THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ++++

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CIDRAP: CDC Merges Its Flu, COVID Divisions To ‘Strengthen Operational Efficiency’ https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cdc-merges-its-flu-covid-divisions-strengthen-operational-efficiency?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bHXNKhcS-iojUrSGBvMxoGM0ew5qmphWf7wN-EPiLHUOmKCfQcTXyvewy2II4jSO277YQFcaMyci6m38caNZoxstbCQ&_hsmi=438330720&utm_content=438330720&utm_source=hs_email The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is merging its Influenza Division with the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Diseases Division to create the Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Division (IRVD). The organizational change has been planned since the Biden administration. The new division is tasked with preventing disease, disability, and death through the control of seasonal epidemics and pandemic respiratory viral diseases. Its mandate includes disease surveillance, providing support and technical assistance to state and local health departments, and improving detection, diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments. (Boden, 9/9) NPR: Head Of Special Education At U.S. Education Dept. Quits https://www.npr.org/2026/09/09/nx-s1-5962899/special-education-kelly-rogers-resigns?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8oF9HS-Ee9ouBjTGWJDNgDyTM79sKqcugUg07IMHKkQ0e41othvbS3pIpM2l0zZ7MV_X5tsxglNVczKTm43wlpwWH7kg&_hsmi=438330720&utm_content=438330720&utm_source=hs_email Kelly Rogers told employees Wednesday that she is resigning from her post overseeing special education at the U.S. Education Department as the agency is in the midst of upheaval and downsizing. Rogers, who has been overseeing the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) since May, announced her departure less than a day before much of her staff were scheduled to move to the Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington D.C., according to internal emails reviewed by NPR. She was supposed to continue overseeing those staff from her perch at the Education Department. Now, it is unclear who will serve in the role after she leaves on Sept. 11. (Mehta, 9/9) The Washington Sun: Trump Wants The Census To Stop Collecting Race And Ethnicity Data https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/trump-census-stop-collecting-race-ethnicity-data?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9MGdFT74V3FZIKACtFUZv_mvVasJ0BDxO589UKUqLiYa_dko7lyzRpbXaq0EportdilK7yTxwnsMX8M3uqN2hx-_E-Xw&_hsmi=438330720&utm_content=438330720&utm_source=hs_email For the first time, the federal government wants to stop collecting race and ethnicity information about Americans as part of the nation’s census, a move that could undercut market research, public policy, scientific study, civil rights enforcement and more. In a proposal published Wednesday, the Census Bureau argued that collecting demographic data doesn’t advance the “fundamental” purpose of the decennial census to dole out seats in the House of Representatives. (Alms, 9/9) CIDRAP: Polls Show Americans Have Lost Confidence In Federal Government, Public Health Leaders https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/polls-show-americans-have-lost-confidence-federal-government-public-health-leaders?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Rk9m4yCD4Iu9-can4OF9lEjvfhUCPeyXuPMt4gbl148YSSaBgNCe_EtWhyPBI3D2KCdVyFt08p-Ed92hfOj0Nb3Eogg&_hsmi=438330720&utm_content=438330720&utm_source=hs_email Two new polls, one from the Annenberg Foundation and one from the Associated Press (AP), show that American adults are losing confidence in the federal government in matters of healthcare, and trust in public health figures, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former US public health leader Anthony Fauci, MD, are dropping. In the Annenberg poll, just 38% of Americans said last month they are confident that Kennedy is providing trustworthy information about public health. That proportion is statistically unchanged from both April 2026 (37%) and February 2025 (38%), the Annenberg foundation said. (Soucheray, 9/9)