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In his first public testimony on Capitol Hill since taking office, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on May 14 appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and a House Appropriations subcommittee. Lawmakers questioned the secretary about the mass layoffs at HHS, funding cuts, and other changes.
Funding from CDC has been a major source of support for public health programs across the U.S., but CDC is now being targeted for budget cuts by the Trump administration. To better understand how much CDC funding is provided to state and local jurisdictions, we analyzed FY 2023 funding data from CDC and present findings about much funding was provided to state and local jurisdictions, what types of public health activities were supported with this funding, and how the funding was distributed across states and regions of the U.S.
This chart collection examines five types of indicators: outcomes of treatment, provision of appropriate treatment, patient safety, preventive services, and health system capacity and workforce shortages. Measuring quality in health care is complex: a vast number of metrics are used to monitor health system performance since there is no singular definition of quality, and data is often limited and delayed.
It is unclear how the MAHA Commission will square its goal to “tackle the health crisis facing America” with such major challenges not addressed and a shrinking, less capable health infrastructure.
This Policy Watch reviews the key provisions of President Trump's Executive Order that aim to restrict youth access to gender affirming care and examines state and legal responses.
This post looks at federal government databases with key health data that went offline on Jan. 31, 2025, including several related to HIV, some of which had returned by Feb. 2, 2025. It briefly describing the affected databases, which include widely used, large-scale national health surveys, indices, and data dashboards, that inform research, policy making, and media coverage about health care and public health.
This Issue Brief reviews the federal role in setting U.S. water fluoridation policies, discusses current federal recommendations for water fluoridation, and summarizes the extent of water fluoridation across U.S. states.
It’s quite likely that one of these popular anti-obesity medications will be selected for negotiation in the next round of Medicare’s relatively new drug price negotiation program.
This brief provides background on gender affirming care and state bans, explains the legal challenge to the Tennessee law, and explores the potential Supreme Court ruling and impact on access across the country.
This policy brief highlights areas in which HHS, FDA, and CDC have authority to shape U.S. vaccine policy with a specific focus on vaccine approvals and recommendations for the public. Ultimately, while there are limits, federal officials have significant authority to influence and alter vaccine policy, which could affect vaccine availability, views about vaccines, and vaccine use in the U.S. However, this does not include imposing mandates on or changing local vaccination requirements, as those authorities rest with state and local governments.
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