Speak Out Now: Urge Congress to Protect Medicaid Access
As the Senate begins work on its version of the Budget Reconciliation Bill, major decisions are being weighed that would directly impact the health and coverage of millions of Americans. Proposals from the House have already included deep cuts to Medicaid and harmful hurdles that would weaken both Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage. These changes could have serious consequences for respiratory patients and all those who rely on affordable access to care.
Your voice matters! Lawmakers need to hear directly from those on the front lines – patients, providers, and advocates – about the importance of protecting health insurance coverage.
We’re making it simple to take action. Send a message directly to your senator in just a few clicks. Urge them to reject Medicaid cuts and preserve vital access to care for the patients who need it most.
Contact your Senators now to defend Medicaid access.
Let Congress know health care is not optional!
CLEAN AIR
EPA Proposes to Roll Back Mercury and Air Toxic Emissions Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule to roll back the Mercury and Air Toxics rule – better known as MATS – to reduce overall emissions of mercury, heavy metals, acid gases and other toxic emissions from coal and oil-fired power plants. The proposed rule does not eliminate the MATS regulations entirely, but it does revert to the emission standards issued in 2012 and removes the more protective emissions standard established during the Biden administration.
While not surprising, the EPA proposed rule is perplexing in that the vast majority of existing power plants have already installed pollution control equipment to meet the MATS emission standards set by the Biden administration. The few plants that do not meet the MATS standards were scheduled for decommissioning or are lignite-fired power plants – one of the most polluting forms of coal. The Biden MATS rule also required power plants to install and operate continuous emission monitoring systems to collect and report emissions – giving EPA and local communities more immediate access to emissions coming from power plants in their neighborhood. Currently, nearly 60 percent of coal-fired power plants are using continuous emission monitoring systems.
If the Trump administration is successful in the proposed roll back – power plants will no longer be required to use continuous emission monitoring systems. Further, many companies will be able to keep their oldest and dirtiest plants in operation several years beyond scheduled retirement.
"EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s decision to roll back the EPA Mercury and Air Toxics exposure rule effectively greenlights the oldest and dirtiest power plants in the U.S. to continue putting tons of mercury and heavy metals into the air we breathe. If implemented, this rollback threatens the health of my patients and all our communities and families," says Alison Lee, MD, MS, ATSF, chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee.
EPA Proposes Roll Back of Greenhouse Gas Emission Standard for Power Plants
In related action, the EPA proposed scrapping a rule to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants. The rule that is being rolled back was finalized during the Biden administration and established the first ever greenhouse gas emissions standard for U.S. power plants. The Trump administration claims the U.S. power plants are responsible for only two percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions and thus argue that the rule is unnecessary. In reality, U.S. power plants are responsible for 25 percent of total greenhouse gas emission – second behind U.S. transportation GHG emissions.
For both proposed roll backs, EPA has initiated a 45-day public comment period and will hold at least one public hearing. The ATS will closely review the proposed rules and will submit comments urging EPA to retain the existing emissions standards for power plants.
HHS Secretary Fires CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices
On June 9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was taking “…a bold step in restoring public trust” by removing 17 sitting members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). Secretary Kennedy has claimed that the ACIP members had significant conflicts of interest. However, all members of any federal advisory committee, including ACIP, must disclose potential conflicts of interest and clear federal conflict of interest review before they can serve on a panel.
The decision by Secretary Kennedy to fire all 17 members of the ACIP, appointed by President Biden, has sparked significant controversy. Several health groups have issued statements opposing the move and the American Medical Association has called for a Congressional investigation. Secretary Kennedy’s decision is especially troubling for the public health community given his views on vaccines.
On June 11, Secretary Kennedy named eight new members to the CDC panel. . The reduced and reconstituted ACIP is scheduled to meet later this month to consider vaccination recommendations.
The ATS issued a statement opposing the dismissal of the ACIP panel, stating…
The American Thoracic Society condemns the HHS Sec. Kennedy’s unilateral decision to dismiss all members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This decision undermines decades of medical and scientific expertise and collaboration that have been vital to safeguarding public health. Ignoring the input of nationally recognized experts committed to the safety and well-being of the American people is not only reckless but sets a dangerous precedent for the leadership of public health organizations tasked with critically evaluating vaccines and protecting the U.S.
The ATS looks to U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) – physician and chair of the Senate HELP Committee – to exercise Congressional oversight authority over the HHS to restore the integrity and independence of the ACIP. For decades, the ACIP has critically evaluated data on vaccine efficacy and safety to inform vaccine recommendations. Vaccines remain one of the most effective and evidence-based tools to prevent serious infectious diseases, saving millions of lives and protecting communities across the nation.
Disregarding expert guidance jeopardizes public trust, weakens science-based decision making and puts lives at risk. Public health leadership demands collaboration, transparency and reliance on medical and scientific expertise – not unilateral and destabilizing actions.
RESEARCH
NIH Director Bhattacharya’s Congressional Testimony
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies at a June 10 hearing titled "A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the National Institutes of Health."
The hearing featured bipartisan concern with the Trump administration’s NIH budget recommendation and discussion of many concerning threats to the U.S. research enterprise. Committee Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) noted that the Administration’s budget request includes $27.9 billion for the NIH or $17 billion below the FY 2025 enacted amount. “I am well aware that you have devoted your life to medical research, to health economics, and that you care very deeply about NIH. That is why the administration's reduction of more than $19 billion to the agency's budget, that is approximately 40 percent, is so disturbing. It would undo years of Congressional investment in NIH, and it would delay or stop effective treatments and cures from being developed for diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer, Type 1 Diabetes, I could go on and on.”
Other members of the Senate Subcommittee including Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Washington), also questioned Director Bhattacharya on proposed NIH funding cuts, staff reductions at the NIH, the termination of clinical research trials and a 15 percent cap on indirect costs.
The ATS is continuing to advocate with other organizations and institutions for a fiscal year 2026 funding level of $51.3 billion for the NIH.
National Institutes of Health “Bethesda Declaration”
In related news, more than 300 scientists at the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) issued a public letter – titled the “Bethesda Declaration,” (named as a counterpoint to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya being a signatory to the “Great Barrington Document” critiquing the U.S. COVID response). The Bethesda Declaration opposes the many actions the Trump administration has taken to politicize of research and damage to scientific progress.
According to the “Bethesda Declaration,” the signatories oppose “…administration policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe. Keeping NIH at the forefront of biomedical research requires our stalwart commitment to continuous improvement. We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety and faithful stewardship of public resources.”