How Do Influenza Pandemics Usually Start?
Last week I wrote about Secretary Kennedy’s actions to gut infectious disease research and public health practice funding are the man-made risk that will greatly impair our ability to detect and respond to future outbreaks and pandemics. The Real H5N1 Threat: Kennedy’s Assault on Our Public Health System This week I thought I’d give a short summary of how influenza pandemics typically get started. See: Bird flu’s dangerous leap – Arizona
The Most Important Staffer in Congress You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The Senate Parliamentarian plays an important but mostly overlooked role in the legislative process of the United States Senate. This ‘nonpartisan’ official acts as the chief interpreter of the Senate’s complex rules and procedures, advising the presiding officer on how to apply them during debates, votes, and other proceedings. The current Senate Parliamentarian is Elizabeth MacDonough, who has been in the job since 2012. She’s not affiliated with any political
President Releases Budget Proposal – It’s Not Good for Public health
Last Friday the White House released the President’s ‘discretionary’ budget proposal for next federal fiscal year. The proposal presents top-level requests for each federal agency and doesn’t include funding tables that are usually part of the executive’s proposal. Congress can approve, reject, or modify the Administration’s budget recommendations. A complete budget request with additional details such as congressional justifications and mandatory funding proposals is expected to be released by the
Public Health Journalism this Week
Congress is targeting Medicaid with deep cuts — and Arizona patients will pay the price AHCCCS, Health services directors resign before Senate confirmation AHCCCS and DHS directors resign | Arizona Capitol Times Bird flu’s dangerous leap – Arizona PBS
Senate Confirmation Circus Forces Out Heredia & Cunico: Will the Senate Majority Ever Choose Governance Over Grandstanding?
Governor Katie Hobbs has once again been inappropriately hamstrung by the hyper-partisan Senator Jake Hoffman – the Chair of the Senate’s Director Nominations Committee. This week, his ongoing political theater forced the resignation of two important health directors: AHCCCS Director Carmen Heredia & ADHS Director Jennifer Cunico. The Arizona Republic and AZ Capitol Times both reported that the directors resigned ahead of expected rejections by the Senate committee, which has repeatedly used its
Kennedy’s Sweeping HHS Cuts Continue to Assault Public Health & Research Infrastructure
A leaked Office of Management and Budget document reveals drastic plans by Kennedy to slash $40 billion from the department’s budget, a reduction of nearly one-third. The cuts, outlined in a 64-page internal document, fundamentally restructure HHS and dismantle major agencies and programs vital to public health and scientific research. Leaked HHS budget projects $40B in cuts, ACA subsidies expire Key casualties include the HRSA, SAMHSA, AHRQ, NIH, CMS, CDC