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.
-
- Exclusive
Trump Unveils New Plan to Lower Cost of Child Care for Low-Income Americans
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Trump administration is advancing policies to reduce the burden of child care costs on low-income families, The Daily Signal has learned. The Administration of Children and Families, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, will issue a combination of new rules and guidance to states in order…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Breaking
- News
Trump Reportedly Set to Fire FDA’s Marty Makary
President Donald Trump plans to dismiss U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Makary, whose firing was rumored by news organizations over the preceding week, has been a prominent public advocate of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. A surgeon and researcher, he rose to public prominence…George Caldwell -
- Opinion
Faith, Fairness, and the Front Lines: Protecting the American Tradition
The National Day of Prayer reflects the enduring American tradition of turning to faith by seeking God’s protection and favor on our country, leaders, and communities. As early as 1668, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed an ordinance declaring a day of “Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, to implore God’s Mercy.” Days of prayer have evolved since then. Congress passed an…Monty Burks -
- Opinion
Xavier Becerra Is the Worst of a Bad Bunch of Democrat Candidates
Democrats have run California into the ground for 16 straight years, with supermajorities and zero excuses—not a single Republican to blame. Now, with Gov. Gavin Newsom term-limited, they’re supposed to pick a successor. And what do we get? A clown car of mediocrity: a weak, fractured bench so pathetic they can’t even decide on a candidate, let alone consolidate behind one. Seven major Democrats are…Drew Allen -
- Exclusive
‘Permanent, Irreversible Harm’: How Trump Is Protecting Parents From Losing Kids to Gender Ideology
There are not enough homes for every foster child, yet under the Biden administration, children were put in the system because of their parents’ beliefs about gender, said Assistant Secretary of Health Alex Adams. Adams, who oversees the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services, is working to stop…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Exclusive
- News
‘Worst of the Worst of Government’: How Trump Admin Is Ending ‘Orphan Tax’
When Assistant Secretary of Health Alex Adams led the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, he ended the state’s “orphan tax.” Now he is helping every other state do the same thing. “We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re gonna keep at this,” said Adams, who leads the Administration of Children and Families…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
Congress Advances Prevention and Education to End Human Trafficking
Congress is putting parties aside to extend the bipartisan protection and prevention of human trafficking in the United States. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act has been stalled in the House since February 2025. But Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., are now calling for more education to…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- News
HHS Highlights Women’s Health in a New Way
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services held its first-ever National Conference on Women’s Health March 11-13, bringing together experts from across the world. “We are always looking to work together, both nationally and internationally, to enhance women’s health,” Dr. Dorothy Fink, HHS deputy assistant secretary for women’s health, told The Daily…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
Medical Schools Now Require Nutrition Courses Combating Chronic Disease
The Department of Health and Human Services is working alongside more than 50 of the nation’s top medical schools to incorporate nutrition classes in their medical school curriculum. “Chronic disease is bankrupting our health system, and poor nutrition sits at the center of that crisis,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Today, medical schools are committing to change how America trains…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- News
HHS Scraps Biden-Era Abortion Pill Mandate for Pharmacies
The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reversed a Biden-era mandate that pharmacies carry abortion drugs. The agency, under President Joe Biden, sent a notice to about 60,000 retail pharmacies in 2022 stipulating that they had to provide drugs as a condition of serving patients with Medicare, Medicaid, or other federally funded coverage….Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
‘NO HUMAN RIGHT TO ABORTION’: What HHS Deputy Secretary Told the March for Life
The following are remarks as prepared by Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill to the Students for Life’s National Pro-Life Summit on Jan. 24. Men are men. Women are women. Children are innocent and worth protecting. All people deserve to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. It takes organized efforts to deny…Jim O’Neill -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: HHS Axes Multimillion-Dollar Blue State Abortion Grant Program
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is asking Maryland to rescind its Public Health Abortion Grant Program, which used federal funds under the Affordable Care Act to pay for abortions. “Under the Trump Administration, CMS will uphold the law that prohibits the use of taxpayer funding for abortion,” CMS Administrator…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
HHS Announces Monumental Changes to Childhood Immunization Schedule
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has updated the childhood immunization schedule to recommend 10, rather than 17, shots for children. Trump signed a directive on Dec. 5 ordering the agency to examine best practices from “peer, developed nations” on their childhood vaccination schedules. Following the review, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill signed…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
New HHS Rule Would Force Insurers to Pay for Children’s Sex Changes
The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new rule Monday that would force insurance providers to pay for breast removal and other transgender surgeries, including for minors. The proposed rule change by the federal agency concerns Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, a section of the law…Douglas Blair -
- News
Critics Challenge HHS Chief Becerra’s Claim Agency Has No ‘Anti-Racism’ Rule
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, testifying Wednesday before a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel, claimed his agency doesn’t have any policies explicitly “anti-racist” in nature, but the health policy group Do No Harm contends Becerra is either lying or uninformed. Do No Harm, launched April 19, bills itself as a nonprofit dedicated to protecting patients and physicians…Douglas Blair -
- News
HHS Secretary Dodges Lawmaker’s Questions on Requiring Toddlers to Wear Masks
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra evaded Rep. Elise Stefanik’s questions on why the agency still requires toddlers to wear masks in its Head Start program during a Wednesday hearing. “Mr. Secretary, I wanted to raise what I’m hearing from thousands of constituents who are very concerned about the mandate requiring masks for young…Samantha Aschieris -
- News
Biden’s HHS Pushes ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility’ Agenda to Racialize Government
President Joe Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services is creating a “strategic plan” to advance goals for “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” in the federal workforce, according to an internal document obtained by The Daily Signal. The strategic plan at HHS, implemented in response to Biden’s executive order in June 2021, will build on…Kevin Mooney -
- News
‘Just Unacceptable’: Bipartisan Senate Report Criticizes HHS Over Shelters for Migrant Children
A month after the Senate issued a bipartisan report flagging oversight failures by government contractors that house migrant children, the Biden administration awarded new contracts worth tens of millions of dollars to two of those organizations. Awarding of the contracts prompted particular concern from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. …Fred Lucas -
- News
Biden HHS Awards $77M in Contracts to Nonprofit Cited for Mishandling Children at Border
In the midst of a border crisis, the Biden administration approved $77.5 million in contracts for a nonprofit to house children who illegally crossed the southern border alone, even though that organization didn’t properly document the release of hundreds of such children during the Obama administration. BCFS Health and Human Services, a longtime federal contractor…Fred Lucas -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: HHS Secretary Becerra Refuses to Address GOP Accusations That He Violated Federal Conscience Protections, Worked at ‘Behest of Abortion Lobby’
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is refusing to address Republican allegations that he violated federal conscience protections and worked at the “behest of the abortion industry,” a letter obtained by The Daily Signal shows. “Xavier Becerra is too busy protecting hospitals that violate the rights of their nurses to give a straight answer,”…Mary Margaret Olohan