Hennessy-Fiske, 9/10)
Stat: 2026 Midterms: Five Consequential Races For Vaccine Policy
In Iowa, the Republican candidate for governor wants to end all school vaccine requirements. In Florida, the Republican running for governor recently told CBS that he supported his state’s push to remove certain vaccine mandates for schools. And in Texas, the Republican Senate candidate spent the last few years as the state’s attorney general investigating financial interests linked to vaccine recommendations. (Cirruzzo, 9/10)
