Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC To Rescind $600M In Grants To 4 Blue States; California Takes Worst Hit
The New York Times: Trump Administration To Cut $600 Million In Health Funding From Four States
The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats because it finds the grants “inconsistent with agency priorities,” according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. The programs slated to be cut are in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. They include grants to state and local public health departments as well as to some nongovernmental organizations. A list of the cuts was shared with relevant congressional committees on Monday. (Mandavilli, 2/9)
More news from the Trump administration —
Politico: RFK Jr.’s Followers Plan To Back Trump-Endorsed Candidates
The leader of the political engine behind Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement plans to favor candidates endorsed by President Donald Trump in this year’s elections. MAHA will work with candidates Trump supports to get “the best possible outcome for public health, for the issues that MAHA has been backing over the last year,” said Tony Lyons, president of the political group MAHA Action, at an event held by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington Monday. (Paun, 2/9)
Updates from Capitol Hill —
CIDRAP: Updated PASTEUR Act Reintroduced In Congress To Boost Antibiotic Development
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is taking another shot at legislation that advocates hope could boost antibiotic development efforts. The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act, reintroduced last week by five members of the US House of Representatives, aims to revitalize the antibiotic and antifungal development pipeline by changing how the federal pays for novel antimicrobials. The bill was first introduced in Congress in 2020 and re-submitted in subsequent years but has never received a floor vote. (Dall, 2/9)
CIDRAP: Lawmakers Want Answers On CDC-Funded Hepatitis B Vaccine Trial In Africa
US lawmakers have sent a letter to federal health officials demanding answers on how and why a controversial vaccine trial in West Africa received federal funding. The letter from Democratic members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jim O’Neill asks for all documentation regarding the decision to award a five-year, $1.6 million grant to a team of Danish researchers conducting the study, which aims to assess the overall health impact of the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose in Guinea-Bissau. (Dall, 2/9)
Roll Call: Trump’s Drug Pricing Plan Gets Lukewarm Reception
President Donald Trump’s unconventional plan to lower prescription drug prices is being met with a skeptical eye from Republicans as Congress places a greater focus on drug pricing ahead of the midterm elections. (DeGroot, 2/9)
