Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Key GOP Senator, Who's Also A Doctor, Balks At RFK Jr.'s View Of Vaccines
The Hill: Key Senator Says Trump Pick RFK Jr. ‘Wrong’ On Vaccines
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.), the incoming chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said Sunday that President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary is ‘wrong’ when it comes to vaccinations. Discussing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination on Fox News, Cassidy, a physician, said, “Vaccinations, he’s wrong on, and so I just look forward to having a good dialogue with him on that.” (Choi, Weixel and O'Connell-Domenech, 1/6)
Politico Pro: RFK Jr. Wants To End Chronic Disease. But GOP Lawmakers Are Targeting Chronic Disease Prevention Funding.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to reverse the “chronic disease epidemic.” If he’s confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s health secretary, he’ll have to work with congressional Republicans who’ve targeted the arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that works on it. The potential conflict underscores the ways Trump’s health nominees, and their priorities, are shaking up the policy and budget fault lines in Congress and exposes the rift between conservative priorities and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. (Gardner, 1/6)
On fluoride and RFK Jr. —
Stat: Does Fluoride Lower IQ? Controversy Over Academic Journal Study
A new government study reviewing past research on the safety of fluoride for children found a slight decrease in IQ scores overall as levels of fluoride exposure increase. But the authors acknowledged that many of the papers included in the new analysis had a “high risk of bias,” and they said their work was not designed to address the public health implications of water fluoridation in the U.S. The issue of fluoridation has gained national attention recently because of the rising prominence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, and an outspoken critic of fluoridation. (Oza, 1/6)
On Donald Trump's agenda —
Politico: Trump’s One-Bill Pronouncement Settles Nothing: ‘We Still Need A Plan’
Less than 24 hours after Trump endorsed “one powerful bill” to carry his domestic policy agenda, a dozen senators said in interviews that the legislative path to its enactment remains an open question. It underscores the mounting confusion as Republicans feel pressure to show quick progress on border, energy and tax priorities. The stakes are huge, with the call over whether to move one bill or two having major implications for whether Trump can follow through on his campaign pledges before potentially losing unified GOP control of Washington in two years. (Perano and Carney, 1/7)
