Federal Government in Shutdown: On Tuesday, the Senate failed to pass a funding measure to keep the Federal government open. Thus, as of writing, the Federal government is now in its third full day of shutdown. According to The New York Times reporting, 41% of HHS staff have been furloughed, as are 71% of HUD staff and 76% of Department of Labor staff. The shutdown was caused by Democratic demands to include extension of ACA tax credits — which, if allowed to expire on December 31, would result in insurance premium hikes for millions of Americans. The White House has repeated that Democrats want the policy to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants.  

Pharma Tariffs Paused: This week, the White House announced it will delay implementation of Sec. 232 tariffs President Trump said he would put in place October 1. At a Tuesday event at the White House, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration is “going to let (talks) play out and finish these negotiations.” President Trump had previously called for 100% rates.

FDA Approves Abortion Generic: On Tuesday, the FDA approved a second generic option for the abortion pill mifepristone by Evita Solutions. Evita Solutions’ application had been before the agency since 2021, a long approval process given the number of FDA questions and reviews. The decision has been met with criticism from Republicans in Congress.  

Trump Signs Pediatric Cancer Executive Order: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Make America Healthy Again Commission and HHS to make extensive use of artificial intelligence for initiatives to combat children's cancers. The EO also raised NIH funding for pediatric cancer by $50 million.

Federal Judge Blocks Democrat ACA Case: On Wednesday, Massachusetts District Judge Nathaniel Gorton denied a request from 20 Democratic attorneys general for a preliminary injunction to delay implementation of overhauls to ACA exchanges. The attorneys general were hoping to block new rules to shorten the open enrollment window for ACA plans and institute new income verifications for premium subsidies.  

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