This Week’s Healthcare News — And What It Means for Breast Cancer
Updated on April 4, 2025
Since President Donald Trump was sworn in earlier this year, he has signed dozens of executive orders, while his administration has implemented changes that have upended the federal government. Cuts to the federal workforce, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are estimated to affect at least 13 percent of the 2.4 million civilian federal workers, though that number could continue to climb. And most recently, the U.S. health infrastructure is under attack following the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The changes are so drastic and so frequent that they can be hard to follow — or to see how they connect to breast cancer care. But many do. The U.S. cancer care infrastructure is made up of thousands of people working in research, drug development, communications, drug approvals, and regulation. Here are five things to know about that happened this week — and how they could affect breast cancer care.
HHS fires thousands of federal health agency workers
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration fired 10,000 federal workers from U.S. health agencies on Tuesday, April 1, as part of RFK Jr.’s plan to reduce and reshape the federal public health infrastructure. The restructuring aims to reduce the 28 divisions of HHS to just 15. The affected agencies include:
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): 3,500 jobs; also, top FDA vaccine official Peter Marks, MD, PhD, resigned
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 2,400 jobs
the National Institutes of Health (NIH): 1,200 jobs, including directors of five NIH institutes, staff who communicate with the public, and officials who guide what diseases and medicines to focus on
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): 300 jobs
How this may affect breast cancer care: Cuts to the FDA staff— which oversees clinical trials and regulates and approves medicines — are likely to affect approvals for new cancer drugs, while cuts to the NIH could stall cancer research, both at the NIH and at universities. Funding freezes at the NIH have already started to affect breast cancer drugs. Staff cuts at the CMS, which is already at risk of losing federal funding, could affect people with breast cancer who rely on Medicaid for support.
Where it stands: On Thursday, April 3, RFK Jr. told ABC News that 20% of the firings were "mistakes" and will be reversed.
Measles continues to spread, worrying public health researchers
The measles outbreak, which began in West Texas in January, continued to spread across Texas and into other U.S. states, including Kansas, Ohio, and Oklahoma, this week. One public health researcher worries the outbreaks will impact the immune systems of vaccinated individuals.
How this may affect breast cancer care: Some research shows that a case of measles can affect immunity from other bacterial and viral infections, making a case of measles potentially dangerous for people with already weakened immune systems — like those undergoing chemotherapy or other treatments for breast cancer.
Where it stands: The highly transmissible virus continues to spread throughout the country, even while some vaccination programs, including one in Texas schools, have been defunded by recent cuts.
Assault on academic research continues
Universities rely heavily on federal grants to support research projects and operations. Recently, the Trump administration has begun pulling federal grants from universities, ostensibly over their handling of student protests last year and other policies like diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. In early March, the administration pulled $400 million in funding to Columbia University. The latest targeted universities: Harvard, Princeton, and Brown.
In related news, the NIH — a major funder of biomedical research in the U.S. — continues to halt funding for research projects at universities. Trump officials recently began screening funding notices from NIH to ensure they line up with the Trump administration’s agenda.
How this may affect breast cancer care: Academic research has been crucial to advancing cancer care and treatment, from developing possible new cancer drugs to understanding barriers to care to studying risk factors. At Columbia University, at least 180 NIH research grants that fund research for cancer, health inequalities, LGBTQ+ healthcare, drug abuse, obesity and more have already been cancelled.
Where it stands: The cuts to research have been met with widespread condemnation from health researchers and providers, including 2,000 scientists — all elected members of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — who signed an open letter this week calling on the administration to “cease its wholesale assault on U.S. science.”
Trump administration pulls COVID-19 public health funding
On March 25, the CDC pulled $11.4 billion in funds from state and local public health departments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money had been used for COVID-19 testing and vaccination, among other things. The HHS explained in a statement that the funding is no longer needed because “the COVID-19 pandemic is over.” However, Americans continue to be infected and die from COVID-19.
How this may affect breast cancer care: Widespread vaccination and testing for COVID-19 can keep infection levels down, more broadly, while individual vaccination can lessen the severity of infections — particularly important for people who are immunocompromised. The more barriers there are to vaccination and testing, the higher the risks of infection and serious illness.
Where it stands: On Tuesday, a group of attorneys general from 23 states sued the administration in federal court, arguing the cuts are illegal. On Thursday, a federal judge blocked the cuts, for now.
Trump administration freezes federal funding for Title X family planning programs
Nine state affiliates of Planned Parenthood received notices this week that funding for their family programs are being “temporarily withheld” because of possible violations to Trump’s executive orders. The programs rely on Title X funding, a federally funded program that provides a broad range of family planning and preventative health services — including cancer screenings, contraception, infertility services, and testing for sexually transmitted infections — for people from low-income households. Planned Parenthood is one of the largest Title X providers, though other providers of family planning services are also impacted by these cuts.
How this may affect breast cancer care: Some Planned Parenthood locations offer breast exams and support for breast cancer screenings (such as providing referrals or hosting mobile mammography clinics), and many people with a breast cancer diagnosis may rely on Planned Parenthood for services like accessing birth control during treatment or planning for pregnancy after breast cancer. These cuts to funding are likely to affect people from lower-income households who may already have trouble affording other necessary healthcare.
Where it stands: On Thursday, 162 House Democrats sent a letter to HHS Secretary RFK Jr. urging him to restore the funding.
What you can do if you’re concerned
Here are a few actions you can take:
To easily find your current elected officials (at the federal, state, and local levels) and their contact info, use Common Cause’s Find Your Representatives tool.
5calls.org also makes it easy to find the phone numbers for your members of Congress and provides scripts of what to say about particular issues.
Triage Cancer offers a guide to cancer legislative advocacy that includes tips on communicating with your elected officials. In addition, you can watch their recent webinar about post-election advocacy at the federal and state levels.
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, and the National Breast Cancer Coalition also have many ongoing advocacy opportunities if you’re interested in improving the health care system for people affected by cancer.
The most important thing to do is, of course, take care of yourself and stay connected to those you love as much as possible. This is always true, but in this case, self-care can also be a powerful tool for resistance. Even if you don’t have the energy to make calls or engage, staying as healthy and hopeful as possible can have profound ripple effects for those around you. Breastcancer.org has free virtual support groups where you can find community and share your feelings and experiences with others facing breast cancer.