Parents, Educators Worry As Oversight Of Special Education Is Moved To HHS
Some education experts called the move illegal and expressed concern that continued federal funding would come with stipulations. Others warned that school districts might seek tax increases to make up for any gaps. Plus: HHS officials are bracing for steep layoffs.
EducationWeek:
Trump Says RFK Jr. Will Oversee Special Education, Child Nutrition
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump said HHS, overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would handle “special needs and all of the nutrition programs and everything else.” The Education Department’s office of special education programs for nearly half a century has overseen the distribution of billions of dollars in annual grants for states and schools to support students with disabilities as well as states’ compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. But school meal programs are managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not the Education Department. (Lieberman, Schultz and Blad, 3/21)
USA Today:
Special Education Experts Worry About Students With Disabilities Post-Education Department
For years, the Education Department has dispersed federal dollars to states to spend on students with disabilities, conducted national research by analyzing state-to-state data and collected and investigated special education-related civil rights complaints. The uncertainty has ignited confusion and worry among education leaders who say states need all the funding they can get for students with disabilities. (Jimenez, 3/22)
Chalkbeat:
A Big Change For Kids With Disabilities Is Underway, Trump Says. Critics Say It’s Against The Law.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, would remain on the books even if the Education Department ceased to exist. But advocates said enforcement of the law is bound up in the infrastructure of the Education Department, as the two evolved together. Multiple laws say the Education Department is responsible for overseeing and funding the education of children with disabilities. (Belsha and Meltzer, 321)
Turmoil at the CDC and NIH —
CBS News:
CDC, NIH And More Health Agencies Brace For Layoffs With DOGE And RFK Jr.'s Restructuring. Here's What We Know
Officials at agencies throughout the Department of Health and Human Services say they are bracing for steep layoffs, as Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his aides are nearing their final decisions on a sweeping restructuring of the department. Decisions by Kennedy and his team on the changes to the department's makeup and organization are expected within a week or two, multiple senior health officials have been told. One official said aides have begun drafting a reorganization announcement. (Tin, 3/21)
The New York Times:
‘Chaos And Confusion’ At The N.I.H., The Crown Jewel Of American Science
Seven senior investigators working in different parts of the National Institutes of Health described rules put in place on orders from the Department of Government Efficiency that risk hampering and undermining American medical science. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared for their jobs for speaking publicly. One said that DOGE had begun a reign of “chaos and confusion.” The scientists warned that it had the potential to seriously weaken the N.I.H. (Kolata, 3/24)
Politico:
Trump Admin Considers Shutting Down Some CDC Expert Panels
The Trump administration is considering killing some panels of outside experts that advise the CDC on key health threats like HIV and avian flu, according to an email seen by POLITICO. The email, sent to CDC leaders Friday, said the Department of Health and Human Services is “recommending termination” of the panels that are not mandated by law. The email said CDC leaders would need to justify keeping the committees by 10 tonight, but a second, follow-up email said that “no response is required at this time.” (Gardner, 3/21)
KFF Health News:
Current, Former CDC Staff Warn Against Slashing Support To Local Public Health Departments
On a sunny weekday in Atlanta, a small crowd of people gathered for a rally outside of a labor union headquarters building. The event, put together by Atlanta-area Democratic U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, was attended mostly by union members and recently fired federal workers, including Ryan Sloane. “I was fired by an anonymous email at 9 p.m. in the middle of a holiday weekend,” he said. (Mador, 3/24)
Bloomberg:
Court Rules To Keep 25,000 Fired Federal Workers In Jobs For Now
The Trump administration must continue to comply with a Maryland judge’s order to temporarily reinstate almost 25,000 fired employees at 18 US agencies for at least another week, a federal appeals court held. The Friday order by the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals represents the latest setback for the administration in its push to remove federal workers with what’s known as probationary status who started serving in their current roles within the last one or two years, depending on the type of position. (Tillman, 3/21)
Also —
The New York Times:
Trump And DOGE Propel V.A. Mental Health System Into Turmoil
Late in February, as the Trump administration ramped up its quest to transform the federal government, a psychiatrist who treats veterans was directed to her new workstation — and was incredulous. She was required, under a new return-to-office policy, to conduct virtual psychotherapy with her patients from one of 13 cubicles in a large open office space, the kind of setup used for call centers. Other staff might overhear the sessions, or appear on the patient’s screen as they passed on their way to the bathroom and break room. (Barry, Nehamas and Caryn Rabin, 3/22)
Politico:
Global AIDS Program Teetering After Trump Admin’s Shock-And-Awe
America’s most celebrated global health program is on life support, former U.S. government officials and global health advocates say. President Donald Trump’s decision to suddenly halt and then terminate most U.S. foreign aid, and GOP concerns that organizations receiving government grants to combat HIV and AIDS were performing abortions, have key congressional Republicans broaching what was once unthinkable: ending PEPFAR, the program President George W. Bush created to combat HIV and AIDS in the developing world. Bush has long championed it and the 25 million lives it’s saved as the best example of his “compassionate conservatism.” (Paun, 3/23)
