Genevieve Kanter

White House stalls release of approved US science budgets The US Congress rejected sweeping cuts to science agencies. But the NIH, the NSF and NASA have had their spending slowed.

Congress rejected massive cuts to US science budgets for 2026, but much of the money still isn’t flowing to researchers.

The culprit? The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is quietly slow-walking the release of funds. 🧵👇

Experts argue recent FDA expert panels may violate FACA requirements The US Food and Drug Administration@s (FDA) increasing reliance on holding expert panels, rather than advisory committees, for external expert advice may violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FA...

The FDA is increasingly turning to ad hoc expert panels instead of federal advisory committees for external advice. FDA watchers generally agree these expert panels "are likely unlawful," USC Schaeffer's @profgenkanter.bsky.social tells Regulatory Focus.

The American Statistical Association has an organizational sign-on letter urging Congress to exempt federal statistical agencies & units from Schedule Policy/Career.

Are you a member in any orgs that value accurate, timely info about the U.S.? Please consider signing
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

One week from today!

Exclusive | Trump Picks Veteran Staffer to Head Bureau of Labor Statistics Brett Matsumoto, the next chief, has worked as an economist at the BLS since 2015.

"Trump Picks Veteran Staffer to Head Bureau of Labor Statistics: Brett Matsumoto, the next chief, has worked as an economist at the BLS since 2015."

Excellent choice! www.wsj.com/economy/trum...

bsky.app/profile/prof...

Politicization runs deeper than ever at FDA, risking long-term impacts Wide-ranging shifts at the FDA have set the stage for decisions that drag the agency through the political mud, according to an economist and public policy expert.

Had an in-depth conversation with Michael Gibney at PharmaVoice on politicization at the FDA and its impact on drug approvals, the pharma industry, and patients.

www.pharmavoice.com/news/fda-pol...

For more on FDA-industry relations, check out upcoming Health Affairs webinar on 2/17 (in replies)

DM me if you'd like to attend
@healthaffairs.bsky.social
@rachelsachs.bsky.social
@hollylynchez.bsky.social

Find out what's happening at the FDA at this Health Affairs webinar, "The FDA and its Changing Relationship to Industry," Feb 17, 8-9 am PT/11-12noon ET.

Panel: Rachel Sachs (Wash U St Louis), Holly Fernandez Lynch (Penn), Chris Meekins (Raymond James) + me

www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/h...

Online fundraiser for Alex Pretti raises nearly $400,000 day after fatal shooting GoFundMe platform surpasses goal of $20,000 a day after federal agents killed the US citizen in Minneapolis

In a substantial indication of public sentiment, the “Alex Pretti is an American Hero” campaign on the GoFundMe platform surpassed its goal of $20,000 quickly after organizer Keith Edwards launched it Saturday.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

How Often Do Oncologists Receive Industry Payments from Competing Companies? AbstractBackground. Payments from pharmaceutical companies to oncologists can influence prescribing practices. However, some physicians believe that receiv

Our latest study on physician-industry COI, out last week in The Oncologist.

I have often heard the rationale that "if I'm conflicted with all the companies, then I'm unbiased."

So we asked, how often DO oncologists receive payments from all competing companies?

academic.oup.com/oncolo/advan...

thanks, Liam! hope to see you there!

Something for everyone at our #ASSA2026 health care session (Sun, 1/4, 12:30-2:15 pm, Room 410).

* physician altruism and industry payments
* conflicts of interest in FDA advisory committees
* consequences of physician disciplinary actions
* immigrant enforcement and the home care industry

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Kate Ho, the John L. Weinberg Professor at Princeton and a Fellow of the Econometric Society. Kate was a brilliant IO economist and scholar whose impact on the profession will resonate for many years to come www.econometricsociety.org/publications...

FDA review staff was excluded from voting on whether to approve first priority voucher drug Top officials like Vinay Prasad and George Tidmarsh voted on the drug, a major break from the FDA's typical practice.

NEW: FDA review staff was excluded from voting on whether to approve first priority voucher drug. Top leaders like Vinay Prasad, George Tidmarsh, and Tracy Høeg led the vote instead. Read for the full list, and expert reaction from @hollylynchez.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...

‘Instability and confusion’ as CDC slashes 1,300 jobs before reinstating half Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while top CDC officer says ‘they didn’t think through what they were doing’

The entire HR department at the CDC is gone. Everyone at the IRB, which makes sure studies are conducted ethically and rigorously, and the ethics office, which oversee conflicts of interest for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

USC rejects Trump education compact aimed at shifting the university to the right USC interim President Beong-Soo Kim said in a statement that he had sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education turning down the Trump offer.

USC rejects Trump education compact aimed at shifting the university to the right www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump Offers All Colleges Preferential Funding Plan Rejected by MIT The Trump administration is inviting all US colleges to participate in a compact — initially rejected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — that would grant preferential federal funding in re...

After getting zero firm commitments to this point from the first nine invitees, the Trump administration is extending its proposed compact to all colleges. Expect some red-state publics to say yes.

3 share Nobel Prize in Economics for work on technology, growth and creative destruction Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for their research on how technological innovation fuels economic growth and creative destruction.

Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for their research on how technological innovation fuels economic growth and creative destruction. n.pr/4oh42lZ

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

We have breaking news in Inside Medicine.

We had heard rumors of RIFs to CDC.

But this is the first visual confirmation that it has occurred tonight, and at high levels in the agency.

Here is what we know...and then some well-sourced rumors (but rumors, nonetheless, not confirmed) 🧵...

I have been off bluesky for a while - but this is a good reason to be back. Check out the latest from me, @reshmagar.bsky.social & @hollylynchez.bsky.social!

With thanks to the many folks whose work informed this piece, incl @rachelsachs.bsky.social , @sbagen.bsky.social @drjoshs.bsky.social...

Aaand (checks notes) right on schedule...

We found that about 1/3 of FDA appointees go to industry within 2 years after their exit from the agency (rates were even higher at CDC and CMS).

www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/...

Electronic health record market consolidation and implications for cybersecurity Abstract. Over the past decade, the electronic health record (EHR) market has become increasingly consolidated, with the majority of care delivery organiza

Consolidation in the EHR market -- where there are 2 dominant vendors -- is creating a big risk of a catastrophic cybersecurity event.

@ajh.bsky.social, @natea.bsky.social, and I ponder the possibility of a "single-point-of-failure" risk in the EHR market in this Health Affairs Scholar commentary

How Private Equity Oversees the Ethics of Drug Research

“If you are just focused on [IRB] turnaround time, that doesn’t tell you really anything about quality,” said Holly Fernandez Lynch . . . She added: “It inhibits people from saying, ‘Wait, we need to pause on this. Is this the right thing to do?’”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/h...

NIH promises to create conflict-of-interest database for scientists, but offers few details Proposed system would mirror Open Payments program for tracking industry payments to doctors

NIH may create an Open Payments-style database to track health industry funding of research. USC Schaeffer's @profgenkanter.bsky.social tells @science.org that transparency is generally good but warns: "The devil is in the details."

Payments by AI- and Machine Learning–Enabled Medical Device Manufacturers This study examines the extent and nature of payments made to health care professionals and teaching hospitals by manufacturers of FDA-authorized AI- and machine learning–enabled devices.

In @jama.com, we identify a blind spot for FDA-listed AI/ML devices 🤖🔍

Over 90% have no reported manufacturer payments to clinicians or hospitals in Open Payments (US disclosure database)

As AI enters care, transparency can’t lag

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

The deadline to sign up to be a volunteer chair or discussant for #2025APPAM is quickly approaching! Chairs guide session prep, & discussants spark great conversations. Sign up by Wed, Sept 24th: ow.ly/o5AH50WJRAm

Research Assistant (Job ID: 2025-3711) in Washington, Washington, DC | Careers at 1. Resident Employee (Hybrid) Join one of the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tanks The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-dep...

#econ_ra
careers-brookings.icims.com/jobs/3711/re...

If you'd like an economist's introduction to Agentic AI:

www.genaiforecon.org/JEL-2025-Aug...