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• The man no rational person would put in charge of the public’s health (Robert Reich, 1-28-25) Kennedy Jr. is not just a nutcase. He’s also a designated hitter in the oligarchy’s efforts to get government out of public health — and force Americans to rely instead on private for-profit corporations for their health insurance, hospitalization, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals. These corporations continue to merge into giant for-profit monopolies and oligopolies. If confirmed, Kennedy Jr. would also oversee Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. Taken together, these three programs provide health insurance to more than half the American population.
Kennedy Jr. has assured senators that he doesn’t want to take vaccines away from Americans but his history of anti-vaccine advocacy has made those promises difficult to believe. He has repeated over 100 times false claims linking vaccines to autism — a theory debunked by decades of scientific research. He was a leading proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, erroneously suggesting the vaccine has killed more people than it has saved. RFK Jr.’s misinformation about vaccines continues to endanger public health. Given his anti-vax advocacy, there is no reason to trust his judgment on the development of vaccines against bird flu.
• Trump re-enacts policy banning aid to groups abroad that discuss or provide abortions (Rachel Carlson, Fatma Tanis, Goats and Soda, NPR, 1-24-25) On Friday, he reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which cuts off U.S. aid to any group operating in another country that provides abortion services, counsels people about abortion or advocates for abortion rights.
• Trump’s crypto-ligarchy (Robert Reich, 1-27-25) It will blow up in his face — and possibly take the financial system with it. Days before taking the oath of office, Trump announced on his social media platform the creation of the $TRUMP coin, featuring Trump’s image from the July assassination attempt and said: “Join the Trump Community. This is History in the Making!”
Despite no details about the coin’s value, use, or risks, Trump supporters, gamblers, and those wishing to suck up to Trump bought it — sending the coin’s price into the stratosphere. On paper, the Trump family is now several billion dollars richer.
• Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring (Meredith Wadman, Jocelyn Kaiser, STAT News, 1-22-25) Researchers facing “a lot of uncertainty, fear, and panic”
• Researchers reel as Trump administration moves quickly to cut funding and end DEI health programs (Angus Chen, Usha Lee McFarling, and Jonathan Wosen, STAT News, 1-20-25) ‘The work is hard enough to do as it is,’ said one advocate who urged scientists to push back
• Week 1 (Weekly Sift, 1-27-25) Trump is president now, and that fact has consequences. But he’s not all-powerful. We need to educate ourselves about how to oppose him most effectively.
• The Mayhem Trump's First Week Did and Did Not Cause in Public Health (Jeremy Faust, MedPage Today, Opinion, 1-27-25) The theory versus reality of what's really happened to date.
Has the Gag Order Suppressed Public Data? Yes: Real Impact
The federal public health gag order that went into place on January 21 implied that government websites that publish public health data would not be updated -- things like COVID, influenza, RSV, and norovirus surveillance. Bird flu trackers were also under threat, which was pretty bad timing considering New York just joined the states with cases in poultry.
Does the Halt in Foreign Aid Hurt People Yet? Yes: Real Impact. Not next year. Not next month. Not next week. Now.
NIH Research Starts Grinding to a Halt: Real Impact
The gag order on communications and meetings to adjudicate research proposals at the NIH also includes purchasing research supplies, CNN reported.
• I’m a health researcher. NIH’s pause on research grants could have a devastating cost. (MSNBC) This is a potentially devastating event — not just for the scientific community, but for all Americans. If this pause is not reversed soon, the fallout for scientific research in the U.S. may be felt for years to come. ICE Update
• Trump Declares Open Season on Abortion Clinics (Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern, Slate, 1-25) Trump’s pardons and the commutations for the Jan. 6 insurrectionists might be the single scariest thing that happened in a really scary week. And now it has an add-on, which is a series of pardons for people who protested—and did a lot more than protest—at abortion facilities. It seems like just another song in a different key: Anybody who decided to take the law into their own hands is just fine as long as they were doing it for something that Donald Trump likes.
• Trump's Gag Order Halts CDC Publication ( Rachael Robertson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer, MedPage Today, 1-23-25) "This is a concerning precedent that public health messages won't be left to public health professionals and experts, and instead will be potentially controlled by politicians," Sonja Rasmussen, MD, a former editor of MMWR who worked at the CDC for 20 years, told MedPage Today.
"The bottom line is every day the publication is delayed, doctors, nurses, hospitals, local health departments, and first responders are behind the information curve and less prepared to protect the health of all Americans," Frieden said in a statement shared with MedPage Today.
President Trump wants a massive tax cut and immigration crackdown bill. Now Republicans must decide what to cut to help pay for it.
Top Republicans are passing around a 50-page list of ideas on how to cover the cost of a tax cut and immigration crackdown bill, including cuts to Medicaid and a 10 percent tariff on all imports. The list also includes tax cut proposals, such as lowering the corporate tax rate and eliminating income taxes on tips.
Here are a few options under consideration (a sample from a 50-page document)
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
• House G.O.P. Floats Medicaid Cuts and More to Finance Trump’s Huge Agenda
(Catie Edmondson and Andrew Duehren, NY Times, 1-23-25)
---Read: Draft Options for G.O.P. Cost Cuts for Tax Bill (Ways and Means Committee)
Download the original document:
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/28cb85c5ed1f6c52/44e83eb4-full.pdf
Here are a few items from the 50-page list of Republican proposals:
Limit Federal Health Program Eligibility Based on Citizenship Status
Up to $35 billion 10-year savings
"Currently, many non-citizens who entered the country illegally are eligible for federal health care programs including advance premium tax credits and Medicaid. This policy would remove specified categories of non-citizens from eligibility for federal health care programs."
Eliminate Medicare Coverage of Bad Debt
Up to $42 billion 10-year savings
"Medicare currently reimburses hospitals at 65 percent of bad debt (uncollected cost-sharing that beneficiaries fail to pay), while private payers do not typically reimburse providers for bad debt. This policy brings Medicare more in line with the private sector by gradually reducing the amount that Medicare reimburses providers for bad debt."
Eliminate Inpatient-only List
Up to $10 billion in 10-year savings
Eliminate the inpatient-only list so more same-day surgeries and procedures can be performed in lower cost, outpatient settings
Reform IRA's Drug Policies
Up to $20 billion in 10-year costs
Reform the Inflation Reduction Act's prescription drug policies to discourage price setting on innovative drugs treating rare patient populations.
HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE
Border wall funding appropriation
No score yet; deficit increase
The Homeland Committee would like funds to build border barriers, including the "Trump Wall" (a 33 ft high concrete barrier) along 700+ miles of the border.
The Homeland Committee estimates $ 18 billion for 734 miles of new wall, $7.8 billion to replace legacy fencing/vehicle barriers, and another $ 10 billion for additional secondary barriers.
Leadership stated the need for Rio Grande River buoys but no specifics were provided.
Again, Download the original document:
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/28cb85c5ed1f6c52/44e83eb4-full.pdf