Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Needs More Authority And Funds From Congress To Curb Obesity Trend
Stat: FDA’s Califf: To Rein In Food Industry, Congress Must Invest More In The Agency
Senators on both sides of the aisle blasted the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday for not doing enough to prevent a surge in obesity and diabetes in the United States. The agency’s commissioner, Robert Califf, turned the blame back around, arguing that if Congress wants the FDA to issue tighter regulations on the food and beverage industry, it should give the agency more money and authority. (Lawrence, 12/5)
Stat: FDA Regulation Of Lab-Developed Tests Threatened By Politics, Lawsuits
The Food and Drug Administration has always believed it has the power to regulate tests made in labs. But it was only under President Biden that it began exercising that authority, releasing a policy in April telling labs they have four years to comply with regulatory requirements. (Lawrence, 12/6)
On RFK Jr. and other Trump Cabinet picks —
CBS News: Sanders Says RFK Jr. "Exactly Correct" On Food Issues, Has Not Decided On Trump Pick For HHS Secretary
Sen. Bernie Sanders praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s message on food issues Thursday, and said he had not made up his mind on whether he would oppose President-elect Donald Trump's pick of Kennedy to head the nation's health agencies. In an interview with CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand, the independent Vermont senator said that he feared some of Kennedy's views on health issues are "extremely dangerous," criticizing Kennedy's call to pull fluoride out of U.S. water supply systems and his "very wrong" views on vaccines. (Tin, 12/5)
Anchorage Daily News: Health Care Group Targets Alaska Sen. Murkowski In Effort To Block RFK Jr. From Becoming U.S. Health Secretary
A national health care advocacy group has started campaigning in Alaska to urge U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from leading the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Politico reported last month that Protect Our Care — a left-leaning health care group — was planning to target moderate Republican senators to vote against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the key health care post. The group kicked off its Alaska campaign last week. (Maguire, 12/6)
Roll Call: How Backlash To The Pandemic Helped Shape Trump’s Health Picks
If there’s a theme among President-elect Donald Trump’s health Cabinet picks, it’s this: The vast majority were critics of how the Biden administration handled COVID-19. The pandemic upended Americans’ perspective on public health and health care delivery, both throughout the United States and among Republican lawmakers. Policy experts say that change is evident in Trump’s selections to lead major U.S. health agencies. (Cohen, 12/5)
Stat: RFK Jr.'s MAHA Coalition Is Already Showing Some Cracks
What began as an unlikely, diverse alliance — “Make America Healthy Again,” inclusive of everyone from ex-Bernie supporters to vaccine-critical mothers and Joe Rogan listeners — is showing some cracks. As President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team stack the next administration with officials from different backgrounds, some in MAHA are dissatisfied with his choices to lead health-related agencies. (Cueto, 12/6)
KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: A Colorful Cast Could Lead Key Health Agencies
President-elect Donald Trump has made his choices to fill some top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. They include controversial figures who were vocal critics of the Biden administration’s handling of the covid pandemic and have proposed sweeping changes to the agencies they would lead. (Rovner, 12/5)
On 'Havana Syndrome' —
CBS News: Foreign Adversary Was Likely Behind Havana Syndrome, House Intelligence Leaders Say
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said in an unclassified report released Thursday that it "appears increasingly likely that a foreign adversary is behind some" cases of what officials refer to as "anomalous health incidents" – mysterious illnesses suffered by U.S. national security officials. The House Intelligence Committee concluded in the report that an intelligence community assessment from 2023 of anomalous health incidents (AHI), commonly called Havana Syndrome, "lacked analytic integrity and was highly irregular in its formulation." (Pelley, Chasan, Zill de Granados, Rey, Gordon and Woods, 12/5)
