Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Education Department Hands Out Mental Health Grants Worth $208M
The Hill: Donald Trump Awards $208M Mental Health Grants To Schools
The Education Department announced Thursday it is handing out $208 million in grants to the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration and School-Based Mental Health programs. The announcement comes after the department canceled more than 200 grants for mental health funding in schools from the Biden administration era. (Lonas Cochran, 12/11)
Stat: SAMSHA Acting Chief, Art Kleinschmidt, To Leave His Post Friday
Art Kleinschmidt, the official serving as the de facto head of the federal agency overseeing mental health and addiction treatment, is leaving his post on Friday, according to an email reviewed by STAT. (Facher, 12/11)
More health news from the Trump administration —
CNN: FDA Proposes Adding Sunscreen Ingredient Commonly Used In Europe, Asia To List Of Permitted Products
A new proposal from the US Food and Drug administration would allow sunscreens in the United States to include an active ingredient already commonly used in Europe, Australia and parts of Asia. (McPhillips, 12/11)
Stat: Mutual Mistrust: FDA Staff Wary As Høeg Becomes Top Drug Regulator
In 2008, Tracy Beth Høeg, then a resident physician and ultramarathon runner, expressed dismay at vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s denial of climate change. “To stare such abundant scientific evidence in the face and make the blanket statement that you don’t believe it,” Høeg wrote on her blog. “What will the future of the planet be in the hands of someone who bases their decisions on belief rather than scientific evidence?” Seventeen years later, as the top drug regulator in the United States, Høeg faces accusations from staff at the Food and Drug Administration of doing the very same thing. (Lawrence, 12/11)
Roll Call: With Executive Order, Trump Moves To Undo State AI Laws
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday evening that seeks to challenge state laws on artificial intelligence and withhold certain grant funds for states with AI laws the administration dislikes. The effort could be a significant victory for major technology companies but is almost certain to be challenged in court. (Mollenkamp, 12/11)
On global health funding —
Bloomberg: US Health Deal Halted By Kenyan Court On Privacy Concerns
A new US health deal with Kenya was temporarily frozen by a court in the East African nation after a lobby group raised data-privacy concerns, even as President Donald Trump approaches more African countries with similar pacts. The High Court restrained Kenya’s government from sharing any medical, epidemiological or sensitive personal health data, stopping the authorities from implementing the $1.6 billion health cooperation framework signed last week. (Herbling, 12/11)
Politico: Bill Gates Won’t Sugarcoat It: Slashing Global Aid Fueled A Surge Of Death
To this day, Bill Gates remains a relatively mild-mannered, non-political guy. But he’s also not going to ignore reality. For the first time in 25 years, the number of child deaths is on track to rise from the previous year, to the tune of an additional 200,000 deaths, according to the Gates Foundation. And it’s not a coincidence, he says, that it’s coming after the Trump administration and other wealthy countries slashed foreign aid at the beginning of the year. (Burns, 12/12)
