Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Layoffs Formally Resume At HHS As Agency Undergoes Restructuring
Bloomberg: HHS Formally Lays Off Employees Following Supreme Court Ruling
The US Department of Health and Human Services officially laid off employees on Monday, following an order from the Supreme Court on July 8 that allowed its restructuring plans to proceed, according to emails viewed by Bloomberg. Many employees who were supposed to be released during the agency’s first round of 10,000 layoffs in April have been in limbo as the effort made its way through the court system and was paused by federal judges. The reorganization, in addition to cutting staff, was supposed to consolidate the department’s 28 divisions into 15 and cut regional offices from 10 to five. (Cohrs Zhang and Phengsitthy, 7/14)
Bloomberg: US Immigration Crackdown Raises Concerns Over Child ‘Wellness Checks’
A group of armed federal agents greeted a family in Spokane, Washington, when they opened their front door to run an errand. ... That April visit was part of a nationwide push by the Trump administration to conduct “wellness checks” on children who migrated to the US without their parents or guardians and were subsequently placed with US-based sponsors. ... But advocates representing many of these children say the unprecedented checks intimidate rather than protect vulnerable kids. (Akinnibi and Adams-Heard, 7/14)
Federal funding and program cuts —
ABC News: Supreme Court Allows Trump To Continue Effort To Gut Education Department
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted an injunction against the Trump administration's efforts to gut the Department of Education. ... The Supreme Court's majority didn't explain its decision. The three liberal justices opposed the order, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing in dissent. ... "Lifting the District Court's injunction will unleash untold harm, delaying or denying educational opportunities and leaving students to suffer from discrimination, sexual assault, and other civil rights violations without the federal resources Congress intended," Sotomayor wrote. (Hutzler and Jones II, 7/14)
The Hill: John Thune Faces Showdown With Republicans On Trump-Backed Funding Cuts
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is headed for a showdown this week with a group of Republican senators over a House-passed package that claws back $9.4 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and global public health programs. Members of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, including Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), are not keen on cutting programs they have already funded through bipartisan appropriations bills. (Suter, 7/14)
The Texas Tribune: Federal Cuts To Hit Texas School Mental Health Programs
As Texas schools face at least $600 million in federal funding cuts, multiple mental health programs, particularly those implemented in response to the pandemic and mass shootings, are at risk of losing funding. (Simpson, 7/14)
RFK Jr. and MAHA —
Bloomberg: RFK Jr. Vows To Halt ‘Attack’ On Fats In Whole Milk And Cheese
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other top public health officials said Monday that saturated fats, long blamed for increased risk of heart disease, have been unfairly demonized by the medical community, indicating a pivot on government health guidelines is taking shape. “There’s a tremendous amount of emerging science that talks about the need for more protein in our diets, more fats in our diets,” Kennedy said Monday at a US Department of Agriculture event. (Peterson, 7/14)
CBS News: FDA Approves New Blue Food Dye Derived From Gardenia Fruit
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new blue color additive derived from the fruit of the gardenia, a flowering evergreen. ... Petitioned by the Gardenia Blue Interest Group, the additive is made by refining the compound genipin ... by reacting it with soy protein hydrolysate. Though soy, a potential allergen, is used to make gardenia blue, the group has asked the FDA to exempt it from having to declare it as such. (Moniuszko and Tin, 7/14)
Bloomberg: US Ice Cream Makers Pledge To Remove Artificial Colors By 2028
US ice cream makers are planning to eliminate a number of artificial colors from their products by 2028, representing another milestone for Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his push to remove the additives from the nation’s food. A group of 40 producers, which collectively make more than 90% of the ice cream sold in the US by volume, have pledged to voluntarily remove Red No. 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 by the end of 2027, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. (Peterson, 7/14)
Bloomberg: Welch's Fruit Snacks To Cut Synthetic Dyes Beginning In 2026
Welch’s Fruit Snacks will cut synthetic dyes from its full lineup of products by early 2026, parent company PIM Brands Inc. said, making it the latest American brand to pledge to eliminate the colorants. Welch’s Fruit Snacks will exclusively use colors from natural sources, PIM Brands said Monday. (Kubzansky, 7/14)
Vaccines —
AP: 14 Million Children Were Not Vaccinated In 2024, UN Estimates
More than 14 million children did not receive a single vaccine last year — about the same number as the year before — according to U.N. health officials. Nine countries accounted for more than half of those unprotected children. In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89% of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85% completed the three-dose series, up from 84% in 2023. (7/15)
