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 August 21, 2025

Trump legal group investigates Biden's organ transplant plan

America First Legal, a group tied to former President Trump, is digging into the Biden administration’s new organ transplant program with a sharp eye for ethical slip-ups. The conservative legal powerhouse, founded by ex-White House aide Stephen Miller, filed Freedom of Information Act requests on Thursday to probe the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model. This move signals deep skepticism about the program’s integrity, and they’re not wrong to question a system dangling financial carrots over life-and-death decisions.

The IOTA Model, finalized in December 2024 and set to launch in July 2025, is a six-year mandatory kidney transplant program targeting Medicare and Medicaid patients, with America First Legal seeking records from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Health Resources and Services Administration to expose any shady dealings. It’s a bold step to ensure transparency in a program that will impact over 100 U.S. transplant hospitals. Critics fear third-party influence could taint a process that should prioritize patient lives over profit.

The program builds on past payment experiments, using financial rewards and penalties to boost kidney transplant volume, matching efficiency, and post-transplant outcomes. With roughly 90,000 people languishing on organ transplant waiting lists as of last fall, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Yet, the promise of better access feels hollow when questions of ethical misconduct linger like a bad odor.

Concerns Over Third-Party Influence

An HRSA-led probe earlier this year raised red flags, hinting that third-party groups or for-profit entities may have had their fingers in the IOTA Model’s development. America First Legal’s FOIA requests demand emails, memos, and meeting records to uncover any undue influence from these outsiders. If true, this could be a scandal that undermines trust in a system meant to save lives.

“Self-interested third parties should play no role in shaping America’s organ transplant policy,” Laura Stell, counsel for America First Legal, told Fox News Digital. Stell’s point cuts deep: organ allocation should be a sacred trust, not a playground for profiteers. Yet, the Biden administration’s cozy relationship with certain groups raises eyebrows among those who value fairness over political agendas.

The IOTA Model’s evaluation metrics—transplant volume, matching efficiency, and post-transplant outcomes—sound noble on paper. But tying hospital performance to financial incentives invites skepticism about whether patient care will take a backseat to bean-counting. America First Legal’s probe is a wake-up call to keep ethics front and center.

Ethical Risks in Organ Allocation

America First Legal isn’t just chasing paper trails; they’re raising alarms about patient safety and potential discrimination in organ allocation. The group’s concerns aren’t baseless—when money and power mix, the vulnerable often pay the price. A program affecting thousands of desperate patients deserves scrutiny, not blind faith.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaking at a Washington, D.C., news conference on April 22, 2025, didn’t mince words about the broader organ transplant system. He called out “clear negligence and disturbing practices” in a major organ procurement organization. His blunt assessment fuels doubts about whether IOTA can avoid similar pitfalls.

The FOIA requests zero in on communications between agency officials and third-party representatives, seeking to expose any backroom deals that shaped IOTA. Transparency is non-negotiable when lives hang in the balance. If the Biden team’s program is aboveboard, they should welcome the sunlight, not dodge it.

A Program Under the Microscope

The IOTA Model’s mandatory nature means over 100 hospitals will be forced to comply, like it or not. That kind of top-down control rankles conservatives who see it as another example of bureaucratic overreach. Patients deserve a system driven by compassion, not compliance.

“Where monetary incentives and penalties come into play, there must be utmost certainty that CMS developed the program without influence from entities with improper motives,” Stell told Fox News Digital. Her warning is a shot across the bow: any whiff of corruption could derail a program meant to help the sickest among us. It’s a fair demand for accountability in a world too often swayed by hidden agendas.

With 90,000 people waiting for transplants, the pressure is on to get this right. A flawed system risks lives, not just headlines. America First Legal’s push for answers is a reminder that trust must be earned, not assumed.

Why This Matters Now

The timing of this probe, just months before IOTA’s July 2025 start, underscores the urgency of ensuring ethical standards. Nobody wants a repeat of past healthcare debacles where good intentions masked sloppy execution. Conservatives, especially those wary of progressive overreach, see this as a chance to hold the line against mismanagement.

Kidney transplants are a lifeline for patients, and any program dictating their access must be beyond reproach. America First Legal’s FOIA requests are a calculated move to keep the Biden administration honest. If third parties are pulling strings, the public deserves to know before IOTA takes effect.

The fight over IOTA isn’t just about policy—it’s about whether we can trust the system to value human lives over profit or politics. America First Legal’s investigation might just be the guardrail we need to keep this program from veering off course. For the sake of those 90,000 waiting patients, let’s hope they find answers, not excuses.

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