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Boston Globe
12 hours ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Mass. lawmaker probes possible conflicts of interest for top RFK advisers
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Auchincloss cited their special status in his letters, requesting internal communications and descriptions of what ethical guidelines were put in place to prevent possible conflicts while they served. It's the latest escalation of his scrutiny of Kennedy's management and deputies at HHS. Advertisement 'RFK Jr. and his henchmen accuse scientists at the [Food and Drug Administration] of corruption when in fact they're the ones who have conflicts of interest, they're the ones who are plundering public health,' Auchincloss said in a brief interview. 'The goal here is to focus the spotlight, collect the receipts, and prepare the investigation, because ... what we know of the facts are damning.' Neither Means and his company Truemed, nor Smith's company Main Street Health, responded immediately to a request for comment. Advertisement Auchincloss has been an outspoken critic of the Kennedy's and has zeroed in on Smith and Means in particular, repeatedly alleging potential ethical violations in their tenure. At an April policy forum that featured Means Auchincloss cites specific areas of concern in the letters, including policies and actions by the administration that he alleged benefitted Means's and Smith's businesses. Truemed, Means's company, gives Americans letters of medical necessity that enable them to spend their tax-free health savings account dollars on fitness and wellness products, which Truemed also sells. Auchincloss questioned Means's potential influence on the House-passed Republican tax legislation and the White House's executive order establishing the MAHA commission, which both encourage the expansion of such spending. Auchincloss requested Means and Truemed turn over any communications between him and the company during his time in government and what involvement, if any, he had in the development of those policies. In the letter to Smith's company, Main Street Health, Auchincloss focused more on Medicare policy. Though Smith left HHS at the end of last month, Advertisement Auchincloss alleged that the Trump administration during Smith's tenure edited a regulation initially proposed under Joe Biden in ways that decreased oversight on and increased payments for Medicare Advantage Organizations like Main Street Health's investors. He also took issue with In a brief interview related to his work for DOGE with Fox News in March, Smith said his work was focused on the administration's two main goals. 'Number one, making sure we continue to have the best biomedical research in the world, and number two making sure—which President Trump has said over and over again—that we 100% protect Medicare and Medicaid,' Smith said. As a Democrat in the House minority, Auchincloss lacks the power to compel answers to his letters, though private companies may still comply. But he noted in his interview with The Globe that Kennedy is expected to testify in the near future before the Energy and Commerce Committee on which Auchincloss sits, where he may follow up. And, he noted, if Democrats were to flip the House in the next election, his committee could issue subpoenas. Tal Kopan can be reached at
Boston Globe
27-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE's acting administrator by the White House?
The identity of who was technically running DOGE had been a mystery, even though an executive order signed by Trump last month called for the appointment of an administrator to report to the White House. A government lawyer on Monday told a judge that he didn't know who that person was, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had declined to identify the person earlier Tuesday in a press briefing. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'There are career officials and there are political appointees who are helping run DOGE on a day-to-day basis,' she said. Advertisement Gleason, 53, worked from 2018 through 2021 in the United States Digital Service, an agency that has been renamed the US DOGE Service, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that role, she worked with the White House on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. She returned to the agency in January after Trump took office. DOGE and Gleason did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. More than 20 members of the former digital service resigned Tuesday with a letter criticizing Musk for working to 'dismantle critical public services.' In the interim, she had been working as 'chief product officer' at two small Nashville-based health care startups, Russell Street Ventures and Main Street Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. Both companies were founded by health care entrepreneur Brad Smith, who worked in the first Trump administration in several key health care roles and has also been working on the DOGE initiative. Russell Street Ventures' website has recently been deleted, but the company has called itself 'an innovative healthcare firm focused on launching and scaling companies that serve some of the nation's most vulnerable and underserved patient populations.' Advertisement Main Street Health says it works with primary care physicians in rural areas to provide clinics 'with the data and opportunities they need to succeed in value-based care.' The company's website deleted Gleason's biography. But an archived version shows that it said she 'spearheaded technology efforts for the federal COVID-19 response' and worked on projects with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Gleason also has a consulting firm, Gleason Strategies, according to her LinkedIn profile. Gleason has long been an advocate to cure a condition called juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that can cause muscle weakness and a skin rash in children. It affects her now-adult daughter. Gleason shared her frustrations with how the health care system handles such diseases in a 2020 TED talk and called for technology and data changes that could help patients and doctors. She worked as vice president for research at the Cure JM Foundation from 2014 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was also a co-founder and executive at Care Sync, a telehealth company based in Florida. Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE's acting leader by the White House?
The acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency is a low-profile executive who has expertise in health care technology and worked in the first Trump administration. The White House on Tuesday afternoon identified Amy Gleason as the acting leader of DOGE, which has been pushing agencies to fire employees, cancel contracts and make other budget cuts. Although DOGE's cuts have been championed by billionaire Elon Musk and his associates, the White House has insisted that Musk is overseeing the effort as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, not a DOGE employee. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The identity of who was technically running DOGE had been a mystery, even though an executive order signed by Trump last month called for the appointment of an administrator to report to the White House. A government lawyer on Monday told a judge that he didn't know who that person was, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had declined to identify the person earlier Tuesday in a press briefing. 'There are career officials and there are political appointees who are helping run DOGE on a day-to-day basis,' she said. Gleason, 53, worked from 2018 through 2021 in the United States Digital Service, an agency that has been renamed the US DOGE Service, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that role, she worked with the White House on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. She returned to the agency in January after Trump took office. DOGE and Gleason did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. More than 20 members of the former digital service resigned Tuesday with a letter criticizing Musk for working to 'dismantle critical public services.' In the interim, she had been working as 'chief product officer' at two small Nashville-based health care startups, Russell Street Ventures and Main Street Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. Both companies were founded by health care entrepreneur Brad Smith, who worked in the first Trump administration in several key health care roles and has also been working on the DOGE initiative. Russell Street Ventures' website has recently been deleted, but the company has called itself 'an innovative healthcare firm focused on launching and scaling companies that serve some of the nation's most vulnerable and underserved patient populations.' Main Street Health says it works with primary care physicians in rural areas to provide clinics 'with the data and opportunities they need to succeed in value-based care.' The company's website deleted Gleason's biography. But an archived version shows that it said she 'spearheaded technology efforts for the federal COVID-19 response' and worked on projects with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Gleason also has a consulting firm, Gleason Strategies, according to her LinkedIn profile. Gleason has long been an advocate to cure a condition called juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that can cause muscle weakness and a skin rash in children. It affects her now-adult daughter. Gleason shared her frustrations with how the health care system handles such diseases in a 2020 TED talk and called for technology and data changes that could help patients and doctors. She worked as vice president for research at the Cure JM Foundation from 2014 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was also a co-founder and executive at Care Sync, a telehealth company based in Florida. ___ Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.
The Independent
25-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE's acting leader by the White House?
The acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency is a low-profile executive who has expertise in health care technology and worked in the first Trump administration. The White House on Tuesday afternoon identified Amy Gleason as the acting leader of DOGE, which has been pushing agencies to fire employees, cancel contracts and make other budget cuts. Although DOGE's cuts have been championed by billionaire Elon Musk and his associates, the White House has insisted that Musk is overseeing the effort as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, not a DOGE employee. The identity of who was technically running DOGE had been a mystery, even though an executive order signed by Trump last month called for the appointment of an administrator to report to the White House. A government lawyer on Monday told a judge that he didn't know who that person was, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had declined to identify the person earlier Tuesday in a press briefing. 'There are career officials and there are political appointees who are helping run DOGE on a day-to-day basis,' she said. Gleason, 53, worked from 2018 through 2021 in the United States Digital Service, an agency that has been renamed the US DOGE Service, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that role, she worked with the White House on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. She returned to the agency in January after Trump took office. DOGE and Gleason did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. More than 20 members of the former digital service resigned Tuesday with a letter criticizing Musk for working to 'dismantle critical public services.' In the interim, she had been working as 'chief product officer' at two small Nashville-based health care startups, Russell Street Ventures and Main Street Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. Both companies were founded by health care entrepreneur Brad Smith, who worked in the first Trump administration in several key health care roles and has also been working on the DOGE initiative. Russell Street Ventures' website has recently been deleted, but the company has called itself 'an innovative healthcare firm focused on launching and scaling companies that serve some of the nation's most vulnerable and underserved patient populations.' Main Street Health says it works with primary care physicians in rural areas to provide clinics 'with the data and opportunities they need to succeed in value-based care.' The company's website deleted Gleason's biography. But an archived version shows that it said she 'spearheaded technology efforts for the federal COVID-19 response' and worked on projects with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Gleason also has a consulting firm, Gleason Strategies, according to her LinkedIn profile. Gleason has long been an advocate to cure a condition called juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that can cause muscle weakness and a skin rash in children. It affects her now-adult daughter. Gleason shared her frustrations with how the health care system handles such diseases in a 2020 TED talk and called for technology and data changes that could help patients and doctors. She worked as vice president for research at the Cure JM Foundation from 2014 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was also a co-founder and executive at Care Sync, a telehealth company based in Florida. ___ Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.
Associated Press
25-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE's acting leader by the White House?
The acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency is a low-profile executive who has expertise in health care technology and worked in the first Trump administration. The White House on Tuesday afternoon identified Amy Gleason as the acting leader of DOGE, which has been pushing agencies to fire employees, cancel contracts and make other budget cuts. Although DOGE's cuts have been championed by billionaire Elon Musk and his associates, the White House has insisted that Musk is overseeing the effort as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, not a DOGE employee. The identity of who was technically running DOGE had been a mystery, even though an executive order signed by Trump last month called for the appointment of an administrator to report to the White House. A government lawyer on Monday told a judge that he didn't know who that person was, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had declined to identify the person earlier Tuesday in a press briefing. 'There are career officials and there are political appointees who are helping run DOGE on a day-to-day basis,' she said. Gleason, 53, worked from 2018 through 2021 in the United States Digital Service, an agency that has been renamed the US DOGE Service, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that role, she worked with the White House on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. She returned to the agency in January after Trump took office. DOGE and Gleason did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. More than 20 members of the former digital service resigned Tuesday with a letter criticizing Musk for working to 'dismantle critical public services.' In the interim, she had been working as 'chief product officer' at two small Nashville-based health care startups, Russell Street Ventures and Main Street Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. Both companies were founded by health care entrepreneur Brad Smith, who worked in the first Trump administration in several key health care roles and has also been working on the DOGE initiative. Russell Street Ventures' website has recently been deleted, but the company has called itself 'an innovative healthcare firm focused on launching and scaling companies that serve some of the nation's most vulnerable and underserved patient populations.' Main Street Health says it works with primary care physicians in rural areas to provide clinics 'with the data and opportunities they need to succeed in value-based care.' The company's website deleted Gleason's biography. But an archived version shows that it said she 'spearheaded technology efforts for the federal COVID-19 response' and worked on projects with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Gleason also has a consulting firm, Gleason Strategies, according to her LinkedIn profile. Gleason has long been an advocate to cure a condition called juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that can cause muscle weakness and a skin rash in children. It affects her now-adult daughter. Gleason shared her frustrations with how the health care system handles such diseases in a 2020 TED talk and called for technology and data changes that could help patients and doctors. She worked as vice president for research at the Cure JM Foundation from 2014 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was also a co-founder and executive at Care Sync, a telehealth company based in Florida. ___
