Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today met with the FDA's departing top drug regulator amid concerns the agency is in turmoil, two sources familiar with the situation told Axios.
Why it matters: The appointment of veteran cancer specialist Rick Pazdur to lead the agency's drug center mere weeks ago came as an enormous relief to the biopharmaceutical industry, and his pending retirement has reignited fears that the agency is imploding.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies are trading their chisels for a sledgehammer when it comes to vaccine policy, delighting the "Make America Healthy Again" faithful.
Why it matters: Trump health officials and like-minded outside advisers are taking the most concrete steps yet to enshrine Kennedy's criticism of vaccines as official government policy, with changes to recommended childhood immunizations expected within days.
Sen. Rick Scott is convening a group of House and Senate conservatives on Capitol Hill to pore over fresh polling to develop GOP alternatives to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and push back against liberals.
Why it matters: Talks to extend the ACA's premium tax credits are stalled in Congress, and Republicans know they'll be blamed in the midterms for rising premiums if they don't even try to offer a fix.
The Trump administration will pause aid for Democrat-led states that don't provide the government with identifying information about SNAP recipients, such as immigration status, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday.
Why it matters: If the administration goes through with the threat, millions of Americans could lose their SNAP benefits, sometimes known as food stamps, just over a month after recipients were put in limbo during the longest-ever government shutdown.
A Trump administration plan to limit student loan borrowing for graduate education is drawing fire for excluding nurses, physician assistants and other types of health workers from higher loan caps.
Why it matters: The Department of Education's classification plan could exacerbate medical workforce shortages by putting a more stringent limit on what students in certain advanced health provider programs can borrow from the federal government, professional groups say.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said after meeting with President Trump on Monday that she's recommending a travel ban on multiple countries in connection with criminal activity in the U.S.
The big picture: Trump widened his administration's hardline immigration crackdown after officials said the suspect in last Wednesday's ambush-style shooting in D.C. that killed one National Guard member and critically injured another was an Afghan national.
The publisher of the "Franklin the Turtle" children's books series said Monday it condemns the unauthorized use of the beloved character, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared an image of him apparently firing at drug boats.
The big picture: Hegseth posted the image to his personal X account amid reports questioning the legality of adeadly strike on a suspected drug boat near Venezuela that prompted some congressional lawmakers to warn that, if substantiated, the deaths could violate the laws of war.
