In this issue of AcademyHealth’s Situation Report, we highlight AcademyHealth’s legal win that requires HHS to restore key health datasets. This is a big win for evidence and our community. We’re celebrating with a special Situation Report logo!
We also cover the Senate Finance Committee hearing today with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Additionally, the House appropriations bill proposes to cut billions from the CDC and eliminate AHRQ funding, as well as rising internal pressure as more than 1,000 HHS employees demand Secretary Kennedy’s resignation. AcademyHealth continues to defend evidence-based policymaking. Read on to learn what’s at stake and how you can take action.
In today’s issue:
- Bipartisan Concerns Emerge Over HHS Leadership and CDC Changes
- House Bill Includes Funding Cuts for Health Research
- Following AcademyHealth Lawsuit Victory, HHS to Restore Critical Datasets
- NIH Grant Termination Case May Be Resolved Soon
- Expert Removed from FDA Vaccine Panel
Bipartisan Concerns Emerge Over HHS Leadership and CDC Changes
In a Senate Finance Committee hearing today, lawmakers from both parties questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about recent leadership changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and broader health policy priorities. The hearing, ongoing as of this publication, underscores deep concerns over the integrity of scientifically grounded policymaking.
While Secretary Kennedy emphasized rebuilding trust and rethinking vaccine policy, members of both parties raised concerns about the dismissal of CDC Director Susan Monarez, the restructuring of the vaccine advisory committee, and potential impacts on public health preparedness.
Adding to the scrutiny, more than 1,000 current and former HHS employes have signed a letter urging his resignation, and nine former CDC directors published an op-ed warning of risks to the nation’s vaccine infrastructure.
For health services researchers, these developments underscore the importance of ensuring that health policy decisions remain grounded in rigorous evidence and transparent processes.
Following AcademyHealth Lawsuit Victory, HHS to Restore Critical Datasets
On Tuesday, AcademyHealth announced our legal victory in our data restoration lawsuit. A major win for transparency and public health, the administration has agreed to restore a wide range of critical health agency webpages and datasets that were taken offline due policies related to diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), gender identity, and more.
For the health services research community, this is a significant win: these publicly funded datasets are vital to informing evidence-based policy and research. This was made possible by the support of our community, who shared stories of how their work was derailed by the data removal. While questions remain about whether agencies will have the resources to keep the restored data updated, this marks a critical step in safeguarding access to federally funded health information.
"It'll be on us and others to make sure that data is back and then to continue to make sure that it gets updated in the future," our CEO Dr. Aaron Carroll said in Axios.
For more details, see our new factsheet on the lawsuit and settlement, which includes background, key outcomes, and the full list of restored datasets.
House Bill Includes Funding Cuts for Health Research
The House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal 2026 appropriations bill, which rejects President Trump’s proposal to cut the NIH budget by 40 percent but proposes significant funding cuts to the CDC and other health agencies. The House bill ignores some of the administration’s key requests by declining to create the Administration for a Healthy America or consolidating the 27 NIH institutes and centers. Instead, the bill would continue to fund the NIH at around the same level as this year ($48 billion) and retain all NIH centers and institutes. However, the bill does advance the administration’s goal to cut indirect costs associated with research, limiting them to 30 percent of federal awards for private universities and colleges with large endowments, or that meet other federal tax law criteria.
The bill also would provide $100 million for Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, though it would fund programs within their existing agencies, like the CDC, that the Secretary’s plan calls to eliminate. There are notable cuts to other HHS agencies in the House bill, including the CDC ($1.7 billion in cuts), the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health ($555 million in cuts), and the complete elimination of funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Legislators will have to negotiate the differences between the Senate and House bills, with the September 30th deadline for funding the government looming. Researchers and advocates should continue to share with legislators what the proposed funding cuts would mean for the advancement of science and the health of the American people.
NIH Grant Termination Case May Be Resolved Soon
Plaintiffs in a case against the Nation Institutes of Health (NIH) over the termination of hundreds of grants said they may be able to settle the case by the end of the week. The case, focused on removed notices of funding opportunities, was supposed to enter a new phase of arguments Tuesday.
In June, Federal Judge William G. Young ruled that some of the NIH’s grant terminations were “void and illegal,” after which NIH had to begin reinstating those awards. However, the Supreme Court then issued an emergency order that ruled that while the directive to terminate grants from the NIH was potentially illegal, the federal court did not have jurisdiction over the government to order the reinstatement of already rescinded grants.
The Supreme Court ruling complicated internal recommendations at the NIH. In a guidance sent to staffers late last month, the agency said to not re-terminate grants that were reinstated between June and August, however, to cease reinstatement of any additional grants.
Considering these developments in the legal battle over funding cuts, researchers will have to continue to balance the hope that their grants will be unimpacted or reinstated with the reality that the case remains under deliberation, and more updates are soon to come.
Changes to FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee Raise Concerns About Independent Review
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) is undergoing significant turnover, with several experienced members not continuing after their terms expired. Among them is Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert who has frequently been critical of policies instituted by Secretary Kennedy.
While term limits are not unusual, Offit and others had been asked to renew their service, and their paperwork was under review for months before ultimately being blocked by the White House personnel office. The change coincides with broader shifts in FDA and CDC advisory structures, raising concerns that external advisors may face political barriers to reappointment.
For health services researchers, the key issue is not the individual departures but the precedent: advisory committees like VRBPAC ensure independent, evidence-based review of vaccines and other medical products. Uncertainty about membership renewals or political influence over appointments risks undermining both the integrity of regulatory decisions and public confidence in science-based policy.
Previous Updates
This is the latest in a series of Situation Report updates from AcademyHealth. You can find prior issues here.
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