Department of Health and Human Services

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FDA's Top Vaccine Scientist Is Out, Citing RFK Jr.'s 'Lies'

Dr. Peter Marks says HHS secretary 'doesn't care about the truth'

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Adminstration's top vaccine regulator has stepped down from his role, and it's reportedly because he was forced out by the Trump administration via Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reports the Washington Post . Sources tell the paper that Marks was offered...

Steep Cuts to FDA, CDC Workforces Announced

Kennedy says new round of 10K layoffs is part of 'dramatic restructuring'

(Newser) - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the department's workforce is shrinking by around a quarter in a "dramatic restructuring." In a Thursday press release , Kennedy said 10,000 jobs are being cut as "part of this most recent transformation." Combined with...

Trump's Appointees Put Musk's Power to the Test

Patel, Gabbard among agency leaders telling employees not to justify their roles to Musk

(Newser) - Multiple government agencies run by Trump-appointed leaders have told employees not to respond to an email from Elon Musk , demanding they provide five bullet points explaining the work they got done over the past week. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," Musk wrote Saturday on...

LGBTQ Activists Call New HHS Guidance 'Deeply Concerning'

Health Secretary RFK Jr. issues new guidance recognizing only 2 sexes: male and female

(Newser) - The Department of Health and Human Services has synced up with the Trump administration's push against transgender protections , releasing new guidance on Wednesday that states the US government recognizes only two sexes: male and female. The new "sex-based definitions" assert that "an individual human is either female...

Feds Giveth Accidental Pink Slips, Taketh Them Away

Chaos abounds as multiple federal agencies accidentally fire staffers amid DOGE cuts

(Newser) - Last week, the Energy Department had to scramble to rehire nuclear energy specialists for the National Nuclear Security Administration, after it mistakenly told hundreds of staffers at the agency they'd lost their jobs. That's not the only incident of head-count slashing gone awry throughout the government at the...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as Health Secretary

Mitch McConnell is the only 'no' vote among Republicans

(Newser) - The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Trump's health secretary, per the AP . Republicans fell in line behind Trump despite hesitancy over Kennedy's views on vaccines, voting 52-48 to elevate the scion of one of America's most storied political—and Democratic—families to...

Judge Orders CDC, FDA to Restore Scrubbed Web Pages

Official calls situation 'a double waste' due to time spent needlessly

(Newser) - Part of the Trump administration's purge of the federal government included the removal of thousands of web pages . Now, some of them might be coming back. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to put some websites...

RFK Jr. Pick Wipes Billions Off the Value of Vaccine Firms

Companies including Pfizer, Moderna dropped sharply after Trump announcement

(Newser) - Thursday was a good day for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a bad day for companies that make vaccines. As President-elect Trump announced that Kennedy will be his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, stocks in top vaccine makers dropped sharply, wiping billions of dollars off...

Trump Picks Kennedy to 'Make America Healthy Again'

President-elect says he's 'thrilled' to announce RFK Jr. will be his nominee for health secretary

(Newser) - President-elect Trump continued his stream of controversial Cabinet appointments on Thursday, saying he was "thrilled" to announce that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
  • "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and
...

HHS to Hospitals: Stop Pelvic Exams Without Patient Consent

Agency letter warns hospitals could lose Medicare funding if they don't comply

(Newser) - The Department of Health and Human Services has come out firing against a practice it says violates the privacy and dignity of patients in health care settings across America. The New York Times reports that on Monday, the federal agency sent out a letter to the nation's med schools...

Health Dept. on Marijuana: It Shouldn't Be a Schedule I Drug

Recommendation has been passed to the Drug Enforcement Administration

(Newser) - The US Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X that the agency has responded...

12 Secretive Warehouses Comprise a Vital US Stockpile

NBC gets a look inside Strategic National Stockpile, and explores pandemic shortfalls

(Newser) - The Strategic National Stockpile was formed in 1999 as a repository for vaccines, antibiotics, and other medical supplies to be tapped by states during public health emergencies. It’s composed of 12 cavernous, highly secretive facilities across the US, according to NBC News, which got rare inside access. The warehouse...

Biden Rolls Back Trump's Transgender Health Care Rules

'Everyone ... should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period'

(Newser) - The US will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration announced Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive situations involving medical care. The action by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that...

Biden Gets His Health Chief, by Single Vote

Senate confirms Xavier Becerra 50-49 to run Health and Human Services

(Newser) - The Senate on Thursday confirmed California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as President Biden's health secretary by a single vote. The 50-49 largely party-line vote makes the 63-year-old Becerra the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, per the AP . Becerra has been California's attorney...

Biden's Pick for Big HHS Role a Historic First

Rachel Levine may be first openly transgender federal official to get confirmed by Senate

(Newser) - Xavier Becerra has a new No. 2 at Health and Human Services. The AP reports that President-elect Joe Biden has picked Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania's current health secretary, to serve as his assistant health secretary under Becerra, who has been nominated by Biden to be the nation's top...

HHS Secretary Notes Capitol Riot in Resignation Letter

A not-unusual stepping down as new administration enters, but his letter had some harsh words

(Newser) - As the US presidency changes hands on Wednesday, one of the Trump administration's remaining Cabinet members will officially remove his own name from the payroll. CNN reports that on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar submitted his letter of resignation to President Trump, and while he listed...

New Dietary Guidelines Skip 2 Controversial Suggestions
New Dietary
Guidelines Skip
2 Controversial
Suggestions
in case you missed
Jan 2, 2021 11:12 AM CST

New Dietary Guidelines Skip 2 Controversial Suggestions

USDA rejects idea to further cut alcohol and sugar intake, weighs in on breastfeeding

(Newser) - The official new dietary guidelines for Americans have been updated for the first time in five years, and they might be more notable for what they don't include. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the federal guidelines don't call for cuts in alcohol and sugar intake. Over the...

Biden Makes Surprise Pick for HHS
Biden's HHS Pick
Is a Surprise
Dec 7, 2020 3:30 AM CST

Biden's HHS Pick Is a Surprise

And not necessarily a pleasant one for some public health experts

(Newser) - Joe Biden's pick for Health and Human Services secretary was a bit of a surprise: The president-elect is reportedly going with Xavier Becerra, currently California's attorney general. The New York Times notes Becerra was long seen as a contender for the same job at the federal level, but...

Michael Caputo, Who Blamed Rant on Health, Has Cancer

HHS spokesman undergoes surgery and urges Americans to not ignore health during pandemic

(Newser) - A Trump administration spokesman who blamed an online outburst —in which he advised Americans to buy ammunition to prepare for the aftermath of the November election—on stress and health problems is battling cancer. A spokesman said Michael Caputo had surgery at the National Cancer Institute, Politico reports, and...

Top HHS Aide Takes Leave After Facebook Rant

Caputo 'has decided to take a leave of absence to focus on his health'

(Newser) - A top Department of Health and Human Services aide who aired numerous conspiracy theories in a Facebook Live rant will be on leave for the next 60 days, the department says. Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign official appointed as chief HHS spokesperson in April, "has decided to take...

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