Public Health News Round Up, April 23, 2025

by Mandy Morgan April 23, 2025

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‘Risky gamble’: Trump administration is waging a behind-the-scenes war on children

The Trump administration’s significant cutbacks in multiple federal agencies have severely impacted essential services for children and vulnerable families, leading to widespread terminations and the potential shuttering of vital programs like Head Start and child support enforcement. Despite claims of championing children’s welfare, these actions suggest a concerning withdrawal of support for the nation’s most vulnerable, risking severe long-term effects on child welfare, education, and health care access across the U.S.

Holly Robinson Peete Slams RFK’s Autism Remarks

Actress and autism advocate Holly Robinson Peete called out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for describing autism as a “preventable disease,” criticizing his harmful and outdated stereotypes about autistic individuals. Peete highlighted the resilience of families with autistic members and urged the Secretary of Health and Human Services to focus on supporting and celebrating these communities rather than spreading fear and misinformation.

Mass. state lab struggles as Trump reshapes federal health funding

The laying off of CDC lab staff under the Trump administration has put Massachusetts at a critical juncture, as the state’s public health lab grapples with reduced federal support, the challenge of independently tracking threats like antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, and legal battles over potential funding cuts, which could compromise its ability to respond efficiently to health crises. As federal support dwindles, the lab strives for self-sufficiency amidst an uncertain political and financial landscape, raising concerns about broader public health vulnerabilities.

RFK Jr. Set to Launch Disease Registry Tracking Autistic People

The controversies surrounding public figures and policy changes highlight the ongoing challenges in balancing privacy, rights, and political agendas. From Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial use of private medical records in an autism registry, raising significant privacy concerns, to Republican efforts that threaten Medicaid coverage for millions, these narratives emphasize how political and advocacy agendas can directly impact vulnerable populations and the most basic rights of privacy and healthcare access.

Supreme Court to hear conversion therapy case in October

The Braidwood case before the U.S. Supreme Court could potentially roll back essential preventive healthcare services like cancer screenings and heart medications under the ACA, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, as LGBTQ advocates warn against letting discriminatory motives guide healthcare policies. Meanwhile, the Court will also decide on Mahmoud v. Taylor and a challenge to conversion therapy bans, both highlighting ongoing debates over the rights of LGBTQ individuals, religious freedom, and the implications of allowing ideologically driven agendas to undermine established healthcare and educational standards in the U.S.

Kennedy Declares ‘Sugar Is Poison’ in Campaign Against Food Industry

In summary, President Trump’s renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates is colliding with a radically different economic landscape compared to his first term, setting the stage for potential conflict over the Fed’s independence. Meanwhile, his administration’s aggressive policies, such as challenging legal precedents supporting the Fed’s autonomy and targeting law firms and institutions opposing him, appear to threaten democratic norms and independent governance, as highlighted by the ongoing legal battles involving top law firms and universities like Harvard.

With Head Start in jeopardy, Trump administration threatens child care for 800,000 kids

The Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to Head Start and other early childhood programs could strip essential child care, medical screenings, and nutrition away from roughly 800,000 low-income children nationwide, endangering their futures and placing immense pressure on families. Despite bipartisan Congressional support for Head Start, the budget draft’s proposed dismantling of these programs underscores ongoing debates about the federal government’s role in child welfare and threatens to unravel a critical part of the social safety net for America’s most vulnerable families.