WASHINGTON — The midterm elections this year are centered on weighty topics: the economy looms large, as does the existential future of democracy. But there are plenty of health and science priorities on the ballot, too, as Tuesday’s votes will chart the course for the future of health care access, affordability, and public health writ large.
While President Biden and Democrats spent the 2020 election promising to trust science, the script is flipped entirely this year. Republicans’ rhetoric has prominently featured attacks on science and public health officials. They’ve villainized Anthony Fauci and criticized public health measures like mask mandates and economic lockdowns that were employed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Control of Congress will also have major consequences for how money flows to federal health agencies, and could cause headaches for Biden administration officials if Republicans choose to investigate federal health agencies’ decisions.
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