ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Donald Trump signed about 40 executive orders or other types of “presidential actions” on January 20. Here are a few to watch from a medtech perspective.
- Reducing the federal workforce: Trump signed multiple orders that could have significant implications for the federal workforce including at agencies like FDA and CMS. In particular, he instituted a federal government hiring freeze that bars departments from filling vacancies, with some exceptions for at least the next 90 days. By then, the Office of Management and Budget is expected to submit a plan to “reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition.” A separate executive order seeks to reform the federal hiring process, by prioritizing individuals who are “committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution” and preventing hiring based on race, sex, or religion. The new president also signed an order officially establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which, as previously reported, will be led by Elon Musk.
- Back to the office: In another action, Trump ordered federal employees working remotely to return to the office full time. This might be a positive for some device companies that have complained that too many FDA reviewers are working from home, including many inexperienced reviewers who don’t have the benefit of nearby experienced colleagues when not in the office. “It's one thing if you're a seasoned reviewer and you’ve seen a 510(k) or PMA and now you're working remotely versus someone who's never seen a 510(k) or PMA and coming on board while working from home,” Mark Leahey, president and CEO of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, told us last year.
- Top-down ‘accountability’: He also signed two actions intended to give the president and political leadership more leeway to hire and fire career “senior executive service” officials and other “policy-influencing” positions.
- AI order rescinded: On his first day in office, the new president rescinded almost 80 executive orders and memoranda signed by President Biden. Among them: Biden’s October 2023 order on “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” FDA’s specific activities around regulation of AI/machine learning devices were developed independently of the order, but its removal diminishes any efforts that may have been underway to establish a more comprehensive, cross-industry framework for AI oversight.
- WHO withdrawal: The US is officially withdrawing from the World Health Organization under a January 20 order. Among other things, this will impact the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to access global public health data from WHO. And the lack of US funding is expected to hinder WHO’s overall function.
- Freezing regulations and communications: The Trump administration has issued notices freezing new regulations and new communications and website updates from federal agencies.