In today’s issue, we bring you critical updates on the Department of Health and Human Services’ sweeping reorganization, which is drawing sharp bipartisan scrutiny on Capitol Hill. We also explore how recent tariff expansions threaten the health sector—impacting everything from medical supplies to research—and share timely resources to help researchers navigate a fast-changing policy environment.
In today’s issue:
- Congress Seeks Answers on HHS Reorganization
- Tariffs Threaten Health Research, Systems, Patient Care
- Resources: Data Archive, The Impact Map, and Executive Orders Tracker
Congress Seeks Answers on HHS Reorganization
As we previously reported, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) invited Secretary Kennedy to testify about the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reorganization. Despite the Secretary agreeing to quarterly updates upon confirmation, he did not agree to attend the hearing.
Additional Congressional members and caucuses have also been seeking clarity. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Secretary Kennedy calling the HHS reorganization lacking in both detail and thoughtfulness. He urged Secretary Kennedy to “to go back to the drawing board, engage with Congress on organizational plans, and commit to transparency about those plans.” The Democratic Women’s Caucus called for President Trump to cease his attack on women’s health research in their letter to the President. Members called for the cap on indirect research costs at the National Institutes of Health to be removed, the list of banned and discouraged words for federal grants to be rescinded, and for women’s health research to be prioritized by the administration.
Court Rulings Allow Trump Administration’s Federal Worker Firings to Proceed
Meanwhile, recent court rulings have lifted previous blocks to the Trump administration’s mass terminations. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower-court judge’s order that blocked most of the mass terminations, determining that the case lacked legal standing to challenge the firings. This decision was 2-1, with Judges Rushes and Wilkinson in agreement that the case lacked legal standing, and Judge Benjamin dissenting. This decision comes on the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision to lift another order that blocked the dismissal of federal workers, again on standing grounds.
House succeeds on procedural step to slash Medicaid spending
House Republicans voted on a budget resolution that unlocks the ability for them to craft a reconciliation bill that would be exempt from the Senate filibuster. This reconciliation bill is intended to be the lion's share of their policy priorities, including slashing Medicaid, tax cuts for the wealthy, increased military spending, energy investments, and more. AcademyHealth has worked with offices in both parties and chambers to inform them that the evidence unanimously shows that proposals like work requirements, block grants, and changes in the FMAP would hurt beneficiaries, rural hospital systems, and state budgets, and we will continue to do so.
Latest in Our Series on AHRQ: How National Investments Improve Local Health Care
As we continue to advocate for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the latest blog post in our series highlights how AHRQ’s national investments deliver real value in communities across the country. From expanding access to opioid treatment in rural areas to improving patient outcomes in primary care and elevating the patient voice, AHRQ plays a vital role in strengthening local health systems—work that must continue amid major changes at HHS.
Next Steps for Researchers
In these ever-evolving times it is important to continue to advocate for public health research for yourself and your community. Join us by:
- Champion the value of public health and health services research. Use our advocacy toolkit to support efforts to protect and promote the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
- Share our latest blog post to help raise awareness of AHRQ’s impact in communities across the country.
- Support our work by making a donation to AcademyHealth.
- Attend our members-only meetings to build your advocacy and communications skills. These sessions are designed to equip our community with practical tools to navigate today’s challenges. The next session is April 23.
Tariffs Threaten Health Research, Systems, Patient Care
The deluge of tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration over the past week has not spared the U.S. health sector. Although higher tariffs on products from individual countries have been paused for 90 days, except for those on China, the universal baseline 10% tariff remains in effect and set to impact a huge swath of materials used every day within the health system, including medical instruments like syringes and catheters, to larger items like diagnostic tests, glucose monitors, or even x-ray machines and personal protective equipment. Historically, lifesaving and life-sustaining devices have been exempted from such actions.
Different parts of the health sector continue to lobby for exemptions to the tariffs. The American Hospital Association, a behemoth in the lobbying sphere, was unsuccessful in their efforts to secure carve-outs for medical supplies. Although the administration initially allowed an exemption to reciprocal tariffs for pharmaceuticals, they have since backtracked, claiming that they will soon announce new tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. Although the administration hopes to use these tariffs as incentives for companies to move medical and drug manufacturing back to the U.S., experts say that these moves will take years and large amounts of capital investment, a price that they do not believe industries will shoulder.
Of large concern to many are the impacts these tariffs will have on the global supply chain of much-needed medical equipment, devices, and pharmaceuticals. The U.S. recently experienced total supply chain disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the medical industry is not eager for a repeat of shortages and escalating costs for supplies. Experts are particularly concerned about the increase in costs for hospitals – a survey in January of 200 health care industry experts revealed that 82 percent expected tariff-related import expenses to drive up hospital and health system costs by 15 percent within the next six months. These cost increases will likely be felt most intensely by hospitals in rural communities that typically rely on Medicaid funding and have leaner budgets, giving them less room to absorb increasing costs.
These tariffs will have large impacts on pharmaceutical manufacturers, health systems, providers, and researchers. Ultimately, however, patients will bear the cost, both in the very real price increases of their care, but also in a much less efficient health care system and stymied research that could improve health.
Resources: Data Archive, The Impact Map, and Executive Orders Tracker
In this section, we offer an overview of the GovWayback archive, providing extensive access to archived federal datasets, as well as an interactive map focused on state-level policies and an up-to-date executive orders tracker.
GovWayback Archive Offers Extensive Access to Archived Federal Datasets
GovWayback is a resource designed to access archived versions of U.S. government websites, primarily those from before January 20, 2025. GovWayback helps preserve access to government websites as they existed before administration changes, ensuring continued access to past versions of sources necessary for policy research and evaluations. Learn more here.
Additional crowd-sourced data resources mentioned in prior situation reports include:
- DataLumos archives and shares valuable public data, supporting government and social research.
- Data Rescue Project is a clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts and data access points for at risk public US governmental data.
Interactive Map Tracks State-Level Implementation of Policies to Improve Affordability and Access
The IMPACT Map is an interactive resource designed to track and visualize state-level implementation of policies aimed at funding, workforce changes, and their localized effects. This map monitors key legislative and regulatory actions across the country, highlighting a state-to-state view of the current policy landscape.
Executive Tracker Provides Overview of Trump Administration Orders Across Policy Areas
Akin Gump’s tracker provides concise summaries of updated executive orders issued by the Trump Administration across different policy sectors. The searchable tool allows for rapid identification of relevant policy developments, supporting health services researchers in monitoring shifts within key federal regulatory environments. Access this resource here.
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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