Kennedy to halt $500 million in vaccine projects
Rick Bright, who led HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, from 2016 to 2020 — and criticized the Trump administration's early Covid response — slammed the decision, calling it a 'huge strategic misstep.'
'This decision signals a dangerous complacency,' Bright said in a text. 'Disinvesting from mRNA strips us of one of the fastest tools we have to contain the next pandemic, natural or deliberate. Pulling back from proven medical countermeasure platforms at a time of escalating global bio‑risks deeply compromises national security.'
HHS said the cancellations impact 22 projects worth nearly $500 million — however, some contracts in their final stage will be 'allowed to run their course to preserve prior taxpayer investment.'
The federal health department said it is instructing the Global Health Investment Corporation — which helps manage BARDA's technological investments — to cease mRNA-based equity investments. However, HHS said other mRNA technologies 'within the department are not impacted by this announcement.'
HHS said future BARDA vaccine investments will focus on technologies such as whole-virus vaccines and other new immunization platforms.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Judge orders RFK Jr.'s health department to stop sharing Medicaid data with deportation officials
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ordered the nation's health department to stop giving deportation officials access to the personal information — including home addresses — of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services first handed over the personal data on millions of Medicaid enrollees in a handful of states in June. After an Associated Press report identified the new policy, 20 states filed a lawsuit to stop its implementation. In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services entered into a new agreement that gave the Department of Homeland Security daily access to view the personal data — including Social Security numbers and home address — of all the nation's 79 million Medicaid enrollees. Neither agreement was announced publicly. The extraordinary disclosure of such personal health data to deportation officials in the Trump administration's far-reaching immigration crackdown immediately prompted the lawsuit over privacy concerns. The Medicaid data sharing is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to provide DHS with more data on migrants. In May, for example, a federal judge refused to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing immigrants' tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help agents locate and detain people living without legal status in the U.S. The order, issued by federal Judge Vince Chhabria in California, temporarily halts the health department from sharing personal data of enrollees in those 20 states, which include California, Arizona, Washington and New York. 'Using CMS data for immigration enforcement threatens to significantly disrupt the operation of Medicaid—a program that Congress has deemed critical for the provision of health coverage to the nation's most vulnerable residents,' Chhabria wrote in his decision, issued on Tuesday. Chhabria, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said that the order will remain in effect until the health department outlines 'reasoned decisionmaking' for its new policy of sharing data with deportation officials. A spokesperson for the federal health department declined to directly answer whether the agency would stop sharing its data with DHS. HHS has maintained that its agreement with DHS is legal. Immigrants who are not living in the U.S. legally, as well as some lawfully present immigrants, are not allowed to enroll in the Medicaid program that provides nearly free coverage for health services. But federal law requires all states to offer emergency Medicaid, a temporary coverage that pays only for lifesaving services in emergency rooms to anyone, including non-U.S. citizens. Medicaid is a jointly funded program between states and the federal government. Immigration advocates have said the disclosure of personal data could cause alarm among people seeking emergency medical help for themselves or their children. Other efforts to crack down on illegal immigration have made schools, churches, courthouses and other everyday places feel perilous to immigrants and even U.S. citizens who fear getting caught up in a raid. 'Protecting people's private health information is vitally important,' Washington state's Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement. 'And everyone should be able to seek medical care without fear of what the federal government may do with that information.' Seitz and Kindy write for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Sean Duffy is doing his a great job at NASA, but it might not be enough
The naming of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as interim NASA administrator was as much of a surprise as was President Trump's withdrawal of his nomination of Jared Isaacman to the same post. So, how is Duffy doing, trying to bring the space agency out from its summer of discontent? Duffy has been spending a lot of his time boosting the Artemis program, designed to return astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. He recently posted that he 'spoke with the smart leaders of our mission directorates' and the consensus was 'America MUST dominate space and our critical moon mission, #ARTEMIS, must be as known and supported by America just as Apollo was!' He finished saying he was 'fired up and ready to launch.' Duffy repeated his advocacy of the Artemis program on the Fox News show 'Hannity.' He noted that Artemis would proceed in three phases: a return to the moon, establishing a lunar base or outpost and crewed expeditions to Mars. Considering how well the Artemis program polls, Duffy is pursuing a sound political strategy. The trick is that the steps he laid out have to happen on a sensible schedule. Fortunately, Artemis II, the crewed trip around the moon, is slated to occur early in 2026. On the other hand, science journalist Robert Zimmerman gave Duffy the back of his hand for stating on Hannity that Artemis III, the next moon landing, is still a go for 2027. Considering the problems the SpaceX Starship has been having, few people believe that date is valid. However, SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell has assured Duffy that it is. We shall see. According to Politico, Duffy has called for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to be deployed on the moon by 2030, to provide power for a lunar base. He has also called for the acceleration of commercial space stations that would replace the International Space Station when it ends its operational life. The new plan promises to be very disruptive. Duffy also had a meeting at the Kennedy Space Center with his Russian counterpart. Joey Roulette of Reuters reported that the meeting discussed ''cooperation on lunar programs' and 'joint exploration of deep space' as well as ISS cooperation,' according to Roscosmos. International Space Station cooperation is a natural topic of conversation between the head of NASA and the head of Roscosmos. The U.S. and Russia have been partners on the space station since early in the Clinton administration. The partnership exists in its own little universe, separate from the tensions between the two countries brought about by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ars Technica reports that Bakanov brought up the possibility of using Russian hardware to deorbit the ISS in 2030. Clearly, he was attempting to take advantage of the feud between Trump and Elon Musk, whose SpaceX currently has the contract. Roscosmos would get a much-needed infusion of cash if it replaced SpaceX. However, the mention of cooperation on lunar programs and the joint exploration of deep space catches the eye. Russia has turned down participation in the Artemis program, preferring to be a partner on China's planned International Lunar Research Station. Russian participation in Artemis was likely dangled as an enticement for Putin to make peace in Ukraine on terms short of conquering the entire country. It would also serve as a way to separate Russia from China, something that has been a center of American foreign policy since the Nixon administration. Finally, Duffy has to deal with the NASA spending war that has developed between the Congress and the White House. A group of Democratic senators sent him a letter expressing their concerns not only about the planned cuts for the next fiscal year but plans to rescind some allocated money for the current fiscal year. They are also concerned about a planned buyout program that would cut 4,000 NASA civil servants. The Senate and House are concerned about NASA's plans to implement the spending plans in the 'big, beautiful bill.' They are demanding answers by Sept. 1. Duffy will need the diplomatic skills of a Henry Kissinger to reconcile the positions of the two branches over NASA funding. As able as he is, the situation cries out for a permanent NASA administrator, someone with the respect of both President Trump and the Congress. Otherwise, the chaos will just continue, hampering the space agency's ability to fulfill its mandate to explore space, for the betterment of the United States and all humankind. Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled 'Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?' as well as 'The Moon, Mars and Beyond' and, most recently, 'is America Going Back to the Moon' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
'How do we get down?' RFK Jr., Dr. Oz climb boulder in video stunt
A video of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz climbing a large rock and hiking through Colorado's Garden of the Gods has been circulating online. In the three-and-a-half-minute-long video posted Wednesday, Aug. 13, on Kennedy's official HHS X page, he and Oz are seen at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In a separate X post on Kennedy's personal page, the secretary wrote that he and Oz went hiking during a break between their speeches at the National Governors Conference, which took place July 25-26. Kennedy speaks in the public service announcement video about how daily hiking has benefitted his life, improving his focus, clarity and creativity. He says that hiking also exposes him to "sunlight," which he calls "medicine" since it is a source of vitamin D. "Fifteen minutes outside can change your day − and your life. It sharpens your mind, strengthens your body, and restores the connection so many of us have lost − to each other, to nature, and to ourselves," Kennedy wrote in the post. "Thanks @DrOzCMS for joining me on this hike." Aa around the two-minute and 30-second mark in the video, Kennedy says, "We got to go, this mountain is not going to climb itself." As the video cuts to Kennedy, 71, climbing the mountain, he appears wobbly as he pulls himself up onto a boulder. Oz, 65, follows behind him and appears to need Kennedy's assistance to reach the boulder. "So how do we get down?" Oz says in the video, before sliding back down with Kennedy. Fifteen minutes outside can change your day — and your sharpens your mind, strengthens your body, and restores the connection so many of us have lost — to each other, to nature, and to @DrOzCMS for joining me on this hike. The internet reacts Some naturally poked fun at the video, calling it an "SNL skit" or mocking it as cringe. Others mocked Kennedy's jeans, which he'd also worn during a July hike in sweltering Arizona in an image shared publicly, much to the amusement of social media. Supporters echoed Kennedy and Oz's message about getting outside and encouraged others to go on walks. Since being appointed as HHS secretary by President Donald Trump, Kennedy has faced criticism over changes in COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant people, as well as his cuts to vaccine programs. He has been an advocate for natural medical and health methods, including improving food quality by eliminating certain dyes and additives. Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@
