Courts, Congress Thwarting Trump’s Cuts On Safety Net Programs, Science
A federal judge suspended the administration's block on federal aid to five Democratic states while their lawsuit winds through the courts. Meanwhile, lawmakers are working together to advance legislation to rescind funding cuts for scientific research. Plus, news outlets unpack health guidance.
AP:
Judge Halts Trump Administration Block On Federal Money For 5 States
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot block federal money for child care subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now. The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three grant programs is having an immediate impact on them and creating “operational chaos.” In court filings and a hearing earlier Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for withholding the money from them. (Mulvihill and Schoenbaum, 1/10)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Steep Science Budget Cuts To Be Turned Back By Congress
Congress is racing to undo thousands of cuts to federal science programs that President Trump called for last year when planning the government’s current budget. If enacted, the president’s bid for an overall cut in scientific funding to $154 billion from $198 billion — a plunge of 22 percent — would have been the largest reduction in federal spending on science since World War II, when Washington and the seekers of nature’s secrets began their partnership. (Broad, 1/10)
The Boston Globe:
Fear Pushes Immigrant Families Into Shadows Of Health Systems
Health providers across Massachusetts are noticing a troubling ripple effect from stepped-up immigration enforcement: Immigrant families are skipping medical appointments, choosing to forgo care, canceling their limited state-provided health insurance, and weighing health risks against fears of detention or deportation. Providers worry the situation will worsen because of a Dec. 29 court decision that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to access personal information Medicaid has on undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for full Medicaid coverage through the state-run plan, called MassHealth, but they are among 247,500 noncitizens in the state who receive a limited version that covers emergency medical care. ICE now can access many of those records. (Rahal and Laughlin, 1/12)
On the food pyramid and MAHA —
Stat:
New Dietary Guidelines Include A Section On Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is having a moment at the Department of Health and Human Services. Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration convened an expert panel to discuss easing access to testosterone replacement therapy, including the prospect of removing the hormone from the list of scheduled, or restricted, substances and taking the black box warning off testosterone products. (Merelli, 1/12)
The New York Times:
Beef Tallow Rises To The Top Of The U.S. Food Pyramid
Beef tallow, a fat that both cardiologists and the federal government told Americans to avoid for nearly half a century, has become an unexpected breakout star in the new federal dietary guidelines. The rendered beef fat has been quietly growing in popularity over the past few years among cooks who like how it crisps fries and doughnuts, beauty influencers who smooth it on their skin and others who favor it for high-fat diets or believe it’s healthier than oil pressed from seeds. (Severson, 1/10)
Politico:
Parents On RFK Jr.’s Advice On Sweets: ‘Completely Unrealistic’
New dietary guidelines from the Trump administration have some big asks of Americans, from prioritizing protein to avoiding highly processed food. The most onerous directive, though, was probably for moms and dads. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins want them to stop giving their kids sugar until they turn 11. That, says Keri Rodrigues, a mother of five boys and the president of the National Parents Union, is “completely unrealistic.” (Paun and Yarrow, 1/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Supplements Are A $70 Billion Industry. RFK Jr. Is Good For Business.
When Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released his MAHA Report in May, a who’s who of the wellness world convened at the White House for the occasion. There was the influential physician Mark Hyman, who co-founded the direct-to-consumer testing company Function Health, recently valued at $2.5 billion. Also in attendance: Alex Clark, the host of the popular Turning Point USA podcast “Culture Apothecary.” Longevity influencer Gary Brecka, who’d recently had Kennedy over to get intravenous drips and use Brecka’s hyperbaric chamber, was present, along with the “medfluencers” Dr. Will Cole and Dr. Paul Saladino. (Ashley O’Brien, 1/10)
