News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Indian American Impact Fund Endorses Jay Vaingankar For Congress In New Jersey’s 12th District T he Indian American Impact Fund, which supports candidates run- ning for public office, announced March 10, 2026, it is endorsing Jay Vaingankar for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th District. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 2, with 18 Democrats in the field, Ballotpedia shows. Vaingankar is running in the second- most South Asian American congressional district in the country, Impact noted. If elected, he would become the first South Asian American to represent New Jersey in Congress, “marking a historic milestone for a state with one of the largest and fastest-growing South Asian populations in the country,” the PAC added. Twenty eight year-old formerWhite House and Department of Energy official, Vaingankar is the son of immigrants from Mumbai. He was raised in Hightstown, NJ, which he points out on his campaign website jayvaingankar,com, is a com- munity of 63 languages, and where he became fluent in Spanish. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania, he became a community organizer, and spent the next four years working in theWhite House and Department of Energy. He has worked in the solar industry on returning to his NJ home. “I’m running for Congress to bring new energy to our politics,” he says. Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact Fund, said Vaingankar “represents a new generation of leadership grounded in service and the courage to stand up for our communities amidst an unprecedented rise in hate and costs of living.” Vaingankar worked in the Biden Ad- ministration, which, according to Patel, equips him with firsthand experience in how federal policy can lower energy costs, expand economic opportunity, and strengthen local communities. “Families across Central Jersey are feeling the pressure of rising housing and utility costs, and Jay understands that affordability must be front and center inWashington,” Patel said, adding that Vaingankar would stand against any effort to target immigrant communities or roll back the rights and freedoms. “Growing up as the son of Indian im- migrants, I didn’t have elected represen- tatives who looked like me, but I know how important it is for communities like ours to have a voice inWashington. I’m grateful to the Indian American Impact Fund for their endorsement and for the work they’ve done to uplift South Asian Americans in our democracy,” Vaingankar said, quoted in the press release. “The cost of living crisis and the daily attacks from the Trump Administration remind us that no matter where our parents came from, our destinies are intertwined,” the Indian American candidate sai, adding that he would build a broad coalition that ensures a seat at the policy-making table “to guarantee health care as a human right, lower our utility bills, and keep our schools and our streets safe.” Since its inception in 2016, Indian American Impact Fund has endorsed and supported 200+ candidates across the country, and marshaled upwards of $20 million for candidates, voter mobilization and policy advocacy efforts, Impact said. By a StaffWriter Jay Vaingankar PHOTO:SCREENSHOT FROM JAYVAINGANKAR.COM T he nation’s controversial top vac- cine regulator is leaving his job at the end of April, federal health officials said Friday. Vinay Prasad had begun his role leading vaccines and complex treatments for difficult diseases in May, but has had a rocky tenure at the Food and Drug Ad- ministration over the past year, overseeing divisive decisions about drugs and a new plan to tighten vaccine approvals. “He got a tremendous amount accom- plished within his one-year sabbatical from [University of California at San Fran- cisco] and will be returning back to his academic home later next month,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary wrote in a post on X. He cited some of Prasad’s work, including on new guidelines narrowing approvals of new coronavirus vaccines to older adults and those with health condi- tions and new vouchers to expedite drug decisions. TheWall Street Journal first reported the news. Prasad did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prasad, a key Makary ally, had been ousted at the direction of theWhite House in July after a right-wing pressure cam- paign over his handling of drug approvals and past support for Democrats. He was hired back less than two weeks later after Makary, who championed and elevated Prasad, reached out to theWhite House. TheWhite House then reevaluated criti- cisms of Prasad and supported his return after finding them disingenuous. In late November, Prasad laid out a stricter approach for federal vaccine approvals, citing his team’s conclusion, without detailing the evidence, that coronavirus vaccines had contributed to the deaths of at least 10 children. Former leaders of the FDA had condemned the plans, saying they risked undermining the nation’s ability to fight infectious diseases. “I remain open to vigorous discussions and debate,” Prasad wrote to his team in an internal email laying out his propos- als. He added that staff who did not agree with these core principles, including keeping policy debates private among FDA staff, should submit their resigna- tions. Prasad had recently faced backlash for declining to review a Moderna applica- tion for the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, a decision that shocked the company. The FDA reversed course the next week and agreed to review the company’s applica- tion under a revised approach. He had also come under fire for decisions his center has recently made related to drugs for rare diseases, notably disagreements about the study design of an experimental treatment to slow the progression of Huntington’s disease made by gene therapy company uniQure. Before joining the federal government, Prasad – a hematologist and oncologist – rose to prominence as a vocal critic of pandemic-era policies and had long criti- cized the regulatory process for approving cancer drugs. In an internal email to FDA staff ob- tained by TheWashington Post, Makary wrote that a search for the new head of the agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research is underway. Prasad had replaced Peter Marks, the architect of the U.S. program to rapidly develop coronavi- rus vaccines who the Trump administra- tion forced out last spring. Makary had defended Prasad as re- cently as late last month on CNBC, calling him a “genius” who has been on “loan from UCSF.” The changes come amid a broader personnel shake-up at the Department of Health and Human Services with the aim of stabilizing a department that had been shaken by infighting and controversial messages. The drug industry and public health experts had been rattled last last year by leadership turnover at the FDA, with concerns over the agency’s direction mounting. The Trump administration has also been seeking to downplay its contro- versial push to overhaul vaccine policy and instead tout work on food and drug pricing ahead of the midterm elections. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, oversaw a major reduction to the childhood vaccine schedule earlier this year, but has since focused on more broadly popular aspects of his Make America Healthy Again agenda. -TheWashington Post Controversial Top Vaccine Regulator Vinay Prasad To Depart FDA By Rachel Roubein PHOTO:FDA.GOV Vinay Prasad, FDA’s Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. US Affairs News India Times (March 14, 2026 - March 20, 2026) March 20, 2026 7