It’s unusual for a notice of proposed rulemaking to not include any quantitative analysis. Did the Trump administration not want to acknowledge that their proposal could lead to workers losing billions of dollars in tips each year?
Health Equity
Worth reading: Life-threatening illness, bargaining chips, and “a president who loathes the civil service”
Recent pieces address different outcomes for those who face potentially fatal conditions, treating women’s lives as bargaining chips, the fate of science — and one specific analysis of tipped workers’ income — under the Trump administration, and more.
The current Congress allowed health centers’ funding to expire on September 30th, leaving many CHCs scrambling to cover their costs and keep providing services to a patient population that includes veterans and CHIP enrollees.
A new analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists examines the functions of federal science advisory committees over the past year and reports “an unprecedented level of stalled and disbanded scientific advisory committees, cancelled meetings, and dismissed experts” – with profound consequences for our safety and health.
ProPublica’s Lost Mothers series on U.S. maternal mortality recently turned its attention to the shockingly high rates of deaths in black women when compared to women of other races and ethnicities.
Recent pieces address how Trump administration moves threaten the census response rate, AIDS prevention efforts, and other crucial work that depends on science; delve into statistics on sexual assault in the US; investigate the working conditions behind Ivanka Trump-branded clothing and accessories; and consider how human bodies and healthcare systems maintain themselves.
Scientific Integrity & Ethics
CDC instructed not to use seven words, including “evidence-based,” in budget documents
We’re fully into Orwellian territory now. The Washington Post’s Lena H. Sun and Juliet Eilperin reported Friday evening that a group of CDC employees were told not to use seven words in official budget documents: “vulnerable,” “fetus,” “transgender,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “evidence-based,” and “science-based.”
Recent pieces address why black women in the US are so much more likely to die during or after childbirth; death and disease in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria; and several aspects of workplace sexual harassment, from problems in specific industries to solutions from leaders in their fields.
The Senate tax-slashing bill contains a paltry paid-leave proposal that would give money to corporations already providing paid family leave.
Congressional Republicans are rushing to vote on legislation that would slash corporate taxes, but have spent two months failing to extend the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Recent state experiences suggest serious long-term consequences.