Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chris Klomp's Bid To Become HHS Deputy Secretary Advances To Full Senate Vote
A key Senate committee on Thursday approved the nomination of top federal health official Chris Klomp to be deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, clearing the way for him to be confirmed by the full Senate. (Cirruzzo and Wilkerson, 9/24)
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration voiced support for the safety of long-established vaccines at a hearing Thursday, even as senators questioned her about the White House’s efforts to upend childhood immunizations. Dr. Heidi Overton is currently serving as a White House adviser and has worked on a series of Trump health initiatives, including an executive order last month that called for splitting up and spacing out decades-old childhood vaccinations. Overton, a physician, stood beside Trump in the Oval Office when he falsely remarked that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could be “quite lethal.” (Perrone, 9/24)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s future aides keep repudiating his views about vaccines. Since senators balked at confirming surgeon general nominee Casey Means, a parade of Health Department nominees have endorsed vaccination as the best way to prevent infectious diseases and rejected Kennedy’s supposition that vaccines cause autism. (Paun, 9/24)
Other health news from Capitol Hill —
In one Virginia race and others, Democrats are highlighting the rising costs of health care and possible closures of facilities, putting Republicans on defense. (Schneider, 9/24)
As Democrats release a flurry of midterm ads portraying GOP cuts to Medicaid as a threat to rural healthcare, Republicans have countered with ads claiming Democratic candidates in Texas and Pennsylvania would put dozens of rural hospitals out of business by creating a public health insurance option. But the ads cite an industry-backed study whose assumptions don’t apply to all public option proposals. (Cuno-Booth, 9/23)
ýҕl Health News: ýҕl Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Healthcare A Vague But Potent Issue For Election 2026
Healthcare, in particular its rising costs, is a key issue for voters in both parties this fall. But lawmakers are offering a variety of remedies on the campaign trail, suggesting that neither party has an agreed-upon approach. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has apparently backed off a plan — for now — to create a political board to review scientific grant awards from the National Institutes of Health. (Rovner, 9/24)
