Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Suspension Of Accelerated H-1B Visa Program Leaves Hospitals Scrambling To Secure Entry For Foreign Residents
[For] some of the 3,814 non-US citizens who graduated from foreign schools and who聽won coveted residencies in the United States, it鈥檚聽unclear whether they鈥檒l be able to start work on time in the summer. That鈥檚 because a program that allows employers to fast-track H-1B visa applications for their employees has been suspended as of Monday. US immigration officials announced the change just a month ago 鈥 and Match Day, when new residents learn where they will be placed was March 17 鈥 leaving some hospitals rushing to figure out who needed this kind of visa and to apply before 鈥減remium processing鈥 would聽no longer be an option. (Boodman, 4/3)
The Trump administration鈥檚 proposal to slice nearly $6 billion from the $32 billion budget of the National Institutes of Health was met with a near universal outcry from researchers, patient advocates and, most importantly, Republican appropriators.聽But one lawmaker in particular defended the idea: Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican and former physician whose name was previously floated as NIH director...But Harris 鈥 a member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that controls NIH funding 鈥 has a proposal to trim the NIH budget that could gain traction as lawmakers look at belt-tightening options across the government. (Siddons, 4/3)
Kellyanne Conway received almost $13,000 for a recent consulting arrangement with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a group playing a central role in organizing the upcoming March for Science in Washington. Financial disclosure forms released Friday evening by the White House showed that Conway, a senior counselor to President Trump, made thousands of dollars in the past year from a number of consulting arrangements, including jobs with advocacy organizations that oppose abortion and with the trade group that represents dietary supplements and over-the-counter medications. (Facher, 4/1)