Public Health

As Expected – New ACIP Members Picked by Kennedy Have Anti-vax Bias

After wiping out all the previous ACIP members early last week, Mr. Kennedy promptly appointed eight new members (just enough for the Committee to have a quorum). As expected, most of the new appointees are known for their anti‑vaccine views or skepticism of mainstream immunization policy. With the next meeting scheduled for June 25, the new committee poised to dismantle the current evidence-based recommended child and adult vaccine schedules. They know

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Public Health

Kennedy Plows the Field to Eliminate Vaccines from the Recommended Schedule, Making them Inaccessible

By now all of you know Kennedy removed all the current members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the objective federal advisory body responsible for developing vaccine recommendations in the United States. He replaced them with a cadre of mostly well-known confirmation biased anti-vaccine zealots: As Expected – New ACIP Members Picked by Kennedy Have Anti-vax Bias. RFK Jr. fires all 17 members of CDC vaccine advisory panel

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Professional Development

What Public Health Professionals Need to Know About Education, Advocacy & Lobbying

Properly navigating the complicated landscape of public health advocacy is more important than ever these days given Secretary Kennedy’s actions. As a public health system, we need to engage in advocacy to tell our story – but do it in a way that doesn’t get us in trouble by violating IRS and other lobbying restrictions for nonprofits and political jurisdictions. Thankfully, the Network for Public Health Law ‘s recently published a

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Healthcare

What’s Actually in that House Budget Bill?

On May 22, the House of Representatives passed the “Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) by a 215-214 vote. This reconciliation bill proposes changes to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, food nutrition programs, and the nation’s debt limit, among other things. If this bill were signed into law, several potential impacts to states include: Increased coverage loss for noncompliance with work requirements. Future challenges for states to fund their share

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Public Health Law

Arizona AG Mayes Defending the Rule of Law (and Public Health) with Legal Challenges

Since taking office, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has initiated or joined at least 18 lawsuits against the Trump administration, focusing on defending constitutional principles and protecting the rights of Arizonans. These legal actions (filed jointly with several other state Attorney Generals) span various sectors, including public health, education, labor, and environmental policy. In the public health arena, Mayes is challenging administration’s decisions to cut or delay funding for critical

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Public Health

AZPHA Breakfast & Learn Public Health Under Siege: How the American Public Health Association is Fighting Back 

Friday, June 20, 2025   9-10am Public health is under siege. From destructive policy changes to the indiscriminate firing of experienced experts at the CDC, FDA, and other HHS agencies – decisions by Secretary Kennedy are putting the nation’s health—and the future of biomedical research—at serious risk.  Fortunately the American Public Health Association has come to the rescue – filing lawsuits, motions and briefs in several lawsuits challenging Kennedy’s harmful decisions.

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Will’s Blog