Week in Review

IN THE NEWS

• A federal judge blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from reducing the number of recommended vaccines for children. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy held that the decision was “arbitrary and capricious” because U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and a CDC vaccine committee did not follow the established scientific process for developing vaccine policies. Judge Murphy also halted the appointment of new members to the CDC committee by Secretary Kennedy and noted that many of these members lacked any expertise in vaccines or immunization.
• A federal judge struck down an Arkansas law that required public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Chief Judge Timothy Brooks ruled that the law violated the Establishment Clause, which prohibits state-sponsored religion, and the Free Exercise Clause, which protects one’s right to practice one’s own religion. The judge reasoned that the law violated the rights of non-Christian parents to raise their children without Christian influence. Supporters of the law, including Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, argued that the commandments are a foundation for the American legal system, not just the Christian religion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas praised the decision as an affirmation that “public schools are not Sunday schools.”

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will soon receive a boost in funding, according to comments made during a U.S. House Committee on Appropriations hearing. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) reportedly remarked during the hearing that the Office of Management and Budget had “finally approved NIH’s apportionments” after Congress appropriated an additional $415 million in funding for NIH last month. Director of NIH Jay Bhattacharya, while testifying at the hearing, confirmed the additional funding, which he said would be put toward new research grants. Last year, the Trump Administration cut or froze thousands of NIH grants, but at Tuesday’s hearing, both Republicans and Democrats expressed strong support for NIH’s work, which includes research into cancer treatments and vaccines against viruses.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published draft guidance on the use of new approach methodologies (NAMs) as alternatives to animal testing in drug development. NAMs are modern testing tools—such as lab-grown tissue models and computer simulations—that the Food and Drug Administration claims can more reliably predict how drugs will affect humans than traditional animal tests. The guidance outlines four principles that developers must satisfy to validate a NAM for use in a drug application: defining what the test is meant to show; demonstrating its relevance to human biology; proving that it produces consistent and reproducible results; and confirming that it can support regulatory decision-making. The guidance will be open for public comment until May 18, 2026.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed lowering air pollution limits on ethylene oxide, a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment. EPA stated that the current standards “actively threaten” manufacturers’ abilities to sterilize equipment. The agency also claimed that the move would bolster the domestic supply chain. In response, Laura Kate Bender, the vice president of the American Lung Association, said that “both short-term and long-term exposure to ethylene oxide is dangerous for health” and noted heightened cancer rates in people living near commercial sterilization facilities. EPA’s proposal will be open for public comment through April 2026.
• The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System maintained interest rates unchanged at 3.5 to 3.75 percent, as it balances between controlling inflation and supporting the job market. The war in Iran has driven up gas and diesel prices while recent reports show the economy has added almost no jobs in the last six months. Inflation currently sits at 3.1 percent, which is above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also faces political challenges, as President Donald J. Trump has nominated Kevin Warsh to replace him. Republican Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has blocked the confirmation until the U.S. Department of Justice concludes its investigation into Powell’s actions as Chair. Powell stated he will remain on the Federal Reserve’s board until the investigation ends.
• The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted 8–7 to advance Senator Markwayne Mullin’s (R-Okla.) nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, sending his confirmation to the full Senate for a final vote. The vote followed a hearing in which committee members questioned Mullin’s temperament and his description of a “classified” trip abroad he took while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the Republican chair of the committee, was the only Republican to vote againstMullin, while Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the only Democrat to vote in favor.
• Cuba faces a severe energy crisis as the Trump Administration pressures the Communist Party leadership to step down through what critics call an all-but-declared naval siege. Trade with Cuba has collapsed, with shipping data showing no foreign-originating tankers arrived in March 2026, down from an average of 50 port calls per month in 2025. Despite Trump Administration restrictions, Russia has covertly shipped fuel to Cuba using spoofing tactics, with tankers switching off their tracking systems to disguise their destinations and bypass U.S. sanctions. The Trump Administration has threatened tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba and has walked back some restrictions by allowing fuel sales to private Cuban businesses, though critics question whether this strategy can work given that the Cuban government controls gasoline distribution.

WHAT WE’RE READING THIS WEEK

• In a recent article in the Harvard Law Review, Matthew B. Lawrence, a law professor at Emory University, and David E. Pozen, the Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law at Columbia University, argued that to reform drug regulation, policymakers should focus less on the details of classification—whether a given substance should be classified more or less strictly—and more on institutional structure—who is responsible for making decisions about drug regulation. Lawrence and Beekman argued that medical experts, who are given substantial control over drug classifications under the Controlled Substances Act, tend to overlook social factors, such as the mediating influence of wealth on the impact of drug use, or political factors, such as the influence of pharmaceutical lobbying. Lawrence and Pozen called for a democratization of drug regulation that would allow more varied decision makers to shape drug policy.
• A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined how states have used congregate care placements, such as group homes, for youth in foster care since the enactment of the Family First Prevention Services Act, which prohibits using federal funds for such placements for longer than 14 days. GAO found that 26 of 49 states surveyed had not decreased their use of congregate care since the Act took effect, with many states increasingly relying on state, county, or local funds to support these placements. GAO observed that nearly all states reported challenges securing non-congregate placements, such as foster homes. GAO also noted that some states reported an increase in youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems that were placed in detention or secure facilities. GAO recommended that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services clarify its guidance on the appropriate use of federal funds for this exemption.
• A recent report by the GAO warned that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to struggle financially, accumulating $118 billion in net losses since 2007 and facing the possibility of running out of capital by early 2027. The GAO testimony before Congress highlighted that USPS operates an unsustainable business model, as expenses consistently exceed revenue despite price increases and cost-cutting efforts under its 10-year strategic plan. The agency has stayed afloat partly by borrowing the maximum $15 billion allowed from the U.S. Treasury and by skipping or only partially making required payments toward retiree health and pension benefits. GAO recommended that Congress take urgent action to determine what level of postal services the nation requires and how financially self-sustaining USPS should be, particularly before billions in new retiree health care expenses arrive around 2031.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

• In an essay in The Regulatory Review, Daniel Perkins, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne, analyzed Australia’s 2024 reclassification of some psychedelic substances, such as MDMA and psilocybin, to allow for their use in therapeutic treatment. The reforms allowed physicians to obtain approval from a human research ethics committee, after which they could prescribe the substances for certain therapeutic uses. Perkins noted, though, that the new policy implemented major guardrails, such as the need for doctors to maintain specialized staff, training, and equipment. Together with the high cost of the treatments—which public and private insurance would not cover—these barriers meant few patients began using these treatments after the substances were reclassified, Perkins explained. Still, he emphasized the measure as an important development for patients who find other treatments ineffective.