{"id":2193,"date":"2026-06-01T17:33:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/?p=2193"},"modified":"2026-06-01T17:35:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:35:20","slug":"president-signs-executive-order-on-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/01\/president-signs-executive-order-on-vaccines\/","title":{"rendered":"President Signs Executive Order on Vaccines"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Signs Executive Order on Vaccines<\/strong> \u2013 President Donald Trump signed an executive order<\/a> on Friday acknowledging a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 (HHS) scientific assessment on childhood vaccines as a guiding resource for the federal government.\u00a0 The assessment compared U.S. childhood immunization recommendations with those of peer nations, analyzed vaccine uptake and public trust, evaluated clinical and epidemiological evidence and knowledge gaps, and examined vaccine mandates. The executive order directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the assessment and take any appropriate steps to update the U.S. childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule, while instructing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to consider ways to provide maximum flexibility to parents and doctors through recommendations for timing and sequencing of the administration of routine immunizations.<\/p>\n

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Independent Dispute Resolution Operations Final Rule Issued \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury released the\u00a0Federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) Operations\u00a0<\/em>final rule\u00a0on Thursday, May 28th<\/sup>. The final rule addresses essentially all the areas the Departments touched in the proposed rule with some modifications. Updates to the IDR framework include requirements that health plans use specific claim adjustment reason codes (CARC)\/remittance advice remark codes (RARC) on remittance advice to clearly distinguish whether claims fall under state or federal surprise billing protections; and submit information to the IDR registry to receive an IDR Registry Number that can be used to initiate Open Negotiation and initiate IDR. The Departments did not propose specific ID card changes.<\/p>\n

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OMB Proposes Major Overhaul of Federal Grant Guidance \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>On Friday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced\u00a0proposed revisions to its\u00a0Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 The proposed rule is explained as aiming to strengthen oversight and accountability across federal grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance. The notice identifies the following goals of the proposed revisions: ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, maintaining compliance with law and policy, and holding recipients accountable for performance. The proposals also emphasize upholding equal opportunity principles throughout the award process and eliminating unlawful discrimination. Additional reforms include clarifying the regulatory status of OMB requirements, streamlining procedures for future updates, and reducing administrative burdens on grant recipients. Critics of the proposed rule argue that the changes are intended to control scientific research by requiring proposals to be consistent with the administration\u2019s priorities, restricting who is eligible for funding, and diminishing the role of scientific peer review. Comments on the proposed rule are due by July 13.<\/p>\n

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Cassidy Continues Healthcare Cybersecurity Investigation<\/strong> \u2013 Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, MD has sent a letter<\/a> to the CEO of Hims & Hers regarding a recent cybersecurity incident threatening the private health data of the company\u2019s customers. Sen. Cassidy asserts that \u201cadditional transparency is needed about what information hostile actors accessed, how Hims & Hers safeguarded protected health information prior to the incident, and steps that the company intends to take going forward.\u201d The letter poses a series of questions regarding Hims & Hers\u2019 cybersecurity practices and the data breach that took place earlier this year, requesting a response by June 8.<\/p>\n

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Bipartisan Group Writes Administration on Animal Testing in Federally Funded Research \u2013 <\/strong>A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is encouraging<\/a> the Trump administration to revise regulations related to animal testing within federally funded research. The letter specifically cites the case of Ridglan Farms, a large-scale beagle breeding facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, which holds a USDA Class A breeding license despite allegations of animal welfare violations. The lawmakers express support for directing USDA to automatically review a facility\u2019s Class A License eligibility in the event that the operator relinquishes an equivalent state-level commercial breeding license. \u201cWe believe this should be a commonsense practice,\u201d the letter states. \u201cIf a facility is cited for hundreds of animal welfare violations and forced to surrender state-level licenses, there should be an appropriate federal review process as well to help ensure absolutely no taxpayer dollars continue to prop up an entity that is engaging in inhumane and unethical treatment of animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kennedy Announces Plan to Combat Lyme Disease and Advance Treatment \u2013 <\/strong>HHS Secretary Kennedy announced several initiatives this week aimed at addressing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. The department aims to reduce the incidence of new Lyme disease cases by 25 percent by 2035 compared to 2022. Among the newly announced initiatives are a multi-million dollar pilot program led by the CDC to \u201cdevelop and deploy practical strategies to target and eliminate ticks on wildlife before they can spread disease to humans;\u201d three new LymeX innovation challenges totaling up to $2.5 million in prize funding; and a new Alpha-gal syndrome program with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Alpha-gal program would allow companies to provide promising products that could prevent individuals from developing Alpha-gal following a tick bite to the NIH, which would support and fund clinical research to evaluate the effectiveness of the products. The announcement comes approximately one week after the House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted unanimously to advance H.R. 4348, which would reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act.<\/p>\n

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Texas Primary Runoffs See Incumbent Losses<\/strong> \u2013 Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was defeated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate Republican runoff election on Tuesday. Cornyn has served in the Senate since 2002, chairing the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2009 to 2013 and serving as the Senate Republican whip from 2013 to 2019. He is currently a member of the Finance Committee. Paxton had received the endorsement of President Donald Trump in the days leading up to the election.<\/p>\n

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Rep. Julie Johnson (D) was defeated by former Rep. Colin Allred (D) in a runoff race to represent Texas\u2019 newly redrawn 33rd<\/sup> congressional district. Rep. Johnson has served in the House of Representatives since 2025, succeeding Allred, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate. Johnson is the first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress from a southern state.<\/p>\n

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Rep. Christian Menefee (D) defeated Rep. Al Green (D) in the runoff race for Texas\u2019 18th<\/sup> congressional district. Green has represented Texas\u2019s 9th<\/sup> congressional district since 2005. The 9th<\/sup> district was redrawn ahead of this year\u2019s election, prompting Green to enter the race against Menefee, who won a special election in January to serve out the remainder of the late Rep. Sylvester Turner\u2019s term.<\/p>\n

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FL Democrat Frederica Wilson to Retire<\/strong> \u2013 Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) has announced that she will not seek reelection this year. Wilson, 83, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010. She currently serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The full House Press Gallery casualty list of members retiring or seeking other office can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Upcoming Congressional Hearings and Markups<\/strong><\/p>\n

House Rules Committee meeting to formulate a rule on H.R. 8646, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027; and other legislation; 4:00 p.m.; June 2<\/p>\n

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Senate HELP Committee hearing \u201cProtecting Our Children: Exposing the Dangers of Irreversible Gender Transition Procedures on Minors;\u201d 10:00 a.m.; June 3<\/p>\n

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House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing \u201cExamining Legislation to Establish a Federal Comprehensive Privacy and Data Security Law;\u201d 10:15 a.m.; June 3<\/p>\n

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Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing \u201cPlausible Mechanisms of COVID-19 Injections Causing Cancer and Attacks on Scientific Publications;\u201d 2:30 p.m.; June 3<\/p>\n

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Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing to examine the human cost of dangerous foreign drugs; 3:30 p.m.; June 3<\/p>\n

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House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet hearing \u201cMedicines and IP: Balancing Innovation and Access;\u201d 10:00 a.m.; June 4<\/p>\n

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House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies markup of FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill; 8:00 a.m.; June 5<\/p>\n

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House Appropriations Committee markup of FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill; 11:00 a.m.; June 9<\/p>\n

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Recently Introduced Health Legislation<\/strong><\/p>\n

H.R.9018 \u2013 Fostering Transparency, Understanding, and Support for Veterans Act (Fostering TRUST Act) \u2013 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide to Congress notice of any suicide or attempted suicide of a veteran in a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs or of a Community Care provider, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Min, Dave [Rep.-D-CA-47]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs<\/p>\n

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H.R.9015 \u2013 To authorize assistance to train and retain obstetrician-gynecologists and sub-specialists in urogynecology and to help improve the quality of care to meet the health care needs of women in least developed countries, and for other purposes; Sponsor: DeLauro, Rosa L. [Rep.-D-CT-3]; Committees: House – Foreign Affairs<\/p>\n

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H.R.9009 \u2013 Firearm Freedom Act \u2013 To repeal the Hughes Amendment to the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act; Sponsor: Patronis, Jimmy [Rep.-R-FL-1]; Committees: House \u2013 Judiciary<\/p>\n

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H.Res.1323 \u2013 Recognizing the impact the stigmatization of menstruation has on the lives of women, girls, and people who menstruate, and expressing support for the designation of the month of May as “National Menstrual Health Awareness Month”; Sponsor: Meng, Grace [Rep.-D-NY-6]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education and WorkforceH.R.9033 \u2014 To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the sharing of health-care resources between the Department of Veterans Affairs and State Veterans Homes, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [Rep.-R-IA-1]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs<\/p>\n

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H.R.9040 \u2014 To establish fair prices for prescription drugs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Sherman, Brad [Rep.-D-CA-32]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Judiciary; Financial Services<\/p>\n

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H.R.9044 \u2014 To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Minority Fellowship Program; Sponsor: Watson Coleman, Bonnie [Rep.-D-NJ-12]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Signs Executive Order on Vaccines \u2013 President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday acknowledging a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 (HHS) scientific assessment on childhood vaccines as a guiding resource for the federal government.\u00a0 The assessment compared U.S. childhood immunization recommendations with those of peer nations, analyzed vaccine uptake … <\/p>\n

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