Latest news with #MackenzieWilkes
Politico
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Charters press for space in reconciliation debate
Presented by Third Way With help from Mackenzie Wilkes and Bianca Quilantan CHARTER CHATTER — Charter schools are angling to influence the massive congressional budget reconciliation bill amid broader momentum for school choice. — Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Friday said her agency will pump an additional $60 million into this year's federal Charter Schools Program and unveiled a new kind of charter school development grant, atop a potential funding expansion from the Trump administration's budget proposal. A bipartisan group of senators also reintroduced legislation to streamline the process of opening new campuses. — The charter industry still wants more for the publicly-funded campuses as private school boosters push to cement a multibillion-dollar federal tax credit program that would fund scholarships for private tuition and other educational expenses, including for wealthy families. — A lobbying campaign featuring Eva Moskowitz, the head of Success Academy Charter Schools, is pressing the GOP to include the High-Quality Charter Schools Act in their bill — a federal tax credit for qualified charitable contributions made to nonprofit charter school organizations. — 'The President campaigned on universal school choice, and you can't have universal if you have half of the equation,' Moskowitz told your host in Washington after a congressional hearing where Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) criticized House Republicans for not including the charter tax credit. 'You're going to have a broader coalition if you include a public school choice.' — Moskowitz, who was floated as a potential Education secretary during President Donald Trump's first term, said she's talking with McMahon and the agency's legislative affairs team as negotiations continue in the House and Senate. — 'There are a lot of twists and turns in what the final package will be between now and when the music stops,' she said. IT'S MONDAY, MAY 19. WELCOME TO WEEKLY EDUCATION. Library defenders in a Trump-friendly Southern California city are taking their fight to the ballot as public libraries have become a conservative culture-war target across the country. Reach out with tips to today's host at jperez@ and also my colleagues Becca Carballo (rcarballo@ Bianca Quilantan (bquilantan@ and Mackenzie Wilkes (mwilkes@ Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. In Congress DOLLARS AND SENSE — McMahon is scheduled to face congressional appropriators on Wednesday to detail the Trump administration's proposal to slash her agency's budget. — She's also facing criticism from senior Democrats about federal funds schools need for the coming academic year. States and school districts only learned last week about preliminary amounts of fiscal 2025 funding they can expect from the government's Title I grant program for students from low-income households, Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said in a letter to McMahon. — The delayed allocation gives states less time to plan the use of money meant for the lowest-performing schools and students, the Democrats said. — 'We implore the Department to reverse course, stop creating chaos, provide states and school districts with information about the resources Congress provided in the 2025 appropriations law and begin to support states and their school districts in the effective implementation of federal law,' they added. A department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. HOUSE E&W DOES ITS PART — The House Education and Workforce Committee's overhaul of federal student aid programs as part of the GOP budget bill exceeds the savings Chair Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) was tasked with finding, Mackenzie reports. — By the numbers: The House education committee's portion of the GOP budget bill is estimated to produce $349.1 billion in savings, according to a new score from the Congressional Budget Office. The latest score comes after preliminary estimates from the CBO showed that the committee's policies would decrease deficits by $351 billion. The panel was tasked with finding at least $330 billion in savings. — The plan would place stricter limits on federal loans borrowers can take out, repeal regulations related to gainful employment and borrower defense, make significant changes to the Pell Grant and limit the Education Department's authority to issue regulations that would increase federal costs related to student loan programs. — The largest portion of the panel's savings would come from repealing and replacing former President Joe Biden's student loan repayment program known as SAVE. Overall changes to student loan repayments would reduce spending by $294.6 billion between 2025 and 2034. Republicans have proposed replacing the Biden-era income-driven repayment plan with two pared-down options. Borrowers could opt for fixed monthly payments over a certain period of time based on debt load or an income-based plan dubbed the 'Repayment Assistance Plan.' — The CBO notes that there's some uncertainty with current law spending, given that federal courts have had the SAVE program on hold for months. — 'Participation data are limited and incomplete because, as a result of pending litigation, borrowers enrolled in that plan have been placed in administrative forbearance, and applications for most IDR plans have been closed,' the CBO report says. 'Actual participation in the SAVE Plan, if fully implemented in the future, or in the legislation's proposed IDR plan may be higher or lower than CBO estimates.' Teacher Unions A 2025 CAMPAIGN — The National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers are launching a $2 million media campaign and mobilization effort in an effort to oppose Republican lawmakers' budget plans alongside other public service unions in more than a dozen congressional districts. — The unions say their Put Families First campaign 'will center the stories of the workers who keep our communities running and know firsthand the devastating impact reckless cuts will have on working families.' The labor groups will share their stories within targeted congressional districts via television, streaming, social media and more. — A union official said the targeted congressional districts are in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. EYES EMOJI — AFT President Randi Weingarten is set to publish a book in September. Publishers Weekly reports the controversial union chief's book is titled, 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy'. — According to Weingarten's publisher, the book will tell 'the story of what teachers do and why those who are afraid of freedom and opportunity try to stop them,' and 'why the fate of American democracy is inexorably intertwined with the fate of public education.' THE COLLEGE BOARD AP TESTING DISRUPTIONS — Psychology students sitting for their AP exam Friday afternoon faced issues logging into the College Board's Bluebook testing app, disrupting one of the testing giant's largest exams. — More than 300,000 students sat for the test, which was the last in this year's AP testing window. The College Board said the login issue was resolved and many students were able to take the exam, though it's still working to determine the full impact. — 'We know how hard students work to prepare for their AP exams and we regret that their testing period was disrupted,' a College Board spokesperson said in a statement. Students who were unable to test can participate in the late-testing exam on May 23. AP Psychology is one of 16 subject exams that were transitioned to fully digital this year. IN THE STATES CALIFORNIA TRADE-OFF — Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration is proposing legislation that would redirect money earmarked for school heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades to programs meant to reduce electricity use during grid emergencies, POLITICO's Eric He reports. — A trailer bill the governor floated as part of his revised budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year would send any unused funds remaining in the CalSHAPE school facilities program in July to programs such as the Emergency Load Reduction Program, which rewards electricity customers who reduce their usage during grid emergencies. If lawmakers back Newsom's proposal, the funding shift would begin as temperatures typically climb in the summer months. — California Federation of Teachers legislative representative Mitch Steiger voiced 'strong opposition' to the trailer bill last week during a climate budget subcommittee hearing. 'It will give kids cancer and will force kids to learn in classrooms that are over 90 degrees,' Steiger said. Report Roundup — A new report from The Century Foundation finds that graduate students at historically Black colleges and universities are more likely to borrow graduate PLUS loans to cover tuition, fees, and related costs — despite generally carrying smaller loan balances than non-HBCU graduate students. — The national average price for childcare rose by 29 percent from 2020 to 2024, outpacing inflation, according to a new report from Child Care Aware of America. Syllabus — Education secretary wants talks with Harvard to resume, without giving ground: The New York Times — ICE threatens OPT visa holders with deportation: Inside Higher Ed — Judge blocks Energy Department limits on universities' indirect costs: POLITICO Pro — Financial reckoning hits universities: Pay cuts, layoffs and no coffee: The Wall Street Journal — Judge OKs Iowa limits on K-6 gender identity, sexual orientation teaching but not elective programs: The Associated Press
Politico
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Musk's layoffs target offices that aid women and children
Presented by Hi Rulers. Happy Women's History Month! I'm Mackenzie Wilkes, an education reporter at POLITICO dropping in for this week's Women Rule. Let's get into it: President Donald Trump decried 'unelected bureaucrats' this week in his address to Congress as Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency continues slashing the federal workforce. While Republican lawmakers publicly support the cuts, Democratic lawmakers are warning the bleeding of federal workers will be particularly harmful to women and children. Two offices that specifically serve women and children are in Musk's crosshairs. The Office of Head Start, which oversees the free federal early education program for children from low-income families, and the Office of Child Care, which has jurisdiction over the largest federal funding source for child care, have reportedly lost 20 to 25 percent of their staff. That could impede coordination between the federal offices that oversee these programs and the local grantees who receive federal dollars. Congressional lawmakers and early childhood advocates argue the loss of staff in those federal offices could trickle down to local programs — resulting in delays in accessing federal grants and technical support. 'They want to undermine trust in the ability of the federal government to provide services,' said Democratic Women's Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) in an interview, 'and then they want to take those savings and turn them into tax cuts for billionaires.' In a letter shared first with POLITICO, Leger Fernández and over 40 members of the Democratic Women's Caucus asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose agency has jurisdiction over those programs, to 'immediately reinstate any [Administration for Children and Families] federal employees whom HHS fired and not remove any others.' 'While Elon Musk believes that women and families who benefit from these programs are parasites, we know that these programs provide hard-working families with crucial services,' the lawmakers wrote in the letter Thursday. 'Further, it is the dedicated federal workers who allow these essential services to support families across the nation.' An HHS spokesperson downplayed the cuts' impact, saying that all operations in both offices are continuing, including the provision of technical assistance and grants. The spokesperson did not comment on the percentage of staff reductions. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to POLITICO that the president is 'streamlining processes and cutting bloat across all agencies,' adding it will 'make the entire Executive Branch more efficient and ensure more timely access to services for the American people.' Funding for Head Start programs, which provide education and health services to nearly 800,000 children nationwide, was thrown into uncertainty in January when federal grant funds were frozen. The Trump administration subsequently said Head Start was excluded from the freeze but scores of program directors continued to report technical issues accessing their payment portal and delays in receiving their funds. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, underscored that there could be economic consequences: 'Mom and dad can't go to work if they can't get child care,' Murray, a former preschool teacher, recently told reporters. In 2023, the Labor Department found higher child care costs are keeping women out of the workforce. Meanwhile, data from the Federal Reserve show that low-income parents are more likely to reduce their work hours to care for their kids. According to Murray, Trump and Musk are haphazardly freezing Head Start funding, then promising to turn it back on, without actually ensuring that happens. As a result, she said, Head Start centers and the families who count on them are being thrown 'into complete chaos' — making 'the child care crisis that much worse.' But it's not just women's access to child care and early learning being affected. Some military spouses working for the Department of Veterans Affairs are being caught in widespread layoffs. Arielle Pines, a military spouse who worked at the VA for roughly 15 years in various patient care and administrative roles, was recently laid off. Pines, who had moved into a new HR role at the VA in the Veterans Integrated Services Network where she helped collect and analyze data, was considered a probationary worker. 'It was based on efficiency and looking at numbers and looking at the data and tracking the metrics and see how we can improve our services to our veterans,' Pines said in an interview. 'It's very unfortunate because my job was based in efficiency and I was fired under the guise of efficiency.' The Veterans Affairs Department has laid off thousands of probationary and 'non-mission critical positions' in the last month. 'They fired veterans, they fired military spouses … and with those titles, they have 15 years of experience,' Pines added. SELMA SIXTY YEARS LATER The nation marks a dark, but important milestone in its history with the commemoration of Bloody Sunday. On this day in 1965, the late Civil Rights icon John Lewis and hundreds of others marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama to call for the eradication of Jim Crow laws that blocked Black Americans from voting, particularly in the South. POLITICO's Brakkton Booker highlights three women working to elevate the 60th anniversary. If Bloody Sunday never happened, it's hard to imagine President Lyndon Johnson signing the landmark Voting Rights Act that summer. This week Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) whose district includes Selma, reintroduced H.R. 14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which calls for strengthening the law after recent Supreme Court decisions weakened some of its enforcement provisions. 'It will give us the tools to suppress modern-day voter suppression and ensure every American can cast their ballot fairly and freely,' Sewell said this week on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, in the city itself, Ainka Sanders Jackson and Lydia Chatmon, two lifelong friends, are using the 60th anniversary festivities for a different mission: to showcase Selma so that investors will be inspired to help revitalize their city. 'So often people see Selma as a symbol, but not a city,' says Sanders Jackson, executive director of the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth and Reconciliation. In 2020, during the first Trump administration, the center received its first federal grant of nearly $1 million to combat violent crime in the city. That aid, the women said, was temporarily stopped in late January when the second Trump administration issued a memo ordering the pause of federal aid programs. POLITICO Special Report Bill Restricting Transgender Student Athletes Stalls in the Senate by Bianca Quilantan for POLITICO: 'The Senate failed to advance a measure to restrict transgender students from playing on women's sports teams on a 51-45 procedural vote Monday evening. No Democrats joined Republicans in supporting S. 9, which required 60 votes to advance. The legislation introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is a cornerstone of the GOP's education agenda and would have helped cement President Donald Trump's executive order that seeks to end transgender student participation in women's and girls' sports.' Lucy McBath Takes First Step Toward Georgia Governor Run by Danny Nguyen for POLITICO: 'Rep. Lucy McBath has taken her first formal step toward a bid for Georgia governor in 2026, launching an exploratory committee to raise money. … McBath has long been rumored to be considering a run for statewide office, with GOP Gov. Brian Kemp term-limited next year. If she runs and wins, McBath could be the nation's first Black woman governor.' Linda McMahon Confirmed as Education Secretary by Mackenzie Wilkes for POLITICO: 'The Senate confirmed Linda McMahon's nomination to lead the Education Department in a 51-45 party-line vote on Monday. McMahon was sworn in as the 13th secretary of Education shortly after the vote. Her new role comes as President Donald Trump has said he wants McMahon to 'put herself out of a job' amid his ambitions to shutter the Education Department.' The Education secretary swiftly laid out a 'final mission' for the department in a message to staff shortly after being sworn in. Number of the Week Read more here. MUST READS Grieving Mothers Thrust Into the Spotlight During Trump's Address to Congress by Mel Leonor Barclay and Grace Panetta for the 19th: 'President Donald Trump's first address to Congress this term leaned heavily on the grief of two mothers whose children's deaths were linked to recently arrived immigrants, describing the murders in detail and saying that securing the nation's borders is the most crucial step toward 'protecting America's children.'' Women's Rights Are Under Attack 30 Years After Leaders Adopted a Blueprint for Equality, UN Says by Edith M. Lederer for the Associated Press: 'Thirty years after world leaders adopted a historic blueprint to achieve gender equality, a new United Nations report says women's and girls' rights are under attack and gender discrimination remains deeply embedded in economies and societies. The report released Thursday by the U.N. agency focused on women's rights and gender equality found that nearly one-quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash to women's rights last year. Despite some progress, including on girls' education and access to family planning, UN Women said a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a partner or family member and that cases of conflict-related sexual violence have increased by 50 percent since 2022.' A Third of Women Get This Infection. The Fix: Treat Their Male Partners. by Alisha Haridasani Gupta for The New York Times: 'Bacterial vaginosis is a poorly understood infection that affects one in three women and can bring with it uncomfortable symptoms and, sometimes, long-term health complications. … A study published today shows the results of a novel treatment regimen so effective that an independent safety-monitoring group advised halting the trial early so that all participants could access it. The key? Treating the women's male partners.' QUOTE OF THE WEEK Watch her floor remarks here. on the move — Nvidia is adding Sarah Weinstein to its corporate comms team in D.C. Weinstein previously was director of public affairs at the Commerce Department and is a Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Pete Aguilar alum. (h/t Inside Congress) — Carmen Cummings-Martin was named chief of staff for Florida A&M University's interim President Timothy Beard. (h/t The Tallahassee Democrat)
Politico
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Delays in federal health funding
With help from Mackenzie Wilkes A Note to Our Readers from POLITICO's CEO and Editor-in-Chief POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week. Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false. Let's set the record straight POLITICO is a privately owned company. We have never received any government funding — no subsidies, no grants, no handouts. Not one dime, ever, in 18 years. Millions of people around the world read our journalism on and in newsletters like this one. It is supported by advertising and sponsorships. POLITICO Pro is different. It is a professional subscription service used by companies, organizations, and, yes, some government agencies. They subscribe because it makes them better at their jobs — helping them track policy, legislation and regulations in real-time with news, intelligence and a suite of data products. At its core, POLITICO Pro is about transparency and accountability: Shining a light on the work of the agencies, regulators and policymakers throughout our vast federal government. Businesses and entities within the government find it useful as they navigate the chaotic regulatory and legislative landscape. It's that simple. Most POLITICO Pro subscribers are in the private sector. They come from across the ideological spectrum and subscribe for one reason: value. And 90 percent renew every year because they rely on our reporting, data and insights. Government agencies that subscribe do so through standard public procurement processes — just like any other tool they buy to work smarter and be more efficient. This is not funding. It is a transaction — just as the government buys research, equipment, software and industry reports. Some online voices are deliberately spreading falsehoods. Let's be clear: POLITICO has no financial dependence on the government and no hidden agenda. We cover politics and policy — that's our job. We are so proud of our journalists and so proud of the connection we have with you, our readers. We stand by our work, our values and our commitment to transparency, accountability and efficiency — the same principles that drive great journalism and great business. Now, back to work. Goli Sheikholeslami and John Harris Driving The Day FUNDING FREEZE HAVOC — Providers and lawmakers fear that payments for some federally funded health programs aren't being dispersed amid confusing federal guidance stemming from President Donald Trump's executive orders on gender and diversity. That includes funding for community health centers; Head Start, a school readiness program for low-income families; and other so-called safety-net programs. Background: A flurry of orders from the White House in recent weeks has caused delays to federal funding, including January executive orders targeting 'the use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies,' calling that 'a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.' Last week, federal officials ordered a blanket freeze on most federal funding before rolling the order back on Monday. At least two judges have also ordered a suspension of the blanket freeze. At the same time, state Medicaid payment portals experienced an outage, causing confusion nationwide. The downstream effects of the funding freeze have become clearer this week. Here are some key impacts. — Some community health centers, which primarily serve low-income patients, have said they haven't received the federal funding that keeps them afloat, forcing some to temporarily shutter. — Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, said a safety-net hospital in her state couldn't provide medical services last month because of a freeze in Medicaid funds. — Dozens of Head Start providers serving nearly 20,000 children report delays in accessing federal grant dollars, according to survey data from the National Head Start Association, an industry group representing the providers. That's despite officials later clarifying that Head Start was excluded from the freeze. HHS has said 'technical issues,' now resolved, affected the payment management system last week, but some providers may experience lags, Mackenzie reports. On Thursday, several Democratic lawmakers demanded answers from the Trump administration. Senate health leaders Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote to the administration asking why the Medicaid platform was inoperable. 'These repeated blackouts are causing panic, confusion, and unnecessary frustration for our doctors, community health centers, hospitals and patients,' Schumer said in a statement. Virginia's Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, also sent a letter Thursday to HHS asking why some health centers — including those in Virginia — weren't receiving funding. An HHS spokesperson told Pulse that the administration was aware of 'ongoing technical issues' affecting the payment system. 'The system is back up and running now, but some PMS users are experiencing lags due to the high volume of request. HHS is working to expedite a resolution ASAP,' they said. The confusion comes as many federal employees face a looming decision to resign and take deferred compensation. On Thursday, a judge hit pause on the plan until at least Monday, giving workers a bit more time. WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE. GO BIRDS! Send your tips, scoops and feedback to ccirruzzo@ and khooper@ and follow along @ChelseaCirruzzo and @Kelhoops. In Congress MEDICAID CUTS NOT OFF THE TABLE — Despite Medicaid 'love' from President Donald Trump, his administration and House Republicans are poised to make deep cuts in the program, POLITICO's Ben Leonard and Adam Cancryn report. Trump said last week that Medicaid was on the list of programs he wants to protect. He said he won't 'do anything' to Medicaid, except in cases of abuse or waste, claiming it wouldn't impact beneficiaries. 'It will only be more effective and better,' Trump said. The comments come as Republicans explore a sweeping overhaul of existing health policies that would likely include major changes to Medicaid to fund a significant portion of party-line legislation to enact Trump's domestic agenda. Working with the White House, the House Energy and Commerce Committee was already on track to slash hundreds of billions of dollars from programs within the panel's purview to offset the budget reconciliation effort, much of it coming from Medicaid. Now, fiscal hawks in the House Republican Conference are calling for even deeper spending cuts, threatening to exacerbate an already difficult task of explaining to constituents why Republicans want to scale back a program that insures more than 70 million Americans. 'He wants to protect people's health care, and so do we,' said Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) in an interview. 'I'm afraid we're going to get to a point where this is going to implode with $1.8 trillion worth of debt. It's better to fix it now than later. … I absolutely agree with the sentiment he's saying.' A White House spokesperson said the Trump administration 'is committed to closely examining Medicaid to improve care for beneficiaries while identifying waste and abuse.' While further discussions with the White House are needed, Guthrie said, he expects that many of the proposals would still fit Trump's criteria. KENNEDY PROCEDURAL VOTE — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to becoming the head of all federal health agencies after a key procedural vote Thursday night. The Senate voted 52-47 to move to executive session on Kennedy's nomination, setting up a confirmation vote next week. Kennedy still has to clear two more votes in the coming days to become Health and Human Services secretary as Democrats used delaying tactics permitted under Senate rules, indicating their particular displeasure with the Kennedy nomination. Still, it's been all but certain Kennedy will be confirmed as HHS secretary since Tuesday when Republican senators on the Finance Committee united to move his bid forward in a party-line vote. That included Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor who initially said he was 'struggling' with Kennedy's reluctance to disavow false claims about vaccine safety but then agreed to support Kennedy after receiving several assurances from him. During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy said he'd prioritize combating chronic diseases that he believes are the result of additives in the food Americans eat and pollution in the environment. He said health agencies have spent too much time and money on infectious diseases, allowing chronic diseases to grow. NEW SUBCOMMITTEE TARGETS COVID SPENDING — A congressional panel dedicated to a Trump administration effort to cut spending in the government is taking aim at Covid-19-era funds in its first hearing. The House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency will hold its first hearing on Feb. 12 titled 'The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud.' According to a notice from Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the hearing will examine improper payments and fraud, which the notice says were exacerbated during the Biden administration by 'massively expanding Medicaid spending and rushing pandemic-era funding out the door without proper oversight mechanisms in place.' Why it matters: House Republicans and the new administration have criticized the Biden White House's handling of Covid-19 and threatened retribution. Hearing witnesses include a former FBI agent who's now part of The Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative think tank and director of an antiwelfare fraud organization. AROUND THE AGENCIES RTO PENDING — A memo from the Office of Personnel Management sent to federal employees earlier this week urged managers to prepare to bring workers back to the office, but CMS told its employees this week it doesn't have a date yet. According to a Thursday email sent to CMS employees and viewed by POLITICO, CMS upper management told employees that they have no further details on when they will be expected back in the office and will update them once officials speak with the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents many HHS employees. The AFGE did not respond to requests for comment, but the group has pushed back on orders from the Trump administration impacting federal employees, including an early resignation offer many employees received last month. CMS also did not respond to requests for comment. In a separate email viewed by POLITICO, CMS employees were told by leadership not to speak with reporters and instead direct them to the official media email. Names in the News Kelly Langford, formerly an online communications director at HHS, is joining PhRMA's public affairs team as senior director working on paid media. Kim McCune, former vice president at Weber Shandwick, is also joining the PhRMA public affairs team as senior director of executive visibility. Dr. Meena Seshamani has been named Maryland Department of Health secretary, pending confirmation. She most recently was deputy administrator and director at CMS' Center for Medicare. WHAT WE'RE READING POLITICO's Ben Leonard reports that more Democrats joined Republicans in the House to pass legislation to crack down on fentanyl. The Associated Press reports that its diabetes and weight-loss drug propelled Eli Lilly's fourth-quarter profits last year. POLITICO's Rory O'Neill and Csongor Körömi report that Hungary is mulling an exit from the World Health Association.
