In this edition of AcademyHealth’s Situation Report, we’re tracking growing tensions as House Republicans break ranks over the Senate’s proposed Medicaid cuts. Also, nearly two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over federal grant terminations and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy is drawing increased scrutiny over concerns about scientific integrity and transparency under his leadership. Read on for more news, including a faulty citation in a CDC presentation on vaccines, NIH grant terminations, NSF’s sudden eviction, and new pressure on medical boards to relocate from states with restrictive reproductive health laws.
In today’s issue:
- House Republicans Express Concern over Senate Medicaid Cuts
- States Join Lawsuit Against Trump Administration’s Grant Cuts
- Health Secretary Faces Scrutiny over Leadership, Budget Requests
- Nonexistent Citations Appear in CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee Presentation
- NIH Halts Grant Terminations
- NSF Forced Out of Longtime Headquarters by Administration
- American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faces Pressure to Move Out of Texas
- Share Your Story
House Republicans Express Concern over Senate Medicaid Cuts
16 House Republicans sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) saying they support the Medicaid reforms in the House version of the tax and spending bill, but that they will not support the Senate version. The House Republicans, led by Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif), see the Medicaid cuts in the Senate Finance Committee proposal as too extreme and voiced concerns that the Senate’s version threatens vulnerable constituents who they were elected to represent. The Senate Finance Committee draft reduces Medicaid funding to hospitals via restrictions on state-directed payments and Medicaid provider taxes, both of which are of serious concern for rural hospitals. Although Republicans aim to pass the bill by July 4 for President Trump to sign into law, the letter reveals the outstanding disagreement between lawmakers.
States Join Lawsuit Against Trump Administration’s Grant Cuts
Nearly two dozen U.S. states sued the Trump administration in an attempt to stop billions of dollars' worth of federal grants from being cut. Tuesday’s lawsuit claims that the administration is illegally using an Office of Management and Budget clause as a loophole to cut grant funds that support essential services related to the environment, law enforcement, education, and infrastructure. The clause lets federal agencies terminate grants if they “no longer [effectuate] the program goals or agency priorities.” The Justice Department has defended the government’s use of the OMB clause in previous, similar cases; however, the new suit focuses on the government’s recent use of the clause.
Health Secretary Faces Scrutiny over Leadership, Budget Requests
In a tense House Subcommittee on Health hearing on Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy for a lack of transparency and promotion of what they called “anti-science” policies. Representatives accused Kennedy of ignoring congressional inquiries, spreading medical misinformation, and failing to provide evidence for major public health decisions. Representatives Robin Kelly and Raul Ruiz challenged Kennedy on his agency’s controversial health report that cited non-existent sources and his forsaken promise to preserve the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), raising concerns about the integrity of his leadership at HHS. The Senate continues to debate the budget proposal under the Byrd Rule point of order, hindering Republican efforts to further curb government spending by distinguishing essential budget concerns from other proposed policy changes. The Senate is expected to complete their negotiations by next Friday, July 4th.
Nonexistent Citation Appears in CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee Presentation
A presentation that was meant to be shared at a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) included a nonexistent study suggesting that use of the vaccine preservative thimerosal can have “long-term consequences in the brain.” The citation appears to reference a study by Dr. Robert F. Berman, a professor emeritus at the University of California Davis, who says the publication doesn’t exist. Berman published a different paper and came to different conclusions. This isn’t the first time that MAHA-related reports contained faulty citations. A MAHA report from last month on child health also cited nonexistent studies. Lyn Redwood, a former leader of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group that lists HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a founder, is scheduled to give the ACIP presentation Thursday. Redwood’s presentation has been removed from the website and re-uploaded without the citation. As we previously noted, RFK Jr’s dismissal of all 17 vaccine experts on ACIP were later replaced with eight new members with anti-vaccine beliefs. Public health experts across the political spectrum, including Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who called for the panel to be more robust, balanced, and include those with more relevant expertise.
NIH Halts Grant Terminations
An internal email reveals that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will halt additional grant terminations. The NIH, the nation’s largest funder for biomedical research, has terminated an unprecedented number of research grants since President Trump took office in January. The director of the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration, Michelle Bulls, sent an email to two NIH groups in charge of grant management and extramural on Tuesday afternoon calling for no further grant project terminations. This email comes a week after a federal judge in Boston ruled in two cases against the NIH that hundreds of the grant terminations are ‘void and illegal.’ The judge denied a request from the federal government on Tuesday to stay the decision.
What Researchers Can Do: If your grant has been terminated, you can submit the details to Grant Watch, a project erected to track the termination of grants of scientific research agencies under the Trump administration in 2025.
NSF Forced Out of Longtime Headquarters by Administration
The Trump Administration has announced plans to relocate the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) into the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) longtime headquarters in Alexandria, Virgina. NSF employees were reportedly unaware of this decision, leaving confusion and uncertainty around their future work locations. The union representing NSF workers released a press release stating that they were told that the plans for the NSF headquarters included a dedicated executive suite for the HUD secretary occupying an entire floor, an executive dining room, and more. There remain concerns around the lack of planning, as no alternative location or funding for a new building for the 1,833 displaced employees have been identified yet.
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faces Pressure to Move Out of Texas
In response to a coalition of 20 Democratic state attorney generals, the American Medical Association has formally recommended that medical certification exams be relocated from states with restrictive abortion policies or offered virtually to protect physicians who fear legal repercussion because of their work. There is particular focus on the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), as their certification exam takes place in Dallas, Texas, a state that has implemented laws to impose criminal penalties on providers providing abortions and a felony to provide gender-affirming care to trans youth. Attorney generals argue that not only does this put providers at risk, but it could potentially deter people from seeking certification and worsen the shortage of reproductive health professionals. Despite the AMA’s recommendation, the ultimate decision regarding the location and format of these exams falls on ABOG.
ICYMI: Share Your Story with AcademyHealth
AcademyHealth is collecting stories from across the health services research community to document the real-world impact of federal policy and funding changes. What happens when research is delayed, defunded, or derailed? What’s lost—for patients, for communities, for progress? Help us show policymakers and the public what’s truly at stake when research is sidelined. Your story can inform advocacy, spark action, and protect progress. Share your story here.
Previous Updates
This is the latest in a series of Situation Report updates from AcademyHealth. You can find prior issues here.
We’re pleased to offer this work as a free resource, and if you’d like to support our efforts to keep it going, we’d truly appreciate your donation. You can contribute here. Thank you for your support!