Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Why Isn't There A New FDA Chief Yet? Some Experts Stressed Out By The Wait
The Washington Post: Biden’s Delay On Naming FDA Chief Perturbs Some Experts
President Biden announced his choice for secretary of health and human services on Dec. 7. He named the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the same day. But he has said nothing about who will lead another critical health agency on the front lines of battling the coronavirus pandemic: the Food and Drug Administration. The silence is causing some consternation among FDA veterans, as well as public health and pharmaceutical experts, who say the agency needs a permanent head as it grapples with life-or-death decisions about coronavirus vaccines and treatments, while doing its day job of regulating products that account for 20 cents of every consumer dollar. That job includes approving cancer drugs, warning consumers about contaminated ice cream, and overseeing treatments for rare diseases in animals and humans. (McGinley, 2/11)
NPR: Florida Officials Say They'd Fight Any Potential Domestic Travel Restrictions
Elected officials in Florida are reacting strongly against media reports that the White House is considering imposing domestic travel restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19. "It would be unconstitutional. It would be unwise and it would be unjust," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday at a vaccination site in Port Charlotte, on Florida's Gulf Coast. The Republican governor's remarks came after media reports saying federal officials are weighing travel restrictions, including Florida, aimed at slowing the spread of the highly contagious variant first identified in the U.K. (Allen, 2/11)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About Budget Reconciliation
President Joe Biden has said he still wants a bipartisan bill to provide the next round of covid relief. But in case that doesn’t happen, House committees this week got down to work on a budget reconciliation bill that could pass the Senate with a simple majority. Proposals cover not just covid-related issues, but also some significant changes to the Medicaid program and the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for mask-wearing. But the guidelines are confusing for many, highlighting the rapidly changing science around the virus that leaves many laypeople uncertain about how best to proceed. (2/11)
In other news about President Biden —
CNN: North Carolina Man Charged With Threatening To Kill President Biden
A North Carolina man has been charged with making threats to kill President Joe Biden, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in court Thursday. David Kyle Reeves, 27, of Gastonia, North Carolina, was arrested February 5 for knowingly and willfully making threats to take the life of and inflict bodily harm upon the President, according to newly unsealed court documents. Prosecutors allege that between January 28 and February 1, Reeves contacted the White House switchboard multiple times by phone and made threats against President Biden and others. (Burnside and Silverman, 2/11)
