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Dozens of House Democrats push back on planned EPA research and development cuts

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Thursday, March 27, 2025

Dozens of House Democrats pushed back on planned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cuts in a Thursday letter to the agency. “We are particularly concerned by the proposal to eliminate up to 75 percent of employees within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD),” the letter, from Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, reads. “Firing nearly 1,200 dedicated ORD public servants across the country would decimate the scientific backbone of EPA which provides independent, objective, and unparallelled research that informs Agency assessments and decision-making,” they added. The letter featured the signatures of over 60 House Democrats including Reps. Nikema Williams (Ga.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Don Beyer (Va.), Joe Neguse (Colo.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.). The Hill reported last week that the EPA was considering the cutting of its science arm and dropping most of the employees of the branch, per documents reviewed by Democratic staff for the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. The termination of the Office of Research and Development as an EPA National Program Office is called for in a plan reviewed by committee staffers. Fifty percent to 70 percent of the 1,540 staffers in the office would be cut under the plan. “While no decisions have been made yet, we are actively listening to employees at all levels to gather ideas on how to better fulfill agency statutory obligations, increase efficiency, and ensure the EPA is as up-to-date and effective as ever,” EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said in a previous statement. In his letter, Landsman said dropping “the majority of ORD employees would be particularly harmful to EPA’s work to address industrial pollution, contaminated air and drinking water, environmental health, and worsening natural disasters.” The Ohio Democrat also questioned the EPA about the reasoning behind the staff cuts in the plan and the way the agency is prepping “to mitigate the loss of scientific expertise, institutional knowledge, and subject matter capacity resulting from this proposed action.” The Hill has reached out to the EPA for comment.

Dozens of House Democrats pushed back on planned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cuts in a Thursday letter to the agency. “We are particularly concerned by the proposal to eliminate up to 75 percent of employees within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD),” the letter, from Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and addressed to EPA Administrator...

Dozens of House Democrats pushed back on planned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cuts in a Thursday letter to the agency.

“We are particularly concerned by the proposal to eliminate up to 75 percent of employees within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD),” the letter, from Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, reads.

“Firing nearly 1,200 dedicated ORD public servants across the country would decimate the scientific backbone of EPA which provides independent, objective, and unparallelled research that informs Agency assessments and decision-making,” they added.

The letter featured the signatures of over 60 House Democrats including Reps. Nikema Williams (Ga.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Don Beyer (Va.), Joe Neguse (Colo.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).

The Hill reported last week that the EPA was considering the cutting of its science arm and dropping most of the employees of the branch, per documents reviewed by Democratic staff for the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

The termination of the Office of Research and Development as an EPA National Program Office is called for in a plan reviewed by committee staffers. Fifty percent to 70 percent of the 1,540 staffers in the office would be cut under the plan.

“While no decisions have been made yet, we are actively listening to employees at all levels to gather ideas on how to better fulfill agency statutory obligations, increase efficiency, and ensure the EPA is as up-to-date and effective as ever,” EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said in a previous statement.

In his letter, Landsman said dropping “the majority of ORD employees would be particularly harmful to EPA’s work to address industrial pollution, contaminated air and drinking water, environmental health, and worsening natural disasters.”

The Ohio Democrat also questioned the EPA about the reasoning behind the staff cuts in the plan and the way the agency is prepping “to mitigate the loss of scientific expertise, institutional knowledge, and subject matter capacity resulting from this proposed action.”

The Hill has reached out to the EPA for comment.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

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Wildfire Survivors Still Struggle With Basic Needs and Support

By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterSATURDAY, April 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Three months after wildfires tore through Los Angeles, a new study...

SATURDAY, April 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Three months after wildfires tore through Los Angeles, a new study offers insight into the lasting needs of fire survivors. Researchers from UC Davis School of Medicine said their findings from earlier wildfires may help with support efforts in this and future disasters. They surveyed 2,208 households in the aftermath of a series of Northern California wildfires in 2017 and found that months later, 1,461 had major needs. The study identified four key areas in which survivors needed help: Physical needs: food, water, shelter, clothing, electricity, internet access, gas, money and cell phone service Clean air: including access to air filters and masks Health: access to care, including mental health care) Information access: wildfire status, where to obtain shelter or supplies, the location and well-being of loved ones and navigating insurance paperwork “Understanding the community needs and impacts that arise during and after wildfires is crucial to identifying the timing, extent and types of assistance that are most needed during response and recovery efforts,” Kathryn Conlon, an associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences and senior author of the study, said in a news release.Physical needs were the most common, both right after the fires and months later. 1 in 2 households had these needs. Housing and financial help were among the most enduring problems. One in six households reported a health-related need months after the fires. More than 25% of respondents needed clean air or supplies like masks and filters immediately after the fires. People wanted updates during the fire but later had questions about environmental health. Mental health issues were especially common. Of the 177 households that mentioned health issues, most said they needed mental health support."Unaddressed mental health concerns can have a significant impact on a person’s health and well-being,” Conlon said in a news release. “Integrating support for mental health and health information should be part of any needs assessments during wildfires.”Conlon recommends tools like "psychological first aid" to help survivors process trauma in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. It emerged as an intervention in the early 2000s.“Respondents want to know the health impacts of urban wildfires and whether it is safe to return to the burn areas,” Conlon added. “When these fires burn, they are not just burning biomass. They are also burning everything in the home. And we don’t know all the health impacts. We still have so much to learn.”Study co-author Mira Miles noted how many survivors wanted to support their neighbors, showing a strong sense of community. “While this is a remarkable social phenomenon, it is important that we strive to meet community needs as best we can following a disaster,” she said.SOURCE: UC Davis Health, news release, April 9, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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G' and his 'lovely girl': Gene Hackman penned poignant notes to wife amid Alzheimer's battle

The correspondence of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa was humorous, sad, moving and mundane, offering a glimpse into the couple's private life.

Authorities recently released a new cache of records in the death investigation of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa — including a series of heartfelt notes the couple left for each other, revealing the close-knit nature of their relationship even as Hackman’s health declined amid a battle with Alzheimer’s. The letters are at times humorous, sad, moving and mundane, offering a glimpse into the private and loving life the couple led before they were both found dead in their Santa Fe compound in February.The Oscar-winning actor affectionately signed most of the letters “Love G” and referred to Arakawa, his wife of 33 years, as “Lovely girl.” Included in the Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa death investigation are photos of letters the couple exchanged. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office) In some of the letters, he appeared to poke fun at his deteriorating memory.“I’m going down to that building out past the hot water place where you sit and do whatever it is that people are supposed to do in such a building — maybe I’ll remember once I get down there,” he wrote, signing the letter “love whats his name.” In another letter, he wrote a joking poem that may have referred to a medical visit, saying, “I’m off to see the wizard, the wizard of achie pokie. She stabs me here, she stabs me there, she stabs me almost everywhere.”“But I’ll survive, because after I am still alive,” the note continues. “(But sometimes just barely) Love G.”Hackman, 95, relied on Arakawa, 65, as his sole caregiver during his later years in life. Other evidence photographed around the home showed her detailed notes on the doses and timing of Hackman’s medications as well as the records she kept of his medical appointments in her calendar.In one letter, Hackman wished Arakawa “happy several days after your birthday” and wrote “sorry still about the dinner and having to ask for your help although it was appreciated.” Letters revealed in the investigation are humorous sad and often mundane. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office) Arakawa, too, left written notes for Hackman around the home, reminding him of where she was going and what she was doing.In one letter, she wrote that she was taking their dog Zin to obedience class and that she had left him a jigsaw puzzle on the table. Another letter taped to the wall simply read, “yoga 12:30 p.m.”Arakawa died around Feb. 11 of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and often fatal respiratory illness spread by rodents, according to the New Mexico medical investigator’s office. In an environmental assessment, investigators found rodent feces, dead rodents and nests in structures on their property; however, there was no evidence of rodents found in their main home.Hackman died several days later of complications of advanced Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease and heart disease, according to the medical investigator. Authorities believe he may have wandered the house for several days unaware of Arakawa’s death and unable to get help due to the advanced state of his disease. One of the couple’s three dogs, an Australian kelpie mix named Zinna, was found dead in a crate in their home when the couple were discovered on Feb. 26. A necropsy revealed that Zinna died of dehydration and starvation due to being confined. The other two dogs, who were able to roam the property, were found alive and taken into care. Recently released photos from the investigation showed that the couple displayed in their home dozens of agility ribbons won by their dogs.In addition to the new photos of the home and the letters, the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office released body camera video, an environmental assessment and a full investigation report this week.A New Mexico state judge had temporarily blocked the release of any records from the death investigation at the request of the Hackman estate. On March 31, however, a judge ruled that records from the investigation could be unsealed as long as they did not clearly show the couple’s bodies.

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RFK Jr. Says There Are No Autistic Poets. We Asked an Autistic Poet.

To Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—and contrary to medical consensus and decades of study—autism is an appalling, family-destroying “disease.” To pediatric psychiatrists and autism experts like Vanderbilt University’s Zachary Warren, speaking Wednesday to National Public Radio, autism “isn’t a single thing; it is a word we use in an attempt to […]

To Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—and contrary to medical consensus and decades of study—autism is an appalling, family-destroying “disease.” To pediatric psychiatrists and autism experts like Vanderbilt University’s Zachary Warren, speaking Wednesday to National Public Radio, autism “isn’t a single thing; it is a word we use in an attempt to capture a spectrum of behavioral strengths, differences, and vulnerabilities.” During a startling recent press conference in which Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to establish the “cause” of autism by September, the HHS secretary sparked further outrage—by, as my colleague Anna Merlan reported yesterday, saying the following: “These are kids who will never pay taxes,” Kennedy declared. “They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted. We have to recognize we are doing this to our children.”  Kennedy’s years of anti-vaccine activism have centered in large part on autism, framing it as a “preventable disease” and epidemic driven by environmental contaminants. A lawyer by training, with no medical background beyond freelance taxidermy, Kennedy has consistently peddled misinformation about autism and autistic people, presenting the condition as a vaccine-driven scourge. Increasingly, Kennedy has papered over some of the most problematic elements of his crusade—and licensed himself to ignore opposition and criticism from autistic people—by insisting that he’s referring to “profound” autism, or autism with high support needs. It’s a distinction that he’s happy to deploy when it serves his case and to gloss over when promising to end autism once and for all; and, by definition, it excludes his autistic critics from the conversation. A crucial slogan of the disability rights movement is “Nothing about us without us”—so it seemed appropriate to get the reaction of an autistic poet. I spoke with Elizabeth McClellan, an award-winning poet, attorney, and legal educator based in Memphis, Tennessee. Could you tell me about yourself and your work as a poet? I have been publishing poetry professionally since 2009, on and off. I primarily do genre poetry, which is poetry that falls sort of in the speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, [and] horror spaces. I have a book of horror poetry that will be coming soon from Kith Books that’s found poetry from Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart Is a Chainsaw. Poetry doesn’t generally pay for itself, most poets are not just poets. That’s why I supplement it with my work as an attorney. So you’re living evidence that someone can be both autistic and a poet. I am not only living evidence that someone can be autistic and a poet, I will challenge RFK Jr. to write a poem as good as me any day of the week, because I don’t think he can do it. “He’s trying to eradicate support, especially with education, that could help people live the kind of lives where they do get to write poetry.” What was your reaction to Kennedy saying that an increase in autism diagnoses is bad in part because autistic people can’t “write a poem”—not that there’s anything wrong in more people getting diagnosed. It’s completely dehumanizing. He didn’t lead with poet. He led with they’ll never pay taxes, they’ll never have a job. It’s just “useless eaters” rhetoric. And then he fluffs it up with, they’re they’ll never have a poem. They’ll never play baseball. Some people won’t, some people have higher support needs. They are still people. They have a right to live and a right to dignity. And that’s not what he wants for us. He is using the straight-up eugenicist playbook. People who can’t go to the toilet by themselves are still people. People who can’t write a poem are still people. I doubt [RFK Jr.] can write a poem, but he’s still a person. You can’t eradicate autism without eradicating autistic people. It’s genocidal rhetoric against us that’s justified by “autism destroys families. It destroys children.” No, it doesn’t. It’s bias against autistic people. He is taking an axe to the Department of Health and Human Services, [which] means that a lot of autistic people are not going to have the support that they need to thrive and survive. Now, I’ve had support to thrive and survive. I don’t need a whole lot of support to do what I do, but I need it, and I probably would have had a less miserable childhood if the diagnosis were more available. [RFK Jr.] falls into using language like Asperger’s, which, of course, was the distinction that was used to decide who would die and who would work under the Nazis. “What does he do? He chainsaws the heads off dead whales and leaves bear cubs in Central Park.” There are many autistic poets. There’s already a call for a special issue of poetry by autistic poets that will pay the poets just to do an autistic resistance. There are poets writing short poems just to help all of us recover from this person with a great deal of power saying our lives are worth nothing. He’s trying to eradicate support, especially with education, that could help people live the kind of lives where they do get to write poetry. With poetry, you have to be creative. RFK Jr’s hatred towards autistic people seems to be the opposite of that. He’s the antithesis of creativity. I’ve never seen his book of collected poems. Who are you to tell us that we can’t write poetry? When you don’t write poetry, that’s not a thing that you do. You’re not a poet. You don’t get to tell us who gets to be poets. I know so many autistic poets. I know so many poets with various kinds of neurodivergence and that adds to the way that we see the world in our unique way, and that adds to our unique voice as poets. Allistic people can write poetry too, but we have a different way of seeing the world, and that inspired some of us to take up this particular art form. Others of us paint. What does he do? He chainsaws the heads off dead whales and leaves bear cubs in Central Park. And I don’t think it’s performance art. I think it’s just that he’s creepy. What has he ever really done, other than have a last name? What this is all really about is capitalism. “Oh, they’ll never go to the toilet by themselves. That’s a miserable existence.” Plenty of people need assistance going to the bathroom—whose lives are rich and full, who will write poems, who will paint pictures, who will do things, and he doesn’t actually care whether we’re creative or not. He doesn’t actually care whether we’re writing poetry or not. It’s just the same old rhetoric over and over again that we get from eugenicists This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

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New Endangered Species Rule Would No Longer Count Habitat Loss as 'Harm'

By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterTHURSDAY, April 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The Trump administration is proposing a major change to the Endangered...

THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The Trump administration is proposing a major change to the Endangered Species Act that would no longer deem habitat destruction a harm to at-risk animals and plants.Federal officials say this change would reduce an unnecessary regulatory burden, while scientists and conservation groups warn it could threaten endangered species across the U.S., The Washington Post reported.The new rule would change how "harm" is defined under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Harm now includes damaging the places where species live. Under the new rule, only actions that directly hurt or kill an animal — such as hunting or trapping — would count.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the proposed rule Wednesday.Officials said this reflects “the single, best meaning” of the Endangered Species Act and “makes sense in light of the well established, centuries-old understanding," The Post said.Environmental groups say the move could allow more logging, drilling and construction in areas that species need to survive.“It upends how we've been protecting endangered species for the last 40 years,” Noah Greenwald of the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, said.In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the broader definition of harm when it blocked logging in forests that were home to the northern spotted owl and red-cockaded woodpeckers. Experts fear that changing this definition now could remove protections for species like prairie chickens, owls, lynx, panthers and turtles.Kristen Boyles, an attorney with the environmental law organization Earthjustice, said the idea that destroying habitat doesn’t count as harm is "nonsensical both legally and biologically."“What they're saying is, it would be okay for a developer to drain a pond where an endangered species of turtle or fish lived, and that wouldn't be harm,” Boyles said.Meanwhile, a representative of the oil and gas industry's key lobbying organization, welcomed the change.We look “forward to working with the administration on commonsense ESA policies that both protect wildlife and support American energy dominance," Scott Lauermann, spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, told The Post.Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said innovation, not regulation, is the key to saving wildlife. He pointed to new biotech that helped create three wolf pups that resemble the long-extinct dire wolf.“It’s time to fundamentally change how we think about species conservation,” Burgum wrote on X.SOURCE: The Washington Post, April 16, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says US Autism Cases Are Climbing at an 'Alarming Rate'

Health secretary Robert F

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism at an “alarming rate,” promising on Wednesday to conduct exhaustive studies to identify any environmental factors that may cause the developmental disorder. His call comes the day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that found an estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, a marked increase from 2020. “Autism destroys families," Kennedy said. "More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this.” Kennedy described autism as a “preventable disease,” although researchers and scientists have identified genetic factors that are associated with it. Autism is not considered a disease, but a complex disorder that affects the brain. Cases range widely in severity, with symptoms that can include delays in language, learning, and social or emotional skills. Some autistic traits can go unnoticed well into adulthood. Those who have spent decades researching autism have found no single cause. Besides genetics, scientists have identified various possible factors, including the age of a child’s father, the mother’s weight, and whether she had diabetes or was exposed to certain chemicals. Kennedy said his wide-ranging plan to determine the cause of autism will look at all of those environmental factors, and others. He had previously set a September deadline for determining what causes autism, but said Wednesday that by then, his department will determine at least “some” of the answers. The effort will involve issuing grants to universities and researchers, Kennedy said. He said the researchers will be encouraged to “follow the science, no matter what it says.” The Trump administration has recently canceled billions of dollars in grants for health and science research sent to universities.The CDC’s latest autism data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate — from 2020 — was 1 in 36.Boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black.To estimate how common autism is, the CDC checked health and school records for 8-year-olds, because most cases are diagnosed by that age. Other researchers have their own estimates, but experts say the CDC’s estimate is the most rigorous and the gold standard.On Wednesday, Kennedy criticized theories that the rise in autism cases can be attributed to more awareness about the disorder. Autism researchers have cited heightened awareness, as well as medical advancements and increased diagnoses of mild cases. “The reasons for increases in autism diagnosis come down to scientific and health care progress,” said Annette Estes, director of the autism center at the University of Washington. "It's hard for many people to understand this because the causes of autism are complex.”Associated Press writers JoNel Aleccia in Temecula, California, and Mike Stobbe in Atlanta contributed to this report.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Feb. 2025

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