Latest news with #LloydDoggett
Axios
21-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
FAA staffing issues lead to Austin airport delays
More than 100 flights were delayed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Wednesday — the second time this month — due to federal aviation staffing issues. Why it matters: Just ahead of a busy travel weekend, the delays point to a wider problem in Austin and elsewhere involving concerns over aviation safety and reliability. What's happening: Citing staffing issues, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay at the Austin airport Wednesday, leading to delays for more than 180 flights. At least 120 flights were delayed on May 11, some for more than 90 minutes, over air traffic control staffing issues. In March, the FAA placed a brief ground stop in Austin for incoming flights from all Houston and Dallas airports. What they're saying:"Another ground stop today for flights arriving at AUS means more unnecessary traveler inconvenience due to the FAA failure to correct our air traffic controller shortage," U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, wrote Wednesday on X. "Central Texans can expect more such delays throughout the busy summer months, as the FAA and the Trump administration continue to shrink the FAA workforce and delay proper safety measures for our overwhelmed, overworked local controllers," he wrote. In February, the FAA fired several hundred employees, including those hired for radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, per the AP. The other side:"A complete modernization is going to soon be taking place," President Trump said this month. "We're beginning the process of fully replacing the technology at more than 4,600 air traffic control sites." Between the lines: FAA staffing shortages in Austin and nationally predated the Trump administration. As of September 2023, facilities overseeing airports and approaching or departing flights were nearly 2,000 controllers short of a staffing goal of 8,966. By the numbers: In January, according to the FAA, only 32 Austin air traffic controller positions had been filled, out of a target number of 60. The intrigue: Officials at the city-owned Austin airport, charged with making the travel experience a positive one, pointed to the FAA for Wednesday's delays.
Axios
21-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
Head Start cuts possible in Austin and elsewhere
Worries are growing over funding for Head Start, the decades-old federal program that provides child care, nutrition assistance and other services to the nation's poorest families. Why it matters: Shuttering the program — something the White House is reportedly considering — would be "catastrophic," says Casey Peeks, senior director of Early Childhood Policy at the liberal Center for American Progress. More than 790,000 children through age 5, rely on Head Start for learning, meals and health care services, per a report from CAP out last week. Zoom in: Austin-area congressional districts represented by Democratic Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar and Republican Michael McCaul have at least 11,000 funded Head Start slots. For the record: The White House didn't respond to questions about possible further cuts to Head Start. Between the lines: Eliminating Head Start is one of Project 2025's goals. The group behind the conservative roadmap says the program has little value, claiming fraud and abuse are big issues.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Funding to fight measles outbreak in Texas hit by DOGE cuts
This week, the Texas Department of State Health Services made the Department of Government Efficiency's list of targets. DOGE plans to cut $877 million of a $1.5 billion federal grant and $97 million of a $473 million grant both from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These grants included funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help the state, city and county health departments fight infectious diseases, including measles, which has infected more 335 people in the state since January. Texas was one of multiple state health departments that received notice of the funding cuts, totaling $12 billion, on Monday. Texas had the largest cuts among the states, according to DOGE's "Wall of Receipts" online "efficiency" list. "We're evaluating the potential effects of the funding changes," said Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations for the Texas Department of State Health Services. He did not answer questions about how the state would manage its programs without this funding or whether his department would be asking for more funding from the state Legislature, which is now in session. In a statement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the funding being cut was linked to COVID-19 funds, and "the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago." The cuts are coming as Texas is experiencing a measles outbreak with 335 positive cases this year, most in Gaines County in West Texas, but one in Travis County from an infant who got the highly contagious disease while traveling out of the country. The baby was not being old enough for the first measles, mumps and rubella vaccination, which is typically given at 1 years old. In Lubbock, where doctors are treating the patients who have needed to be hospitalized with measles, the city public health department was told to stop work it was doing to try to control the outbreak because the funding is no longer available, according to a statement from the department. Before these latest cuts, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and two other representatives from Texas sent a letter to the CDC's acting director about funding cuts, what the CDC would be able to do to help the state with the measles outbreak and whether the CDC had the ability to give the public accurate information after the Trump administration has sought to limit information the agency can share with the public. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Funding to fight Texas measles outbreak hit by DOGE cuts
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lloyd Doggett demands answers from CDC: 'What are you doing about Texas measles outbreak?'
U.S. House representatives from Texas are asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a detailed report on how it is handling the measles outbreak in Texas. As of Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services has counted 286 cases of the highly contagious disease this year. Most of those cases, 279, are in West Texas, centered around Gaines County. Only one case has been in Travis County. One child from Texas has died in the outbreak, and 36 people have been hospitalized. Only two of the people who have contracted the disease in West Texas have been vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. That vaccine is typically given at age 1 and a second dose between ages 4 and 6. U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett; D-Austin, Marc Veasey, D-Dallas-Fort Worth, and Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, wrote to CDC acting Director Dr. Susan Monarez: "The current outbreak has primarily affected school-aged children, highlighting the urgent need to support the state of Texas' efforts to contain its spread and prevent further loss of life. We are troubled that anti-vaccine misinformation, cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) workforce, and reductions of public health funding will threaten the country's ability to respond to the current measles outbreak, and future public health threats." They cite 750 people who have lost their jobs at the CDC because of federal firings under the Department of Government Efficiency. It also notes recent interviews with U.S. Health and Human Services Director Robert Kennedy Jr. in which he touted the use of Vitamin A to fight measles. Vitamin A should only be given to people who are deficient and can cause serious health problems if someone is given too much. It does not prevent measles but can help people who have symptoms in some cases, according to Dr. Ron Cook, a Texas Tech professor and primary care doctor in Lubbock. The letter states: "As local pharmacies report shortages of MMR vaccine doses, the Administration has shipped doses of Vitamin A to Texas, endorsing its use in addition to cod liver oil to reduce the outbreak, neither of which are scientifically proven to reduce the spread of the disease." Measles is highly contagious, infecting 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to a contagious person. It lives on surfaces up to two hours. The letter also expresses concern about federal funding of the CDC. "With more than 70 percent of the CDC's budget directly supporting state and local health efforts, including disease prevention efforts, any disruptions will have catastrophic consequences for outbreak response and prevention." The U.S. representatives are asking Monarez to answer these questions and wants a response by Tuesday. What specific actions has the CDC taken in coordination with the Texas DSHS to mitigate the measles outbreak in Texas? How have recent reductions in the number of CDC personnel impacted the agency's capacity to respond effectively to the ongoing disease outbreak? Have DOGE's efforts, particularly the disruption of federal resources, interfered with funding flows to Texas state and local health departments in their fight against this outbreak? How does the CDC plan to uphold its mission to remain science-based and data-driven, contrary to the dangerous and misleading comments made by Kennedy regarding measles and the safety of the MMR vaccine? Has CDC leadership advocated against proposals to cut the agency's budget, and do you acknowledge that any reduction in funding would significantly weaken the nation's public health infrastructure, particularly in responding to infectious disease outbreaks? The measles vaccine is known as the MMR vaccine: measles, mumps and rubella (the latter is also known as German measles). It is a live vaccine and should not be given to pregnant women or some people with autoimmune issues, including those who are undergoing treatment for cancer. Most children are vaccinated with the first dose when they turn 1. A second dose is given between ages 4 and 6. A second dose can be given as soon as 28 days after the first dose. A first dose of the vaccine can start giving someone some protection within 72 hours and can be used to fight a measles exposure. A first dose provides about 93% protection after two weeks. After the second dose, a person has 97% protection. For people who have been exposed, they can receive immunoglobulin within six days of an exposure to fight the virus. People born before 1957 are presumed to have immunity because of the amount of measles that was present during that time. People born after that time need to make sure they have been vaccinated with two doses. If you were born between 1957 and 1968, you might not have immunity because the vaccine at the time didn't use a live virus. Vaccine protection does wane over time. You can get a blood test to check your immunity level to be sure. If you have been pregnant in the last 30 years, you have already had your titer check for rubella, which is in the MMR vaccine and would have been told if you did not have immunity. For vaccinations, contact your primary care provider or you can go through Austin Public Health. You can get vaccinated as an adult if you have not been vaccinated previously. Austin Public Health offers vaccinations for free or at reduced rates for children and adults who do not have insurance, have Medicaid or are underinsured. The typical cost is $13 for children and $25 for adults. You can make an appointment at 512-972-5520 for the clinics at 405 W. Stassney Lane in South Austin or 7500 Blessing Avenue in Northeast Austin. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: US Rep. Lloyd Doggett asks CDC about Texas measles outbreak response
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Casar, Doggett and other Texas Democrats demand release of $42M in federal refugee funds
Texas Congressional Democrats are calling on the federal government to release the funds it has withheld from the organization that is in charge of distributing reimbursement to the state's refugee service providers. In a Thursday letter to the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. representatives including Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett of Austin demanded that the administration's Office of Refugee Resettlement immediately release contractually obligated funding to the nonprofit Texas Office for Refugees. 'If funding is not restored immediately, hundreds of thousands of refugees across the state could be permanently left without crucial medical services, basic shelter, and legal support,' according to the letter, which also was signed by Democratic Reps. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch, Al Green of Houston, Veronica Escobar of El Paso, Sylvia Garcia of Houston, Lizzie Fletcher of Houston and Joaquin Castro of San Antonio. Previously: Refugees in Austin, across Texas, still struggling amid mysterious pause in federal funding The letter comes after numerous American-Statesman reports that revealed the ongoing funding freeze, its dire impact on the state's service providers and refugee community; and a lawsuit that the Texas Office for Refugees filed against the U.S. health department to force release of $42 million in funds. The office, which is run by Catholic Charities of Fort Worth, oversees federally sponsored refugee services in Texas. (The state withdrew from the federal refugee resettlement program in 2016.) Thursday's letter warned that the office may be forced to close by March 15 if funds remain unfrozen. The letter comes the day after a preliminary hearing in the refugee office's federal lawsuit, where a lawyer for the health department promised that funds would be 'released in a matter of days,' but did not provide a firm timeline. The lawsuit alleges that Texas is the only state where federal reimbursement has not resumed since Feb. 3 when the health department issued a directive pausing funds to states refugee service programs. On Wednesday the health department released a declaration at the request of U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan confirming that Texas was indeed the only state where the freeze is effectively still in place. Agency lawyers also made it clear that it was intentional. In other court filings, the health department pointed to a Florida grand jury report on fraud and waste in that state's unaccompanied minor's reception program as reason for the ongoing pause in Texas refugee payments. That program is unrelated to refugee service programs. At Wednesday's hearing, government lawyer Joseph F. Carilli, Jr. argued that the pause was under the government's purview, and that forcing the state to release the funds would take away the authority of the federal government to review any of its contracts before completion. The review of the Texas Office for Refugees 'is still ongoing,' Carilli said. 'They can't provide at this point in time anything certain as to when it would conclude.' AliKhan has not yet issued a ruling. Late last month, she ruled against the Trump administration in withholding billions in foreign aid payments, which fund refugee resettlement programs in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with her ruling last week. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Democrats demand release of $42M in federal refugee funds
