Happy Thursday, gang! Today's newsletter is 1,235 words or a 3.5-minute read.

The Trump administration's approach to mental and behavioral health has so far featured federal funding cuts and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s deeply controversial approach to autism, but past remarks by the president and Kennedy suggest that more disruption is likely on the horizon.

Why it matters: America is in the throes of a mental health and addiction crisis, while diagnoses of behavioral health conditions like autism and ADHD have been on the rise.

• Advocacy groups and experts are warning that the administration's approach so far threatens to make problems worse, not better.
• The mass reduction in the HHS workforce "has the potential to jeopardize years of work and recent progress, like reducing overdose deaths," 12 mental health and substance use organizations wrote in a joint statement last month.

Where it stands: The DOGE-directed slashing of the federal bureaucracy and other cuts have hit targeted programs and offices designed to improve Americans' mental health.

• The Education Department recently halted $1 billion in spending for mental health services for children, funding authorized by Congress in 2022 as a response to gun violence, the New York Times reports.
• What was formerly the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has reportedly had its funding slashed and is being rolled into a new umbrella organization called the Administration for a Healthy America.
• HHS says the change will "increase operational efficiency and assure programs are carried out." The agency has remained active throughout the first few months of Trump's presidency.

Yet to surface in government policy are some of both Kennedy's and Trump's most controversial ideas on mental health and addiction.

• Trump during the campaign called for the return of mental institutions, although even some progressive-led cities and states are beginning to embrace forms of involuntary commitment.
• Kennedy has expressed skepticism of psychiatric drugs, including those used to treat common conditions like depression and ADHD, and called for a network of "healing farms" as a response to addiction.

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The White House withdrew the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat to be surgeon general and instead is nominating wellness influencer Casey Means, President Trump wrote on social media Wednesday.

Why it matters: The move is the second time the Trump administration has pulled a health nominee, following the withdrawal of CDC director-designate Dave Weldon in March.

• The move also elevates Means, a physician whose brother Calley Means is a White House adviser. Both Means siblings are seen as allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Driving the news: Nesheiwat was a Fox News contributor. She had faced questions about her credentials.

• CBS reported in April that she graduated from a medical school in the Caribbean, not the University of Arkansas, as she had claimed.

Nesheiwat was due to have a confirmation hearing before the Senate health committee on Thursday.

• The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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Ivanka Trump today will announce a new focus on access to fresh produce and healthy food, as part of growing national attention to "the role of nutrition in chronic disease and overall well-being," according to a preview provided to Axios.

Why it matters: Ivanka Trump, a West Wing official during her father's first term, has mostly stayed out of the spotlight during Trump 2.0. Thursday's appearance marks her return to the national conversation, using her celebrity to spotlight an urgent policy issue.

During a fireside chat on Thursday at the Heartland Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas, President Trump's oldest daughter will discuss how "private-sector solutions and whole-harvest sourcing are helping expand access to fresh food, support farmers, reduce waste and drive lasting impact across communities," according to the preview.

• She'll be interviewed onstage by Arianna Huffington — founder and CEO of Thrive Global — who tells Axios that Ivanka Trump's "decision to focus on democratizing access to healthy food comes at an unprecedented moment in our country's healthcare journey, where we're finally recognizing the scale of the crisis in chronic diseases."

Ivanka Trump is a co-founder of Planet Harvest, a "profit-for-purpose" company she started with her friend Melissa Melshenker Ackerman, a produce supply-chain expert who is the company's co-founder and CEO.

• "We launched Planet Harvest to reimagine how American produce moves— not just through the supply chain, but across communities," Ivanka Trump said in a statement to Axios.
• "By connecting fresh and surplus harvests with those who can benefit from them, we're supporting farmers, reducing food waste, expanding access and using good nutrition to improve health."

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Big Pharma hikes up drug prices every year, most recently on over 800 prescription drugs.

Okay, but: Did you know these price hikes are often unjustified? For too long, Big Pharma has put profits over patients. Enough is enough.

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Getting the old family car is a rite of passage for many teen drivers, but it could increase their odds of being in a fatal accident by nearly a third, a new study in JAMA Network Open found.

Why it matters: Newer vehicles and those with more driver assistance technologies reduce the risk of fatal crashes, but are likelier to belong to middle-aged and older drivers.

What they found: The study led by Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus examined fatal crash data from passenger vehicles between 2016 and 2021.

• Almost 10,000 out of more than 81,000 drivers involved in fatal crashes were teens. A higher proportion (27.6%) were operating vehicles older than 15 years than middle-aged drivers (22.8%).
• Vehicles on the road more than 15 years had a 31% increased risk of fatal crash compared with newer ones, irrespective of the age of the drivers, researchers found.

Yes, but: Safety technologies drive up the cost of new cars, which could go up even further because of tariffs.

• Many families can't afford newer car models for their kids.

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