CDC In Leadership Limbo As Trump Misses Deadline To Nominate Director
Jay Bhattacharya will continue to lead the agency while the administration searches for a permanent director. About six contenders are still under consideration, The Washington Post reports. Also, a month after Casey Means’ confirmation hearings, she still has not secured the surgeon general post.
The Washington Post:
White House Holds Off On CDC Pick As Search For Permanent Chief Continues
The White House has delayed nominating a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is continuing a search, according to officials, as the Trump administration navigates mounting political and operational risks that have already complicated other high-profile health appointments. The responsibilities of leading the agency will remain with Jay Bhattacharya, the head of the National Institutes of Health, who has been serving as acting CDC director since last month. However, because of rules around temporary positions, he will no longer officially hold the title of acting director because his position as acting director expires at the end of Wednesday. (Sun, Roubein and Diamond, 3/25)
KFF Health News:
CDC’s Acting Chief Promises A Return To Stability In A Tumultuous Moment
President Donald Trump will soon nominate a permanent director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its acting chief, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, told agency employees at a Wednesday staff meeting. According to a recording obtained by KFF Health News, Bhattacharya at one point suggested to CDC staff that Trump could name a new leader for the agency as soon as Thursday. “But if not, I don’t think much will change,” he said. (Gounder, 3/25)
AP:
Shot-Up Windows Still In Place At CDC Headquarters
The federal government has not yet replaced the bullet-pocked windows that serve as a grim reminder of an attack at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than seven months ago, the agency’s acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. CDC employees asked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about the broken windows during a staff meeting, noting that the panes were papered over. (Stobbe, 3/25)
More health news about the Trump administration —
Los Angeles Times:
Means' Surgeon General Nomination Is Stalled As Senators Question Her Experience And Vaccine Stance
Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for the role. The nomination has languished despite ongoing efforts from the White House and Make America Healthy Again activists, revealing how intractable rifts over health policy can be even when Congress has shown deference to President Trump. It’s become the latest snag in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda after two legal setbacks last week. (Swenson, 3/25)
AP:
Trump Administration Gives San Jose State 10 Days To Change Transgender Athlete Policy
The Trump administration gave San Jose State University 10 days to resolve what the U.S. Education Department has deemed are Title IX violations involving transgender athletes, saying the school will face legal action and the possible loss of federal funding if it fails to comply. The department in January found that the university had discriminated against women by letting a transgender athlete play on the women’s volleyball team. The department issued its ultimatum in a Tuesday letter. (3/25)
AP:
Indian Health Service Chips Away At Construction Backlog
An empty lot between a fire station and a soccer field just outside Albuquerque soon will be the home of a federal medical center first promised to Native American patients more than 30 years ago. Earlier this month, Santa Ana Pueblo Gov. Myron Armijo took officials from the U.S. Indian Health Service and the Department of Health and Human Services on a tour of the location where patients are to receive everything from dialysis and diabetes care to optometry services. (Peters, 3/26)
The New York Times:
Army Raises Enlistment Age Limit To 42 And Eases Marijuana Rules
The United States Army has officially raised its enlistment age limit to 42 from 35 and eased restrictions for people with marijuana convictions, a move that comes years after a period in which it struggled to meet its recruitment goals and as the country is engaged in a war with Iran. (Wolfe, 3/25)
The New York Times:
Cuban Patients Are Dying Because Of U.S. Blockade, Doctors Say
Cuban health care was once the pride of the island. Now the U.S. oil blockade is upending even basic medical care. (Augustin and Nicas, 3/26)
The New York Times:
How U.S.A.I.D. Birth Control Meant For Africa Was Ruined
Millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives that have been stranded in Belgium since the Trump administration dismantled American foreign aid are no longer usable, according to a newly obtained memo written for a Trump administration official. About $9.7 million of contraceptives purchased by the United States Agency for International Development and originally destined for low-income nations in Africa got stuck in Belgium after the Trump administration shut down the agency last year. (Smialek and Nolen, 3/26)
From Capitol Hill —
CBS News:
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat Accused Of Stealing FEMA Funds, Set To Face Rare Ethics 'Trial'
The House Ethics Committee on Thursday will hold a rare public "trial" for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who is accused of stealing $5 million in federal pandemic funds and using some of the money to boost her congressional campaign. (Yilek, 3/26)
