Another Block Bites the Dust

February’s officially in the books, and the weekend is finally here! After the errands are run and the to-do list is (mostly) crossed off, the big question is — how will you spend your well-earned free time? Will it be a movie marathon, a trip to the gym, or maybe just a well-deserved nap on the couch?

Or maybe it’s the perfect time to gather family and friends together for a classic game night. And if that’s the plan, we’ve got just the game — one that couldn’t be more fitting for the times we’re in: Jenga.

A Towering Favorite
If you’ve ever played Jenga, you know how it goes: build a tower out of 54 wooden blocks, then take turns carefully pulling out one piece at a time, stacking it on top, and hoping you’re not the one who sends the whole thing crashing down.

Simple? Sure. Stressful? Absolutely — and that thrill is exactly why Jenga’s been a fan favorite for decades.

Fun fact: Jenga was invented by Leslie Scott, who first played it with her family in Ghana in the 1970s using scraps of wood. The name itself comes from the Swahili word kujenga, meaning “to build.” After its official debut at London’s iconic Harrods store in 1982, Jenga quickly became a global sensation. By 1986, it had landed a spot in Hasbro’s lineup, and the rest is history. Today, with over 100 million sets sold and a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame, Jenga’s place in pop culture is rock solid — even if its towers aren’t.

D.C. Jenga
That nerve-racking tension of pulling out block after block without toppling the whole thing? It’s not just a game — it’s what’s happening right now inside some of the nation’s most important federal health agencies.

It all started when President Trump, through an Executive Order, created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a new agency tasked with slashing federal spending and cutting back on regulations. While eliminating wasteful spending is widely supported, the way DOGE is going about it is shaking the foundations of critical agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — the very agencies tasked with protecting public health.

At NIH, research grants — the essential fuel for lifesaving medical breakthroughs — are largely frozen. On February 7, NIH issued a directive cutting how much of its budget can go toward administrative overhead, tightening the purse strings even more. Over at USAID, the agency that helps fight global health threats, funding is also stuck in pause mode.

Policy changes are showing up in smaller — but critical — ways, too. The FDA canceled a key advisory board meeting where experts were supposed to pick the flu strains for next year’s vaccine. Meanwhile, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — the group responsible for setting the official vaccine schedule for kids and adults — was supposed to meet at the end of February, but that meeting was postponed indefinitely. Without these meetings, decisions about vaccines, insurance coverage, and programs like Vaccines for Children are left dangling.

And then came another jolt to the system— on Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a sweeping new policy: no more public comment during the department’s rulemaking process. For over 50 years, regular citizens, advocacy groups, and experts have had a chance to weigh in on health regulations before they’re finalized — but now, that public voice is being shut out.
If all that wasn’t enough, pink slips have already landed  at the CDC, FDA, and NIH. Hundreds of employees have already been let go, with more sizable workforce reductions expected soon.

Block by Block
Whether you’re stacking wooden blocks or scrolling the headlines, one thing’s clear — a high-stakes game of Jenga is playing out in Washington, D.C. With every funding cut, canceled meeting, and round of layoffs, another block slips out of the tower — leaving the health and safety of millions hanging in the balance.

When it comes to protecting public health, the stakes couldn’t be higher. This is one game we’re all part of, whether we signed up to play or not.

Happy reading,

Suzanne Daniels

Enjoy the weekend!

Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]

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