rural Texas

Ninety- four people have been hospitalized with measles since it first broke out in Gaines County in January.

On Thursday, the U.S. House narrowly passed a sweeping bill that slashes about $3.8 trillion in taxes by scaling back social safety net programs including Medicaid and SNAP.

Republican politicians and an interest group have sown fear over a voluntary process.

The measles outbreak in West Texas didn't happen just by chance. Health officials say the easily preventable disease has ripped through communities sprawling across more than 20 Texas counties in part because health departments were starved of the funding needed to run vaccine programs.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Tuesday confirmed 24 more cases of measles since last Friday.

About 500 Texans, mostly young unvaccinated children, have contracted the disease. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the West Texas town that has been the epicenter of the outbreak.

Katherine Wells was celebrated early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then public health became a political litmus test.

Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.

Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.

The USDA's Rural Development agency has provided billions of dollars each year to small towns, farmers and businesses. Now staffing upheaval and budget cuts brought on by the Trump administration may be eating into the agency’s effectiveness.