Trump Policies Deepen 3 U.S. Crises as Agencies Face $11.4 Billion Health Cut

Q: Who ensures national voting system standards are met after the federal election commission's leadership was removed?

The body responsible is still the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, but with its commissioners removed, the practical work falls to the EAC’s executive director and career staff under existing rules. Those staff can continue routine testing and certification of voting systems against standards already in place, including the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. That means they can keep administering the current certification program and work with accredited testing labs so equipment can still be checked against previously adopted federal standards. What they cannot do without commissioners is take official new action. The EAC cannot update voting system standards, approve new guidelines, or make major policy decisions until new commissioners are nominated and confirmed. Because the commission needs a quorum to act, its ability to change or strengthen national standards is effectively frozen. In practice, states and local election officials still run elections and decide what systems to buy or use, often relying on EAC certification. So day-to-day compliance with existing national standards can continue through EAC staff and state election administrators, but no one currently has full authority to revise those federal standards until the commission is reconstituted.

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 19

A convergence of three U.S. crises—disease outbreaks, election security risks and environmental threats—has intensified as the Trump administration cuts staff, funding and regulatory protections.
$11.4 billion in state and local public-health funding was cut last year, slowing disease tracking as a five-state cyclospora outbreak linked to Taco Bell lettuce may continue through August and measles cases head toward another record.
Election defenses have also been weakened: CISA lost about a third of its workforce and faces a proposed $707 million budget cut, while the FBI has lost as many as 2,800 agents since January 2025.
Environmental safeguards have been rolled back as the administration repealed the 2009 endangerment finding, pulled the U.S. from key global climate bodies and elevated a climate-science critic to oversee the flagship national climate report.
Taken together, the moves leave the federal government less able to detect, prevent and respond to outbreaks, foreign meddling and climate-driven disasters even as those risks grow.

Sources

Left100%

The Guardian18h ago

Trump Administration Policies Exacerbate US Crises: Disease, Election Security, Environment

The Guardian1d ago

Trump's deep public health cuts hinder response to record US cyclosporiasis outbreak | Health | The Guardian

How will communities know their air and food are safe as federal health and environmental monitoring is scaled back?

Who ensures national voting system standards are met after the federal election commission's leadership was removed?

Deep Cuts, Disrupted Care: The 2026 Trump Health Budget’s $11.4 Billion Rollback and Its Impact on Public Health and Research

Overview

The Trump administration's 2026 health budget proposed a 26.2% cut to the Department of Health and Human Services and an $11.4 billion rollback of COVID-19 and public health funds. These deep reductions targeted key agencies like the CDC and NIH, along with a sweeping reorganization of HHS, including the creation of the Administration for a Healthy America and integration of programs for older adults and people with disabilities. Cuts to HHS programs, especially those supporting cancer research, raised concerns that progress in reducing cancer death rates would be reversed, leading to increased suffering, mortality, and significant job losses across key agencies.

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