Antivaxxer Got Measles and Might Have Spread It

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

Melody Schreiber at The Guardian:

One of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the US says he caught measles in west Texas and traveled back home – but he seems not to have alerted local authorities of his illness, which means the highly transmissible virus may have spread onward.

...

 Brian Hooker, chief scientific officer of Children’s Health Defense, filmed an interview in west Texas in March with the parents of the six-year-old child who died from measles – the first measles death in the US in a decade.

The video promoted several dangerous myths about the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, a virus that can be deadly and can cause lifelong harm.

Hooker and Polly Tommey, an anti-vaccine film-maker with Children’s Health Defense, also interviewed other Mennonite families in west Texas. And they visited the medical office of Ben Edwards while patients and Edwards himself had symptomatic measles, they said.

Hooker then traveled home to Redding, California, and developed measles symptoms, he said.

“Full disclosure, 18 days after visiting Seminole, Texas, sitting in a measles clinic and being exposed to Doctor Ben with the measles, I got the measles. So cool,” Hooker said
...

Hooker is a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine community. He testified on Tuesday before a US Senate committee in its first-ever “vaccine injury” hearing, attempting to link MMR vaccination to autism – despite numerous studies showing no relationship.

Medicaid Cuts and People with Disabilities

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance and Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are particularly important. Congress has voted to slash Medicaid.

Maggie Astor at NYT:

Federal law deems most home- and community-based services as optional, so they are often targeted when states have to tighten their belts. When temporary Great Recession increases in Medicaid funding expired in the early 2010s, for example, every state reduced home care by limiting enrollment or lowering spending on existing recipients.

...

Health care experts anticipate cuts to home- and community-based care in some states because the new law limits provider taxes. Almost every state taxes hospitals, then uses the revenue to pay the hospitals for treating Medicaid patients. That increases Medicaid spending on paper and triggers more federal matching funds, which states use to cover various Medicaid services.

The 22 affected states where provider taxes are higher than the new law’s cap — 3.5 percent of net patient revenue — will lose federal money. The White House argued that this would not affect home- and community-based care because states could make up the difference by paying hospitals less for Medicaid services, reducing the rates to match those of its sister program, Medicare.

Experts said the White House’s argument was unrealistic. Not all states pay higher prices for Medicaid than for Medicare, and even for those that do, the numbers don’t add up, Dr. [Benjamin] Sommers said. Many states will have to find money somewhere else, too, and each state will have to choose whether that somewhere is home- and community-based care or another part of their budget.

...

Reductions could come in several forms. States could place further restrictions on who qualifies for coverage, cover fewer hours of care or lower pay for home health workers. Or they could eliminate waiver programs altogether. Even at existing funding levels, hundreds of thousands of people are on waiting lists for waivers, and those lines could get longer.

Measles Elimination Status

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 Another leading anti-vaxxer is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.  He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He is now Trump's Secretary of HHS. 

Nina Golgowski at HuffPost:

The U.S. has reported more measles cases in the first half of this year than in any full year since 1992, raising concerns that the country could lose its measles elimination status and undo a 25-year public health victory amid declining vaccine rates.

But exactly what does that risk mean and how close is it to really happening?

For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.

The World Health Organization sets the criteria for elimination status, requiring a country — or defined geographical area — to go at least 12 months without continuous domestic transmission of a virus. That means any new outbreaks during that time must come from people who contracted the virus from outside, not inside, the U.S.

Under that criteria, the U.S. has until January to eliminate the nation’s current outbreaks, which is a year after cases started domestically in Texas, according to epidemiology experts. If it doesn’t, the U.S.’s measles elimination status could be taken away.

“It could be more impactful than a lot of Americans think about since we have had measles elimination status for so long,” Brittany Kmush, associate professor and graduate director of Syracuse University’s Public Health Department, told HuffPost.

“It could affect U.S. citizens’ ability to travel to specific countries if they don’t want the risk of measles getting introduced to their country. It could affect other people’s ability to come visit the U.S. Other countries might require proof of measles vaccination before they can reenter their home country,” she said.

There could also be increased quarantine and isolation requirements, with potential economic fallout, she said.

Placards and Invisible Disabilities

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families -- as well as efforts to mitigate them.   One challenge is that autism is an "invisible disability," which does not have obvious physical markers.  

From the California DMV:

DMV Legal Affairs Division (LAD) determined that non-physical, mental, and developmental disabilities, such as autism or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may substantially impair or interfere with mobility and are eligible for a DP placard. However, these disabilities require the medical provider to certify the disability substantially impairs or interferes with mobility.

Descriptions that only contain abbreviations (such as, R60.9) or only list symptoms (such as, trouble walking) require further explanation.

Examples of acceptable descriptions include, but are not limited to:Parkinson’s disease

• Arthritis of ankle and foot
• Congestive heart failure
• Diabetes mellitus with peripheral vascular disease
• Autism
• PTSD

Politics Girl (Leigh McGowan):

Here’s how you tell if someone is disabled or not… pic.twitter.com/hPJ1L0Ferx

— PoliticsGirl (@IAmPoliticsGirl) July 18, 2025

Autism Family Caregivers Act

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families.

A June 26 press release from Rep. Dave Min (D-CA):

Today, Representative Dave Min (CA-47), alongside Grace Meng (NY-06) Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Maria Salazar (FL-27), introduced bipartisan legislation to provide skills training for parents and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities. The bill would establish a pilot program to award grants to nonprofits, community health centers, and hospitals to provide evidence-based caregiver skills training to family caregivers of children with these conditions.

“Roughly one in thirty one children are diagnosed with autism in America,” said Rep. Min. “We need to provide parents with the tools and support to empower their children’s growth and development. Caregiver skill training is proven to help children with special needs flourish. We owe it to our kids to provide them with the resources they need to thrive.”

“Too many families navigating autism face the journey without the guidance and support they deserve. The Autism Family Caregivers Act takes direct action—delivering practical training through local organizations to help caregivers build skills, reduce stress, and improve outcomes for their children. I’ve been working with families and advocates across our PA-1 community who’ve made one thing clear: if we want better results, we have to better equip those doing the work at home. This bill answers that call—and I’m committed to driving it forward,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick.

“Children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities deserve to have all the tools they need to reach their full potential in life,” said Rep. Grace Meng. “In order to make that possible, we must make sure caregivers are equipped with the training and support to provide the level of assistance each child needs. This bipartisan bill demonstrates our commitment in Congress to the dedicated caregivers who are giving endless amounts of time and energy toward helping their loved ones live full and complete lives. I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this important bill.”

“I'm pleased to co-lead the Autism Family Caregivers Act, important bipartisan legislation providing essential skills training to family caregivers of children with autism and developmental disabilities,” said Rep. Bacon. “This five-year pilot program will award grants to community organizations nationwide. Through evidence-based training, we'll help families better support their loved ones with improved communication, daily living skills, and behavior management.”

As Co-Chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, I am committed to empowering caregivers that serve children with autism,” said Rep. Cuellar. “I applaud my colleagues for working across the aisle to help introduce the bipartisan Autism Family Caregivers Act. This bill will train family caregivers using existing medical facilities and organizations to help improve the well-being of children with autism and developmental disabilities.”

“I’m proud to co-lead the Autism Family Caregivers Act, bipartisan legislation delivering essential support directly to the families who need it most,” said Rep. María Elvira Salazar. “This pilot program equips caregivers in Florida’s 27th district and nationwide with critical skills to care for loved ones with autism and developmental disabilities. Strong caregivers build resilient families, and resilient families strengthen America.”

“We’re grateful to Representatives David Min, Grace Meng, Brian Fitzpatrick, Henry Cuellar, Don Bacon, and Maria Salazar for reintroducing this important legislation,” said Keith Wargo, President & CEO of Autism Speaks. “Families have told us time and again how critical caregiver support and training are to their children’s growth and well-being. The Autism Family Caregivers Act responds to that need—bringing evidence-based skills training into communities across the country and helping to address disparities in access to care. Empowering caregivers ultimately means empowering autistic people to thrive.”

“Easterseals Southern California strongly supports the Autism Family Caregivers Act of 2025,” said Dr. Paula Pompa-Craven, Chief Clinical Officer of Easterseals Southern California. As one of the largest autism therapy service providers in the US, we see how caregiver training significantly improves the well-being of autistic children and their families. There are few evidence-based and demonstrated caregiver training programs, and the demand for training far surpasses the supply of resources. We are confident the benefits of autism family caregivers training will improve the lives of the children, families and communities where they reside. We support this bipartisan bill and applaud the cosponsors for addressing this healthcare void.”

“As a leading nonprofit organization with 25 years of experience serving Korean American families of children with Autism and related developmental disabilities, we wholeheartedly support Autism Family Caregiver Act of 2025," said Dr. Hyun Park, M.D. with the Korean Special Education Center (KASEC). “Through our work, we have seen firsthand many challenges of raising a child with disability and the importance of teaching culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies to improve wellbeing of children with developmental disability and their caregivers. This experience has reinforced our strong belief in the importance of caregiver training, making us especially excited about this bill’s potential to empower families, equip caregivers with essential skills, and create a lasting positive impact on children with autism and their communities.”

This bill is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Autism Speaks, Autism Society, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Chinese American Association for the Autistic Community, Community Inclusion & Development Alliance, Easterseals of Southern California, Easterseals, Inc., Family Voices, Korean American Special Education Center, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and The Arc.

The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Grace Meng (NY-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Don Bacon (NE-02), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Lou Correa (CA-46), David Valadao (CA-22), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Eleanor Norton Holmes (DC-AL), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), John Mannion (NY-22), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), and Robert Garcia (CA-42).

Bill text can be found here.

Slowing Civil Rights Enforcement

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the civil rights of people with autism and other disabilities. 

At AP, Collin Binkley reports on civil rights enforcement at the Department of Education. McMahon says personnel cuts have not slowed it down.  

By several measures, however, the output of the Office for Civil Rights appears to have fallen sharply in comparison with previous years. A public database of the office’s resolution agreements — cases in which schools or universities voluntarily agreed to address civil rights concerns — suggests the office’s work has slowed.

The database lists just 65 resolutions so far this year, on pace to fall far below previous years’ totals. Last year the office logged 380 resolutions in total, following 561 in 2023. During President Donald Trump’s first term, the office averaged more than 800 resolutions a year, including 1,300 during his first year in office.

Other internal data obtained by The Associated Press show a similar trend. Since Trump took office, the total number of resolved cases is down about 40% from the same time frame last year — including cases that were dismissed, mediated or reached a voluntary resolution. Compared with last year, there also has been a 70% decrease in the number of cases resolved through resolution agreements or action taken by a school to comply with federal law, the internal data shows.

Meanwhile, new complaints have increased 9%. The total number of cases has now climbed beyond 25,000.

...

Adrienne Hazel filed a complaint in April after her 20-year-old son Ricky, who has autism, was placed in a public school program without a certified teacher and was not given an individual learning plan. Hazel, of Southfield, Michigan, has not heard from the federal office after receiving an automatic reply when she filed the complaint.

Things moved faster last year when Hazel filed a separate complaint for her son. The office notified Ricky’s school, which Hazel says spurred the district to reach an agreement with her within about three months. This time, she said, it feels like she’s on her own.

“There has been zero response to this,” she said. “He’s basically going into a babysitting situation. He’s not getting the things that he needs to grow into independence. And he’ll just be aging without getting an education.”

Marcie Lipsitt, a special education advocate in Michigan who worked with Hazel, said such stories are common. She helps families file complaints but warns it could take at least a year before an investigation opens. Some schools have backtracked on previous agreements, she said, yet parents can’t get a response from the federal office.

“It’s horrible. I’m watching children suffer like they’ve never suffered,” she said. “There is no accountability.”

RFK, Vaccines, Measles

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 Another leading anti-vaxxer is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.  He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He is now Trump's Secretary of HHS. 

 Jonathan Corum and Teddy Rosenbluth at NYT:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,309 measles cases as of Tuesday, the highest number of annual cases since the United States declared measles eliminated in 2000.

That number includes 1,151 cases related to measles outbreaks and 158 isolated cases, typically linked to international travel.

With six months left in the year, the country has surpassed the case count from 2019 — the worst year until now — when measles infected 1,274 people around the country, including large outbreaks in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York.

Teddy Rosenbluth at NYT:

Dr. Stacey Bartell wanted to offer vaccines to her patients. But at her small family medicine practice in a Detroit suburb, she could not find a way to make the finances work.

...

So a few weeks ago, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, claimed in an interview with Tucker Carlson that vaccine profits created “perverse incentives” for pediatricians to push immunizations, Dr. Bartell was confused.

Doctors widely consider vaccines to be a money pit. Research shows that most pediatricians either break even or lose money on shots. One 2017 study found that nearly a quarter of family medicine providers and 12 percent of pediatricians stopped purchasing vaccines because of prohibitive costs.

To many experts, suggesting otherwise not only ignored that data, but also sent a dangerous message: that patients should doubt their doctor’s motives in recommending vaccines.

“This idea that we vaccinate kids to make money honestly is misleading and dangerous,” said Dr. David Higgins, a pediatrician and preventive medicine expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

 Patricia Callahan at Pro Publica:

Five months after taking over the federal agency responsible for the health of all Americans, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to overhaul an obscure but vital program that underpins the nation’s childhood immunization system.

Depending on what he does, the results could be catastrophic.

In his crosshairs is the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a system designed to provide fair and quick payouts for people who suffer rare but serious side effects from shots — without having to prove that drugmakers were negligent. Congress created the program in the 1980s when lawsuits drove vaccine makers from the market. A special tax on immunizations funds the awards, and manufacturers benefit from legal protections that make it harder to win big-money verdicts against them in civil courts.

Kennedy, who founded an anti-vaccination group and previously accused the pharmaceutical industry of inflicting “unnecessary and risky vaccines” on children for profits, has long argued that the program removes any incentive for the industry to make safe products.

In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Kennedy condemned what he called corruption in the program and said he had assigned a team to overhaul it and expand who could seek compensation. He didn’t detail his plans but did repeat the long-debunked claim that vaccines cause autism and suggested, without citing any evidence, that shots could also be responsible for a litany of chronic ailments, from diabetes to narcolepsy.

 

Funding Autism CARES

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the congressional role in the issue.

KELLY HOOPER and SOPHIE GARDNER at POLITICO:

Advocates from the group Autism Speaks will head to the Capitol today to urge lawmakers to fund recently reauthorized research and service programs in the wake of the GOP megabill’s steep Medicaid cuts.

While the group will acknowledge their concerns about how those cuts could impact autism programs in the states, it plans to focus on the annual appropriations process “since that’s the next thing up, and something that we want to try to ensure that we’re at least maintaining the levels of funding for those programs,” David Sitcovsky, Autism Speaks’ vice president of advocacy, told Lauren.

Congress reauthorized the Autism CARES Act in December, which Autism Speaks says is the primary federal funding source for monitoring, research, services and training programs in the autism community. The law’s programs are spread across the CDC, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the NIH.

The group plans to underscore in their meetings that autism is a lifelong condition — not just a childhood disorder, as often emphasized by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — for which many people need support as they age.

“It seems like most [of the] conversation about autism has been framed around childhood, and and I think what were really trying to do … is to remind people that [it’s a] lifelong issue, and there are many adults who need better understanding and supportive services now,” said Dr. Andy Shih, Autism Speaks’ chief science officer.

Study: No Link Between Aluminum and Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 Another leading anti-vaxxer is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.  He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He is now Trump's Secretary of HHS. 

Kaitlin Sullivan at NBC:

Aluminum in childhood vaccines is a target of vaccine skeptics, who blame the ingredient on myriad health concerns. But a study of more than 1 million people, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found no link between aluminum in vaccines and an increased risk of 50 chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and autism.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spread vaccine misinformation for years, said on a podcast in 2024 that aluminum in vaccines is “extremely neurotoxic.” (An HHS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.)

Senior study author Anders Hviid said that, as a parent, he understood the concerns about vaccine safety.

“Our study addresses many of these concerns and provides clear and robust evidence for the safety of childhood vaccines. This is evidence that parents need to make the best choices for the health of their children,” said Hviid, who is a professor and the head of epidemiology research at Statens Serum Institut, a sector of the Danish Ministry of Health focused on combating and preventing infectious diseases.

 Aluminum-Adsorbed Vaccines and Chronic Diseases in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort StudyFREE

Auhors: Niklas Worm Andersson, MD, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7622-6303, Ingrid Bech Svalgaard, MSc, Stine Skovbo Hoffmann, MD, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3983-2264, and Anders Hviid, MSc, DMSc https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7509-9127Author, Article, & Disclosure Information

Publication: Annals of Internal Medicine

Abstract

Background: Aluminum is used as an adjuvant in nonlive vaccines administered in early childhood. Concerns persist about potential associations between vaccination with aluminum-adsorbed vaccines and increased risk for chronic autoimmunity, atopy or allergy, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Large-scale safety data remain limited.

Objective: To assess the association between cumulative aluminum exposure from early childhood vaccination and risk for autoimmune, atopic or allergic, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Design: A cohort study linking nationwide registry data on childhood vaccinations, outcome diagnoses, and potential confounders, leveraging the variations in the aluminum content of childhood vaccines over time.

Setting: Denmark, 1997 to 2020.

Participants: 1 224 176 children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018 who were alive and residing in the country at age 2 years.

Intervention: Cumulative aluminum amount received (per 1-mg increase) through vaccination during the first 2 years of life.

Measurements: Incident events of 50 chronic disorders, including autoimmune (dermatologic, endocrinologic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, and rheumatic), atopic or allergic (asthma, atopic dermatitis, rhinoconjunctivitis, and allergy), and neurodevelopmental (autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder).

Results: Cumulative aluminum exposure from vaccination during the first 2 years of life was not associated with increased rates of any of the 50 disorders assessed. For groups of combined outcomes, adjusted hazard ratios per 1-mg increase in aluminum exposure were 0.98 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.02) for any autoimmune disorder, 0.99 (CI, 0.98 to 1.01) for any atopic or allergic disorder, and 0.93 (CI, 0.90 to 0.97) for any neurodevelopmental disorder. For most individually analyzed outcomes, the upper bounds of the 95% CIs were incompatible with relative increases greater than 10% or 30%.

Limitation: Individual medical records were not reviewed.

Conclusion: This nationwide cohort study did not find evidence supporting an increased risk for autoimmune, atopic or allergic, or neurodevelopmental disorders associated with early childhood exposure to aluminum-adsorbed vaccines. For most outcomes, the findings were inconsistent with moderate to large relative increases in risk, although small relative effects, particularly for some rarer disorders, could not be statistically excluded.

Medicaid Cuts and HCBS

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance and Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are particularly important. Congress has voted  to slash Medicaid.

Dr. Zachary Rossetti at The Fulcrum:

Mandatory services, which are required by law, consist of healthcare services like doctor visits, medical care in hospitals, and long-term services and supports that are provided in nursing homes or institutions. Non-mandatory services, which are optional and vary by state, consist of dental care, some therapies, and most home- and community-based services (HCBS) provided through Medicaid waiver programs.

Many non-mandatory services are lifelines to individuals with IDD and autism to remain in their communities, allowing them to live safely and with dignity in their own homes and to engage meaningfully in lives of their choosing. Although they are labeled “non-mandatory,” these supports are absolutely critical for people with IDD and their families. Yet, because they are optional, non-mandatory services are most likely to be affected by any cuts to Medicaid. Mandatory services, meanwhile, are required by law and thus less likely to be affected by cuts to Medicaid. As a result, families may have no other options besides institutional care.

Additionally, many individuals with IDD and autism gained access to healthcare through the Affordable Care Act’s option for states to expand Medicaid coverage. But proposed cuts to Medicaid in the reconciliation bill would be more likely to affect those with Medicaid expansion coverage because the federal government covers 90% of costs for Medicaid expansion compared to 50% for traditional Medicaid. This would hit especially hard in states like Massachusetts where long waitlists already limit access to home- and community-based care.

Nationally, the best available data indicate over 700,000 people across 38 states are on waiting lists for home- and community-based care. Any cuts to Medicaid would mean that even fewer people with IDD and autism receive the services they need.

Some States Have Ended the Subminimum Wage

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum. Trump's Labor Department withdrew a proposed rule that would have ended the subminimum wage nationwide.

USGAO:

In the last 10 years, 16 states have eliminated subminimum wage employment. And legislation to eliminate this type of employment nationwide has been proposed several times. Ending subminimum wage employment can be part of a shift to integrate people with disabilities into competitive work environments. In these settings, workers can earn wages at or above the federal minimum and work alongside those without disabilities.

States That Have Enacted Legislation Eliminating 14(c) Certificates as of January 2025 

Education Funding Pause

In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

Mark Lieberman at Education Week:

School districts, state leaders, and education experts continue to sound the alarm that the Trump administration’s hold on $6.8 billion in federal funds Congress already allocated for education will disproportionately harm students from low-income families, students with disabilities, and English learners.

The Trump administration notified states last week that seven federal education programs are currently under “ongoing programmatic review” despite a July 1 disbursement date enshrined in federal law.

The federal government distributes money for those programs using formulas that prioritize school districts with high concentrations of poverty.

...

The Trump administration sent the first of two scheduled installments of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funds ($15.8 billion in total) to every state as scheduled on July 1. But that doesn’t mean students with disabilities will be unaffected by federal funding changes.

Out of 5.3 million English learners nationwide, roughly 16%, or 837,000, also qualify for special education services. Some students who qualify for migrant education services or attend federally funded before- and after-school programs also have disabilities. Both could experience disrupted services as federal funding streams dry up more quickly than districts expected.

Many special education directors rely on Title IV-A funds in tandem with IDEA funds to provide mental health support and other health services for students with disabilities, said Myrna Mandlawitz, policy and legislative consultant for the Council of Administrators of Special Education.

The cancellation of that program has been particularly confounding, Mandlawitz said, because it’s a block-grant program just like the one the Trump administration has proposed in an effort to consolidate 18 separate federal funding streams.

“That is a flexible pot of $1.3 billion already allocated for school districts that they can use in a variety of ways,” Mandlawitz said. “To say you’re not going to give that money out makes absolutely no sense given their philosophy” on flexibility for states to spend education funds as they see fit

Measles Update

This month marks the 20th anniversary of  RFK Jr.'s infamous article "Deadly Immunity," which spread the lie that vaccines cause autism.    He is now HHS secretary and reaping the whirlwind of his vile dishonesty.

Tim Henderson at Statelline:

Measles cases have surpassed a recent 2019 record to reach the highest level since 1992, with at least 1,289 cases reported in 39 states.

The milestone comes as health officials are increasingly alarmed by vaccine skepticism gaining a voice in the Trump Administration’s Health and Human Services Administration under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Pediatricians and public health associations filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging a May directive by Kennedy, claiming it “creates barriers” to vaccination for pregnant women and young children.
...
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that there were 1,288 cases in 38 states, surpassing the 2019 level of 1,274. South Carolina later reported its own first case of the year, an unvaccinated international traveler in the northwestern Upstate area of the state.

Wyoming reported its first measles case since 2010 on July 1, an unvaccinated child in Natrona County.

Other states recently joining the list: North Carolina reported its first case of the year June 24, in a child visiting Forsyth and Guilford counties from another country. And Oregon reported a case the same day for a person identified only as an unvaccinated international traveler sickened in June after returning to the Portland area.

From the lawsuit:

The Wakefield study ignited a wave of vaccine hesitancy and skepticism in the 21st century. In 2005, before he became Secretary, Mr. Kennedy published an article falsely linking thimerosal to autism40 Like Wakefield’s article, Mr. Kennedy’s article contained numerous errors and was retracted.

Because of his name and profile, Mr. Kennedy has been instrumental in increasing the levels of vaccine hesitancy and skepticism in this country. Before he was Secretary, Mr. Kennedy made opposing vaccines a central part of his public identity. During his confirmation hearing, Congress recognized Mr. Kennedy’s outsized role in creating vaccine hesitancy and skepticism in this country as evidenced by the Committee’s following question to him: “You advocate for medical practices that blatantly contradict scientific consensus and spread lifethreatening information. Will you commit to decision-making based on credible, peer-reviewed research, and acknowledge the danger of promoting unfounded theories?” Although Mr. Kennedy answered “yes” to this question,42 his actions as Secretary belie his answer