MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: The Hill: New York Judge Extends Block On Federal Cuts To Social Service Funds In Democratic-Led States ++++ ++++ +

MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION The Hill: New York Judge Extends Block On Federal Cuts To Social Service Funds In Democratic-Led States https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5727806-judge-block-funding-freeze-social-services-programs-democratic-states/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8eRuG7mrAZWp8bnolH3C4VdJrB1SsmL4pZiC0euisrKdb_31xQx6hUlAsdnKaVjnnrJHFhd1IYiOIz87Mb69-cwmlo9w&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email A New York judge on Friday extended a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing funds to social service programs in five Democrat-led states. U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick made his ruling at the request of Minnesota, California, Illinois, New York and Colorado. The states receive more than $10 billion a year from the federal government for its programs, which help with child care and family assistance. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) praised the ruling in a statement, saying the “illegal funding freeze would have caused severe chaos in the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in our state.” (Mancini, 2/7) The Hill: Trump Official Mehmet Oz Alleges Maine 'Looks A Lot Like' Minnesota's Social Services Fraud https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5728249-trump-oz-allege-maine-fraud/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8IKpQACixSk_qNx8pyK64CIiRsL2upKt3aqMykn45U0nNsVXDxyNk_EEM1CQR32J591yJMhldTCh3N4TFbfLB1SGfBXQ&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email The Trump administration’s top Medicare official has suggested that alleged fraud in Maine’s social services programs may be on par with the welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz said there is “another big crisis” concerning alleged social services fraud in Maine during an appearance on John Catsimatidis’s “The Cats Roundtable” radio show. “It turns out that Maine looks a lot like Minnesota,” Oz said in the interview, which aired Sunday morning. (Davis, 2/8) NPR: Trump’s HHS Lauds Plastic Surgeons’ Statement On Care For Transgender Minors https://www.npr.org/2026/02/08/nx-s1-5705304/transgender-minors-gender-affirming-care-plastic-surgery?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-85XQfhCZSo578NmCXpOai7yj9yQpPzpPmR6Qm6X0aXuBKvSxbR1OA7Rfj-vUpmcGTXEiTu3UUFSBL-YtQttd-o_HW7vw&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email The Trump administration celebrated a recent statement from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which recommends that doctors delay gender-related surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old. "Today marks another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration," wrote Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O'Neill said in a press release. "The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow." (Simmons-Duffin, 2/8) Politico: HUD Headquarters Move Draws Legal, Funding Scrutiny https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/08/legal-funding-concerns-loom-over-huds-relocation-to-virginia-00768637?utm_campaign=KHN:+First+Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9R7WAt0kyCl9POKqqjnINKjkG8sQo_Vlx2DHRg3fORLQtbJ4WEVT3zomDSllBKzq9PRLcumACA9kNzS7aglxGTeTVFZg&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email The Department of Housing and Urban Development has started its long-awaited, multistage relocation of Washington-based staff to Alexandria, Virginia, even as questions swirl over the move’s legality, cost and congressional oversight. (Dumay, 2/8) Stat: NIH Grant Reviewers Fear Schedule F Status Will Politicize Their Jobs https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/nih-grant-reviewers-schedule-f-designation-politicizes-science/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_rumNXJePGZ--DoM05cNRXg0yYz6ndX2R0yDZcLUYRfFBNJG9RPSFr5sotZuD7QMvSbuClFbcfCr2Zi3Ik97-EtBhGDA&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email The Trump administration is moving forward with a personnel rule that critics say will subject a broader swath of the federal workforce to political pressure, raising concerns that the change could deter accomplished scientists from joining the federal workforce and give political appointees greater influence over grant decisions. (Oza, 2/6) Politico: Trump Cut Science Funding. Small Businesses Are Paying The Price. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/08/trump-cut-science-funding-now-small-businesses-are-paying-the-price-00765051?utm_campaign=KHN:+First+Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_tuStUS_3AAazBwHQ5XjA5yjbK4Y4Fvad2ntmJUIoddSaZsnrPiNiyQM40pq7fGrQybx2tf9dIjoah8taUTCm0T18EAQ&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email Melinda Holland started last year with high hopes for her business. Instead, 2025 ended with the company’s first layoffs in 40 years. That’s due largely to the policies of one man: President Donald Trump. The cuts his administration made last year to federal science programs undercut a key piece of Holland’s business, a small technology company named Wildlife Computers. Her company, based in Washington state, makes the data-collecting tags that scientists use to track animals in the field. (Harvey, 2/8) The Washington Post: Why Dr. Oz Wants Americans To Delay Retirement And Help The Economy https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/08/dr-mehmet-oz-delay-retirement/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-98n8S2rsfnzPFPzMEzxMufW9JJJIfAjkmKoWqhVc6JgR8VZALxPCnzndAwMLXDng_IymQ_OHtu4wfqIg7wWE7A5B8NoQ&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is working to persuade Americans that they should postpone retirement for one year. The question is whether they’ll buy it. He has repeatedly said delaying retirement — a fraught decision for millions, especially lower earners who have undersaved for it — marks physical vigor, and could help grow the economy or reduce the national debt. (Winfield Cunningham, 2/8) Politico: MAHA And Mike Tyson Want You To ‘Eat Real Food’ During The Super Bowl https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/06/rfk-jr-maha-mike-tyson-super-bowl-ad-00769278?utm_campaign=KHN:+First+Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--MTyJTPQKTDdOdyAC59Du2_BASYGSmzy-pbTpM_S2s9C1EGuCxUfuiaXfeVIcJDm3fVtp2GvVR8OnCTx4olU1G6zXhiQ&_hsmi=402677445&utm_content=402677445&utm_source=hs_email Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s allies are airing an ad during the Super Bowl featuring Mike Tyson boosting the Make America Healthy Again campaign, giving Kennedy another high-profile perch as allies look for ways to bolster his MAHA movement. The ad, paid for by the nonprofit MAHA Center, highlights new dietary guidelines announced by the Health and Human Services secretary in January and urges viewers to “eat real food,” borrowing a line regularly used by Kennedy about his nutrition recommendations. (Pellish, 2/6) Politico: How Oura Ring Won Over Washington https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/09/oura-ring-lobbying-rfk-maha-washington-00770320?nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nname=playbook&nrid=00000157-9a2f-de5f-a77f-fb3f1a030000 It turns out there is a way for a foreign company to make it in Donald Trump’s Washington. Oura rings are on fingers from the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, tracking everything from sleep quality to fertility. Their Finnish maker’s success stems from design savvy and good timing, but also shrewd attention to the way politics works in the capital. (Chu, 2/9)