Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• EPA eliminates research and development office and begins mass layoffs — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday the elimination of its Office of Research and Development (ORD) and a reduction of more than 3,700 employees (nearly 23% of total staff), bringing EPA staffing from January levels to 12,448. The ORD, which has provided scientific underpinnings for EPA's environmental and health protection mission, will be replaced by a new office of applied science. The agency projects savings of nearly $750 million. Union leaders and Democratic lawmakers warned the cuts will devastate public health and eliminate hundreds of scientist positions.

Supporting reports

• US Supreme Court affirms health secretary's direct oversight of preventive services taskforce — The US Supreme Court ruled in Kennedy v Braidwood Management that the preventive services taskforce—an expert panel convened under the Affordable Care Act—operates under direct oversight of the health secretary. The 6-vote majority opinion, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, held that presidential and Senate accountability provides sufficient constitutional safeguard. The decision comes hours after RFK Jr's handpicked vaccine advisory panel (ACIP) recommended against thimerosal-containing vaccines, contradicting scientific consensus. Health law experts warn the ruling enables politicization of medical recommendations affecting insurance coverage for treatments ranging from statins to HIV prevention drugs.
• US Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act preventive services provision while affirming health secretary's removal and override powers — The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Kennedy v Braidwood Management, Inc that the Affordable Care Act's requirement for private insurers to cover preventive health services without cost is constitutional. The decision affirmed the constitutionality of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a 16-member expert panel determining which evidence-based preventive services must be covered. However, the court also held that the health secretary may remove task force members at will and review their recommendations before implementation. The ruling centered on whether PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) coverage violated religious beliefs, with plaintiffs represented by the architect of Texas's abortion bounty-hunter law.