MAHA's bad week, continued

On Sunday, President Trump told reporters it's "possible" that the stalled nomination of Casey Means for surgeon general could be pulled as key Republican senators remain tight-lipped about their support for her.

"Certainly, we have a lot of great candidates for the job," he said.

That comment, delivered aboard Air Force One, was another blow to the Make America Healthy Again movement. The White House has distanced itself from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine agenda, which a federal judge undercut in a preliminary decision. Separately, the administration embraced a pesticide reviled by MAHA adherents.

Meanwhile, the White House has yet to announce a new nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The administration is still searching for a candidate, a White House official told STAT. The administration wants someone who, in addition to being confirmable, can execute on the administration's priorities and manage a large federal bureaucracy.

"Hard to imagine a more depressing moment in American political history," Toby Rogers, a fellow at the MAHA-aligned Brownstone Institute, posted on X last Tuesday. In a separate post, he said the Trump administration was perpetrating a "complete betrayal" of the MAHA movement.

But some MAHA allies are rallying the troops, including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, who has frequently appeared on calls of MAHA supporters to remind them that the administration is focused on their goals.

And the administration may not be done with its health-agenda reset. An HHS shakeup earlier this year aimed at improving the operations of the agency — which elevated officials who have been focused on affordability issues over vaccine or food reforms — is part of a larger effort, according to the White House official. More staff changes could be on the way, the person said. — Chelsea Cirruzzo and Daniel Payne

health savings accounts

GAHA

The Great American Health Alliance.

That's the name of a new lobbying group of companies and organizations tied to the health savings account industry. And yes, it's a riff on MAHA.

The industry is trying to take advantage of the debate over health care affordability by getting Congress to further reform HSA laws to make the tax-free investment tools available with all types of public and private insurance. They're making the case that expanded HSAs can play a key role in President Trump's Great Healthcare Plan.

Read more about their lobbying tactics and the policies they're after.

cdc

The challenges facing the next CDC director

Helen Branswell runs down the myriad challenges facing Trump's next CDC director, assuming one is nominated and confirmed by senators who increasingly are willing to buck RFK Jr.

Administration officials have frequently said the CDC needs to rebuild trust with the public, but staff say the first hurdle for a CDC director would be rebuilding trust with them. That will require, in part, that the new director convince staff that RFK Jr. isn't calling the shots for the agency.

Read more for the seven big obstacles that a new director will need to overcome.

drug prices

How to flip a drugmaker

The Trump administration is trying to flip drugmakers with a tactic that is familiar to police interrogators.

Daniel Payne reports that the White House is shopping a legislative plan to codify voluntary most-favored nation agreements on drug prices into law. Administration officials plan to meet with all 16 drugmakers that signed MFN deals, according to Daniel.

The administration is calling in companies in small groups, as it did when negotiating the voluntary deals, and lobbyists worry the administration will peel off a company, increasing pressure on others to follow suit.

What we're reading

Health care jobs growth is stagnating at the biggest for-profit firms, STAT
HHS tells court it reversed more than 200 RIFs at FDA's tobacco office, Politico
Amid focus on food, FDA leader briefs lawmakers on priorities, STAT
Trump's first surgeon general tries to stop nominee from being confirmed, The Washington Post