HHS News
The Daily Signal covers hhs with reporting and conservative commentary. Reports on HHS leadership, regulations, and federal health initiatives. Includes conservative commentary and opinion on the agency’s role in U.S. policy.
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- News
Senate Narrowly Confirms Xavier Becerra to Lead Health and Human Services
The Senate narrowly confirmed California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Thursday to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra, who also previously served in the House of Representatives, was confirmed 50-49, with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joining Democrats in voting for him. The vote was the closest of any of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees so…Andrew Trunsky -
- Opinion
Biden Wants a Culture Warrior at HHS. That’s a Big Mistake.
The Senate will soon vote on President Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of health and human services, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Many organizations and members of Congress are calling for his nomination to be rejected—and with good reason. Becerra is unfit and unqualified to serve in this vitally important Cabinet position. Those unfamiliar with Becerra’s record…Melanie Israel -
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Senate Republicans Challenge HHS Nominee Xavier Becerra on Abortion Record
President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominee Xavier Becerra would not say Tuesday why he voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion. Republican senators pressed Becerra, the California attorney general, on his past record on abortion during Tuesday’s hearing. Pro-life advocates and lawmakers called on the Senate Monday to reject Becerra as the president’s choice for secretary of the U.S….Mary Margaret Olohan -
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7 Things to Know About Biden’s Radical Choice to Run HHS
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, with a record in that state office and Congress that conservatives consider extreme, is headed for a rocky confirmation battle to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Former Vice President Joe Biden, in announcing Sunday his intent to nominate Becerra for HHS secretary, cited Becerra’s leadership in…Fred Lucas -
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‘Aggressively Pro-Abortion’: Pro-Life Activists, Lawmakers Denounce Biden HHS Pick Xavier Becerra
Pro-life groups and lawmakers denounced former Vice President Joe Biden’s choice of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Far from ‘uniting’ the country, Biden has proven yet again he is an extremist on abortion,” Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement following Biden’s Monday…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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EXCLUSIVE: 2 Moves Trump HHS Is Taking to Make Government More Accountable
In another Trump administration move to boost transparency and roll back regulations, the Department of Health and Human Services issued two statements of policy on Tuesday that will affect any future imposition of regulations going forward. The first policy requires the department and its agencies to demonstrate to the public how they reached a conclusion…Fred Lucas -
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USDA and HHS Should Reject Flawed Dietary Recommendations
The 2020 federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans is coming, and this development is more important than many people might think. Developed every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the guidelines play a critical role in the formulation of federal nutrition policy. Some programs, such as federal…Daren Bakst -
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HHS Scraps Obama Rules on Gender Identity, Abortion
Federal health officials announced a final rule Friday scrapping an Obama-era regulation that forced medical workers to perform abortions despite their religious beliefs. The Obama administration’s 2016 regulation, already vacated by a court ruling, also redefined sex-based discrimination in health care to include questions of gender identity. The old rule would have imposed nearly $3 billion…Fred Lucas -
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Delivering Better Health and Human Services to Americans
Eric Hargan, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss the nation’s coronavirus recovery. Hargan also describes his priorities in cutting red tape at HHS, focusing on values-based health care that is primarily about outcomes and not just services, and making health care records more…Rachel del Guidice -
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‘Time Is of Essence’: Cruz Asks HHS to Expedite Ventilator Production
Sen. Ted Cruz has asked Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to expedite production and distribution of medical supplies such as ventilators for those infected by the coronavirus. “On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA) and delegating authority to you, as the…Rachel del Guidice -
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HHS to Lift Obama-Era Restrictions on Grants for Faith-Based Adoption Services
Under a new proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday, the federal government no longer will withhold federal grant money from faith-based adoption providers that won’t compromise their views on same-sex marriage. “I don’t want to discriminate against anyone. I want groups to be able to continue their work without…Fred Lucas -
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HHS Secretary Calls Trump Most Pro-Life President Ever
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar called President Donald Trump the most pro-life president in U.S. history Friday as he noted the accomplishments of his department and the administration. “When I think about the very core of our mission, and why I am so proud to do the work we are doing, it’s pretty…Fred Lucas -
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HHS Secretary Tells UN General Assembly: ‘There Is No International Right to an Abortion’
The U.S. health and human services secretary condemned efforts to provide international access to abortion at a United Nations conference Monday. Secretary Alex Azar spoke Monday morning at the U.N. General Assembly in New York and told the gathered nations abortion is not an international right. Azar also condemned the use of “ambiguous terms and expressions such…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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Vermont Hospital Violated Nurse’s Conscience Rights on Abortion, HHS Says
The University of Vermont Medical Center forced a nurse to participate in an abortion, despite her objections, in violation of federal law protecting conscience rights, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday. The hospital denied the allegation. HHS cited provisions of 42 U.S.C. 300a-7, known as the “Church amendments,” named for then-Sen….Fred Lucas -
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EXCLUSIVE: HHS Makes $5.1 Million Grant to Pro-Life Community Clinics
The founder of an organization of community care clinics that cater to women praises the Trump administration for deciding to give her group $5.1 million over three years for use in California, a grant that once might have gone to Planned Parenthood. “With this grant, the administration has opened up a new avenue of health…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Podcast: HHS Secretary Azar on How Trump Administration Can Improve Health Care
While the Trump administration remains committed to repealing Obamacare, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has additional ideas for how to boost health care in the United States. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Signal’s Genevieve Wood, he shares his thoughts. Plus: A new study indicates adults are spending over 11…Katrina Trinko -
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Trump Aims to Increase Value and Decrease Costs of Health Care, HHS Secretary Says
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday that the Trump administration is working to deregulate health care with the goals of reforming the individual insurance market, lowering prescription drug prices, and creating a “value-based” health care system. “Today, fixing American health care requires disrupting government-dictated systems, building new ones that encourage choice and…Rachel del Guidice -
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Exclusive: 56 Lawmakers Ask HHS Probe of Planned Parenthood’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse
A group of 56 lawmakers led by Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., is urging federal officials to investigate the extent to which Planned Parenthood fails to report suspected sexual abuse of minors. In a letter Thursday to the Department of Health and Human Services, Hartzler and 55 other Republicans ask the agency to probe whether Planned…Rachel del Guidice -
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HHS Pushes Back Against Narrative That It ‘Lost’ 1,500 Alien Children
The federal agency responsible for caring for unaccompanied alien children is pushing back against accusations that it has lost nearly 1,500 of them, knocking critics that “confuse and spread misinformation” about the issue. Most of the children were not lost, but were temporarily unaccounted for because their sponsors did not respond to inquiries from government…Will Racke -
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Daily Signal Exclusive: HHS Secretary Alex Azar on 3 Steps to Combating the Opioid Crisis
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar spoke to The Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey about the Trump administration’s response to the opioid crisis. Azar spoke Thursday at Generation Next, a White House forum for millennials. An edited transcript of his Daily Signal interview is below. Rob Bluey: You were with President Trump earlier this week in…Robert B. Bluey