DOGE
Billions to be slashed from NIH contracts
Adobe
National Institutes of Health leaders must figure out how to cut $2.6 billion in contracts from the biomedical research agency's budget by April 8, according to several sources.
Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon told STAT that the 35% reduction in NIH contracts is part of a strategic cost-savings initiative across all divisions of HHS. It's worrisome news for an already-troubled agency. After Tuesday's cuts, the NIH is down 1,200 employees, including the directors of five institutes and the heads of several labs, and has had key grantmaking, research training, and science communication functions severely limited since Trump's return to the White House.
To understand the unique needs met by the agency's contractors, including long-term freezer storage of biospecimens and genetic counseling for clinical research volunteers, read the story from STAT's Megan Molteni (and stay for the kicker quote).
LIFELINES
You used to call me on my cell phone
Lifesaving hotlines that have fielded millions of calls from people like new mothers and smokers for support are in limbo after federal officials fired the workers who oversaw them.
The hotlines include the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, run by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Quit Line for smokers. Free and available 24/7, they are readily accessible tools in a landscape where mental health and substance use treatment is often costly and difficult to come by.
It's unclear whether another prominent hotline for mental health support, 988, will also be affected. The program is run through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in partnership with states, but the agency will soon be folded into a new agency along with HRSA and others.
Though many hotline-related SAMHSA employees were spared in Tuesday's firings, they are still stressed. Leaders of 988 also stepped down or retired in recent weeks, leaving openings for people favored by HHS chief Robert Kennedy and his allies. The mood was perhaps best put by an employee fired on Tuesday, who told me, "It's surreal when the argument 'people will die' means nothing."
Read more from STAT's Isa Cuello.
To reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. For TTY users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.
The Maternal Mental Health Hotline can be reached by phone or text at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
The national quit line can be reached at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
POLITICS
Mehmet Oz takes the reins at CMS
The Senate confirmed Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday.
The vote proceeded along party lines, with Democrats refusing to vote for him because Oz has indicated he is amendable to Medicaid cuts. He will inherit the reins of an agency at a crossroads, including 300 fewer employees after Tuesday's purge. House Republicans have directed the committee that oversees Medicaid to cut government spending by $880 billion, much of which would likely come from Medicaid. However, it's less clear where Senate Republicans stand on such cuts.
Medicaid cuts would be deeply unpopular. More than 70% of Americans say that Medicaid should not be cut to reduce government spending, according to a new poll published Thursday by Ipsos and the National Association of Mental Illness. STAT's Jonathan Wilkerson has more.
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