Update: What We’re Watching, Sept. 4, 2025

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Update: What We're Watching, Sept. 4, 2025

Hill to the Heartland: Federal Health Policy Briefing

Hill to the Heartland: Federal Health Policy Briefing is a product series providing regular updates on federal health policy discussions. Sign up here to receive these summaries and more, and also follow KHI on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appearedbeforethe Senate Finance Committee after recentleadership changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the dismissal of its director. The Rural Health Transformation Program website wentlive. Vaccination coverage among kindergarteners has declinednationally, while Kansas saw a modest uptick in measles, mumpsand rubella (MMR) immunization rates last year. Here is some of the health-related news we are watching that could have an impact on Kansas.

The views expressed in the following news stories, news releases or documents are not necessarily those of the Kansas Health Institute (KHI). They are being shared with the intent of keeping Kansans informed of the latest developments related to federal health policy.

1. U.S. Health and Human Services Updates

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Testifies to Senate Finance Committee

On Sept. 4, Secretary Kennedy appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to address recent leadership changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) following the dismissal of the CDC director and resignation of other senior officials, updates to COVID-19 vaccination policy and Make America Healthy Again priorities. As a member of the Committee, Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) asked questions focused on transparency for vaccine recommendations to parents, whether hepatitis B vaccines are necessary for all children, and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.

Watch the recording here: The President's 2026 Health Care Agenda

Read more from The Hill: RFK Jr. takes heat from both parties over vaccines, CDC turmoil

Watch Senator Marshall's questions here: Sen. Marshall questions RFK Jr. on vaccines for children

Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program Website

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the RHT program website, outlining the process and timeline for the program established by H.R. 1 to offset losses for rural health providers from other provisions in the law and to empower states to improve access, quality and outcomes in the health care delivery system. The RHT program funding is $50 billion in total over five years. Half of the $10 billion distributed each year will be allocated equally among the states. The remaining 50 percent will be distributed based on a variety of factors including rural population, the proportion of rural health facilities in the state, the situation of certain hospitals in the state, and other factors to be specified by CMS in the notice of funding award. The timeline published on the new website indicates that CMS will release the application in mid-September, and the deadline for states to submit their plans will be early November.

Read more from the Rural Health Transformation Program: Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program | CMS

FDA Narrows Access to Updated COVID-19Vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax but limited their use to seniors and to younger people with certain health conditions, such as asthma or obesity. Pfizer's shot will no longer be available for children under age 5, leaving Moderna as the only option for that age group, and only for children with high-risk conditions. The approvals, announced by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also revoke emergency authorizations for prior COVID-19 vaccines and require new large-scale clinical trials from Pfizer and Moderna that will stretch into 2028. The change raises questions about insurance coverage and access for families. Despite this change in approval, national medical groups continue to recommend broader use. The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to advise COVID-19 vaccination for children age 6-23 months and for older children at higher risk, while the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends updated shots during pregnancy and related stages.

Read more from AP News: FDA approves updated COVID-19 shots with limits for some kids and adults

Read more from Reuters: US FDA narrows under-65 COVID vaccine eligibility; maintains full access for older Americans

Read more from NPR: The latest COVID vaccines come with new FDA limits

Kindergartner Vaccination Coverage DecreasedNationally

Vaccination coverage rates during the 2024‒2025 school year decreased in the U.S. for all reported vaccines from the year before. Exemption rates for one or more vaccines among kindergartners increased to 3.6 percent nationally and in Kansas. The reported vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) last school year in Kansas was 91.0 percent, up from 90.4 percent in 2023‒2024.

See CDC SchoolVaxView: Vaccination Coverage and Exemptions among Kindergartners

CDC Grant Restorations More Successful in States That Sued

In late March 2025, HHS canceled nearly 700 CDC grants, totaling around $11 billion, supporting pandemic-related and broader public health initiatives. Democratic-led states and some blue-leaning cities filed lawsuits and largely succeeded in restoring these grants. As a result, almost 80 percent of terminated grants in blue states were reinstated, compared to less than 5 percent in red states. California, for instance, has retained all of its challenged grants. In contrast, Texas experienced at least 30 terminations. In states such as Colorado that joined suits, most terminated grants (10 of 11) were restored. KFF Health News reports Kansas has lost 11 grants, and none have been restored.

Read more from KFF: Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt of Trump Clawbacks 

Nominations for Healthcare Advisory Committee

HHS announced its intent to establish the Healthcare Advisory Committee. The purpose of the committee is to serve as an advisory body to the Secretary of HHS and the Administrator of CMS on programs and policies for the U.S. health care system.

Read more about the request for nominations: Request for Nominations of Members to Serve on the Healthcare Advisory Committee

2. FEMA

FEMA Employees Placed on Leave After Submitting Open Letter

A group of more than 180 current and former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff members signed an open letter, known as the "Katrina Declaration and Petition to Congress," expressing concern that recent policy changes and program terminations under the Trump administration are undermining the agency's disaster-response capabilities. Among concerns cited were leadership without emergency-management experience, reassignment of FEMA personnel to immigration duties, and stricter approval procedures for expenditures over $100,000. The letter warned that these developments could reverse progress made since post-Katrina reform efforts. The letter urged Congress to make FEMA a Cabinet-level, independent agency. FEMA placed many of the 36 employees who signed the letter with their names on paid administrative leave. While the agency said these steps are part of broader reform efforts and not disciplinary, advocacy groups labeled them as retaliatory and raised alarms about the potential impact on the agency's readiness.

Read more from CNN: FEMA workers put on leave after signing letter warning of Trump's overhaul of the agency

Read more from PBS News: FEMA employees behind letter blasting Trump cuts placed on leave amid crackdown on dissent

Stay tuned for further updates on policy shifts that may affect health programs and services in Kansas. For related work on how federal policies could impact Kansans, please check out Hill to the Heartland.

Funding for Hill to the Heartland is provided in part by the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans, a Topeka-based philanthropic organization with the mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans. KHI retains editorial independence in the production of its content and its findings. Any views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sunflower Foundation.