Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Starts To Revoke Passports For Some People Who Owe Child Support
AP: US Will Revoke Passports For Parents Who Owe Child Support, AP Learns
The U.S. State Department will begin revoking the U.S. passports of thousands of parents who owe a significant amount of unpaid child support. The department told The Associated Press on Thursday that the revocations would begin Friday and be focused on those who owe $100,000 or more. That would apply to about 2,700 American passport holders, according to figures supplied to the State Department by the Department of Health and Human Services. (Lee, 5/7)
In other news about passports —
AP: Hold On US Immigration Applications Lifted For Doctors. Others Are Still Waiting
Libyan Dr. Faysal Alghoula must renew his green card to continue caring for roughly 1,000 patients in southwestern Indiana, but hasn’t been able to since the Trump administration stopped reviewing applications for people from several dozen countries it deemed high-risk. Alghoula’s current visa will expire in September if his application is denied. But last week, the administration quietly made an exemption for medical doctors with pending visa or green card applications, possibly allowing Alghoula’s case to move forward. (Riddle and Taxin, 5/8)
On PFAS in drinking water and air pollution —
AP: EPA To Propose Rolling Back Some Biden-Era PFAS Limits In Drinking Water Under Trump Plan
The Trump administration will soon propose softening Biden-era limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water, delaying but keeping tough standards for two common types and rescinding limits on some rarer forms of the substance, according to an EPA official. The proposal will start the formal process of rolling back parts of the first-ever limits on PFAS in drinking water finalized during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Officials at the time found they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight. (Phillis, 5/7)
ProPublica: Trump Let Polluters Sidestep Clean Air Act Rules With Just An Email
In March 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration made a tantalizing offer to coal-fired power plants, chemical manufacturing facilities and other factories: Their operations could be exempted from key provisions under the Clean Air Act, the bedrock environmental law estimated to have prevented thousands of premature deaths. All they had to do was ask. No rigorous application was needed. An email, which they had until the end of the month to send, would suffice. (Olalde, 5/8)
On the federal workforce —
The New York Times: Employees With Medical Conditions Challenge C.D.C. In-Office Requirement
One employee is a survivor of a gastrointestinal cancer who sometimes loses control of her bowels. Another is undergoing breast cancer treatment that leaves her vulnerable to infections. A third has severely limited mobility and excruciating pain. They all work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has told them they must commute to the office each day regardless of their medical conditions. (Mandavilli, 5/7)
The Washington Post: Trump-Appointed Panel Calls For Overhauling Parts Of FEMA
A panel tasked with shaping the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency voted Thursday to approve a report recommending significant overhauls meant to streamline what it called an inefficient and “bloated” agency — changes that received pushback from disaster survivors and environmental advocacy groups. (Wang, Sacks and Dennis, 5/7)
KFF Health News: Listen: A Federal Agency Is After Workers' Health Data, And Critics Are Alarmed
Ten years ago, the Office of Personnel Management suffered one of the biggest government data breaches in history. Now, the agency wants millions of federal workers' medical records. KFF Health News reporter Amanda Seitz explained why health policy experts aren't sure OPM can safeguard the data on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on April 29. (Seitz, 5/8)
On gun violence and public health —
AP: People Could Soon Ship Handguns Through US Postal Service
Handguns could be mailed through the United States Postal Service for the first time in nearly 100 years if a proposed rule under the Trump administration takes effect. Democratic attorneys general in two dozen states sent a letter this week in opposition. In 1927, Congress passed a law barring the USPS from mailing concealable firearms unless they were from licensed dealers in an effort to curb crime. In January, the Department of Justice revisited the 1927 law, calling it unconstitutional and arguing that it violated the Second Amendment, and urged the postal service to change its regulations. (Hill, 5/7)
The New York Times: F.B.I. Says Austin Bar Shooter Was Driven By Personal Grievances Related To Iran War
The F.B.I. said on Thursday that a gunman acted alone when he shot and killed three people and injured 15 others in an Austin bar, though the attack in March may have been prompted by “specific personal triggers and grievances” related to the Iran War. The gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, 53, of Senegal, died after exchanging gunfire with police officers who responded to the shooting near a busy stretch of downtown Austin. (Jimenez, McGaughy and Ramirez, 5/7)
