Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists, ACLU Sue NIH Over 'Ideological Purge' Of Research Grants
AP: Scientists Sue NIH, Saying Politics Cut Their Research Funding
A group of scientists and health groups sued the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, arguing that an “ideological purge” of research funding is illegal and threatens medical cures. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, hundreds of NIH research grants have been abruptly canceled for science that mentions the words diversity, gender and vaccine hesitancy, as well as other politically charged topics. The suit was filed by the American Public Health Association, unions representing scientists and some researchers who were stripped of grants. (4/2)
NBC News: ACLU Sues National Institutes Of Health For ‘Ideological Purge’ Of Research Projects
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the National Institutes of Health has conducted an “ongoing ideological purge of critical research projects” that violates federal law and is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts district court on behalf of four researchers and three unions with members who rely on NIH funding, says that the federal science agency “abruptly cancelled” hundreds of research projects “without scientifically-valid explanation or cause.” (Bush, 4/2)
More on the 'DEI' purge —
NBC News: Transgender Patients And Their Health Providers Fear Worsening Discrimination
Kelly Houske was walking her dogs one morning when she developed stabbing pain in her back that brought her to her knees. Houske, who had survived her first heart attack only a year earlier, was worried she was experiencing a second. When Houske arrived at a local emergency room by ambulance, she hoped for compassionate treatment. Instead, her doctor appeared cold and kept his distance, standing in the doorway without ever entering her room, Houske said. (Szabo, 4/1)
KFF Health News: Trump’s DEI Undoing Undermines Hard-Won Accommodations For Disabled People
For years, White House press conferences included sign language interpreters for the deaf. No longer. Interpreters have been noticeably absent from Trump administration press briefings, advocacy groups say. Gone, too, are the American Sign Language interpretations that used to appear on the White House’s YouTube channel. A White House webpage on accessibility, whitehouse.gov/accessibility, has also ceased working. (Armour, 4/3)
More on funding and research cuts —
CBS News: NIH Is The Largest Funder Of Cancer Research. Here's How The Trump Administration Cuts Could Impact Patients
As the Trump administration makes major cuts to federal health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, cancer patients and doctors are worried about stalls in research and medicine that could affect treatments. The NIH is the world's leading medical research agency and largest funder of cancer research, providing about $8 billion in cancer science funding annually. (Moniuszko, 4/2)
Stat: NYC Just Lost $100 Million In Federal Health Funds. That Has Consequences
If a child in New York City showed up with a fever and a rash that might be measles, it should be simple to have a blood test quickly confirm one way or the other. But $100 million in federal funding was just cut from New York City’s health budget, and that included money for staff and supplies at its public health labs. (Cooney, 4/2)
AP: Amid HHS Layoffs, Data On Drug Use And Mental Health Could Sit Unused
Most teenagers don’t use drugs. There’s data to show that because of a 50-year-old government survey that may now be in jeopardy. The entire 17-member U.S. government team responsible for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health received layoff notices Tuesday, as part of the overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It’s not clear whether there is an alternative plan to analyze the data, which local and state governments use to develop prevention measures and treatment services. (Johnson, 4/2)
Politico: One Takeaway From POLITICO’s Health Care Summit: Trump Has Broken Open America’s Partisan Divide On Health
President Donald Trump’s allies and adversaries battled over the best ways to improve the U.S. health care system at POLITICO’s Health Care Summit on Wednesday, highlighting deep divides over the upheaval the administration has unleashed. The partisans sparred after Trump dismissed thousands of health agency employees, launched a massive restructuring of the nation’s health agencies, and proposed stripping billions from university research budgets. (Hooper and Paun, 4/2)
