Overview

• Kennedy testified Tuesday before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, defending President Trump’s fiscal 2026 request that calls for sharp cuts to NIH and core HHS programs.
• Lawmakers from both parties pressed him over his decision to replace the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory panel, citing concerns tied to his past anti-vaccine rhetoric.
• The rollback applies to Medicaid and Medicare programs and will curtail insurers’ use of prior authorizations for covered treatments.
• A group of eight House Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Adriano Espaillat, demanded an end to the department’s sharing of Medicaid enrollees’ data—including immigration status—with DHS.
• Their letter followed an Associated Press report that deportation officials had obtained sensitive Medicaid data over the objections of career health officials.