Following advocacy by AcademyHealth and our partners, Congress introduced a resolution to support the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) following continued reports that Secretary Kennedy plans to disband it. Given that the Task Force provides evidence-based, medically-backed recommendations to help determine what preventive care is covered, this latest move calls for the continuation of the Task Force without interruption or delay. Meanwhile, in a new push for patient data interoperability, the White House and CMS announced an initiative to modernize the digital health ecosystem, securing pledges from over 60 leading companies to attempt to make data more accessible. Clearly, Congress is listening to the stories and concerns of the field. Read on for more ways you can stay informed and get involved.
In today’s issue:
- Congress Moves to Protect Preventive Care Task Force, Investigate ACIP Firings, Protect Data
- Senate Appropriations Committee Releases Health Funding Bill
- Outcry Prompts Reversal of Administration's Effort to Pause NIH Grant Funds
- Ahead of Health Datapalooza, CMS Commits to Better Health Data Access
- Newly-confirmed CDC Director Pledges Science-Based Public Health
- New Report Reveals the True Cost of NIH Cuts
- Tune In: Podcast on the Fight to Restore Vital Public Health Data
Congress Moves to Protect Preventive Care Task Force, Investigate ACIP Firings, Protect Data
Following reports that RFK Jr. is considering firing members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Senators Angus King (ME) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) introduced a resolution to preserve the Task Force, informed by strong advocacy from AcademyHealth and our partners. Recognizing the critical work done by the Task Force’s voluntary, independent medical experts to review evidence and make recommendations, the resolution calls for the continuation of the Task Force without interruption or delay. Since the Affordable Care Act passed, the Task Force’s recommendations help determine what services and medicines insurers must cover without co-pays, making it critical that these decisions are grounded in evidence and not partisan messaging. AcademyHealth’s CEO Aaron Carroll told NPR that the resolution offers proof that lawmakers understand the importance of keeping evidence front-and-center in health policy decision-making.
This resolution comes on the heels of a Senate Democrat investigation into RFK Jr.’s firing of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Lawmakers have asked for detailed information about why the Secretary fired members of ACIP, who was involved in the process, and how new members were identified and vetted. While Kennedy accused the fired ACIP members of being beholden to corporate interests without evidence, many of the eight replacement members he selected are noted vaccine skeptics, raising serious concerns about their ability to both objectively review and accurately represent the evidence on vaccine safety. The investigation also calls on Kennedy to provide information on these firings by August 12, including details of alleged conflicts of interest for each first member.
House of Representative Democrats are also standing up to the HHS secretary – a group of them wrote a letter to Kennedy admonishing CMS for sharing Medicaid enrollee’s personally identifiably information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The letter condemns his actions, noting that the misuse of this sensitive data, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and immigration status, jeopardizes the privacy of over 79 million Americans. The letter calls on CMS to cease the sharing of these data immediately, take measures to secure it, and that Kennedy submit a written response clarifying what information was shared, communications between agencies, and the stature and legal authority CMS used to transfer these data to DHS.
The voices and stories of concerned researchers and public health experts are clearly being heard in the halls of Congress, evidenced by congressional movement to protect the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and ACIP. AcademyHealth continues to advocate on behalf of evidence-based policymaking – if you would like to stand with us and share your story, please do so here.
Senate Appropriations Committee Releases Health Funding Bill
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee released and passed the Labor-HHS FY26 appropriations bill. Notably, this bipartisan legislation fully rejected the Administration’s unlawful impoundments and reorganization of HHS, and instead funded a business-as-usual Department. Notably, it included a $400 million increase in funding for NIH, which was passed only days after the Administration tried to further impound the Institute. This legislation also would fund the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at $345.38 million, which would be a $23.6 million decrease from the current funding baseline, but rejects the cuts to grantmaking that has occurred. Due to the extreme pressure from the Administration to shutter the Agency, the topline funding levels for it in this bill is a strong indicator of the work that outside organizations have had in making the case for it. Additionally, the risks to the US Preventive Services Task Force are of clear concern to appropriators as they newly call for 48 hours notice in advance of any significant developments, including cancelling meetings or disbanding the Task Force.
The pathway forward for this legislation remains steep. The House is intending on releasing its version, which is expected to be a party-line bill, in September. Additionally, congressional Democrats are more loudly voicing their concerns about being able to trust the Administration to faithfully execute laws or their Republican counterparts to use a party-line process to walk back a bipartisan agreement. Congress has until October 1 to pass funding legislation to avert a government shutdown, and it is unclear if they will be able to.
Outcry Prompts Reversal of Administration's Effort to Pause NIH Grant Funds
On Tuesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed the NIH to immediately halt the issuance of all new research grants, development contracts, and training awards, citing a restrictive interpretation of a funding footnote in its budget apportionment. The sudden pause, which threatened both new and ongoing research projects nationwide, sparked widespread outrage from members of Congress, scientific institutions, and patient advocacy groups, who warned that the move could derail lifesaving biomedical research. Critics feared the freeze could extend through the end of the fiscal year, potentially forcing the return of up to $15 billion in unspent funds to the Treasury. Amid mounting pressure, including a bipartisan letter from 14 Republican senators and public statements from lawmakers like Senators Patty Murray (WA) and Katie Britt (AL), the Trump administration reversed course late Tuesday evening, with OMB declaring the freeze a short-lived “programmatic review” and claimed that NIH funding had been reinstated. The incident reflects growing tension between the administration’s push for expanded executive control over federal spending and Congress’s constitutional authority to allocate funds, fostering concerns within scientific and health care communities. This episode underscores the importance of vigilance and advocacy from the health research community. Health services researchers should speak out about how funding disruptions harm real-world care and innovation and engage with policymakers to protect the integrity and impact of federally supported science.
Ahead of Health Datapalooza, CMS Commits to Better Health Data Access
In a new push for patient data interoperability, the White House and CMS announced yesterday that over 60 health care entities are pledging to improve the accessibility and speed of data sharing between patients, clinicians, and payers. Rather than mandating changes through regulation, the administration is seeking voluntary industry commitments to expand the use of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and develop tools like record-locating services and app-based patient data access. The announcement also included commitments from private companies to build user-friendly apps for patients, including digital intake tools and AI-driven care navigation. While these voluntary commitments are promising, they come at a time when the administration has removed key public health data sets, which AcademyHealth is engaged in legal action to help restore.
Interoperability holds the potential to dramatically improve care coordination, reduce duplicative testing and administrative burden, and allow researchers to better track health outcomes and health data across systems.
As always, we remain committed to using evidence to make decisions and amid this major initiative to modernize health data. It’s more important than ever to bring together key stakeholders to discuss issues of data infrastructure, policy, and innovation. We encourage members of the health data community to attend our upcoming Health Datapalooza conference in D.C. this September 5. Learn more about the initiative on our blog here and register for Datapalooza here.
Newly-confirmed CDC Director Pledges Science-Based Public Health
On Tuesday, for the first time since a 2022 law change, the Senate voted to confirm Susan Monarez as the newest CDC Director, with a 51-47 vote along party lines. Notably Monarez has a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology, making her the first CDC director since 1953 to lead the helm without a medical degree. With a background in pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, and health innovation, Monarez brings systems-level experience from Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, the White House, and Department of Homeland Security. Her appointment and confirmation came as a surprise, following a series of controversial nomination attempts—including the Administration’s original nominee, who was abruptly withdrawn just minutes before the scheduled vote due to insufficient Senate support stemming from his record of vaccine skepticism. During her confirmation hearing, Monarez praised public health innovations that have been politicized, such as vaccines and fluoride, and affirmed that as CDC Director, she would support Secretary Kennedy with science and evidence. For health services researchers, her confirmation represents a critical opportunity to reassert the role of scientific evidence in policy decision-making and to support efforts to rebuild public trust in the CDC as a credible, data-driven public health institution.
New Report Reveals the True Cost of NIH cuts
A newly released paper offers a more complete analysis of predicted impacts of the Trump administration's proposed National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget cuts. While initial research failed to consider key aspects of the cuts’ long-term economic and health impacts, the authors of the new analysis suggest NIH budget cuts will decimate the scientific workforce, significantly reduce support for evidence-backed public health programs, and create gaps in scientific knowledge unlikely to be bridged by private research. Moreover, the paper addresses challenges researchers have faced thus far in effectively quantifying and communicating the potential impacts of cuts. Drawing on existing literature on the impacts of NIH budget cuts, the paper introduces a conceptual framework designed to serve as an empirical model for better understanding long-term impacts and feedback loops related to the budget cuts.
Because most existing analyses focus on short-term effects, health services researchers are encouraged to use this new model to better capture the full scope of long-term impacts on knowledge generation and public health.
Tune In: Podcast on the Fight to Restore Vital Public Health Data
AcademyHealth’s President and CEO Aaron Carroll joins a new Health Affairs podcast to unpack the critical issue of disappearing federal health data and why it matters for researchers and communities alike. As a leading plaintiff in the lawsuit to restore these datasets, AcademyHealth is taking a stand to protect the information that drives public health policy and action.
Listen to the episode and hear firsthand why this fight is so important.
Also, for one more week, we’re collecting experiences from researchers and practitioners whose work has been disrupted by missing or restricted health data (including key datasets on maternal health, HIV, diabetes, mental health, and LGBTQIA+ communities). Your story can help strengthen the case to restore access.
Submit your story by August 8:
- Fill out this brief submission form here.
- Or email Kristin Rosengren, Chief Strategy Officer, at Kristin.Rosengren@academyhealth.org.
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!