FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: The Washington Post: Partial Government Shutdown Looms As Congress Leaves Town Without A Deal ++ +++++++

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN The Washington Post: Partial Government Shutdown Looms As Congress Leaves Town Without A Deal https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/12/congress-homeland-security-shutdown/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Jk-sP4TAa2YHQIS_bEMftcy4CWjWG8VHjSOR35U39lonZszhxjAppQOl-6BtD7ZtmVWImUlTsZ4ojue0yssLcROOntA&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email Large swaths of the Department of Homeland Security are set to shut down Saturday after Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked two funding bills because the legislation did not include new restrictions on federal immigration agents. Democrats demanded a long list of changes to DHS after federal immigration agents killed Alex Pretti last month in Minneapolis, including tighter rules on warrants and a ban on agents wearing face masks. President Donald Trump appeared open to some of them, but Democrats rejected a proposal the White House made Wednesday night, all but ensuring a partial government shutdown. (Meyer and Beggin, 2/12) Verite News New Orleans: Top FEMA Official Warns Of ‘Seriously Strained’ Disaster Response If DHS Shutdown Occurs https://veritenews.org/2026/02/12/fema-dhs-shutdown-disaster-response/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_b6Cqe-0m-oce6_9cz3SQOerHb7tJXKTLmv6rxsVA3wTP_U238hHAt6vVjYavJxGc18DsGrm7M0r27vo234v8k7o8_Dg&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email A top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warned lawmakers Wednesday that the agency’s ability to respond to disasters would be strained if a shutdown occurred as Congress continues to debate Department of Homeland Security funding. “FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund has sufficient balances to continue emergency response activities for the foreseeable future,” Gregg Phillips, the associate administrator of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, said at a House Appropriations hearing. “That said, if a catastrophic disaster occurred, the DRF will be seriously strained.” (Banks, 2/12) MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION The New York Times: Federal Judge Blocks Trump Plan To Cut $600 Million In Health Funds https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/us/politics/trump-health-funding-cuts-ruling.html?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Ei5m-szreV_8M9XtkEunn0EnGz0juvWuAab2YFEmCeBLzq0w2UWc0BTdQ_2s5iO-qYeV0FM78iDggnNXDgyqI5p9ywA&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email A federal judge in Illinois on Thursday blocked the Trump administration’s plan to claw back $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats, amid a wider effort by the federal government to pull funding from blue states. Judge Manish S. Shah of the Federal District Court in Northern Illinois wrote in a two-page order that the plaintiff states — California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota — had provided enough evidence that the cuts were “based on arbitrary, capricious or unconstitutional rationales” to halt what would have been deep cuts in federal public health funding that had already been allocated while legal arguments continue in the case. (Cameron, 2/12) Politico: RFK Jr. Shakes Up Leadership Team https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/12/rfk-jr-shakes-up-leadership-team-00779554?utm_campaign=KHN:+First+Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8bg3WkLj9r0uqPSQbsLJB4Sq8bcTe756YyAirHQaTXC8dd7ltSSihIUri5EgZ57wfp3rB2ztfJAXvbCXUZlaJ6DOGhVQ&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is remaking his leadership team, putting Director of Medicare Chris Klomp in charge of overseeing all HHS operations, he announced in an email to staff Thursday that POLITICO has obtained. Klomp has also been serving as deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Mehmet Oz. He will retain his roles at CMS and now also serve as chief counselor for the department. (Zeller and Röhn, 2/12) The Hill: Dozens Of Democrats Call For Removal Of Newly Appointed OB-GYNs From Vaccine Advisory Panel https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5734615-lawmakers-call-for-obgyn-removal/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-91mrDEjlg6p8x3exdMl1AOLFjRhubvpcMPp57h-qYY9WwmAJgfo-TGmq_q0iwKCjByCrVgxNcIDOF6JBb9OqpO-jhp_w&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email Dozens of Democratic lawmakers are calling for the removal of two OB-GYNs who were recently appointed to the nation’s top vaccine advisory committee, citing the doctors’ “well-documented history” of anti-vaccine ideology. The lawmakers said in a Thursday letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that they were concerned about the Jan. 13 appointments of Dr. Adam Urato and Dr. Kimberly Biss to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Brams, 2/12) Stat: NIH Redefines 'Clinical Trials,' As Shift Divides Researchers https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2026/02/12/nih-clinical-trial-definition-research-transparency/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--HffjO_zHzdVgaqaqSkNdUGLJ5ddOHl7sIuaQBUG540BmvGCS_A8RhxX7FmHtWmRxcXZHw5VjuZHuj7lzdlBldhddjDA&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email In a long-debated move, the National Institutes of Health will no longer characterize basic experimental studies involving humans as clinical trials, a step that was cheered by many researchers, but is also raising transparency concerns because the work will no longer have to be registered with — or reported to — a government database. (Silverman, 2/12) Stat: What The FDA's Moderna Rejection Means For Every Vaccine Maker https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/12/fda-moderna-rejection-upends-vaccine-industry/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Kkg2U5W3G5YT9jrBKrf4wga6nfjyx8K-zPoYgkJGRrZjoLIyvLa4EQIPJeVwPBbj9hKba71jMDYEY2pyOIsXiwYOzLw&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email The Food and Drug Administration’s refusal to review Moderna’s flu vaccine this month has renewed fears that Trump administration policies could paralyze the vaccine industry, dissuading companies from developing new shots in the U.S. and leaving the country flat-footed in the event of future pandemics. (Mast, 2/12) The Guardian: ‘Deeply Illogical’: This Man’s Life Work Could End Homelessness – And Trump Is Doing All He Can To Stop It https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/feb/12/sam-tsemberis-homelessness?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--EYDlXoFkLWkNHvJeiEgNG_8bv3EtzkTXv4DePHvJnvg5eUDx_cqYHcKeEPKZXmOnY_h8q2lTCOyfsnRKIOMmr77Hu7w&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email Now in his fourth decade of spreading the word across most of the world’s continents about “Housing First”, an approach to helping homeless people that has convinced governments and non-profits alike to see housing as a human right, Sam Tsemberis experienced a first. He was censored by the US government. (Pratt, 2/12) The Hill: CDC Warns Travelers Of Seychelles Chikungunya Outbreak https://thehill.com/policy/international/5735235-seychelles-cdc-chikungunya/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Aq_Su_JsoufJd20qb4Rx88Ngo0Bd6ikM5H0bNC_oUFsF_Tnl2sKI9ZtYqI_v9FWU9maaDRFUXxkcEwq1NFK7Y4usJ4Q&_hsmi=403555826&utm_content=403555826&utm_source=hs_email The Seychelles are the subject of a new travel advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid an ongoing virus outbreak. The health organization issued a “Level 2” advisory for the archipelago, urging U.S. travelers to “practice enhanced precautions” when visiting the island republic. According to the CDC, the Seychelles, located in the western Indian Ocean, is experiencing an outbreak of chikungunya, a virus that is spread to humans through mosquito bites. (Unger, 2/12)