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Texas Lawmakers Call for CDC Transparency Amid Measles Outbreak
A group of Texas congressional members are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release a detailed report on the agency’s efforts to contain a measles outbreak impacting West Texas. The letter, penned by Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Mark Veasey and Lloyd Doggett and signed by every Texas Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, comes amid staffing cuts to the agency and reduction in public health funding.
What they’re saying: “As local pharmacies report shortages of MMR vaccine doses, the Administration has shipped doses of Vitamin A to Texas, endorsing its use in addition to cod liver oil to reduce the outbreak, neither of which are scientifically proven to reduce the spread of the disease,” the members said. “We are concerned that, while the CDC has explicitly stated its efforts are “science-based” and “data-driven,” recent actions have suggested otherwise.”
Texas is currently in the midst of its worst measles outbreak of the past 30 years. The disease was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000.
USDA Launches Biosecurity Steps for Poultry Producers, Adds Details on H7N9 Avian Flu Detection
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the rollout of two biosecurity assessment programs available for commercial poultry farms, one targeting wildlife hazards and the other reviewing biosecurity plans and measures.
The programs are part of plans to prevent the introduction and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza and dovetail with up to $1 billion in emergency funding announced last month by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. In other avian flu developments, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) shared more details about the highly pathogenic H7N9 outbreak at a Mississippi broiler farm, and confirmed more detections in poultry and dairy cattle.
In a statement, the USDA said APHIS will lead the two assessment programs, which are available to all facilities not currently affected by outbreaks. The wildlife assessments will provide recommendations for facility repairs and wildlife management techniques, with regular engagement that covers wildlife hazards, abundance, and management.
Funding Cuts for Global Health Programs Threaten Childhood Vaccination Efforts, WHO Says
Countries, including the U.S., cutting down funding for life-saving global health projects could jeopardize vaccination programs that protect children and adults from deadly diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. The recent abrupt changes in donor budgets and capacity in global health has put a severe strain on immunization programs, particularly to measles prevention efforts, at all levels, the U.N. health agency said.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne viral illness characterized by fever and a distinctive rash, which remains a significant cause of death among children globally, according to the WHO. The best protection against measles is through the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine as there is no specific treatment once a person is infected.
The WHO recommends two doses of the measles vaccine for all children.
The U.S. is currently battling one of the largest measles outbreaks it has seen in the past decade, with more than 300 cases since late January.
The Person the White House Says Is Leading DOGE Has Also Been Working at HHS
The person the White House identified last month as the leader of DOGE — despite public evidence that Elon Musk is calling the shots — has been working simultaneously at the Department of Health and Human Services since February.
The Trump administration acknowledged Amy Gleason’s dual role in a court filing the Justice Department initially attempted to submit under seal, until a judge ordered its public release this week. The filing shows that Gleason, despite claiming responsibility as DOGE’s leader, was detailed to HHS last month and formally hired by the department as a “consultant/expert” on March 4, while retaining her status as a DOGE employee as well.
Gleason’s work at HHS, while purportedly also leading DOGE, came during some of DOGE’s busiest and most chaotic weeks, when the agency was overseeing the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and helping slash jobs and personnel across the federal government. The White House identified her as administrator on Feb. 25, after weeks of refusing to say who held the top role at the office.
EPA Plans to Cut Scientific Research Program, Could Fire More Than 1,000 Employees
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to eliminate its scientific research office and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees who help provide the scientific foundation for rules safeguarding human health and ecosystems from environmental pollutants.
As many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists — 75% of the research program’s staff — could be laid off, according to documents reviewed by Democratic staff on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
The planned layoffs, cast by the Trump administration as part of a broader push to shrink the size of the federal government and make it more efficient, were assailed by critics as a massive dismantling of the EPA’s longstanding mission to protect public health and the environment.
