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The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for protecting the health of all Americans. It administers insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid, approves food and drug products through the FDA, and oversees vaccines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases through the CDC.As the largest civilian agency in the government, HHS employs more than 80,000 federal workers. But it's also an agency that could face significant changes under the incoming Trump administration.Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal anti-vaccine activist, will head HHS if confirmed in the Senate. And President-elect Trump has promised to "dismantle government bureaucracy" by slashing the federal workforce.For this installment of our (dot) Gov series, we discuss what the move means for the work HHS employees. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Few Americans familiar with the federal government are unaware of the Department of Defense. The DOD is one of our largest agencies with a budget of $2 trillion dollars. That's roughly 16 percent of the entire federal budget. And few veterans are unaware of the Department of Veterans Affairs, also called the VA. It facilitates programs that benefit those who've served in the armed forces and their families. But who's watching over that trillion-dollar defense budget? And who's making sure those programs that help veterans are working? For this installment of (dot) Gov, we dive into the federal workers who help make sure the DOD and the VA stay up and running. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Four years ago on Jan. 6, journalist Kate Woodsome was at the U.S. Capitol. She was calm as a small group surrounded her, shouting. What happened next reverberated around the country for years to come.The storming of the Capitol was a historic moment for the United States. But it was also a crucial turning point in the life of that Washington Post reporter at the center of the vitriol. In the four years since, she's made major changes in her professional and personal life. She's also shifted her thinking about our divided nation.Woodsome joins us to to reflect on what happened that day and what it meant for her relationships, her work, and her country.To read more of Kate Woodsome's work, check out the Invisible Threads newsletter.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy