Government and Policy Sector
Governments and regulators globally implemented major policy shifts spanning health, energy, finance, and consumer protection. Actions range from France banning unsolicited telemarketing and Texas pausing data center grid connections to the SEC introducing Regulation Crypto and the CFTC intervening in New York's suit against Kalshi.
Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday demanding that the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine be split into three separate shots. The directive aims to reduce the total number of pediatric immunizations, but the policy would paradoxically increase a child's required shots from two doses to six. Individual vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella do not currently exist in the United States, meaning pharmaceutical companies would have to fund entirely new development, testing, and regulatory processes. Drugmakers like Merck and GSK face strong disincentives to pursue the pivot, as standalone shots would require years of trials and capital without any scientific justification. PhRMA and the American Academy of Pediatrics immediately condemned the order, warning it will strain healthcare access, complicate logistics, and further erode vaccination rates.
The Trump administration directed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to end federal funding for gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender minors under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The policy, taking effect October 13, phases out coverage for hormone treatments currently received by youth as of April 2027 while keeping mental health services funded. At least 27 states have already banned youth gender-affirming care. Major medical organizations support the treatments, whereas LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations like the Human Rights Campaign stated the rule will face legal challenges.
France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls under a new law carrying individual fines of up to 75,000 euros ($87,000) per breach and corporate penalties reaching 375,000 euros ($435,000). Previously, consumers relied on a government-run opt-out list that advocacy groups said call centers frequently ignored, prompting a shift toward strict obligatory opt-in rules requiring prior consumer consent. The restriction excludes existing contractual relationships and instances where customers have actively checked a consent box on a form. The ban threatens outsourced call centers abroad, particularly in Morocco where the industry generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue and relies on the French market for over 80% of its business. Moroccan employment minister Younes Sekkouri warned that the regulatory shift puts up to 50,000 local jobs at risk.