Some Federal Agencies Are Actually Getting More Efficient
With the Department of Government Efficiency aiming to reduce the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy, the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has not been immune. The agency recently reported a 13 percent reduction in its workforce since last year. While much of this appears to have come in the form of "voluntary resignations," it's clear that many of DOGE's policies are directly targeted at encouraging such attrition.
The TTB is the primary federal regulatory body responsible for alcohol. The bulk of alcohol regulation has taken place at the state and local level since the end of Prohibition, but the feds have kept their hands in the pie through this agency, which oversees myriad tax issues, trade practice rules, and a label approval regime that determines what illustrations you're allowed to see on your favorite beer can.
Under the TTB's pre-approval process, the agency has to sign off on the labels that attach to alcohol bottles and cans before those products hit the market. This contrasts with the Food and Drug Administration's system for food labels on non-alcoholic items, which polices label infractions only after products go on sale.
Speaking remotely to a recent Napa Valley wine conference, TTB spokesperson Janelle Christian said that the average processing time for label approval has increased in recent months. While she attributed this to the aforementioned staff reductions, she also provided a great real-world example of necessity becoming the mother of invention: The TTB is exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help with the label review and approval process.
The possibility that AI could enhance food labeling compliance has been touted for several years now, so this is an idea that the TTB should have pursued long ago. But before the staff reductions, it does not appear to have been on the agency's radar. Downsizing is clearly forcing agencies to think more creatively and to explore new ideas for increasing efficiency and cutting costs. (Christian's remarks via laptop to the wine conference are another example of that: TTB officials used to attend that conference in person.)
The TTB's labeling regime has not only suffered from long processing times in the past. It is also a case study in the inanity of bureaucracy. The agency's labeling rules prohibit "health-related statements," which it has construed to be comically broad. The agency once rejected a label for King of Hearts beer because the picture—a playing card with a heart—was deemed to imply a health benefit. St. Paula's Liquid Wisdom got in trouble because "wisdom" supposedly implied a medical claim.
That mentality is still alive and well at the TTB labeling office. In those same remarks to the Napa Valley conference, Christian declared that the two most common wine label violations the agency sees involve rosé and orange wine. "Rosé is a color. It does need to say 'rosé wine,'" she said. "'Orange wine' is a fruit wine under TTB regulations. You aren't allowed to call it 'orange wine' on your label. You can call it 'orange-tinted Pinot Gris' or an 'amber-colored' or an 'orange-hued wine.'"
Something is wrong when the federal government has grown large enough to police the naming protocols of orange-tinted Pinot Grigio. If downsizing is what it takes to pull Washington back from that sort of micromanagement, we need more of it.
The post Some Federal Agencies Are Actually Getting More Efficient appeared first on Reason.com.
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Indianapolis Star
11 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'Time to wake up': more than 4,000 Hoosiers protest Trump administration at Statehouse
The Indianapolis 'No Kings' protest in opposition to President Donald Trump drew more than 4,000 people from across the state to the Indiana Statehouse on June 14. Organized by the volunteer-led 50501 movement, the peaceful protest focused on Trump's policies surrounding immigration, the LGBTQ+ community, and deep cuts to federal spending by the Department of Government Efficiency. Many protesters criticized Trump's disregard for democratic processes, citing times when he's insulted judges and attempted to circumvent their orders. The rally in Indianapolis was one of more than 1,500 across the country and took place ahead of Trump's $40 million military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army's 250th birthday. Protesters withstood a deluge of rain and humidity to hear speakers who ranged from veterans to state lawmakers. An organizer told IndyStar that they had counted 4,158 protesters with a clicker when protesters first started marching shortly after noon, but said many stayed behind on the lawn and were not counted. Organizers estimated there were an additional 2,000-3,000 attendees throughout the course of the event. Live coverage recap: Thousands attend rain-soaked Indianapolis 'No Kings' Anti-Trump protest Indianapolis police detained a protester just 20 minutes into the event when the protester ripped a pro-Trump flag from a counter-protester. The counter-protester chased the man, falling and scuffing his elbow and knee. IndyStar reporters did not see any other significant disputes during the three-hour event. Organizers encouraged protesters to remain peaceful, pointing to a bucket of whistles for protesters to use to alert others if they landed in a confrontation. More: Indy shows how protests 'can (and should be) done' during NBA Finals, police union president says Scott Johnson, state organizer for the 50501 movement, wore a shirt with the words 'unpaid protester,' a nod to the familiar claim that protesters are paid to attend political events. Johnson, 57, said he funded the event with his own money and that none of the attendees were paid. The Fishers resident attended his first protest in February, when he saw a 50501 organizer handing out snacks. He offered the organizer money for the snacks and quickly became connected with the movement, becoming the state organizer when the previous leader left. Johnson said it's one of the best things that's ever happened to him. 'It felt like I had found a home,' he said. A Vietnam war veteran. A first-generation American. A former Trump voter. IndyStar spoke with people who had a variety of reasons for attending the June 14 protest. One was safety and security volunteer Joe Stuteville, a 68-year-old Vietnam veteran and former military police officer from Indianapolis. He said he fears democracy is in danger. 'This has been sneaking up on us for years and people have been sleeping,' he said. 'Time to wake up.' Stuteville said he views the size of the military parade in Washington, D.C., as unnecessary. "Speaking as a veteran, we don't need military parades," he said. Instead, many veterans carry a sense of pride and honor within, he said. Another protester, Janet Orozco, held an anti-MAGA sign written in Spanish. 'As a first-(generation American), I want to represent those before me,' she told IndyStar through tears. 'It's personal for me.' Though protesters were united against Trump's actions, their political ideologies differed. Leland Lindahl, an independent, said he voted for Trump in 2020. 'As soon as January 6 hit, I immediately regretted it,' Lindahl said. The 47-year-old from Noblesville grew up in a conservative, Christian community and voted for Republicans throughout his life. His first time voting for a Democrat was in 2024. While he doesn't agree with everything some of the protesters believe, Lindahl said he came to the Statehouse because he didn't want to sit on his couch and complain — he wanted to take action. What was a smattering of rain throughout the event became a persistent downpour shortly before 2 p.m. The crowd remained, albeit reduced, with people seeking refuge under trees, umbrellas and ponchos. Annie Bowling, 46, was one of hundreds of protesters who withstood the weather. 'This is a testament to people in Indiana, one of the reddest states,' she said, holding a rain-soaked sign that had stained her hands red. 'That shows you that we will not be deterred by some weather because we know what's at stake.' Bowling drove to Indianapolis from Bloomington to attend both the protest and Indy Pride, which took place the same day, to, as she said, stand up for the LGBTQ community and other people at risk due to Trump's policies.
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Boston Globe
The research lost because of Trump's NIH cuts
The NIH has rarely revoked funding once it has been awarded. Out of the tens of thousands of grants overseen by the institution Then Donald Trump was reelected. Advertisement Since his January inauguration, his administration has terminated more than 1,450 grants, withholding more than $750 million in funds; officials have said they are curbing wasteful spending and 'unscientific' research. The Department of Government Efficiency gave the agency 'The decision to terminate certain grants is part of a deliberate effort to ensure taxpayer dollars prioritize high-impact, urgent science,' said Andrew G. Nixon, the director of communications for the Department of Health and Human Services. He did not respond to questions about the terminated grants or how patients may be impacted, but he said, 'Many discontinued projects were duplicative or misaligned with NIH's core mission. NIH remains focused on supporting rigorous biomedical research that delivers real results — not radical ideology.' Advertisement Targeted projects, however, were seeking cures for future pandemics, examining the causes of dementia and trying to prevent HIV transmission. The mass cancellation of grants in response to political policy shifts has no precedent, former and current NIH officials told ProPublica. It threatens the stability of the institution and the scientific enterprise of the nation at large. Hundreds of current and former NIH staffers It has been difficult for scientists and journalists to convey the enormity of what has happened these past few months and what it portends for the years and decades to come. News organizations have chronicled cuts to individual projects and sought to quantify the effects of lost spending on broad fields of study. To gain a deeper understanding of the toll, ProPublica reached out to more than 500 researchers, scientists and investigators whose grants were terminated. More than 150 responded to share their experiences, which reveal consequences that experts say run counter to scientific logic and even common sense. They spoke of the tremendous waste generated by an effort intended to save money — years of government-funded research that may never be published, blood samples in danger of spoiling before they can be analyzed. Advertisement Work to address disparities in health, once considered so critical to medical advancement that it was Researchers catalogued many fears — about the questions they won't get to answer, the cures they will fail to find and the colleagues they will lose to more supportive countries. But most of all, they said they worried about the people who, because of these cuts, will die. Research Frozen The NIH often awards funding in multiyear grants, giving scientists the time and intellectual freedom to pursue their work uninterrupted. They plan experiments, hire staff and make equipment purchases on long timelines. Now, studies can't be completed. Papers can't be published. Years of research may be lost and millions of dollars wasted. After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, demographer Diana Greene Foster set out to study the outcomes of pregnant patients who showed up in emergency departments. She wanted to know whether state restrictions were causing delays in care. 'This needs to be answered for courts to consider the evidence,' said Foster, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. 'Every day that goes by, people are potentially at risk.' Less than one year into a five-year NIH grant, she had arrived at some early findings: 'Abortion bans don't stop very many people from getting abortions,' she said. 'Bans actually cause people to have their abortions later in pregnancy.' For those who live in states with bans, she found, second-trimester abortions increased from 8% of procedures to 17%, requiring more complex interventions to end their pregnancies and increasing their risk of complications. Advertisement But before the data could be published, the NIH informed her on March 21 that the grant was terminated. It was no longer in line with agency priorities, a letter stated, specifying that studies on 'gender identity' 'ignore, rather than seriously examine, biological realities.' The termination left Foster confused. 'They are wrong that studying gender minority populations is not important,' she said. 'But my study is not about gender identity. It is relevant to anyone who is pregnant, regardless of how they identify.' Foster had to pause her research while she searched for other funding. 'This was clearly a politically motivated cut,' she said. ProPublica heard from more than 70 researchers who said that they were unable to continue their projects due to the terminations. 'Two and a half years into a three-year grant, and to all of a sudden stop and not fully be able to answer the original questions, it's just a waste.' Ethan Moitra, associate professor at Brown University, who was researching whether brief therapy can improve mental health for LGBTQ+ people. 'We are now scrambling to figure out if there are parts we can continue or salvage.' Julia Marcus, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, who was researching whether HIV prevention medicine can be made available over the counter. 'To build trust between health care providers, health researchers in communities takes decades of work, and scientists have already done the work. Now this is going to be depleted.' Jesus Ramirez-Valles, professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who was examining how HIV impacts the physical and mental health of gay men as they age. Advertisement Patient Studies Interrupted In addition to jeopardizing data, terminating a grant in the middle of an active study may worsen participants' conditions and put them at higher risk of death. A single daily pill can nearly eliminate the risk of contracting HIV — but only when taken as prescribed. Black and Latino men who have sex with men have more than a Working with community clinics across Mississippi, Washington, D.C., and Rhode Island, Brown University professors Amy Nunn and Dr. Philip Chan set out to examine The study provides aggressive case management to help patients navigate the health care system and stay on the treatment, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, which is available in both oral and injectable forms. Workers provide patients with reminders, help them get coverage and even pick up their medicine. In 2023, the researchers received about $3.7 million in NIH funding for five years of work. Their team was just starting to gather data that showed the program's efficacy when the grant was terminated. 'This is science that had really great chances of having a huge impact, and all of a sudden, it's cut off at the knee,' Nunn said. Advertisement Chan told ProPublica that he worries that the patients in their study could be harmed by the cut. 'There's no doubt that some of them are going to not stay on PrEP,' said Chan, 'and that some of them are going to get HIV.' At least 30 researchers told ProPublica that the termination of their grant forced them to end clinical research or a trial abruptly, leaving participants in limbo. 'We cannot assay the blood samples that we have collected and paid participants for. A total waste of the money and resources that went into collecting the data.' Sarah Whitton, professor at the University of Cincinnati, who was identifying risk factors for mental illness and suicidality for young LGBTQ+ women. 'We have also had to quickly scramble to keep the study going unfunded to avoid having to stop the treatment and clinical trial for those already enrolled.' Tiffany Brown, assistant professor at Auburn University, who was developing an eating disorder treatment for LGBTQ+ patients. 'With a clinical trial, if you can't follow participants to the end, you have no information, because the whole point is to see whether there's change from beginning to end.' Katie Biello, professor and chair of epidemiology at Brown University's School of Public Health, who was trying to improve adherence to medication protocols for adolescents with HIV in Brazil. Disparities Disregarded The Trump administration has banned the NIH from funding grants with a perceived connection to 'diversity, equity and inclusion,' alleging that such projects may be discriminatory. Caught up in the wave of terminations is work seeking to understand why some populations — including women and sexual, racial or ethnic minorities — may be more at risk of certain disorders or diseases. Despite preventative vaccines and improved screening, more than 4,000 women die every year from cervical cancer. Black and Hispanic women are more likely than their white peers to be diagnosed, and often at later stages. After more than a decade of studying cancer care disparities, epidemiologist Adana Llanos found that the ZIP code in which a woman received care often plays a pivotal role in how she fares. And in 2023, Llanos and her colleagues were awarded a multiyear NIH grant to further examine inequities, specifically in cervical cancer care and who survives it. Even though their work targets the women most at risk, Llanos said their research, like most health equity research, will increase our understanding of cervical cancer more broadly. 'This work has the potential to improve cancer outcomes for everyone, no matter what you identify as, no matter what your characteristics are,' she said. Last year, her team began to recruit a cohort of 960 women who had been diagnosed with cervical cancer to track their patterns of care and outcomes. But in March, after the researchers had enrolled about 200 participants, the NIH terminated the funding. Llanos paused enrollment. The cancellation felt like a betrayal of her study's participants, she said. Llanos had spent years developing relationships with community groups and cancer patients, gaining their trust so they would feel comfortable sharing their treatment experiences. 'We've made commitments to them,' she said. More than 550 of the terminated grants were focused on health disparities or inequities, attempting to understand why some groups have different health outcomes. 'If you cannot identify groups that are higher risk, it seems like just really bad science. That's sort of the basics of how you try to conquer a disease.' Carl Latkin, professor at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was analyzing the comorbidities of people who have HIV and those at risk for getting it. 'Health disparities are just going to get larger, and real folks are going to die.' Marguerita Lightfoot, professor at the Oregon Health & Science University–Portland State University School of Public Health, who was studying the value of guaranteed income and financial mentoring to Black youth. 'It's a major principle of epidemiology to target work towards the people who are being disproportionately affected. Now we're being told that we cannot mention them in our research.' Dr. Matthew Spinelli, assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who was working to prevent sexually transmitted infections with common antibiotics. LGBTQ+ People Targeted One of Trump's first executive orders was a directive In response to a lawsuit, a federal judge issued an injunction barring the administration from Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults are over three times more likely to consider suicide than their heterosexual peers. Few studies have aimed to figure out how to prevent this. Last year, Lauren Forrest, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, received a multiyear grant to do so, focusing on LGBTQ+ people who live in rural areas where access to specialized care may be more limited. She was planning to recruit dozens of participants. But on March 21, she received a notification from the NIH that her grant was terminated because it did not 'effectuate' the agency's priorities, citing its connection to 'gender identity.' 'The way they're going about deciding which grants will or won't be terminated, it's not about scientific rigor,' she said. 'It's about literally actively discriminating against health-disparity populations.' Forrest has been forced to reduce the hours of her research staff, and she now risks losing key lab personnel who may have to seek other employment due to the cuts. 'There is no way to recover the lost time, research continuity or training value once disrupted,' she said. She worries most about the deaths that could have been prevented. 'People are going to be harmed because of this,' she said. More than 300 of the grants terminated by the NIH were focused on LGBTQ+ health care. About 40 of those grants were researching ways to prevent suicide in adults and youth. 'We have a paper that's ready to go out that shows lesbian women are almost 3 times as likely to have a stillbirth compared to their heterosexual peers. That's such an avoidable, horrible outcome to happen, and that paper may never be published.' Brittany Charlton, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, who was quantifying obstetrical outcomes for lesbian, gay and bisexual women. 'It is devastating to have state-sanctioned dehumanization and exclusion. I am afraid for what these messages will do to the mental health of youth who are told they don't matter or, for some, that they don't even exist by parts of society.' Dr. Sarah Goff, professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who was studying how to improve the delivery of mental health care to LGBTQ+ youth. 'I honestly burst into tears. The evidence we would have gained from this work will not exist.' Kirsty Clark, assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, who was finding best practices for preventing suicide in LGBTQ+ preteens. Losing a Generation The grant terminations and subsequent instability have created a lost generation of scientists, dozens of researchers told ProPublica — cutting off an established pipeline at all stages of researchers' careers. Universities are trimming the number of openings in postdoctoral and graduate programs. Young researchers are struggling to find funding to initiate studies or open new laboratories. And some scientists are opting to pursue opportunities abroad. Dr. Lauren Harasymiw was a medical resident in a neonatal intensive care unit when an infant took a turn for the worse. Born at only 23 weeks gestation — the edge of viability — the baby girl experienced a hemorrhage within the ventricles of her brain. 'What does this mean for her?' Harasymiw recalls asking her attending physician. The supervisor didn't know. 'The field of neonatology has made incredible strides over the last decades in helping our babies survive,' Harasymiw said. 'But we've made less progress in protecting their neurodevelopmental outcomes.' If doctors could better assess infants' outcomes after a brain injury, they could target interventions sooner and provide families with better resources. To advance this area of medicine, Harasymiw pursued NIH-funded training to become a pediatric scientist. But in March, the NIH terminated funding for the Pediatric Scientist Development Program, which funded Harasymiw's salary and research, claiming that the program was connected to 'DEI.' 'This is just ripping out the foundation of my career,' Harasymiw said. In a statement about the grant terminations, Nixon, the HHS spokesperson, said that the NIH 'continues to invest robustly in training and career development opportunities that produce measurable contributions to biomedical science and patient care.' However, he added that 'while fostering the next generation of scientists is essential, effective leadership requires clear focus: prioritizing research that is impactful and results-driven over duplicative or low-yield programs.' Dr. Sallie Permar, who runs the program and is chair of pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, was perplexed by the cut; the program seemed to be in line with the administration's focus on combating chronic disease in children. 'That's exactly what we're training these scholars to do,' she said. More than 50 researchers told ProPublica that the funding cuts would harm the next generation of scholars, discouraging them from practicing in the United States. 'We have a generation of researchers that were planning to focus on these questions that are now either scared or don't have funding to continue their training, or both.' Mandi Pratt-Chapman, associate center director for community outreach, engagement and equity at the George Washington Cancer Center, who was identifying best practices for collecting data about LGBTQ+ people at small and rural cancer centers. 'Admissions for graduate school have been downsized to a point where prospective students are giving up on pursuing a Ph.D.' Tigist Tamir, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who received a career development grant and was studying how oxidative stress is regulated in breast cancer and obesity. 'I already know several researchers on the job search who ended up taking faculty positions in Canada instead of the U.S.' Dr. Benjamin Solomon, instructor of immunology and allergy in the department of pediatrics at Stanford Medical School, who received a career development grant and was examining rare genetic immune diseases in children .
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘No Kings' protest taking place in Boston, nationwide against Trump's policies
'No Kings' protests are taking place across the country against President Donald Trump. Saturday's protests were planned to counter celebrations for Trump's 79th birthday, which falls on Flag Day and the Army's 250th Anniversary. The 'No Kings' protests are a nationwide day of defiance organized to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of democracy. Trump will be attending a military parade in Washington, D.C. Here's everything you need to know: The 'No Kings' theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. Protests earlier this year have denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the now former leader of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, a government organization designed to slash federal spending. Protesters have called for Trump to be 'dethroned' as they compare his actions to that of a king and not a democratically elected president. 'They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services,' the group says on its website, referring to the Trump administration and its policies. 'They've done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies.' The No Kings Day of Defiance has been organized to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of the country's democracy, according to a statement by organizers. Organizers intend for the protests to counter the Army's 250th anniversary celebration — which Trump has ratcheted up to include an expensive, lavish military parade. The event will feature hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers. It also happens to be his 79th birthday and Flag Day. 'The flag doesn't belong to President Trump. It belongs to us,' the 'No Kings' website says. 'On June 14th, we're showing up everywhere he isn't — to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.' Protests in nearly 2,000 locations are scheduled around the country, from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, organizers said. No protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., however, where the military parade will be held. The group says it will 'make action everywhere else the story of America that day.' 'No Kings' plans instead to hold a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia to draw a clear contrast between its people-powered movement and what organizers described on their website as the 'costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade' in Washington. The No Kings Day of Defiance is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office, organizers said. Organizers said they are preparing for millions of people to take to the streets across all 50 states and commonwealths. In Boston, the protest will coincide with the annual Pride Parade, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. Demonstrations are also rallying in 90 locations across Massachusetts, including Worcester, Springfield, Hyannis, and Pittsfield. For a list of events in Massachusetts, click the link here. For a list of protests nationwide, click here. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
