Federal Agency
Appears in 13 stories
Leads the NEST program
New mothers in West Virginia are the first to receive free newborn essentials kits under a national program expansion. The kits, part of HHS's Newborn Essentials Support Toolkit (NEST), include diapers, wipes, postpartum recovery supplies, a blood pressure monitor, and educational materials.
Updated 2 days ago
Leading the vaccine injury initiative
The federal government opened a dedicated clinic at the National Institutes of Health this month to study and treat people reporting health problems after vaccination. It's the centerpiece of a new agency-wide push by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to document, investigate, and respond to vaccine injuries. An internal memo obtained by NPR says NIH plans an observational study of vaccinated people and possible complications, and may examine vaccine schedules and treatments.
Updated 3 days ago
Lead agency finalizing the rule
Health insurers must now publish their negotiated rates in a form that researchers and consumers can actually use. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized updates to the Transparency in Coverage rules on October 5, 2026, with the Departments of Labor and the Treasury.
Updated 7 days ago
Parent agency of ARPA-H
Autism diagnosis has relied for decades on behavioral observation by specialists. ARPA-H, the federal advanced research agency, launched SPECTRA on September 17 to replace that model with objective biological data and artificial intelligence.
Parent agency running Operation TrialBlazer
A first-in-human drug trial can take up to two years to complete in the United States. The FDA's pilot, part of Operation TrialBlazer, tests a faster path to starting such trials by having sponsors partner with research institutions while the agency reviews application pieces as they are finished.
Updated Oct 4
Imposed and then rescinded the freeze
The Department of Health and Human Services ended its six-month freeze on $10 billion in child care and family-aid money for five states on July 14. The funds, meant for low-income families in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, are flowing again.
Updated Jul 15
Promoted leucovorin for autism; FDA approval did not match its claims
In September 2025, White House officials told parents of autistic children that a cheap, generic drug called leucovorin might improve their children's speech and behavior. Prescriptions surged 71% in the following months, pharmacies ran dry, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed emergency imports from Canada and Spain. On March 10, 2026, the FDA approved leucovorin — but only for a genetic condition so rare that fewer than 50 cases have ever been identified worldwide, not for autism.
Updated May 30
Led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Jay Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration in October 2020, publicly opposing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's pandemic response policies. Five years later, he now controls both the CDC and the National Institutes of Health—the two largest federal public health agencies—making him the most powerful health official in America outside the cabinet.
Updated May 29
Driving enforcement effort through declarations, investigations, and proposed rules
Lurie Children's Hospital, which opened the Midwest's first pediatric gender identity clinic in 2013, announced it will no longer prescribe gender-affirming medications to new patients under 18. This came days after HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart referred the hospital for federal investigation.
Updated May 22
Froze $185M in Minnesota child care funding
On January 5, 2026, Governor Tim Walz announced he would drop his bid for a third term. The reversal came just two days before a contentious January 7 House Oversight Committee hearing where Republican state lawmakers testified that Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison ignored widespread fraud and silenced whistleblowers.
Updated May 21
Provided scientific/medical recommendation and is tasked with expanded research models
Trump's executive order instructing DOJ to fast-track marijuana's move to Schedule III immediately triggered a familiar split. Public health and industry groups cheered the potential research and tax impacts, while House Republicans organized opposition, urging Trump to keep marijuana in Schedule I.
Updated May 15
Provided scientific/medical evaluation and scheduling recommendation to DEA
4-CMC is one of those modern drug-market products built for speed: cheap, tweakable chemistry that can be sold as a "new" stimulant the moment the old one gets banned. On December 17, 2025, the U.S. finally snapped the trap shut—DEA's Schedule I controls for 4-CMC took effect nationwide.
Political driver of ACIP restructuring and vaccine-schedule review
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 on December 5, 2025 to end the recommendation that every U.S. newborn receive a hepatitis B shot within 24 hours of birth. The committee had been recently overhauled under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill ratified the change on December 16, 2025.
Updated May 9
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