Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Pushes For More Covid Testing
AP: FDA Updates COVID-19 Test Policies
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking several important actions to support ongoing nationwide COVID-19 testing efforts. These actions are aimed at further increasing access to accurate and reliable COVID-19 tests, particularly diagnostic tests that can be performed at home or in places like doctor's offices, hospitals, urgent care centers and emergency rooms without having to be sent to a central lab for testing. (11/15)
New York Daily News: Dr. Fauci Says He Won’t Step Down Until COVID Is in ‘Rearview Mirror’
He’s not going anywhere. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert who has provided reassurance to many Americans during the pandemic, says he won’t quit until the country gets past COVID-19. (Shahrigian, 11/15)
CBS News: Moderna Offers NIH Co-Ownership Of COVID Vaccine Patent Amid Dispute With Government
The National Institutes of Health said Monday it has engaged Moderna in "good faith discussions" to resolve a monthslong dispute over the company's patent application that advocates say could impact global production of the shots. Moderna is offering to share ownership of its COVID-19 vaccine patent with the U.S. government to resolve the dispute, the vaccine maker said, and would allow the Biden administration to "license the patents as they see fit." (Tin, 11/15)
In other administration news —
The New York Times: Biden Signs $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Into Law
The bill Mr. Biden signed will not address the nation’s entire backlog of needed infrastructure investments, and it is not as ambitious as Mr. Biden’s initial $2.3 trillion proposal. The compromises that were necessary to win over a large group of Senate Republicans pared back the president’s ambitions for investing in “human infrastructure” like home health care and fortifying the nation’s physical infrastructure to fight and adapt to climate change. Still, administration officials and a wide range of outside economists and business groups largely agree that the package is the most important step in a generation toward upgrading critical infrastructure — and that it could soon begin to pay dividends for a wide range of businesses and people, from electric vehicle manufacturers to rural web surfers. (Tankersley, 11/15)
The Washington Post: Biden Delays Naming Officials To Oversee Migrant Programs, Child Care Expansion
President Biden has yet to fill the three Senate-confirmed positions at the federal division responsible for a slew of his social-services policies, including expanding child care, establishing universal preschool and housing migrant children at the border, ahead of a congressional deadline that takes effect Tuesday. Biden has not nominated an assistant secretary to oversee the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services with a $62 billion budget. The division manages the nation’s Head Start program for low-income children, welfare and foster care programs, in addition to the embattled refugee office that handles the care of migrant children — one of the biggest challenges of Biden’s presidency so far. The assistant secretary also would oversee tens of billions of dollars in new federal funds from Biden’s social spending package, a massive infusion of cash intended to transform early childhood care and education in America. (Diamond, 11/15)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
The Hill: House Passes Bill To Expand Veterans' Access To COVID-19, Flu Vaccines
The House passed legislation on Monday that would expand access for veterans, their spouses and their caregivers to receive vaccines for both the flu and COVID-19 through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill, passed by voice vote, would build upon a law enacted earlier this year that gave the VA authority to administer coronavirus vaccines to all veterans as well as their spouses and caregivers. That marked a significant expansion from prior rules that limited the VA to administering vaccines to veterans enrolled in its health care system or family caregivers registered in its assistance program. Under the proposal approved on Monday, the VA could provide seasonal flu vaccines alongside the COVID-19 shots through April 29 of next year. (Marcos, 11/15)
On marijuana —
NBC News: South Carolina Republican Introduces Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana At Federal Level
Rep. Nancy Mace, a first-term Republican from South Carolina, introduced a bill Monday to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, which she hopes will garner more GOP support for the legalization movement. "This legislation, I believe, has something good for everyone, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican," Mace told reporters outside the Capitol, where she introduced her States Reform Act. (Gregorian, 11/16)
