Layoffs at HHS begin

HHS employees on Tuesday started receiving notices of dismissal as part of the department's plan to lay off around 10,000 people. In its announcement last week, HHS said it would reduce its workforce by cutting around 10,000 full-time employees, which the department said will save $1.8 billion per year.

On Tuesday, HHS employees received emails saying they were placed on administrative leave and offered reassignment. According to an email reviewed by the Washington Post, the emails say that HHS "proposes to reassign you as part of a broader effort to strengthen the Department and more effectively promote the health of the American people." Reassignment was offered to a number of locations, including Alaska; Billings, Montana; and Oklahoma.

According to emails obtained by The Post, Jeanne Marrazzo — who succeeded Anthony Fauci as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — was among those placed on administrative leave. Peter Stein, head of FDA's Office of New Drugs, and Brian King, head of FDA's tobacco center, were also placed on administrative leave.

Two FDA staffers who spoke to The Post said that some FDA staff discovered they were part of the layoffs when they arrived at FDA's campus in White Oak, Maryland, and their badges no longer let them into the building.

"The FDA as we've known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed," said former FDA commissioner Robert Califf. (Johnson, Associated Press, 4/1; Johnson et al., Washington Post, 4/1; Kaiser, Science, 4/1)

RFK Jr. promotes barring the use of food stamps to buy soda

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday appeared at an event with West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey (R) where Morrissey announced he intends to bar the use of food stamps to buy soda. "Taxpayer dollars should be targeted towards nutritious foods," Morrisey said.

To implement the ban, states need to apply for federal permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and approves waivers to make changes to the program.

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said she looks "forward to receiving Governor Morrissey's SNAP pilot request and will work swiftly to make certain West Virginia is equipped with the technical assistance and expertise to move forward."

Kennedy has made placing new restrictions on SNAP a major part of his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda aimed at tackling chronic diseases and childhood illnesses, arguing that federal dollars shouldn't go towards purchasing products that he and his allies say are drivers of poor health and obesity.

Calley Means, a White House senior adviser, said that Kennedy is discussing proposals to ban soda in SNAP with more than 15 governors.

"We're not saying anyone can't drink Coke," Means said. "We're saying no government subsidies for Coke."

Some advocates oppose Kennedy's proposal, arguing it amounts to punishing the poor by taking choices away from them. The plan has also been met with strong opposition by the beverage industry.

"What's unhelpful about this whole conversation is that soda is not driving obesity," said Meredith Potter, SVP at the American Beverage Association, the industry's lobbying group. "We've become this easy punching bag." (Roubein, Washington Post, 3/28)

"This includes the antiviral projects designed to cover a wide range of families that could cause outbreaks or pandemics," said a senior NIH official who spoke anonymously to the Times. The official said that describing all the research as COVID-related is "a complete inaccuracy and simply a way to defund infectious disease research."

"The idea that we don't need further research to learn how to treat health problems caused by coronaviruses and prevent future pandemics because 'COVID-19 is over' is absurd," said Pamela Bjorkman, a structural biologist at Caltech who has been studying new vaccines.

"In the last pandemic, we really were caught with our pants down," said Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at Rockefeller University. "And if we don't learn that lesson and prepare better for the next pandemic, we are unlikely to do better than we did last time." (Zimmer/Mandavilli, New York Times, 3/26)

Top vaccine official at FDA resigns

Peter Marks, the top vaccine official at FDA, announced on Friday that he would be resigning, arguing that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's views on vaccines were irresponsible and posed a danger to the public.

"As you are aware, I was willing to work to address the Secretary's concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency by hearing from the public and implementing a variety of different public meetings and engagements with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine," Marks wrote in a letter to Sara Brenner, FDA's acting commissioner. "However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."

Marks led FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which authorized and monitored the safety of vaccines and other treatments, including cell and gene therapies.

According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the New York Times, Marks resigned after an HHS official told him he would be fired if he didn't resign.

"I did everything I possibly could for this administration to work with them in an effort to restore confidence in vaccines," Marks said in an interview. "It became clear that's not what they wanted."

Former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said that Marks' letter "raises uniquely serious concerns for the community who care about the health of our people. I hope the biomedical community will speak with conviction. I don't use the word uniquely lightly. This is a point in American history that is truly unique." (Jewett et al., New York Times, 3/28; Herper et al., STAT+ [subscription required], 3/28)

Trump names journalist Sara Carter as next drug czar

President Donald Trump has selected Sara Carter, a journalist and contributor to Fox News, as the next drug czar for the United States.

According to STAT, Carter has no background in drug policy, public health, or law enforcement and has never served in government. Carter's profile on Fox News and other sources list her as the founder of Border911.com, which is a website associated with a nonprofit founded by Tom Homan, who is overseeing Trump's border security efforts.

"From Afghanistan to our Border, Sarah's relentless pursuit of Justice, especially in tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, has exposed terrorists, drug lords, and sex traffickers," Trump said in a post on Truth Social announcing Carter's nomination. "As our next Drug Czar, Sara will lead the charge to protect our Nation, and save our children from the scourge of drugs."

If she is confirmed by the Senate, Carter would oversee the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which makes policy recommendations and coordinates efforts between different federal agencies focused on substance use. (Facher, STAT+ [subscription required], 3/28)