The Host
On the Trump administration’s request, a federal decide in Louisiana this week agreed to delay a ruling affecting the continued availability of the abortion drug mifepristone. That angered anti-abortion teams that need the drug, if not banned, at the very least extra strictly managed. However the administration clearly needs to keep away from huge abortion fights within the run-up to November’s midterm elections.
In the meantime, the administration’s proposed price range for fiscal yr 2027 requires greater than $15 billion in cuts to applications on the Division of Well being and Human Providers. It’s a big quantity, however much less drastic than cuts it proposed for fiscal 2026.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Lauren Weber of The Washington Submit, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Maya Goldman of Axios.
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- The Trump administration says it’s conducting an intensive scientific assessment of the abortion tablet mifepristone on the Meals and Drug Administration. But advocates on either side of the abortion debate assume the administration is simply attempting to purchase time to keep away from a controversial determination about medicine abortion earlier than November’s midterm elections.
- It’s price range time on Capitol Hill. With the revealing of the president’s spending plan for fiscal 2027, Cupboard secretaries will make their annual tour of congressional committee hearings. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose Hill appearances have been few throughout his tenure, is scheduled to testify earlier than six separate Home and Senate committees earlier than the top of the month.
- Again at HHS, Kennedy seems to be attempting to reconstitute the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in a manner that can allow him to restock it with vaccine skeptics with out operating afoul of a March courtroom ruling that he violated federal procedures along with his replacements final yr.
- Persevering with his efforts to advertise his Make America Wholesome Once more agenda, Kennedy introduced this week that he’ll launch his personal biweekly podcast. He additionally introduced efforts to fight microplastics within the water provide and to get hospitals to cease serving ultraprocessed meals to sufferers.
Plus, for “further credit score,” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week that they assume it’s best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The Atlantic’s “HHS Officers’ Yr in Purgatory Is Ending,” by Katherine J. Wu.
Maya Goldman: KFF Well being Information’ “Trump’s Personnel Company Is Asking for Federal Staff’ Medical Information,” by Amanda Seitz and Maia Rosenfeld.
Lauren Weber: CNN’s “These Frequent Drug Exams Result in Tens of 1000’s of Wrongful Arrests a Yr, Specialists Say. One State Is Combating Again,” by Holly Yan.
Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “A Slowdown in US Visa Processing Is Wreaking Havoc on International Docs’ Lives,” by Simon J. Levien.
Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:
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