HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is continuing to take aim at a variety of vaccine policies despite significant pushback from Republicans and Democrats in Congress as well as physicians and healthcare organizations.
VA Quickly Canceled $1.1 Billion of Contracts During DOGE Era in 2025
VA cancelled hundreds of vendor contracts totaling $1.1 billion during a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)-led review in 2025, according to a review by the VA Office of the Inspector General.
Bipartisan Uproar Occured When Legislators Heard About Billions in Possible VA EHR Cost Overruns
A congressional hearing on the status of VA’s electronic health record system rollout began with accusations from both Democrats and Republicans of incompetence and corruption and ended with a committee vote to subpoena the chief of Oracle, the system’s manufacturer.
Pentagon to Reimburse Troops for Sperm and Egg Freezing Before Deployment
Nearly 2,000 U.S. troops suffered debilitating injuries to their groins or genitals during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2000 and 2013, and about 307,000 more sustained some type of head injury over the same period, all injuries that can compromise fertility and sexual function.
New CDC Director Confirmed as Childhood Vaccine Executive Order Sparks Controversy
Last month, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, JD, a former Navy physician and chief medical officer of the Coast Guard, as director of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite fears from both Republicans and Democrats that she will fail to push back against the anti-vaccine agenda of the Trump administration.
TRICARE’S Pharmacy Contract with Express Scripts Under Fire at Senate Hearing
Lawmakers are calling for an independent audit of TRICARE’s pharmacy program amid concerns that the contractor tasked with managing the program is pushing servicemembers toward its own pharmacies and driving out smaller retailers.
Call for Testosterone Screening of Many Servicemembers Draws Criticism from Legislators
When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced last month that the military will begin screening male servicemembers for low testosterone, the new policy drew criticism and questions from Democrats. But, the proclamation also fell into line behind a larger effort by current public health officials to loosen rules around testosterone therapy.
VA Community Care Vascular Costs Surge as PAD Referrals Triple, New Data Show
Referrals for vascular surgery through the VA Community Care program nearly tripled over five years, driven overwhelmingly by endovascular interventions for peripheral artery disease, according to a comprehensive cost analysis presented at the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM26) in Boston, June 10–13.
Concerns Raised Over New Limitations for SAMHSA Grants; Federal Group Also Has Faced Severe Staff Cuts
New limitations on how Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) grant can be used has sparked confusion and concern, as has a campaign by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. urging providers to limit psychiatric medications which have been proven effective in combatting depression and preventing suicide.
Legislators, Former Defense Health Board Members Object to Discontinuation of Mandated Military Flu Shots
The Pentagon is partially walking back its decision to make the influenza vaccine entirely voluntary, granting exemptions to the policy change for the services, including requiring it for all recruits entering basic training.
Concerns Raised Over New Limitations for SAMHSA Grants; Federal Group Also Has Faced Severe Staff Cuts
New limitations on how Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) grant can be used has sparked confusion and concern, as has a campaign by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. urging providers to limit psychiatric medications which have been proven effective in combating depression and preventing suicide.
FY2027 VA Budget Predicts Healthcare Staffing Remaining at Current Levels
The VA funding request for fiscal year 2027 has the department expecting to spend big on new construction in the coming year, with less emphasis on any new hiring. It also continues to slowly bring spending on community care into parity with VA direct medical care.
Lawmakers Stepping In Because of Sterile Processing Breakdown at Dublin, GA, VAMC
Lawmakers are looking to intervene following the latest documented failure by a VA hospital to properly sterilize reusable medical equipment.
Military Will No Longer Require Annual Influenza Vaccines for Personnel
Annual influenza vaccines are no longer mandatory for military personnel.
Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction Restoring AFGE Collective-Bargaining Agreement with VA
A federal judge has ordered VA to restore its collective-bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees/National Veterans Affairs Council (AFGE/NVAC), which represents more than 300,000 department employees.
Project Safe Harbor Agreement Sparks Controversy About Effects on Homeless Veterans
VA has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice that would give them the authority to place some veterans under guardianship if they are unable to make their own healthcare decisions.
GOP Members on House VA Committee Seek Omnibus Bill Process to Reauthorize Agency Programs
In an effort to regain some of the congressional authority that has eroded in the last year, Republicans on the House VA Committee are seeking to develop an authorization process for VA similar to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is used to annually fund the military and some VA construction projects.
Legislators Point Out That VA Lost More Than 1,000 Physicians, 3,000 Nurses in Recent Staff Cuts
According to Democrats and some veterans’ advocates, VA staffing cuts are having a direct negative impact on patient care, despite promises from agency leaders that they would not. They also argue that the department’s effort to eliminate vacant positions only serves to camouflage the state of the agency’s staffing deficiency.
VA Secretary Argued Strongly for VA Reorganization, but Legislators Expressed Concerns
VA Secretary Doug Collins, appeared before the House VA Committee to defend his plans to reorganize the department, declaring, “We’re the largest healthcare system in the country, but we’ve never acted like it.
Funding Sought for Non-VA Providers to Provide Veteran Care Outside Community Care System
Congress is considering several pieces of legislation that would create new funding opportunities for non-VA providers to provide care to veterans outside the community care system.
VA Quietly Reinstated Almost Total Ban on Abortion Late Last Year
In the waning days of 2025, VA quietly reinstated its near-total ban on abortion care and counseling. The ban was implemented following a memo from the Department of Justice stating that their revised interpretation of federal law prohibits the department from providing abortion services to veterans and their families.
Combining VA/DoD Physician Credentialing Could Streamline Process for Some Clinicians
Legislation recently introduced in the Senate seeks to push VA and DoD to adopt a single credentialing system for healthcare providers, eliminating the redundant processes that create unnecessary delays in clinician hiring. It also would theoretically allow clinicians to move more easily between DoD and VA facilities.
Bipartisan Skepticism Expressed About VA’s Plan to Overhaul Community Care Network
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appear skeptical about VA’s ability to successfully undertake a proposed overhaul of its community-care network—an endeavor projected to cost $1 trillion over 10 years. Congress, along with the general public, only learned about the department’s plan when VA released its request for proposals at the end of 2025.
House Passes Legislation to Restore Collective-Bargaining Rights of Federal Workers
The House of Representatives has passed legislation that would restore the collective-bargaining rights of federal workers, including the majority of VA employees. Those rights were removed following an executive order from President Donald Trump in March and carried out by VA leadership in August.
Uproar Created When IVF Coverage for Servicemembers Was Stripped From Military Funding Bill
While in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage was included in both the House and Senate versions of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), it was stripped at the last minute from the final package, even though federal civilian employees, including members of Congress and their staff, already receive the benefit.
Massive VA Restructuring Would Cut Number of VISNs, Reduce High-Level Leadership
VA has announced its largest reorganization effort in decades, one that would drastically reduce the number of VISNs and prune top-level leadership, consolidating oversight authority under the undersecretary for health. According to VA leaders, the move will cut duplicative bureaucracy and ensure consistent application of VA policies across facilities.
Testimony at Senate VA Committee Sought to Refute Allegations in Newspaper Series on VA Disability Fraud
A series of Washington Post articles published in recent months characterizing the VA benefits system as rife with fraud, overspending and ease in manipulation generated immediate backlash from VA leaders, legislators and veterans’ advocates.
New Legislation Sparked by VA’s Quiet Removal of Male Breast Cancer as a Presumptive Condition Under the PACT Act
Although it received little press coverage until recently, the VA is removing male breast cancer from the list of toxic exposure-related presumptive conditions listed under the PACT Act.
Democrats Claim VA Is ‘Weaponizing Shutdown,’ Refusing to Help on Constituent Inquiries
According to Democratic leaders on the House and Senate VA committees, the VA under the leadership of Secretary Douglas Collins has “weaponized” the government shutdown, using it as an opportunity to attack congressional Democrats and an excuse to ignore congressional inquiries.
VA Seeks to Ban Nearly All Abortions at Its Medical Centers
VA has taken steps to ban nearly all abortions at its medical centers, as well as to stop covering the cost of the procedure for any spouses and dependents.