Take Care LedgerA dated, sourced record of the second Trump administration

Public Health Under RFK Jr.

Updated2026-11-09 Covers2025-01-20 to 2026-11-06

Summary

On Feb 13, 2025, the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 52–48 as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).78,100 He removed all 17 members of the government’s vaccine advisory committee. He appointed new members, including some who had called for suspending mRNA COVID-19 shots.1,101 He narrowed the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The childhood vaccine schedule, the list of shots recommended for children, was cut first by the CDC and then by a presidential executive order.2,3 The directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) left office.4,5 The New York Times reported that the FDA blocked its own staff’s studies finding that serious vaccine side effects are rare.6 People died of measles in 2025 and 2026.7 The CDC counted 5,182 cases in 2026 through Nov 5, the most since 1991.8 In March 2026 a federal judge stayed, or paused, most of the advisory-committee appointments and all of the committee’s votes.9 In August, Trump ordered the schedule cuts again by an executive order. No court has ruled on that order.10 HHS also stopped taking public comment on rules about grants, contracts and benefits.80 It withheld Title X family-planning money from 16 grantees.82 It held back or ended some data products.79,88

Background

HHS oversees the CDC, FDA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Federal vaccine advice normally comes from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP is a panel of outside experts, and the CDC director adopts its votes. Those recommendations shape what insurance covers and the Vaccines for Children program. In 19 states they also decide which shots pharmacists may give.11 Before these changes, COVID-19 shots had been available to everyone 6 months and older. Every newborn had been offered a hepatitis B shot at birth.11,12 Before 2025 the U.S. had last recorded a measles death in 2015.8 Courts can review agency actions like these under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the law that sets the rules agencies must follow.61 The APA requires agencies to explain their decisions with sound reasons. For legislative rules, which work like laws, it also requires notice to the public and a chance to comment.

Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda began while the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was directing cuts across the government.

What happened

Vaccine advisory committee and childhood schedule

On May 27, 2025 Kennedy announced in a video that COVID-19 vaccination was being dropped from the CDC schedule for healthy children and pregnant women. There was no ACIP vote.17 On June 9 Kennedy removed all 17 ACIP members in the middle of their terms.1 On June 11 he named eight replacements. They included Robert Malone, Martin Kulldorff and Retsef Levi. Kulldorff had been paid as an expert witness in a lawsuit against Merck over its Gardasil vaccine. Levi had called for suspending mRNA COVID shots.1,101 On June 26 the new committee held its first votes. Reason’s story ran under a headline saying the “handpicked” panel “unsurprisingly delivers antivaccine conclusions.”102 On Sept 3 Washington, Oregon and California launched the West Coast Health Alliance. Hawaii joined about a day later. On Sept 17 the alliance issued its own vaccine guidance.23 For children under 4, the new ACIP stopped recommending the combined MMRV shot on Sept 18–19. That shot protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. ACIP also made COVID vaccination an “individual decision” for everyone. It voted against requiring a prescription for the shot, but only because the chair broke a tie.2 On Dec 5 a presidential memorandum told HHS to line up the schedule with “peer, developed countries.” ACIP also voted 8–3 to end the hepatitis B shot at birth for all newborns.12 On Dec 30 CMS changed the 2026 quality-reporting lists for Medicaid and CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It removed measures that track shots for children, teens and pregnant women. It would explore measures on whether families heard about “vaccine choices” and “alternative vaccine schedules,” it said. It also said it “strongly discourages” states from tying payment to vaccination measures.84,85

On Jan 5, 2026 acting CDC director Jim O’Neill, a former tech investor, cut the routine childhood schedule to 11 diseases. He modeled it on Denmark’s. There was no ACIP vote and no public comment. Officials said the shots were still free and covered by insurance. (Sources give the starting number as 17 or 18 diseases.)3,12,10 On Jan 26 Kennedy’s ACIP chair, Kirk Milhoan, questioned whether polio and MMR vaccines are still needed.29 On Feb 24–25 fourteen state attorneys general and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sued Kennedy. Arizona’s Kris Mayes and California’s Rob Bonta led the attorneys general. The suit is over the Jan 5 schedule and Kennedy’s ACIP appointments. The states say the CDC’s decision memo rested on no new evidence, no recommendation from a lawfully formed ACIP and no systematic review of studies. They also say the appointees do not meet ACIP’s charter or the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the law that sets rules for outside advisory panels. They ask the court to vacate, or cancel, both.95 On Sept 8 Judge Vince Chhabria (N.D. Cal.) let the states’ claims against the schedule and the end of the universal hepatitis B birth dose go forward. He dismissed their claims about Kennedy’s ACIP appointments, but gave them 21 days to rewrite those claims.143 New York announced on Oct 5 that it had joined. It is a plaintiff in an amended complaint filed Oct 2, and Vermont joined on Oct 8, 2026.137,138 On Mar 16 Judge Brian Murphy ruled in a suit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). He stayed 13 of 15 of Kennedy’s ACIP appointments. He found those appointees were not qualified in medicine or science. He also stayed every vote the committee had taken.9,3 HHS then rewrote the ACIP charter twice. The Apr 10 version added vaccine safety and “recovery from serious vaccine injuries” to the kinds of expertise members may have. The May 27 version put the committee more directly under the CDC director. It also dropped the promise to meet three times a year.89,122,123 Four Western states and the AAP now put out their own vaccine schedules.23,3

On Aug 10, 2026, five days after Erica Schwartz was confirmed as CDC director, Trump signed an executive order. An executive order is a written order from the President to the agencies he runs. This one cut the childhood vaccines recommended for all children to 11 diseases.10 It also ordered options for splitting MMR into single shots. Trump called the measles shot “quite lethal.”10 The order restates the schedule changes that Murphy’s ruling had blocked. It was signed while measles case counts were the highest in about 35 years.10

The government appealed Murphy’s ruling on Apr 29, 2026 (First Circuit No. 26-1503).99,124 The appeal was argued on Oct 6. Justice Department (DOJ) lawyer Matthew Zorn argued that Murphy lacked the power to suspend the appointments. He argued that the ruling in effect keeps ACIP from meeting. The Hill reported that the panel “has been blocked from meeting in any capacity.” Zorn said: “The secretary wants to get the ACIP back to work.”99,125 AAP argued that Kennedy may appoint a new ACIP that meets FACA’s rules on balance and expertise.99,125 No decision had been found as of Nov 8, and the injunction, the court order blocking the appointments, remains in force. People who asked to join the case brought a separate appeal (No. 26-1325). Their request for a stay was denied on Apr 9.99,121

Research, data and FDA vaccine decisions

On Feb 11, 2025 Judge John Bates ordered the CDC, FDA and HHS to restore health webpages and datasets. They had removed them to comply with Trump’s “gender ideology” orders and his orders against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).15 On Mar 17 HHS removed the Surgeon General’s 2024 advisory from its website. That advisory had declared gun violence a public-health crisis. KFF reports that many staff were cut at the CDC’s Injury Center, which collects data on violent deaths.81 Among those laid off on Apr 1 (see Leadership and workforce) was the whole CDC team that ran the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). PRAMS is a survey of new mothers covering up to 81% of U.S. births. The CDC had paused its data collection in January to comply with Trump’s executive orders. By 2026 national publication had stopped. Some states run their own surveys.79 On May 29 reporters checked the MAHA Commission’s report on childhood chronic disease. The report, released May 22, cited studies that do not exist. By NOTUS’s count, seven of 522 citations were to such studies. NBC confirmed four.18 HHS replaced the citations and said “minor citation and formatting errors have been corrected.”18 On Jul 2 the CDC ended its emergency response to H5N1 bird flu. It pointed to fewer animal infections and no human cases since February. It now posts human testing data monthly. It stopped posting data on animal infections.83

FDA vaccine chief Vinay Prasad left the agency and was brought back within two weeks (Jul 29–Aug 9).19,130 In early August HHS canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).20 On Aug 27 the FDA limited the fall COVID shots to people 65 and older or at high risk.11 In a memo two days earlier, Prasad wrote that he “disagree[s]” with parts of his career reviewers’ conclusions.11 Healthy people who want COVID shots may need an off-label prescription, meaning one for a use the FDA has not approved. That can cost $200 or more without insurance.11 On Sept 22 Trump and Kennedy linked Tylenol use in pregnancy to autism.24 The FDA’s own letter said a causal link “has not been established.” A Swedish study of about 2.5 million children found no higher risk. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) called the claims “irresponsible.”24 On Nov 19–20 Kennedy had the CDC’s website changed. It now says that “vaccines do not cause autism” is “not an evidence-based claim.”26 In late November Prasad told staff that at least 10 children had died “because of” COVID shots.27 The FDA’s own Dec 5 review looked at 96 reports of child deaths. It found none “certain” to be linked to vaccines. The review was not made public until May 2026.27,116

On Feb 10, 2026 the FDA’s vaccine center refused to review Moderna’s application for an mRNA flu vaccine. The application rested on a 40,000-person trial. The FDA said the shot Moderna compared it against was not the “best-available standard of care” for people 65 and older. HHS said Moderna “refused to follow very clear FDA guidance from 2024,” and STAT reported that Prasad had overruled career reviewers, which HHS disputed.87 On Feb 18 the FDA agreed to review it.134 On Aug 5 the FDA approved it for adults 50 and older. It is the first approved flu vaccine made with mRNA. Approval for people 65 and older depends on results from another study that Moderna agreed to run.142 As acting CDC director, Jay Bhattacharya held back a CDC study. It was set to run in the Mar 19 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The study estimated that the 2025–26 COVID vaccine cut adult hospital stays by 55%. The Washington Post, as reported by KFF, said he objected to its test-negative design. Dozens of earlier studies had used that method. CDC authors published the study in JAMA Network Open on Jun 23.88,117 On May 5 the New York Times reported that the FDA had withdrawn or blocked its own staff’s studies. Those studies found that serious side effects from COVID-19 shots and Shingrix shingles shots were rare. HHS said the authors “drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data.”6

Measles

In West Texas, by Apr 6, 2025 two unvaccinated children, ages 6 and 8, had died of measles. One unvaccinated adult in New Mexico had also died. The 6-year-old was the first child to die of measles in the U.S. in a decade.7 By early April the outbreak had reached about 500 Texas cases and more than 600 across the country.7 Kennedy had said cod liver oil was “working,” and he promoted a steroid and an antibiotic. The Texas Tribune says those are not evidence-based measles treatments. He directed the CDC to promote vitamin A. A hospital in Lubbock then reported children with vitamin A poisoning.7 On Apr 6, after Senate health committee chair Bill Cassidy pressed him, Kennedy called the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine “the most effective” protection.7 In September 2026 Reuters reported that Kennedy asked the CDC to remove two Pennsylvania deaths from the measles count. He disputed the cause of death.35 Cassidy blamed those deaths on the administration’s policies. Kennedy told Children’s Health Defense it had “a strong and steadfast friend at the White House.”36,37 For the 2026 case and death counts and the elimination review, see Where things stand.

Leadership and workforce

Kennedy founded Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine nonprofit. At hearings on Jan 29–30, 2025 senators questioned him on his vaccine record. The Senate confirmed him 52–48 on Feb 13.78,100 On Apr 1 HHS began laying off up to 10,000 people under a restructuring announced Mar 27. The cuts were about 3,500 at FDA, 2,400 at CDC, 1,200 at NIH and 873 at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).16 With buyouts, the department went from about 82,000 to about 62,000 positions.16 The plan also created an “Administration for a Healthy America.”16 On Aug 8 a gunman fired more than 180 rounds into CDC headquarters and killed police officer David Rose. Authorities said the gunman believed the COVID vaccine had harmed him.21 CDC employees linked the attack to Kennedy’s rhetoric.21

On Aug 27 HHS announced that CDC Director Susan Monarez was no longer director. She had been confirmed less than a month earlier.4 Four senior CDC officials resigned the same day.4 White House spokesman Kush Desai said she was “not aligned with the President’s agenda” and was fired after refusing to resign. Her lawyer said she had refused “unscientific, reckless directives.”4 On Sept 17 Monarez testified about Kennedy’s demands. She said he had demanded that she approve the new ACIP’s recommendations before seeing the evidence. She said he had also demanded that she fire career scientists without cause.22 HHS said no schedule changes had been decided.22 On Nov 13 NIH put Jenna Norton on leave. She was a lead author of a letter of dissent signed by staff.25

On Feb 18, 2026 NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya replaced O’Neill as acting CDC director. He kept running NIH at the same time. He was the third person to lead the CDC since summer 2025.30 On Apr 30 Trump withdrew Casey Means’s nomination for surgeon general. Her medical license had lapsed. He withdrew it after Cassidy said she lacked the votes.31 On Sept 30 the Senate health committee advanced the nomination of Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general, 12–11. AP reported it was not clear when the full Senate would vote.144 On May 11 Kennedy fired the two leaders of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), John Wong and Esa Davis. The task force’s advice decides which preventive services insurers must cover at no extra cost to patients under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It had not met since March 2025, and five of its 16 members’ terms had ended in January with no one named to replace them.32,90 On May 12 FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned, and Kyle Diamantas became acting commissioner.5 NBC reported that Makary was pushed out. One reason was his opposition to lifting the ban on flavored e-cigarettes.5 Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that Reynolds American’s RAI Services gave MAGA Inc. $5 million on Apr 30, and Popular Information reported that Trump met Reynolds executives two days after the gift. It reported that the FDA allowed fruit-flavored vapes within a week.91,126,127 Cassidy lost his primary on May 16.33 Schwartz was confirmed as CDC director on Aug 5 (see Vaccine advisory committee and childhood schedule). On Sept 17 Kennedy named eight new USPSTF members.10,90,128

Grants, funding and rulemaking

On Feb 7, 2025 NIH announced a 15% cap on the overhead (“indirect”) costs it pays on research grants.14 On Mar 3 HHS published Kennedy’s cancellation of a 1971 policy. Under that policy, the department had chosen to take public comment on rules about grants, contracts and benefits. The APA’s rulemaking section does not otherwise require notice and comment for those matters. KFF notes that changes like Medicaid work-requirement rules and NIH funding policies would no longer need public comment.80,62 On Mar 31 HHS told 16 of its 86 Title X family-planning grantees that their funding would be “temporarily withheld.” They included all nine Planned Parenthood grantees. KFF estimates the freeze reached 879 clinics, 24% of Title X sites, in 23 states.82 On Aug 7 Executive Order 14332 changed how agencies award grants. Each agency must name a senior presidential appointee to approve every funding notice and discretionary award. Peer review, in which other experts score proposals, became only “advisory,” the order said. Awards must “demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities,” and grants can be ended “for convenience.”57

On Jan 11, 2026 Judge Beryl Howell (D.D.C.) ordered HHS to restore about $12 million in seven AAP grants. They paid for rural health, preventing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and early screening for disabilities. HHS had cut them in December 2025, saying they no longer “aligned with the department’s priorities.”58 AAP had publicly broken with Kennedy’s vaccine changes, and it supports gender-affirming care. Howell found a likely “retaliatory motive,” meaning a wish to punish AAP for what it says. She held that AAP was likely to win its retaliation claim under the First Amendment, which protects free speech. She wrote that the case was “about whether the federal government has exercised power in a manner designed to chill public health policy debate.”58,73 HHS denies AAP’s retaliation claims.58 On Jan 13 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) ended more than 2,000 mental-health and addiction grants worth more than $2 billion. It ended them “effective immediately,” for “non-alignment with SAMHSA priorities.”86 Lawmakers and grantees objected. On Jan 14 the administration said it would undo the terminations.132 Notices restoring the grants went out Jan 15.133 Trump said in January and February that agencies should stop paying “sanctuary” jurisdictions. After that, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told the CDC to end about $602 million in public-health grants to California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. HHS told Congress on Feb 9 the grants were “inconsistent with agency priorities.”59 On Feb 12 Judge Manish Shah (N.D. Ill.) issued a temporary restraining order in Illinois v. Vought. That is a short-term order that stops something while a judge looks at the case. He wrote that officials’ “recent statements … plausibly suggest that the reason for the direction is hostility to what the federal government calls ‘sanctuary jurisdictions.’”59,77 On Mar 12 Shah turned his order into a preliminary injunction against OMB’s directive to HHS. A preliminary injunction stops something until the case is decided. He found the directive likely arbitrary and capricious, meaning not reasonably explained, and beyond OMB’s legal power. He treated the HHS and CDC stop-payment actions as void. He declined to block the broader directive as it applied to the Transportation and Homeland Security departments.136

On Feb 25 CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, with Vice President JD Vance, deferred, or put off, $243.8 million in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota. The payments covered 14 services that CMS labeled “high-risk” for fraud. Oz said the money would be released once the state adopts a “comprehensive corrective action plan.” Minnesota sued Oz and Kennedy on Mar 2 (Minnesota v. Oz, D. Minn.). It argued that deferral “has never been used to categorically deny funds to a state across entire service areas.”96 On Apr 6 Judge Eric Tostrud denied a temporary restraining order. He held the claim came too early, because no cut had been made final. He also held the deferral was likely consistent with the rule that governs it.139 On May 7 the court paused the case at both sides’ request.146 On Sept 1 Judge Christopher Cooper found that HHS had cited studies that do not exist to justify cutting grants for preventing teen pregnancy.34 On Sept 3 Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of House Appropriations, raised a concern. She said the Pentagon had signed an agreement that could let it draw on NIH research money without telling Congress. That money includes funds of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. NIH described the agreement as a research partnership, not a transfer of funds.92

Gender-affirming care

On Jan 28, 2025 Trump signed Executive Order 14187, which calls puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for patients under 19 “chemical and surgical mutilation.” It tells agencies to make sure that medical schools and hospitals that get federal research or education grants stop providing that care. It also directs action by HHS and the Justice Department. That includes enforcement under the federal female genital mutilation law.55,74 Two judges blocked agencies from putting conditions on, withholding or ending federal grants to providers because they give gender-affirming care to patients under 19. Judge Lauren King (W.D. Wash.) ruled on Feb 28 in a suit led by Washington state. Judge Brendan Hurson (D. Md.) ruled on Mar 4 in PFLAG v. Trump.56,103,76 On Jan 15, 2026 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent civil investigative demands, which are legal orders to hand over information. They went to the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The FTC sent a similar demand to the AAP. The three groups are the main authors of medical guidance on gender-affirming care.60,118

In 2026 the government asked for a stay, or pause, of the EO 14187 funding injunctions. The Fourth Circuit denied it on Apr 16, 2026. On May 21 it also denied rehearing en banc, meaning by all of its judges together.56,104,105 DOJ issued at least 20 HIPAA subpoenas, which are legal orders for records in federal health-care crime investigations. They went to hospitals and clinics in 2025–26, and courts quashed, or cancelled, many of them. Judge Mary McElroy did so for Rhode Island Hospital (May 12). Judge Kearney in Pennsylvania quashed one in part.56,106,75 Former minor patients brought class actions, which are suits on behalf of a whole group. In those suits, two judges barred DOJ from seeking or receiving health information that identifies patients. A grand jury in the Northern District of Texas had sought that information. The judges were P. Casey Pitts (N.D. Cal., Jul 2) and Katherine Polk Failla (S.D.N.Y., Jul 6). Pitts found the records had “little to no possibility” of being relevant. On Aug 26 the Second Circuit refused to stay Failla’s order.56,107,108,109 On May 7 Chief Judge James Boasberg (D.D.C.) blocked the FTC’s demands to the Endocrine Society and WPATH. He found they were likely First Amendment retaliation. He cited “extensive evidence of animus,” meaning hostility. He called the agency’s reasons “wafer-thin.”60 On June 17 the FTC withdrew its demand to WPATH. Joined by four states, it then sued WPATH in the Northern District of Texas. On Jul 10 Boasberg declined to halt that suit.60,119,120

Coverage law and WHO withdrawal

On Jan 20, 2025 Trump signed an order withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and from talks on a pandemic agreement.13 The Jul 4, 2025 budget law is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.68 It adds Medicaid work requirements by Jan 1, 2027, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that 10 million people will lose insurance.38 An HHS rule of Jul 10, 2025 reclassified Head Start and community health clinics as “federal public benefits.” That closed them to many immigrants. Judge Mary McElroy (D.R.I.) vacated the rule on Sept 21, 2026 because HHS skipped notice and comment.42,115 The same budget law cut Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood for a year. On Jul 28, 2025 Judge Indira Talwani extended her injunction against the cut to all Planned Parenthood clinics. The First Circuit stayed that injunction on Sept 11. It reversed her ruling on Dec 12.40,111,113 On Dec 2 Talwani separately blocked enforcement in a suit by 22 states and D.C. She found the provision was likely an unconstitutional condition added after the fact to their Medicaid participation. The First Circuit stayed that injunction on Dec 30.112,114 Planned Parenthood says at least 20 health centers closed.40 The states dropped their suit on Mar 17, 2026, keeping the right to file it again. On Jun 2 the First Circuit dismissed the government’s appeal as moot, meaning there was nothing left to decide.145 On Nov 6, 2026 the Justice Department said it would join a Texas suit under the False Claims Act, a law against cheating the government. The suit seeks more than $1.8 billion from Planned Parenthood. It says Planned Parenthood kept billing Texas and Louisiana Medicaid after the states moved to end its participation. Planned Parenthood says the billing was lawful and calls the suit “meritless.” The two sides have proposed an April 2027 trial.147 The enhanced ACA premium credits,70 tax credits that lower what people pay for marketplace health plans, expired Dec 31, 2025.39 KFF estimates average net premiums rose about 58% and enrollment will fall by about 5 million.39 The U.S. left the WHO on Jan 22, 2026. WHO said the U.S. owed more than $133 million in dues. The administration said it did not have to pay before withdrawing.28 Nebraska began the first Medicaid work requirements on May 1, 2026.41

Key dates

Why it matters

Vaccine recommendations (APA, 5 U.S.C. §§553 and 706(2)(A); FACA, 5 U.S.C. §1004). The legal question is whether the changes to federal vaccine advice meet the APA’s rules. The changes were made without the usual ACIP review and without public comment. The APA requires reasoned decision-making (5 U.S.C. §706(2)(A)).61 It also requires notice and comment (5 U.S.C. §553).62 The May 2025 COVID change and the Jan 5, 2026 schedule were issued without an ACIP vote. The Jan 5 schedule also had no public comment.17,3 HHS’s March 2025 cancellation put its grant, contract and benefit rules back under the APA’s exemption for those matters (5 U.S.C. §553(a)(2)). So those rules no longer need public comment unless another law requires it. CMS removed the vaccination measures under a federal law that lets the Secretary revise the Medicaid and CHIP core measures (42 U.S.C. §1320b-9a(b)(5)).80,62,84,85 The administration’s stated basis was the Dec 5 presidential memorandum, which called for matching “peer, developed countries,” and officials said the shots remained covered.12,3 Judge Murphy’s Mar 16, 2026 stay in AAP v. Kennedy63 is still the ruling in effect.9,53 The government appealed (First Circuit No. 26-1503, argued Oct 6, 2026). DOJ argues that Murphy lacked the power to suspend the appointments. AAP argues that Kennedy may instead appoint a new ACIP that meets FACA’s balance and expertise rules. The First Circuit had not ruled as of Nov 8.99 Recommendations normally come from ACIP and are adopted by the CDC director. So the Aug 10 order raises a question: can a presidential order set the schedule directly? Georgetown’s Lawrence Gostin said the order “will almost certainly be blocked by the courts.” The record here does not include the administration’s stated legal basis for the order. No ruling on it has been found.10,53 The multistate suit adds a FACA claim. That law requires advisory-committee membership to be “fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented” (5 U.S.C. §1004(b)(2), applied to agency committees by §1004(c)).97,95

Agency structure and removal power (APA; Art. II). In New York v. Kennedy (D.R.I.),71 Judge Melissa DuBose blocked the HHS reorganization on Jul 1, 2025, finding it likely violated the APA.43 On May 13, 2025 Judge Irene Berger (S.D. W.Va.) ordered HHS to restore NIOSH’s Respiratory Health Division. She also ordered it to keep up its health checks of coal miners. HHS restored 328 workers.50 Monarez’s removal raises a question about the President’s power to remove officials under Article II of the Constitution, which gives the President the executive power.64 The White House said she was fired after refusing to resign.4 No court ruling on her removal is recorded. The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 on the USPSTF in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management (June 27, 2025). It held that task-force members are inferior officers, meaning lower-level officials, appointed by the HHS Secretary. The Secretary may remove them at will and review their recommendations.93,90

WHO withdrawal (22 U.S.C. §290). The U.S. joined the WHO through an act of Congress (22 U.S.C. §290).65 Gostin argues that leaving therefore also requires Congress. The administration withdrew by executive order. It said it did not have to pay unpaid dues first.28,13 No court has tested the question.

NIH grants and the COVID-era clawback (APA). After Judge William Young held NIH’s grant terminations “void and illegal,” the Supreme Court, voting 5–4, stayed the terminations. It did not stay the part of his ruling that cancelled the guidance behind them (NIH v. American Public Health Association, Aug 21, 2025).44,45,66 A court of appeals ruled that the 15% indirect-cost cap broke HHS regulations. The administration chose not to ask the Supreme Court to review that ruling (Apr 8, 2026).14 HHS also tried to claw back, or take back, $11 billion in COVID-era funds. On May 16, 2025, Judge McElroy blocked that. HHS’s notices had declared the pandemic “over.”51,110

Planned Parenthood and the Head Start rule (Spending Clause, Art. I §8 cl. 1; 8 U.S.C. §1611). Judge Talwani blocked the Planned Parenthood provision (OBBBA §71113) on the states’ claims (Dec 2, 2025). She ruled under the Spending Clause (Art. I §8 cl. 1), the part of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to tax and spend.67 The First Circuit stayed that injunction on Dec 30.40,112,114 The Head Start rule changed the meaning of “federal public benefit” under the 1996 welfare law (8 U.S.C. §1611), which keeps many immigrants out of federal public benefits.69 The court vacated the rule under 5 U.S.C. §553. Agencies may propose it again through the normal rulemaking process.42

Grant terminations and conditions (First Amendment; APA). KFF reports that HHS gave no reason for withholding the Title X money. SAMHSA’s stated reason for its January terminations was “non-alignment with SAMHSA priorities.”82,86 Judge Howell’s AAP injunction rests on First Amendment retaliation. HHS’s position is that it does not have to fund AAP. Judge Shah’s Illinois v. Vought injunction rests on the APA’s tests for actions that are arbitrary and capricious or beyond an agency’s power. HHS’s stated basis was that the grants were “inconsistent with agency priorities.”58,59,136 Executive Order 14332 (Aug 7, 2025) gives a senior presidential appointee the power to approve HHS and other discretionary awards. It makes peer review “advisory.” No ruling on it is recorded.57

NIH–Pentagon agreement (31 U.S.C. §1301(a); Economy Act, 31 U.S.C. §1535). DeLauro objected to the NIH–Pentagon agreement. Her objection raises two questions. Would NIH money be spent outside the purposes Congress set when it approved the money (31 U.S.C. §1301(a))? Or would it be moved without the legal power to transfer it (the Economy Act, 31 U.S.C. §1535)? NIH says no funds are transferred. No review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s auditing arm, is recorded.92,94

Minnesota Medicaid deferral (42 C.F.R. §430.40; Spending Clause). A federal rule, 42 C.F.R. §430.40, lets CMS hold back matching funds while it questions a claim. Minnesota’s suit asks whether such a deferral may cover whole categories of services. It also asks whether the deferral instead adds conditions after the fact. The Spending Clause rule bars that, because Congress must state grant conditions “unambiguously,” meaning clearly (Pennhurst State School & Hospital v. Halderman, 1981). Judge Tostrud held the challenge came too early and the deferral was likely lawful.98,139

Gender-affirming care (EO 14187; First Amendment). The 2025 funding injunctions protect providers who give gender-affirming care to patients under 19, and the Fourth Circuit declined to stay them in April 2026. They bar agencies from putting conditions on, withholding or ending those providers’ grants because of that care.56,104 The subpoena rulings deal with whether DOJ may get records that identify patients for a Texas grand jury. DOJ sought them through HIPAA and grand-jury subpoenas.56,75 Chief Judge Boasberg found the FTC’s demands to medical groups were likely First Amendment retaliation. The FTC withdrew its demand to WPATH and sued WPATH in Texas.60 The record here does not include the administration’s stated legal basis for the funding conditions or the subpoenas.

Outcome

Where things stand

As of Nov 8, 2026, the committee and schedule changes are split between court orders and a new executive order. Murphy’s Mar 16 ruling stays 13 of 15 Kennedy ACIP appointees and all of the panel’s votes, including the hepatitis B change. The Aug 10 order re-imposes the schedule cuts. Gostin predicted courts would block it, but no ruling on the order, or reported challenge to it, has been found.9,12,10,53 The government’s First Circuit appeal of Murphy’s ruling (No. 26-1503) was argued Oct 6. It was still undecided as of Nov 8. It does not challenge the stay of the Jan 5 schedule changes.99 The multistate suit against the Jan 5 schedule and the ACIP appointments, Arizona v. Kennedy, is pending before Judge Chhabria in federal court in Northern California (N.D. Cal.). On Sept 8 he let the schedule and hepatitis B claims go forward and dismissed the claims about the ACIP appointments. The states filed an amended complaint on Oct 2.95,143 Leadership has turned over. Monarez was removed. Bhattacharya was acting CDC director from Feb 18 until Aug 5, 2026, when Schwartz was confirmed. Prasad’s departure at the end of April was announced Mar 6, 2026. Makary resigned, and Kyle Diamantas is acting commissioner. Means’s nomination was withdrawn, and Nicole Saphier was named for surgeon general. Heidi Overton was nominated at FDA.4,30,10,131,5,31,49 The Senate health committee advanced Saphier 12–11 on Sept 30. AP reported it was not clear when the full Senate would vote.144

The CDC counts 5,182 confirmed measles cases in 2026 through Nov 5, the most since 1991, compared with 2,289 in 2025.8 States have reported 8 measles deaths in 2026, but the CDC counts only 4. That is because it no longer automatically adds deaths confirmed by states. There were 3 in 2025.8 The Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Regional Verification Commission will rule on whether the U.S. keeps its measles elimination status. It will rule at its yearly meeting in November 2026. The Americas lost that status as a region in November 2025 because of Canada.54,129 Several things are missing from the record. It has no entry for the later MAHA strategy report. It has no ruling on the Title X withholding or the Aug 10 order, and no later ruling on the $11 billion clawback. It has no administration legal basis for the Aug 10 order or the childcare freeze. It has no account of Planned Parenthood’s funding status after the provision lapsed (about Jul 4, 2026).

Related articles: Withdrawn Studies and Deleted Federal Data (FDA studies and CDC webpage changes6,26); Federal Workforce Reductions and Schedule F and Musk, DOGE and Conflict-of-Interest Questions (layoffs); Law Firms and Universities and Conflicts Between the Executive and the Courts (NIH grant litigation44,45); Cabinet Financial Disclosures and Ethics Complaints (Mehmet Oz’s insurance holdings at CMS46); Prosecutions and Investigations of Trump Critics (the Senate committee’s contempt vote against Anthony Fauci after he invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects the right not to testify against oneself72,47,141); Detention and Deaths in Custody (conditions at an immigration tent camp48); Shutdowns, Rescissions and Impoundment Findings (the ACA credits39).

Status

Item Status Latest development (date) What would change it
ACIP appointments and votes Blocked (Murphy, AAP v. Kennedy, Mar 16, 2026) 13 of 15 appointees and all votes paused; charter rewritten Apr 10 and May 27, 2026; government appeal argued in the First Circuit (No. 26-1503, Oct 6, 2026), no decision as of Nov 89,89,122,123,99,125 First Circuit decision in No. 26-1503
Childhood schedule cut to 11 diseases In force Put back in place by executive order (Aug 10, 2026); no ruling or reported challenge10,53 A court challenge to the order
Jan 5 schedule and ACIP appointments (multistate suit, Arizona v. Kennedy) Pending (Chhabria, N.D. Cal.) Schedule and hepatitis B claims allowed to go forward; ACIP claims dismissed with time to rewrite them (Sept 8, 2026)143. New York and Vermont joined (Oct 5 and 8, 2026)137,138 A ruling on whether to cancel them
COVID shot eligibility In force FDA limit to 65 and older or high risk (Aug 27, 2025)11 —
CDC COVID vaccine-effectiveness study Concluded Published outside the CDC’s weekly report, the MMWR (Jun 23, 2026)88,117 —
Moderna mRNA flu vaccine Concluded (FDA approval, Aug 5, 2026) Advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend approval (Jun 18, 2026)135. FDA approved it for adults 50 and older; approval for 65 and older depends on a follow-up study142 Results of the follow-up study in people 65 and older
Medicaid and CHIP immunization measures In force Left out of the 2026 core sets; states may still report them if they choose84 —
USPSTF membership In force Eight new members named (Sept 17, 2026)90,32,128 —
Surgeon general and FDA nominations Pending (Senate) Saphier named; Overton nominated31,49; Senate health committee advanced Saphier 12–11 (Sept 30, 2026)144 Senate confirmation votes
HHS layoffs In force Mostly carried out43 —
HHS restructuring Blocked (DuBose, New York v. Kennedy, Jul 1, 2025) Preliminary injunction (Jul 1, 2025)43 —
NIOSH respiratory-health program Blocked (Berger, S.D. W.Va., May 13, 2025) 328 workers restored50 —
NIH indirect-cost cap Blocked (court of appeals) Supreme Court review not sought (Apr 8, 2026)14 —
NIH grant terminations In force (Supreme Court stay, Aug 21, 2025) NIH allowed to stop paying about $783 million in terminated grants45 —
$11 billion COVID-era clawback Blocked (McElroy preliminary injunction, May 16, 2025) No later ruling recorded51,110 A ruling on the merits, the main legal questions
Title X withholding In force Nine Planned Parenthood grantees not reinstated82 A ruling (none recorded)
SAMHSA grant terminations Reversed Undone (Jan 15, 2026); Grant Witness tallies $580.24 million lost through Sept 24, 202686,133 —
About $10 billion childcare freeze on five Democratic-led states Reversed Dropped after court losses (Jul 13, 2026)52 —
AAP grants Blocked (Howell preliminary injunction, Jan 11, 2026) About $12 million ordered restored58 —
CDC grants to four states Blocked (Shah, Illinois v. Vought, Mar 12, 2026) About $602 million cut blocked by preliminary injunction59,136 —
Minnesota Medicaid deferral Pending (Minnesota v. Oz, D. Minn.) Emergency relief denied (Apr 6, 2026)139; case paused at both sides’ request (May 7, 2026); no ruling on the merits146 The pause ending; a ruling on the merits
Planned Parenthood Medicaid cut Unresolved First Circuit reversed one injunction and paused the other (Dec 2025); the one-year provision lapsed about Jul 4, 202640,113,114; the 22 states and D.C. dropped their suit (Mar 17, 2026), and the government’s appeal was dismissed as moot (Jun 2, 2026)145 —
Texas False Claims Act suit against Planned Parenthood Pending (Judge Kacsmaryk, federal court in Texas) Justice Department said it will join (Nov 6, 2026); the two sides proposed an April 2027 trial147 A trial or other ruling
Head Start immigrant rule Blocked (McElroy, vacated Sept 21, 2026) Cancelled for skipping notice and comment42,115 Proposing it again through rulemaking
EO 14332 grant approvals In force No ruling recorded57 —
EO 14187 funding conditions Blocked (King, Feb 28, 2025; Hurson, Mar 4, 2025) Fourth Circuit denied a stay and rehearing (Apr 16 and May 21, 2026)56,104,105 —
DOJ patient-record subpoenas Blocked (Pitts, Jul 2; Failla, Jul 6, 2026) Second Circuit refused to pause the order (Aug 26, 2026)56,107,108,109 —
FTC demands; WPATH suit Pending (N.D. Tex.) Demands withdrawn (Jun 17); Boasberg declined to halt the suit (Jul 10, 2026)60,119,120 A ruling in the Texas suit
Medicaid work requirements In force CMS interim rule: 80 hours a month; states must comply by Jan 1, 2027 (Jun 1, 2026)140 —
Enhanced ACA premium credits Concluded Expired (Dec 31, 2025)39 —
WHO withdrawal Concluded Withdrawal complete (Jan 22, 2026)28 —
PRAMS and H5N1 reporting In force PRAMS national publication stopped; H5N1 human data monthly, no animal data79,83 —
NIH–Pentagon agreement Unresolved Amount and length not public; no termination or GAO review92 —
U.S. measles elimination status Pending (PAHO Regional Verification Commission) Review set for November 202654,129 The commission’s ruling

Who is affected

Vaccine recommendations reach children and families. They shape insurance coverage, the Vaccines for Children program and, in 19 states, which shots pharmacists may give.11 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits reach adults who want COVID-19 shots.11 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees lost jobs. Grantees, researchers and state health programs had funds withheld, ended or put off. Courts blocked several of those actions.16,82,86,45,59,96 The 2025 budget law and the expired premium credits reach people enrolled in Medicaid and in marketplace plans.38,39 Sen. Bill Cassidy blamed two Pennsylvania measles deaths on administration policies; Kennedy disputed their cause.36,35

Key players

Chronology

Sources

  1. CBS News: RFK Jr. names new CDC vaccine advisers · Reason: Handpicked vaccine panel delivers antivaccine conclusions · Timeline 2025-06-09 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  2. HHS: ACIP recommends COVID-19 vaccination by individual decision-making · CBS News: CDC vaccine advisory panel live updates · Timeline 2025-09-18 to 19 → ledger ↩↩

  3. NPR: CDC slashes vaccines recommended for all kids · AJMC: CDC reduces schedule from 17 to 11 diseases · Timeline 2026-01-05 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  4. CNBC: CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted; top officials resign · Timeline 2025-08-27 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  5. Politico: Makary resigns · NBC News: FDA chief’s resignation followed fight over fruit-flavored vapes · Timeline 2026-05-12 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  6. WaPo: FDA blocks COVID, shingles vaccine studies · ABC News: FDA blocked publication of COVID, shingles vaccine research · Timeline 2026-05-05 → ledger ↩↩↩

  7. Texas Public Radio: RFK Jr. visits West Texas after second child dies of measles · Timeline 2025-04-06 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  8. Contagion Live: Measles Update, November 6, 2026 · Timeline 2026-09-03 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  9. Reason: Federal judge blocks RFK Jr.’s arbitrary changes to childhood vaccine policy · Timeline 2026-03-16 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  10. NBC News: Trump order aims to cut childhood vaccine diseases from 18 to 11 · Politico: Trump redoubles effort to shrink recommended vaccines · Timeline 2026-08-10 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  11. FDA: CBER Center Director decisional memo, Aug 25 2025 (Prasad) · NPR: COVID vaccines now approved only for high-risk people · Timeline 2025-08-27 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  12. ABC News: ACIP votes to remove universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation · NPR: CDC slashes vaccines recommended for all kids · Timeline 2025-12-05 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  13. European Parliament Briefing: U.S. withdrawal from the WHO · Timeline 2025-01-20 → ledger ↩↩↩

  14. STAT News: Trump administration drops NIH indirect-costs court challenge · Timeline 2025-02-07 → ledger ↩↩↩

  15. NPR: Judge orders restoration of federal health websites · Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse: Doctors for America v. OPM · Timeline 2025-02-11 → ledger ↩

  16. CBS News/AP: Layoffs start at federal health agencies · PBS/AP: HHS to lay off 10,000, close agencies · Timeline 2025-04-01 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  17. Reason: Under RFK Jr., vaccine approval is getting more politicized · NPR: COVID shots no longer recommended for healthy kids and pregnant women, RFK Jr. says · Timeline 2025-05-27 → ledger ↩↩

  18. NBC News: Trump admin corrects MAHA report citation errors · Timeline 2025-05-29 → ledger ↩↩

  19. NPR: FDA vaccine chief is leaving for the second time · Timeline 2025-07-29 → ledger ↩

  20. Reason: RFK Jr. shifts $500 million from mRNA research · Timeline 2025-08-(early) → ledger ↩

  21. PBS NewsHour/AP: Shooter attacked CDC headquarters to protest COVID-19 vaccines · Timeline 2025-08-08 → ledger ↩↩

  22. Senate HELP: Monarez written testimony · NPR: Monarez testimony · Timeline 2025-09-17 → ledger ↩↩↩

  23. Washington State DOH: West Coast Health Alliance announces vaccine recommendations · Timeline 2025-09-17 → ledger ↩↩

  24. HHS: autism initiatives (leucovorin, Tylenol) · CBS News: Trump and RFK Jr. make autism announcement as experts push back · Timeline 2025-09-22 → ledger ↩↩↩

  25. The Hill (via AOL): NIH staffer put on leave after criticizing politicization · Timeline 2025-11-13 → ledger ↩

  26. NPR: CDC changes vaccines-autism page · STAT News: RFK Jr. ordered CDC website change · Timeline 2025-11-19/20 → ledger ↩↩

  27. NBC News: No child deaths definitively linked to Covid shots, FDA says · Timeline 2025-11-(late) → ledger ↩↩↩

  28. HHS fact sheet: U.S. withdrawal from the WHO · ABC7/AP: US completes withdrawal from World Health Organization · Timeline 2026-01-22 → ledger ↩↩↩

  29. ABC News: Chair of CDC’s vaccine advisory committee questions polio shot · Timeline 2026-01-26 → ledger ↩↩

  30. CNN: NIH director temporarily steps in to run CDC · Timeline 2026-02-18 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  31. NBC News: Trump pulls Casey Means nomination, names Nicole Saphier · Timeline 2026-04-30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  32. NYT: RFK Jr. firings at Preventive Services Task Force · Timeline 2026-05-11 → ledger ↩↩

  33. Guardian: Cassidy shouting match with Trump · Timeline 2026-05-16 → ledger ↩↩

  34. WaPo: Judge rebukes HHS over AI use in cutting teen pregnancy prevention grants · Timeline 2026-09-01 → ledger ↩

  35. Reuters: Kennedy asked to remove Pennsylvania measles death from CDC tally · Timeline 2026-09-03 → ledger ↩↩

  36. Guardian: Cassidy blames administration for measles deaths · Timeline 2026-09-16 → ledger ↩↩↩

  37. NYT: Kennedy assures vaccine skeptics · Timeline 2026-09-17 → ledger ↩

  38. CBO: final score of P.L. 119-21 · KFF: Medicaid work requirements explainer · Timeline 2025-07-04 → ledger ↩↩↩

  39. CNBC: ACA enrollment may fall by 5 million in 2026 (KFF) · Timeline 2025-12-31 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  40. NBC News: Appeals court allows administration to block Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood · KSL/Reuters: Court allows cuts to Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding in 22 states · Timeline 2025-07-28 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  41. AHA News: CMS issues interim final rule on Medicaid community engagement requirements · Ballotpedia News: CMS releases interim final rule for Medicaid work requirements · Timeline 2026-05-01 → ledger ↩↩

  42. Stanford Center for Racial Justice: Federal judge blocks rule limiting immigrant access to Head Start and health clinics · Timeline 2025-07-10 → ledger ↩↩↩

  43. Court order: New York v. Kennedy, No. 25-cv-196 (D.R.I.), ECF 81 · Timeline 2025-07-01 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  44. NBC News: Judge deems Trump’s cuts to NIH illegal · Timeline 2025-06-16 → ledger ↩↩

  45. SCOTUSblog: NIH v. APHA · NPR: Supreme Court NIH grants · Timeline 2025-08-21 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  46. Roll Call: Oz’s ties to insurers · Healthcare Brew: Oz confirmed as CMS head · Timeline 2025-04-03 → ledger ↩↩

  47. CBS News: Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt · Timeline 2026-07-29 → ledger ↩

  48. GAO-26-108886 · HRW: “You’re only getting out deported or dead” · Timeline 2025-08-01 → ledger ↩

  49. Politico: FDA nominee contradicts Trump on vaccine safety · Timeline 2026-09-24 → ledger ↩↩

  50. NBC News: HHS reinstates hundreds of health workers · Timeline 2025-05-13 → ledger ↩↩↩

  51. Healthcare Dive: Judge rules Trump administration cannot carry out $11B in public health funding cuts · Timeline 2025-03-24 → ledger ↩↩

  52. NYT: Health Dept. rescinds freeze on $10 billion for 5 Democratic states · Timeline 2026-07-13 to 14 → ledger ↩

  53. CIDRAP: Federal judge blocks Kennedy’s changes to childhood vaccine policy · Timeline 2026-03-16 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  54. PAHO: Update on the review of measles elimination status (Mar 2, 2026) · Timeline 2026-09-03 → ledger ↩↩

  55. Federal Register: EO 14187 · Timeline 2025-01-28 → ledger ↩

  56. Morgan Lewis via JD Supra: Gender-Affirming Care: Recent Regulatory and Enforcement Updates · Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2025-02-28 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  57. Federal Register: EO 14332 · AAMC: White House issues EO on oversight of federal grantmaking · Timeline 2025-08-07 → ledger ↩↩↩

  58. NPR/AP: A judge orders HHS to restore children’s health funding as a lawsuit continues · STAT: Judge orders HHS to restore funding for children’s health programs · Timeline 2026-01-11 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  59. Chicago Sun-Times: Federal judge extends order blocking Trump cuts to Illinois public health funding · Becker’s Hospital Review: Federal judge blocks $602M in CDC cuts to 4 states · Timeline 2026-02-12 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  60. The Advocate: Federal judge blocks FTC probes into trans medicine groups, citing ‘extensive evidence of animus’ · Law Dork: Judge denies WPATH request to block FTC from proceeding in Texas · Timeline 2026-05-07 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  61. LII: 5 U.S.C. §706, Scope of review (Administrative Procedure Act) legal authority ↩↩

  62. LII: 5 U.S.C. §553, Rule making (Administrative Procedure Act) legal authority ↩↩↩

  63. CourtListener: American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy, No. 1:25-cv-11916 (D. Mass.), docket legal authority ↩

  64. LII: U.S. Constitution, Article II legal authority ↩

  65. LII: 22 U.S.C. §290, Acceptance of membership by the United States (World Health Organization) legal authority ↩

  66. Supreme Court: National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association, No. 25A103 (Aug 21, 2025) legal authority ↩

  67. LII: U.S. Constitution, Article I (§8 cl. 1, Spending Clause) legal authority ↩

  68. GovInfo: Public Law 119-21 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act; §71113, Federal payments to prohibited entities) legal authority ↩

  69. LII: 8 U.S.C. §1611, Aliens who are not qualified aliens ineligible for Federal public benefits legal authority ↩

  70. LII: 26 U.S.C. §36B, Refundable credit for coverage under a qualified health plan (ACA premium tax credit) legal authority ↩

  71. Court order: New York v. Kennedy, No. 1:25-cv-00196 (D.R.I.), ECF 81 legal authority ↩

  72. LII: U.S. Constitution, Fifth Amendment legal authority ↩

  73. LII: U.S. Constitution, First Amendment legal authority ↩

  74. LII: 18 U.S.C. §116, Female genital mutilation legal authority ↩

  75. LII: 18 U.S.C. §3486, Administrative subpoenas (Federal health care offense investigations; the “HIPAA subpoena”) legal authority ↩↩

  76. CourtListener: PFLAG, Inc. v. Trump, No. 8:25-cv-00337 (D. Md.), docket legal authority ↩

  77. CourtListener: State of Illinois v. Vought, No. 1:26-cv-01566 (N.D. Ill.), docket legal authority ↩

  78. CNN: takeaways from the Kennedy, Gabbard and Patel hearings · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2025-01-29 to 30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  79. STAT: Gold-standard maternal mortality database in limbo · dataindex.us: Federal Data Terminations Tracker · Timeline 2025-01-(late) → ledger ↩↩↩

  80. Federal Register: Policy on Adhering to the Text of the APA · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2025-02-28 → 03-03 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  81. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2025-03-17 → ledger ↩

  82. KFF: Title X Grantees and Clinics Affected by the Funding Freeze · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2025-03-31 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  83. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2025-07-02 → ledger ↩↩

  84. CMS: SHO #25-005 (Dec 30, 2025) · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2025-12-30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  85. LII: 42 U.S.C. §1320b-9a, Child health quality measures (Social Security Act §1139A; annual revision at (b)(5)) legal authority ↩↩

  86. NACo: SAMHSA cancels, reinstates thousands of behavioral health grants · Grant Witness: SAMHSA weekly report, Oct 26, 2026 · Timeline 2026-01-13 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  87. CIDRAP: FDA refuses review of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-02-10 → ledger ↩

  88. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · JAMA Network Open: Interim Estimated Effectiveness of 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccines · Timeline 2026-03-19 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  89. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · CIDRAP: Federal judge blocks Kennedy’s changes to childhood vaccine policy · Timeline 2026-03-16 → ledger ↩↩

  90. Ars Technica: RFK Jr. fires leaders of key preventive-medicine panel · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-05-11 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩

  91. FEC: MAGA Inc. receipts · Popular Information: How MAGA Inc. raised so much money · Timeline 2026-05-12 → ledger ↩

  92. Washington Sun (formerly NOTUS): House Democrat says the Pentagon sought NIH funds for defense use · House Appropriations Democrats: press releases · Timeline 2026-09-03 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  93. LII: Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, Inc., No. 24-316 (June 27, 2025) legal authority ↩

  94. LII: 31 U.S.C. §1301, Application (Purpose Statute) · LII: 31 U.S.C. §1535, Agency agreements (Economy Act) legal authority ↩

  95. Minnesota Attorney General: Feb 25, 2026 press release on vaccine-schedule lawsuit · Timeline 2026-02-24 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  96. CBS Minnesota: Minnesota sues Dr. Oz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over $243M in deferred Medicaid funding · Star Tribune: Federal judge denies Minnesota’s bid to block Trump administration withholding $243M in Medicaid funds · Courthouse News: Tostrud order (PDF) · Timeline 2026-03-02 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  97. LII: 5 U.S.C. §1004, Responsibilities of congressional committees (Federal Advisory Committee Act) legal authority ↩

  98. LII: 42 C.F.R. §430.40, Deferral of claims for FFP · LII: Pennhurst State School & Hospital v. Halderman, 451 U.S. 1 (1981) legal authority ↩

  99. The Hill via AOL: Appeals panel wrestles with block of RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel appointments (Oct 6, 2026) · Inside Health Policy: AAP attorney sees path for First Circuit to preserve lower-court ACIP ruling (Oct 6, 2026) · Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse: AAP v. Kennedy · Timeline 2026-03-16 → ledger ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  100. AHA News: RFK Jr. confirmed as new HHS secretary · Timeline 2025-02-13 → ledger ↩↩↩

  101. CBS News: RFK Jr. names new CDC vaccine advisers · Timeline 2025-06-11 → ledger ↩↩

  102. Reason: handpicked panel delivers antivaccine · Timeline 2025-06-26 → ledger ↩

  103. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2025-03-04 → ledger ↩

  104. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2026-04-16 → ledger ↩↩↩

  105. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2026-05-21 → ledger ↩↩

  106. Morgan Lewis via JD Supra: Gender-Affirming Care: Recent Regulatory and Enforcement Updates · Timeline 2026-05-12 → ledger ↩

  107. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2026-07-02 → ledger ↩↩

  108. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2026-07-06 → ledger ↩↩

  109. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (PFLAG v. Trump, D. Md. 8:25-cv-00337; Coe v. Blanche, S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-04641; Z.A. v. Blanche, N.D. Cal. 5:26-cv-04998) · Timeline 2026-08-26 → ledger ↩↩

  110. Healthcare Dive: Judge rules Trump administration cannot carry out $11B in public health funding cuts · Timeline 2025-05-16 → ledger ↩↩

  111. NBC News: Appeals court allows Trump’s administration to block Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood · Timeline 2025-09-11 → ledger ↩

  112. KSL/Reuters: Court allows Trump-backed cuts to Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding in 22 states · Timeline 2025-12-02 → ledger ↩↩

  113. KSL/Reuters: Court allows Trump-backed cuts to Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding in 22 states · Timeline 2025-12-12 → ledger ↩↩

  114. KSL/Reuters: Court allows Trump-backed cuts to Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding in 22 states · Timeline 2025-12-30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  115. Stanford Center for Racial Justice: Federal judge blocks rule limiting immigrant access to Head Start and health clinics · Timeline 2026-09-21 → ledger ↩↩

  116. NBC News: No child deaths definitively linked to Covid shots, FDA says · Timeline 2025-12-05 → ledger ↩

  117. JAMA Network Open: Interim Estimated Effectiveness of 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccines · Timeline 2026-06-23 → ledger ↩↩

  118. The Advocate: Federal judge blocks FTC probes into trans medicine groups, citing ‘extensive evidence of animus’ · Timeline 2026-01-15 → ledger ↩

  119. Law Dork: Judge denies WPATH request to block FTC from proceeding in Texas · Timeline 2026-06-17 → ledger ↩↩

  120. Law Dork: Judge denies WPATH request to block FTC from proceeding in Texas · Timeline 2026-07-10 → ledger ↩↩

  121. Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse: AAP v. Kennedy · Timeline 2026-04-09 → ledger ↩

  122. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-04-10 → ledger ↩↩

  123. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-05-27 → ledger ↩↩

  124. Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse: AAP v. Kennedy · Timeline 2026-04-29 → ledger ↩

  125. The Hill via AOL: Appeals panel wrestles with block of RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel appointments (Oct 6, 2026) · Inside Health Policy: AAP attorney sees path for First Circuit to preserve lower-court ACIP ruling (Oct 6, 2026) · Timeline 2026-10-06 → ledger ↩↩↩

  126. FEC: MAGA Inc. receipts · Popular Information: How MAGA Inc. raised so much money · Timeline 2026-04-30 → ledger ↩

  127. Popular Information: How MAGA Inc. raised so much money · NBC News: FDA chief’s resignation followed fight over fruit-flavored vapes · Timeline 2026-05-02 → ledger ↩

  128. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-09-17 → ledger ↩↩

  129. PAHO: Update on the review of measles elimination status (Mar 2, 2026) · Timeline 2026-03-02 → ledger ↩↩

  130. NPR: Trump administration’s embattled FDA vaccine chief is leaving for the second time · Timeline 2025-08-09 → ledger ↩

  131. NPR: Trump administration’s embattled FDA vaccine chief is leaving for the second time · Timeline 2026-03-06 → ledger ↩

  132. NACo: SAMHSA cancels, reinstates thousands of behavioral health grants · Timeline 2026-01-14 → ledger ↩

  133. NACo: SAMHSA cancels, reinstates thousands of behavioral health grants · Timeline 2026-01-15 → ledger ↩↩↩

  134. CIDRAP: FDA refuses review of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine · KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-02-18 → ledger ↩

  135. KFF: Tracking Key HHS Public Health Policy Actions · Timeline 2026-06-18 → ledger ↩

  136. Chicago Sun-Times: Federal judge extends order blocking Trump cuts to Illinois public health funding · Just Security: Litigation Tracker (Illinois v. Vought, N.D. Ill. 1:26-cv-01566) · Timeline 2026-03-12 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  137. Minnesota Attorney General: Feb 25, 2026 press release on vaccine-schedule lawsuit · New York Attorney General: Attorney General James Sues Secretary Kennedy to Protect Children from Dangerous Vaccine Rollbacks (Oct 5, 2026) · Vermont Attorney General: Attorney General Clark Joins Lawsuit Challenging the Unlawful Overhaul of Federal Childhood Immunization Policy (Oct 8, 2026) · Timeline 2026-10-06 → ledger ↩↩

  138. Minnesota Attorney General: Feb 25, 2026 press release on vaccine-schedule lawsuit · Vermont Attorney General: Attorney General Clark Joins Lawsuit Challenging the Unlawful Overhaul of Federal Childhood Immunization Policy (Oct 8, 2026) · Timeline 2026-10-08 → ledger ↩↩

  139. Star Tribune: Federal judge denies Minnesota’s bid to block Trump administration withholding $243M in Medicaid funds (search result only, not opened) · Courthouse News: Tostrud order (PDF) (search result only, not opened) · Timeline 2026-04-06 → ledger ↩↩↩↩

  140. Ballotpedia News: CMS releases interim final rule for Medicaid work requirements · AHA News: CMS issues interim final rule on Medicaid community engagement requirements · KFF: CMS requires more restrictive definition of medical frailty · Timeline 2026-06-01 → ledger ↩↩

  141. CBS News: Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt · PBS: Why was Fauci held in contempt for pleading the 5th · Newser (summarizing WSJ): Contempt case against Fauci appears to be stalled · The Independent (via Yahoo): The Republican push to prosecute Fauci has ‘stalled’ · Timeline 2026-08-06 → ledger ↩

  142. NPR: FDA approves Moderna flu shot made with mRNA · CBS News: FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine after initial pushback · Timeline 2026-08-05 → ledger ↩↩

  143. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (State of Arizona v. Kennedy, N.D. Cal. 3:26-cv-01609) · Timeline 2026-09-08 → ledger ↩↩↩

  144. PBS/AP: Senate health committee advances Dr. Nicole Saphier’s nomination for surgeon general · Timeline 2026-09-30 → ledger ↩↩↩

  145. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (California v. HHS, D. Mass. 1:25-cv-12118) · Timeline 2026-03-17 → ledger ↩↩

  146. Just Security: Litigation Tracker (State of Minnesota v. Oz, D. Minn. 0:26-cv-01701) · Timeline 2026-05-07 → ledger ↩↩↩

  147. Reuters via AOL: Justice Department joins Texas lawsuit against Planned Parenthood · Texas Tribune via KSAT: Feds plan to take over Texas lawsuit against Planned Parenthood · Timeline 2026-11-06 → ledger ↩↩