From 6 August 2025 PBS NewsHour:

Federal #mRNA funding cut is ‘most dangerous public health decision’ ever

Many #PublicHealth experts & scientists say they are stunned by *#Health* Secy #RFKJr’s decision to cancel nearly half a billion dollars in #federal #funding for future #vaccine development. MRNA technology was central in the battle against #COVID & can be developed more quickly than traditional #vaccines.

#Trump #medicine #science #health #kakistocracy #idiocracy
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/federal-mrna-funding-cut-is-most-dangerous-public-health-decision-ever-expert-says

…#Democrats’ revolt & #GregAbbott’s threats intensified a fight over congressional maps that began in #Texas but now includes Democratic governors who have pitched redrawing their district maps in retaliation—even if their options are limited. The dispute also reflects #Trump’s aggressive view of presidential #power & his grip on #Republicans nationally, while testing the long-standing balance of powers between the #federal government & individual #states.

Taken as a whole, the data from the first 6 months of the year tell a more consistent story of anemic, though positive, economic growth.

Many forecasters expect a further deterioration in the months ahead, as #tariffs work their way through #SupplyChains, #federal #JobCuts filter
through the #economy & stricter #immigration policies take a toll on industries that rely on foreign-born #workers.

Recently, Cowan secured #funding from an out-of-state nonprofit as well as a $125,000 emergency grant from the city. Still, he may be forced to conduct layoffs if #federal government dollars don't start flowing again.

“We shouldn't be pulling from our own personal finances & life insurance policies to cover the cost of #PublicSafety,” he said.

…Organizations are trying to figure out how to keep the doors open now that #federal money has run dry.

Durell Cowan, exec dir of HEAL 901, a community violence prevention nonprofit in Memphis, received a $1.7 million #CVI grant in Oct 2024.

Cowan's org received $150k in federal funds since the beginning of the year before his grant was canceled. He's had to dip into his personal savings to keep his 14-person staff on payroll, he said.

Pha'Tal Perkins founded Think Outside Da Block in 2016, a nonprofit based in Chicago's violence-plagued Englewood neighborhood. #Federal #funding allowed him to hire full-time staff, but when #grants were stripped, he was forced to lay off 5 team members.

"Being able to have outreach teams at specific places at the right time to have conversations before things get out of hand is what people don't see," Perkins said.

Since returning to office, #Trump has moved aggressively to crack down on #immigration, targeting what he calls “#SanctuaryCities,” whose policies limit #local cooperation with #federal #immigration enforcement, & threatening #legal actions against local & #state authorities who do not comply.

U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins for the Northern District of #Illinois Eastern Division said the #Trump admin “lacks #standing” to invalidate the #state, #city
& county laws that limit cooperation w/ #federal #immigration enforcement, adding in her ruling that “contrary to the United States’s arguments, the #Sanctuary Policies here do not comparably regulate [Immigration & Customs Enforcement] operations or meddle with the contractual rights of private individuals working with #ICE.”
#law

@miki_lou

Change the process, don’t just throw it out.

This happens time and time again.

This is not a sustainable approach to addressing issues.
#cdnpoli #canada #federal

Since returning to office, #RussVought has argued that the federal #law limiting #Trump’s spending powers is unconstitutional. And Dodaro has acknowledged that the admin has “not been cooperative” in the investigations.
The WH disabled a website this spring that had helped #oversight ofcls track #federal #spending, claiming it revealed sensitive info. The #GAO described the move in April as disruptive & potentially #illegal, w/“implications” for “congressional oversight,” incl’g on #impoundment.

The GAO’s findings coincided with a set of lawsuits challenging the interruption of #federal dollars, including a new case filed last week by a coalition of #states affected by the slowdown in #PublicSchool #funding. Dodaro, who has served at #GAO in some capacity for more than 50 years, said the primary issue is not the specific money that has been withheld but “the process” the #Trump admin used to do so.

The attacks target the #GovernmentAccountability Office [#GAO], a roughly century-old agency formed to help #Congress keep track of #federal #spending. The legislative office primarily produces detailed reports on ways that Washington can save money, sometimes rankling admins that are not so keen about its allegations of waste.