| | | | |  | | By Krista Mahr and Daniel Payne | | | With help from Daniel Lippman
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Most Americans want the federal government to prioritize preparing for the next pandemic in its annual budget and planning. | Getty Images | GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN — Three years into the pandemic, getting Covid-19 might no longer be front of mind for most Americans, but that doesn’t mean they want Washington, D.C., to forget it could happen again. Roughly two-thirds of respondents in a YouGov poll released this morning, commissioned by the Pandemic Action Network and PAX Sapiens, said they believe the threat of future deadly pandemics is growing. Nearly 90 percent said they want the federal government to prioritize preparing for the next pandemic in its annual budget and planning. About one-third of respondents thought the government is as prepared for the next pandemic as it was for this one, while about half thought the government was more prepared. Diminished resolve in D.C.: The current focus in Washington, D.C., seems to be more on finding out what went wrong during the early days of Covid than ensuring a new disease won’t create the same level of devastation again. Tom Inglesby, director for the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wrote in The New York Times on Sunday that the “collective resolve” in Washington, D.C., to prepare for the next pandemic — palpable just a year ago during the height of the Omicron wave — has diminished. “The promise to prepare for pandemics in fundamentally new, far more ambitious ways has rapidly faded,” he wrote. What does the White House say? President Joe Biden’s budget proposal unveiled last week includes $20 billion for HHS’ pandemic prevention and preparedness efforts, along with other investments in research and vaccine purchases, therapeutics and tests for the country’s stockpiles. The CDC would get additional money to expand its capacity for responding to future health and biological threats. The proposal also includes $1.2 billion for global preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks, with nearly half dedicated to the Pandemic Fund hosted by the World Bank. WELCOME TO MONDAY PULSE — Having trouble springing ahead this Monday morning? Some doctors say there’s a clinical reason for that. Send your news and tips to kmahr@politico.com and dpayne@politico.com. TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Erin Schumaker about Sen. Marco Rubio’s bill making daylight saving time permanent, which is stalled in the House after the Senate unanimously voted in favor of the measure last year. Find out about past efforts to make daylight saving time permanent and why many scientists oppose the idea.
| | | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance: Leading organizations representing physicians, nurses and patients have raised concerns about CMS rushing through major changes to risk adjustment in Medicare Advantage before the proposal has been properly analyzed and the impact on seniors and those who care for them is fully understood. Tell the White House to slow down and protect the 30 million seniors who count on Medicare Advantage. | | | | | | | 
The CDC and FDA say claims that the Covid-19 vaccine is unsafe are "misleading." | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo | CDC, FDA FIRE BACK ON VACCINE SAFETY — CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf sent a letter on Friday to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, calling his claims that the Covid-19 vaccine presents a health risk “incorrect,” “misleading,” and potentially “harmful to the American public.” How we got here: Ladapo sent a letter to the federal health agencies last month, stating that Florida had seen a steep rise in the number of adverse health events reported to the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System after the release of the Covid-19 vaccines. Walensky and Califf — along with other public health experts — said Ladapo’s interpretation of the information in the system was flawed, noting that reported adverse events don’t necessarily mean the vaccine caused the event and the adverse event rates need to be compared to the background rates of the general population. “Focusing on adverse events in the absence of causal association and without the perspective of countervailing benefits is a great disservice to both individuals and public health,” they wrote. “Not only is there no evidence of increased risk of death following mRNA vaccines, but available data have shown quite the opposite: that being up to date on vaccinations saves lives compared to individuals who did not get vaccinated.”
| | | NEW COMMS HEAD FOR PHRMA — Robert Zirkelbach is heading back to Big Pharma. He’s returning to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to lead its public affairs operation, the industry group confirmed to POLITICO’s Megan R. Wilson. Zirkelbach’s title is executive vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives, the same role he held for more than six years until he left in mid-2020 to lead ExxonMobil’s global issues and advocacy shop. What’s next: PhRMA is working to beef up its public image in the wake of the drug industry’s massive Inflation Reduction Act loss. Over the last few months, the group has lost two members — AbbVie and Teva Pharmaceuticals — and is now working to score big policy wins.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | GOP WANTS TO END FLORIDA’S ABORTION-HAVEN STATUS — Thousands of people have traveled to Florida from as far away as Texas to end their pregnancies since the Supreme Court dismantled Roe v. Wade in June — and Republicans want to put a stop to it, POLITICO’S Arek Sarkissian reports. Florida Republicans, who hold supermajorities in the legislature, proposed a ban last week on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — or two weeks after someone misses their period. With Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support, its passage is almost guaranteed. What’s at stake: Last year, Florida banned people from getting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest, but the law is still much less restrictive than other states across the South. Since the Supreme Court’s decision, roughly 4,000 people have traveled to Florida for abortions, including from Texas and Alabama, where abortion is outlawed at any stage of pregnancy with some narrow exceptions when a patient’s life is in danger.
| | | ADVOCATE: BIDEN BUDGET PUTS AID AT RISK — Chip Lyons, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, said President Joe Biden’s proposed fiscal 2024 budget “put the hard-won gains in the global HIV response at risk,” POLITICO’s Carmen Paun reports. Lyons pointed to Biden’s proposal to reduce funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief by $25 million compared with the amount enacted in 2023. Backstory: PEPFAR is the U.S. flagship program providing HIV treatment to countries with the highest number of HIV cases and is up for reauthorization this year. Congress will have its say in how much funding is enacted. While Biden’s requested cut is less than 1 percent of the $4.7 billion spent in 2023, the proposed reduction angered global health activists who expect the Biden administration to continue championing a program that enjoys bipartisan support and has helped reduce the number of people dying from HIV in some of the poorest countries.
| | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance:   | | | | | | Phillip Jerez, who served as political director for Charlie Crist’s campaign for governor, has been hired as the deputy director of engagement for Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Kevin Munoz, the assistant White House press secretary who has worked on Covid-19, is leaving his position later this month, according to CNN. McGuireWoods Consulting is adding to its Raleigh, N.C., office: Dave Richard and Amanda Falkenbury. Richard previously led the Medicaid and NC Health Choice programs for the state. Falkenbury comes from a state-focused lobbying firm she founded, 12th State Strategies.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | Experts warn that covering new weight-loss drugs could strain Medicare, STAT reports. A Texas judge has delayed the public notice of the abortion pill hearing, The Washington Post reports. Residents living near the Ohio train derailment are still experiencing worrying health problems, The Associated Press writes. Could a single national medical license end Canada’s shortage of doctors? The New York Times reports.
| | A message from Better Medicare Alliance: If proposed changes to risk adjustment in Medicare Advantage are rushed through, 30 million seniors could see unintended consequences. Low-income and chronically ill seniors could be disproportionally impacted, especially those with conditions such as diabetes and depression. Tell the White House to slow down and protect the 30 million seniors who count on Medicare Advantage. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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