Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration May Cut A Third Of HHS' Discretionary Budget
The Washington Post: Internal Budget Document Reveals Extent Of Trump Health Program Cuts
The Trump administration is seeking to deeply slash budgets for federal health programs, a roughly one-third cut in discretionary spending by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a preliminary budget document obtained by The Washington Post. The HHS budget draft, known as a “passback,” offers the first full look at the health and social service priorities of President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget as it prepares to send his 2026 fiscal year budget request to Congress. (Sun, Johnson, Roubein, Achenbach and Weber, 4/16)
KFF Health News: RFK Jr. Struggles To Navigate Frustrated Supporters And A Demanding Boss
After the Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, supporters of his “Make America Healthy Again” movement cheered at having a champion in the federal government. Now the grumbling has begun. Some of Kennedy’s allies say he’s become almost inaccessible since his confirmation and complain that he’s made glacial progress advancing MAHA goals, such as halting mRNA-based covid shots and removing fluoride from drinking water. (Armour, 4/17)
More on the turmoil at HHS —
The Washington Post: NIH Science Board Purge Hits Women And Minorities Hardest, Review Shows
Thirty-eight of 43 experts cut last month from the boards that review the science and research that happens in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health are female, Black or Hispanic, according to an analysis by the chairs of a dozen of the boards. The scientists, with expertise in fields that include mental health, cancer and infectious disease, typically serve five-year terms and were not given a reason for their dismissal. About a fifth of the roughly 200 board members — who provide an independent, expert layer of review for the vast research enterprise within the NIH — were fired. (Johnson, 4/16)
CBS News: RFK Jr. Aides Accused Of Censoring NIH's Top Ultra-Processed Food Scientist
The National Institutes of Health's top researcher on ultra-processed foods announced Wednesday he was stepping down from the agency, accusing top aides to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of censorship. "Unfortunately, recent events have made me question whether NIH continues to be a place where I can freely conduct unbiased science," the researcher, Dr. Kevin Hall, wrote in a post on social media Wednesday. (Tin, 4/16)
Bloomberg: DOGE Places Entire Staff Of Federal Homelessness Agency On Leave
The entire staff of the White House agency tasked with coordinating the federal government’s efforts to combat homelessness was placed on leave on April 15. All 13 employees of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, or USICH, received notice from the agency’s acting director on Tuesday informing them that they were being put on administrative leave, starting immediately, according to three people familiar with the matter. (Capps, 4/16)
Stat: After FDA Layoff, Veteran With PTSD Faces Loss Of American Dream
In the months before she lost her job at the Food and Drug Administration, Karen Hollitt’s mom and boyfriend kept telling her not to worry. She’d be fine, they said; she was a veteran. She knew better. (Boodman, 4/17)
On DEI and Harvard —
KFF Health News: Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump
The National Institutes of Health’s sweeping cuts of grants that fund scientific research are inflicting pain almost universally across the U.S., including in most states that backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. A KFF Health News analysis underscores that the terminations are sparing no part of the country, politically or geographically. About 40% of organizations whose grants the NIH cut in its first month of slashing, which started Feb. 28, are in states Trump won in November. (Bichell and Pradhan, 4/17)
The Hill: Harvard Medical Professor Says Federal Funding Cuts ‘Will Cost Lives’
David Walt, a Harvard University medial professor, argued the Trump administration’s cut to the university’s funding is going to “cost lives.” Walt, a laureate professor working on early diagnosis of ALS, joined CNN Wednesday as the legal battle between Harvard and the Trump administration continues and more than $2.2 billion in funding was cut from the school. (Irwin, 4/16)
Politico: Harvard.Edu Gets A Makeover
Amid its battle with the Trump administration over federal funding, Harvard is making a direct case to the public about why its research matters. The school revamped its homepage to read “Research Powers Progress” and now features a video testimonial from scientists working on a gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease and interviews with researchers developing an artificial intelligence tracking tool for autism and robotic devices for stroke survivors. (Schumaker, 4/16)
