Tag Archives : Build House

Kinzinger: Trump’s ‘evolving explanation’ on FBI search ‘just like Jan. 6'

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Monday characterized former President Trump’s shifting defense for taking classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago estate as an “evolving explanation” similar to the way he blamed a variety of groups for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and pinned the riot on everyone but his own supporters.

On CNN’s “The Situation Room,” host Wolf Blitzer asked Kinzinger to assess how much of a national security risk it was to keep such highly sensitive material outside a secure government space as a host of Republicans defend Trump and insist he did nothing wrong.

“The explanations from Donald Trump fearing stuff was planted to all the sudden saying he just like mentally declassified this stuff to saying, well, people take work home all the time, I mean, just like anything, just like Jan. 6, when it started as an antifa operation, then it was the FBI, and then it was really just a bunch of tourists, and then it was a bunch of people that were misunderstood,” Kinzinger told Blitzer.

“There is always an evolving explanation, but that evolving explanation is always a lie, and it points to the fact that Donald Trump knew what he was doing,” Kinzinger concluded. “So I don’t know the details of the raid. But it certainly seems like Donald Trump’s explanation is not accurate.”

Kinzinger serves on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Lawmakers have spent months trying to determine Trump’s involvement in the attack that day, detailing a pressure campaign on former Vice President Mike Pence and other officials to overturn the election results while egging on his supporters to “fight like hell” in the wake of his 2020 election defeat.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was searched last week by the FBI, after which an unsealed search warrant made public on Friday detailed how federal authorities suspect that Trump violated the Espionage Act and other laws. 

Trump has ripped the FBI and Department of Justice while giving varying explanations for why he did nothing wrong.

He has decried the agency’s action as “political persecution” and at one point floated the idea that evidence had been planted in the search.

Then, Trump’s argument evolved, with the former president and his team saying he had declassified the documents that were at Mar-a-Lago.

The Trump team later put out a statement saying that “everyone ends up having to bring home their work from time to time” and that Trump would take documents, including classified documents, to his residence to “prepare for work the next day.”

In his latest defense, Trump claimed documents were taken that are covered by attorney-client and executive privileges and called on the FBI to return them.

Source: TEST FEED1

Dog tests positive for monkeypox in first suspected human-to-pet transmission

A medical journal has published evidence of the first suspected case of human-to-pet transmission of the monkeypox virus.

A dog living with two men in France who were infected with the virus began exhibiting symptoms 12 days after they did, according to The Lancet. The 4-year-old male Italian greyhound, which had no previous medical disorders, tested positive after showing symptoms including lesions and pustules on its abdomen.

Through DNA testing, researchers determined the viruses infecting the two men and the dogs were both monkeypox.

Since they became symptomatic, the two men had kept their dog away from other people and other pets, but had slept with the animal in their bed.

“Our findings should prompt debate on the need to isolate pets from monkeypox virus-positive individuals,” the report reads.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned against possible human-to-pet transmission in their monkeypox guidance.

“Infected animals can spread Monkeypox virus to people, and it is possible that people who are infected can spread Monkeypox virus to animals through close contact,” the guidance reads.

Those who are infected are advised to avoid activities with their pet including petting, cuddling, hugging, kissing, licking, sharing sleeping areas and sharing food.

While the full symptoms of monkeypox in pets are unknown, watch for “potential signs of illness including lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, nasal secretions or crust, bloating, fever, and/or pimple- or blister-like skin rash,” the CDC warns.

Source: TEST FEED1

McCarthy says Cheney’s potential primary defeat a ‘referendum’ on Jan. 6 panel

House Minority Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says that Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) expected primary defeat on Tuesday should be read as the voters rejecting her involvement in the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. 

In an interview with Fox News, McCarthy, who was in Wyoming on Monday campaigning for Cheney’s challenger, Harriett Hageman, says he doesn’t expect a come-from-behind victory for the congresswoman, who was a member of his House leadership team until she became of the conference’s most vocal critics of former President Trump.

“I don’t think that she’s going to win,” McCarthy said, adding that, “I think it’s going to be a referendum on the January 6 Committee.” 

The California Republican said that Cheney hasn’t been focused on the issues pertaining to her district due to her involvement with the select committee, noting that she has been focused on “one individual” lately. 

“The principal philosophy” for the GOP, he said, is “less government, an idea of freedom and the aspect that there’s the concepts of a country that’s conceived in liberty and dedicated proposition.”

“Hasn’t she fit that bill over the last several years?” Fox News’s Rich Edson asked. 

“I think our whole focus has been different,” McCarthy replied. “Our whole focus has been against one individual whether she has information or not, instead of focusing on her district itself.”

Cheney is facing an uphill battle to retain her congressional seat, with polling consistently showing her well behind her Trump-backed challenger.. 

Cheney, one of the ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Capitol insurrection, serves as the vice chairwoman for the Jan 6. committee.

McCarthy also told Edson that he believes the GOP will win back the majority of the House chamber in November’s midterm elections.

“We’ll win the majority, and I’ll be Speaker,” McCarthy said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Trump eyes big prize in taking down Cheney

Former President Donald Trump is bracing for one of his biggest political wins since leaving the White House: ousting Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

Cheney, one of the few House Republicans who voted last year to impeach Trump, appears headed for defeat on Tuesday when she’ll face off against a Trump-backed rival, attorney Harriet Hageman, in one of the most highly anticipated primary contests of the year.

On the surface, Cheney’s position isn’t entirely unique; most of the 10 Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment have either lost renomination this year or have opted against running for reelection altogether. But the race carries symbolic value for Trump and his relentless effort to purge the GOP of one of his most ardent conservative critics.

“More than anyone, he wants Cheney gone,” one former Trump aide said. “I think with him, politics is always personal, but the Cheney thing – I think he sees that as being even more important, because she didn’t just vote to impeach him, right? She tried to destroy him.”

Another Republican source detailed the former president’s particularly keen interest in the effort to oust Cheney. His team spent months meeting with potential primary challengers and culling the list of Trump loyalists in the race to ensure a united Republican front against Cheney. The former president also met personally with some prospective challengers before landing on Hageman as his preferred candidate.

Trump has even maintained an alliance with the conservative Club for Growth, a key player in GOP primaries that is also backing Hageman, despite breaking with the group over their involvement in other Republican nominating contests, like the Senate primary in Ohio.

“I think he’s certainly been more involved than he has in a lot of other primaries,” the second source said.

The most recent polling in the Wyoming race looks bleak for Cheney. A survey conducted early last month by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy for the Casper Star-Tribune found Hageman with a 22-point lead over Cheney. 

Since then, there are signs that Hageman’s advantage has only appeared to widen. A University of Wyoming poll released just last week showed Cheney trailing by a staggering 29-point margin.

But despite Cheney’s gloomy political prospects, the Wyoming congresswoman hasn’t toned down her attacks on the former president and his current grip on the Republican Party.

She used her closing statement in the only primary debate to warn against embracing “the lies of Donald Trump” and tell Republicans to “vote for somebody else” if they want a representative who will violate their oath of office. A campaign ad released earlier this month featured her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, railing against Trump as a “threat to our Republic.” 

And in a closing video message to voters last week, she attacked the former president’s “legacy,” accusing him of lying to the American people, ignoring the rule of law and encouraging violence.

“The lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen is insidious,” Cheney said in the video. “It preys on those who love their country. It is a door Donald Trump opened to manipulate Americans to abandon their principles, to sacrifice their freedom, to justify violence, to ignore the rulings of our courts and the rule of law. This is Donald Trump’s legacy, but it cannot be the future of our nation.”

The relationship between Trump and Cheney hasn’t always been an antagonistic one. She supported him in 2016 when she first won her House seat, and even maintained that support as many of her fellow Republicans sought to distance themselves from him because of vulgar remarks he made about women.

She also voted in line with Trump’s positions roughly 93 percent of the time during his tenure in the White House, according to the data website FiveThirtyEight, and cast her ballot for him in the 2020 presidential election. 

Everything changed, however, in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential contest as Trump and his allies spread the false notion that the election was rigged and sought to overturn his electoral loss, an effort that culminated in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Since then, Cheney has emerged as Trump’s most vocal Republican critic in Congress. She voted to impeach him for his role in the Capitol attack and continued to challenge his claim that the election was stolen after that, a move that ultimately cost her her job as the chair of the House Republican Conference. She’s now one of only two Republicans serving on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot.

If Trump gets his way on Tuesday – and the polling suggests he will – it will mark the final milestone in the former president’s effort to rid the House Republican Conference of those he deems disloyal. 

Four pro-impeachment Republicans – Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) – are not running for reelection this year, while three others – Reps. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) – have lost renomination to Trump-backed challengers.

Only two of the 10 – Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.) – have survived their primaries, though not by much.

Even in the off chance that Cheney makes it through her primary, his campaign against her hasn’t left her unscathed.

She has largely been sidelined within the GOP: The Wyoming Republican Party has already disavowed Cheney, she has few allies left within the House Republican Conference and dozens of her GOP colleagues in the lower chamber have sought to boost Hageman. More than 50 attended a fundraiser for Cheney’s primary challenger earlier this year.

Cheney, however, has cast her campaign as one with a higher purpose.

“At the end of the day if defending the Constitution against the threat that he poses means losing a House seat, then that’s a sacrifice that I’m willing to make,” Cheney told CNN in an interview earlier this month. “I don’t intend to lose, but some things are more important than any individual office or political campaign.”

Source: TEST FEED1

State laws could be jeopardizing abortion care in emergency rooms

Thousands of emergency room doctors around the country are in an abortion tug of war, faced with a decision to follow a federal law that allows for abortions in life-threatening situations or respect state laws that ban the procedure. 

Even though the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade in June — eliminating the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. — there is still a decades-old federal law that mandates hospitals and physicians provide screening and stabilizing treatment in emergency situations, including abortion, in order to save a patient’s life. 

It’s known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and it lays out procedures that emergency departments across the country must follow, regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. It broadly defines an emergency as a condition that has “acute symptoms of sufficient severity” and if gone untreated could reasonably be expected to place an individual’s health, or the health of an unborn child, in serious jeopardy.  

After the Supreme Court ruled Roe was no longer valid, states across the country immediately began rolling back abortion protections. At least a dozen states enacted restrictive laws that outlawed abortion with minimal exceptions, like Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, South Dakota and more. 

However, the federal government has attempted to push back by leveraging EMTALA.  

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. 

In July, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent letters to health care providers across the country affirming that as frontline providers, EMTALA, “protects your clinical judgement and the action that you take to provide stabilizing medical treatment to your pregnant patients, regardless of the restrictions in the state where you practice.” 

“Any state laws or mandates that employ a more restrictive definition of an emergency medical condition are preempted by the EMTALA statute,” read HHS’s letter. 

The agency went on to clarify that emergency medical conditions involving pregnant patients may include, but are not limited to, ectopic pregnancy, complications of pregnancy loss and preeclampsia.  

Ectopic pregnancies are fairly common — happening in 1 out of 50 pregnancies in the U.S. It’s considered life threatening for the mother and fetus, with abortion a common method of treatment.

However, emergency room physicians are reconsidering their approach. Like in Ohio, which has outlawed abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, or generally when fetus cardiac activity is detected. The law makes no exceptions for rape or incest, but does allow abortion to prevent the death or serious risk to a major bodily function of the pregnant mother.  

Any providers that violate Ohio law are allowed to be prosecuted. 

It has prompted University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center to keep an administrator and legal team on call for physicians when questions on whether a planned abortion treatment is allowed under the law, according to Kaiser Health News. 

Alison Haddock, board chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), told Changing America that having to second guess clinical judgement is a position no physician wants to be in.  

“We have the training to know what’s right for our patients and want to have the ability to do that without having to fear criminal liability or being caught between, if we do one thing we’re violating state law, if we do another thing, we’re violating federal law,” Haddock said.  

Haddock also said that ectopic pregnancies are a common diagnosis that have historically had a straightforward treatment plan — surgery or medication that ends the pregnancy. 

That’s because ectopic pregnancies occur when a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, which can cause the fallopian tubes to rupture. It’s considered a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate care or risks the mother’s life.  

But with the current wave of abortion restrictions taking over large swaths of the country, Haddock said a historically straightforward process has become complex.  

Ectopic pregnancies are just one example of abortions taking place in emergency room situations, with many other instances now at the center of debate.  

The biggest issue Haddock sees is the ambiguity in both EMTALA and state laws, which include language like “life threatening” and “unstable” as the point where an abortion could be allowed. But to Haddock, that’s far from clear. 

For instance, pregnancy emergencies have varying stages of severity, like when a patient is having abnormal bleeding. In some cases, a simple blood transfusion can save the pregnancy, while for others the bleeding is too heavy and could lead to the mother hemorrhaging and dying if an abortion is not done — with an emergency physician faced with deciding at what point is a patient in a life-threatening situation or pregnancy-threatening situation. 

Adding to the complexity, the state of Texas is suing the Biden administration over the legality of EMTALA. Texas attorney general Ken Paxton said the president is seeking to transform every emergency room in the country into a “walk-in abortion clinic.”  

The lawsuit alleges that the letter HHS sent to providers back in July goes well beyond simply reminding doctors of their obligations under EMTALA, but also included new requirements specifically related to abortions that didn’t previously exist.  

It’s not yet clear how the lawsuit will play out, but press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to Paxton by saying, “it is unthinkable that this public official would sue to block women from receiving life-saving care in emergency rooms, a right protected under U.S. law.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

62 percent of Americans worried about paying for housing in the next year: poll

Most Americans are worried about paying for housing, according to a survey conducted by market financing company Freddie Mac.

Sixty-two percent of the 2,000 adults surveyed said that they are somewhat or very concerned about being able to cover their housing in the coming year, and 69 percent said that they are somewhat or very worried about higher home prices in general.

Among the highest concerns surveyed were those on an impending economic recession, at 84 percent, and rising interest rates, at 77 percent, while half said that they are worried about losing their jobs.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents said that their rent has gone up in the past 12 months, as inflation rates have soared, with 6 percent saying that it had increased by 30 percent or more.

Almost 20 percent said that the increase in rent made them “extremely likely” that they might miss a rent payment, while 38 percent said that the hike made that somewhat likely.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said that they sometimes do not have enough money for the “basics,” such as food and housing, or they live payday to payday and have “just enough money to get by.”

The poll was conducted June 6-10 of this year, using an online survey that Freddie Mac described as “nationally representative.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Defense & National Security — GOP, White House clash amid Afghan anniversary

A GOP report slamming the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan has dropped, causing the White House to fire back with its own memo on the major incident. 

We’ll share what both sides are arguing, plus a new strike on a base housing U.S. troops in Syria, the Pentagon chief’s latest COVID-19 diagnosis, and how advanced U.S. missiles are helping pilots in Ukraine. 

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Ellen Mitchell. Subscribe here.

White House knocks new GOP report on Afghanistan

The White House is firing back at a GOP report slamming the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan by circulating its own memo arguing the decision strengthened national security and did not compromise the United States’ ability to extinguish terrorist threats.

• Republicans are reviving their criticisms of the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan last August as the first anniversary of the withdrawal approaches.
• Meanwhile, Monday marks a full year since the Taliban took over Kabul, ushering in the hasty collapse of the Afghan government.

The White House memo, which dismisses the GOP report as “partisan” and “riddled” with inaccuracies, lays out Biden’s logic for ending America’s longest war and pushes back on specific claims in the report led by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.   

An inherited mess: The White House memo reiterates that President Biden inherited the Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban regarding plans for the U.S. withdrawal from the country.   

“When President Biden took office, he was faced with a choice: ramp up the war and put even more American troops at risk, or finally end the United States’ longest war after two decades of American presidents sending U.S. troops to fight and die in Afghanistan and $2 trillion spent,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson writes in the memo, text of which was first reported by Axios and obtained by The Hill.   

Pulling from last year’s argument: “The President refused to send another generation of Americans to fight a war that should have ended long ago — and we fundamentally disagree with those who advocated for miring the United States’ fighting men and women in an indefinite war with no exit strategy,” the memo adds.   

Biden frequently made the same argument directly following the U.S. pullout, citing American lives as the reasoning for his decision to move ahead and remove U.S. service members from the country.  

The GOP’s report: McCaul’s report, which is being released this week, offers a detailed look at the chaos that transpired last year and criticizes the Biden administration for failing to plan adequately ahead of the withdrawal.   

“There is a disconnect between the intelligence on the ground and what the White House is doing,” McCaul said in an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday, previewing the report.   

The White House memo offers a glimpse of the administration’s defense one year later. It cites the recent successful drone strike that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan as evidence the U.S. can still take out terrorists without American boots on the ground and says the U.S. is better positioned today to confront threats from Russia and China.   

The memo also reminds readers that military leaders like Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said the U.S. would have needed to ultimately increase the troop presence in Afghanistan above 2,500 in order to fend of Taliban attacks if Biden put the breaks on plans to withdraw.  

Read the full story here 

More from The Hill: 

• Former Afghan president agrees Trump’s deal with Taliban on US withdrawal was a disaster
• GOP report knocks Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal, eyes post-midterm scrutiny 

Drone strikes US outpost in Syria 

A base housing U.S. troops in eastern Syria was attacked by multiple drones early on Monday, though no casualties or damage were reported, according to a Pentagon statement.  

The attack took place near al-Tanf Garrison, which sits near the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq and is run by the U.S. military and American-backed Syrian opposition fighters known as Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT), the Defense Department said.   

What happened?: The coalition forces “successfully engaged one [unmanned aerial system] preventing its impact. A second UAS detonated within a MaT forces compound resulting in zero casualties or reported damage. The other attempted one-way UAS strikes were not successful,” the statement read.  

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. 

An appealing target: U.S. and coalition troops are based at al-Tanf to train Syrian forces to counter ISIS militants and keep the terrorist group from resurging in the region. 

The base also sits on a key roadway for Iranian-backed forces, making it a target for such militants.   

Earlier: U.S. officials believe Iran provided resources and encouraged a drone attack in October at al-Tanf, which is believed to have included five drones laden with explosive charges. 

Read the full story here 

Pentagon chief tests positive for COVID for 2nd time 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday morning tested positive for COVID-19, the second time the Pentagon chief is known to have contracted the virus.  

Austin, 69, said in a statement he is experiencing “mild symptoms” and will quarantine at home for the next five days, in accordance with the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. 

Work from home: “I will retain all authorities and plan to maintain my normal work schedule virtually from home,” Austin added.  

Last contact: Austin said he was last in contact in person with President Biden on July 29, more than two weeks ago. 

Austin last tested positive for the virus in early January. He also experienced mild symptoms at the time.  

Read that story here 

US MISSILES CREDITED AS KEY IN UKRAINE FIGHT

U.S.-provided anti-radiation missiles have helped take out some of Russia’s most dangerous weapons systems in Ukraine in recent days. 

But the missiles, only recently confirmed to be in the hands of Ukraine’s air force, are just one part of a complicated strategy to expel Kremlin forces completely from the country, a Ukrainian fighter pilot told The Hill. 

The pilot, who identifies himself by his call sign of “Juice,” said the country’s air force has recently used the anti-radiation missiles to suppress Russian air defense systems. 

Their presence in Ukraine was confirmed for the first time last week by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl, who said the missiles have been included in several recent lethal aid packages from the United States and make existing Ukrainian capabilities more effective. 

“It’s a great support for us. Actually, it’s one of the most advanced weapons that we have at the moment,” Juice said, but he stressed that the missiles are only “one part of the complex mission.” 

Read the full story here 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

The Cato Institute will host a virtual discussion on “The Taliban Today,” at 12 p.m. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Trump says temperature ‘has to be brought down’ after FBI search, then repeats attacks 
• China launches more drills after US lawmakers’ visit to Taiwan 
• Dozens of countries call on Russian forces to leave Ukraine nuclear power plant 
• Opposition builds against plan to turn Naval Academy park on Chesapeake Bay into golf course 
• Zelensky accuses Russia of nuclear blackmail at power plant 
• Retired Gen. Jack Keane says ‘we’re right back where we started’ in Afghanistan one year after withdrawal

OP-EDS IN THE HILL

• The Hill: Opinion: The limits of America’s great power opportunity 
• The Hill: Opinion: Still the right decision to leave Afghanistan — yet still no accountability 

That’s it for today! Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!

VIEW THE FULL EDITION HERE

Source: TEST FEED1

Weisselberg to plead guilty in Trump tax case: report

The Trump Organization’s chief financial officer is coming close to reaching a plea deal in a case investigating whether he funneled off-the-books income to himself and other executives at the company, but the potential deal reportedly does not bring prosecutors any closer to their main target: former President Trump.

The New York Times reported Monday, citing two people with knowledge, that Allen Weisselberg and his lawyers met with a judge and that a hearing is scheduled on Thursday in the case, pointing to a possible agreement being reached by then.

A potential deal might mean Weisselberg faces a far shorter sentence of five months in prison, a person familiar with the matter told the Times.

A spokesman for Vance’s office did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.

Prosecutors had hoped that Weisselberg would eventually testify against Trump himself but ultimately refused, despite the potential deal being reached.

Last June, criminal indictments were filed against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization related to charges that the company avoided paying taxes on fringe benefits such as cars, apartments and other bonuses they received through the company.

The case is being investigating by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (D) Vance’s office, who filed 15 criminal charges against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization, including fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records. If convicted, the executive could face up to 15 years in prison, though various sentencing factors would likely bring that number down, legal experts have said.

The case is separate from a deposition Trump gave last week related to an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) over allegations that the Trump Organization misstated the value of assets and misled lenders and tax authorities. 

Trump said he invoked his fifth amendment right during the deposition and his lawyer told the Times afterward that the only question he answered was about his name.

His Mar-a-Lago estate was also searched by the FBI one week ago, in an unprecedented operation in which authorities seized documents, a portion of which were classified at the highest levels.

An unsealed search warrant made public Friday revealed that federal law enforcement suspects Trump violated the Espionage Act and other laws.

Source: TEST FEED1

Taking away a person’s access to housing and food does not promote work

In early childhood, I was under the care of my grandmother. Because child care costs would have consumed her entire paycheck, she retired from her lifelong career in the textile factories and tapped into her Social Security benefits early, at 56 years old. We lived off her $450 a month Social Security check and food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for most of my childhood.  

Although the amount we received was low, it enabled us to purchase more than just butter, eggs, sliced bread, and a few canned goods at the grocery store. We could add proteins, fresh vegetables, and a box of ice cream sandwiches to the weekly food budget. We could eat.

Now, I study public benefits at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a national anti-poverty nonprofit, and I can say with confidence that my grandmother and I were one of the few families who never lost our benefits due to arbitrary rules that imply people who aren’t working don’t deserve help. We narrowly avoided SNAP’s general work requirements, and, thankfully, were never subject to the stricter rules for so-called able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). Under these rules (often called time limits or ABAWD time limits), people who are 18-49, don’t live with children, and haven’t been diagnosed with a disability are limited to just three months of food assistance in a three-year period if they don’t work at least 80 hours per month.

Time limits restrict access to SNAP, especially for people who are already marginalized in the labor market or live in areas where there aren’t many jobs. Importantly, states may request waivers of the time limit in areas of high unemployment, but some states have chosen never to take these waivers despite qualifying. Other states have asked for them in rural areas but not in cities.

In 2021, the Urban Institute released a report following recipients of SNAP in nine states that reinstated work requirements or work-related time limits. They found that the new rules overly complicated the experience of applying for and maintaining benefits, as well as the process agencies use for determining eligibility. These rules led to an alarming number of participants being dropped from the program in all nine states. On average, 24 percent of participants who were subject to time limits lost their benefits after a four-month period.

The work requirements succeeded in getting people off benefits, but not for the right reasons. There was no evidence that the stricter requirements increased employment or annual earnings. Instead, the evidence suggested that eligible people lost their benefits because work requirements and time limits made it too complicated to apply for and keep their benefits. The requirements forced people to focus on navigating complex, bureaucratic systems instead of finding and keeping quality jobs.

Rep. Alma Adams’ (D-N.C.) Closing the Meal Gap bill would eliminate this harmful provision. CLASP has endorsed this bill and urges it to be included in the upcoming farm bill. Alarmingly, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has proposed legislation that would dramatically increase the share of SNAP households subject to this time limit and would also apply it to housing assistance. His bill would extend the time limit to parents and caregivers (except for those with children under 6) and to people up to age 60.

If the time limit were ever expanded to people over age 50 or with kids over age six in the house, these families could have their access to shelter and food completely denied because of something as arbitrary as a birthday.

At a time when many available jobs don’t provide liveable wages, basic labor protections, paid sick days, family and medical leave, or predictable work schedules, we cannot attach arbitrary work requirements to benefits access. Even under current time limits, so-called ABAWDs who are employed can get kicked off benefits if their boss unexpectedly cuts their hours. If policymakers actually want to help recipients participate in the labor market, they have much better ways to support employment. But all of these strategies depend on benefits programs being sufficient, accessible, and responsive to people’s needs.

Thankfully, my grandmother and I were lucky enough to receive consistent financial support from one of the nation’s largest benefit programs. For us, SNAP worked. But I also know that far too many families, especially those considered “nontraditional,” are one arbitrary requirement or misguided provision away from losing nutrition assistance and falling more deeply into poverty. All children and caregivers deserve to rest, eat, and spend time with one another without fear — without feeling heavy, unrelenting dread about where supper will come from or whose couch they can sleep on next.

Jessi Russell is a research assistant on the income and work supports team at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) in Washington, D.C.

Source: TEST FEED1

Health Care – Biden set to mark drug pricing milestone

Congratulations are in order to one Pennsylvania woman who just recently welcomed her 100th great-grandchild. Just imagine that family reunion. 

In health news, President Biden is set to sign the recently passed health, climate  and tax legislative package into law on Tuesday, marking the most significant action taken to lower drug costs in decades. Plus: WHO renames two monkeypox variants.

Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Subscribe here.

President to sign health, climate bill Tuesday

President Biden will sign into law the sweeping climate, health care and tax legislation that has been Democrats’ priority for more than a year during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.

The signing will represent a major milestone for Biden and his domestic economic agenda.  

Drug pricing milestone: With the signing, Medicare will for the first time be able to negotiate lower prices for some drugs — though the lower prices do not go into effect until 2026.   

• “This historic bill will lower the cost of energy, prescription drugs, and other health care for American families, combat the climate crisis, reduce the deficit, and make the largest corporations pay their fair share of taxes,” a White House advisory said. 
• “In the coming weeks, the President will host a Cabinet meeting focused on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, will travel across the country to highlight how the bill will help the American people, and will host an event to celebrate the enactment of the bill at the White House on September 6th,” it added.   

The legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, passed the House in a party-line vote Friday, about a week after passing the Senate with only Democratic votes through a process known as budget reconciliation. Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking vote.   

Sales pitch: Biden administration officials are preparing to traverse the country to promote the bill in the coming weeks, making the case to voters that Democrats can deliver on their promises in the critical three months before the November midterm elections.

Read more here.

UK is first to approve updated Moderna omicron vax

The United Kingdom on Monday became the first country to approve an updated COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna targeting the omicron variant as well as the original strain of the virus.

The move is a step toward a booster campaign that could provide people with better protection against the variants that are currently circulating.  

“The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives,” said June Raine, chief executive of the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. “What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.” 

A different twist than the US: The United States is also working on updated vaccines for a possible fall booster campaign, though the shots might be slightly different.  

• The vaccine approved by the U.K. targets the first version of the omicron variant, known as BA.1
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has instructed vaccine makers to target the more recent subvariants of omicron, known as BA.4 and BA.5. 

The U.K. regulator on Monday said the updated Moderna vaccine was shown to provide a “strong immune response” against BA.1 as well as BA.4 and BA.5. 

Read more here.  

PFIZER CEO TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID 

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Monday disclosed that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be going into isolation while he experiences “very mild symptoms.” 

Bourla tweeted Monday morning that he had tested positive for COVID-19 despite having received four doses of his company’s COVID-19 vaccine.  

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March cleared the way for second coronavirus booster doses from Pfizer and Moderna to be administered to those over the age of 50 as well as immunocompromised individuals over the age of 12. 

“I am thankful to have received four doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and I am feeling well while experiencing very mild symptoms. I am isolating and have started a course of Paxlovid,” he wrote. 

Paxlovid is one of two COVID-19 antivirals that have been authorized for use by the FDA for the treatment of coronavirus, along with molnupiravir from Merck and Ridgeback.

Bourla, 60, added that he was confident that he would have a “speedy recovery” thanks to efforts that have been made over the past few years to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

“I am incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts of my Pfizer colleagues who worked to make vaccines and treatments available for me and people around the world,” wrote Bourla. 

Read more here. 

NORTH DAKOTANS TO VOTE ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IN NOVEMBER

North Dakota voters will decide this fall whether to legalize recreational marijuana, following the official certification of a ballot measure. 

Secretary of State Al Jaeger (R) said his office determined that 23,368 signatures out of the submitted 25,000 were valid, clearing the ballot qualification threshold of 15,582 signatures needed.  

Rules: If enacted, the measure will permit adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of cannabis and small quantities of cannabis products, such as concentrates and infused products.  

• It will also establish a regulatory system for registered cannabis businesses, run by the state Department of Health and Human Services or another agency designated by the Legislature.
• The ballot measure would prohibit public consumption of marijuana. It would allow only 18 state-approved dispensaries and seven manufacturing facilities. 

Trending: Adult-use legalization measures have already qualified for the 2022 ballot in Maryland, Missouri, and South Dakota. In addition, signatures have been turned in and are awaiting verification in Nebraska (medical only) and Oklahoma. 

Read more here. 

WHO renames two monkeypox variants

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Saturday that it renamed variants of the virus monkeypox as it looks to counter concerns about the original naming conventions. 

“Newly identified viruses, related diseases & virus variants are given names to avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups, & minimize the negative impact on trade, travel, tourism, or animal welfare,” the WHO said in its announcement. 

New names: The Congo Basin and West African variants were reclassified as Clade I and Clade II, the latter of which has two subclades. The new names go into effect immediately. 

A global expert group decided on the new naming convention “as part of ongoing efforts to align the names of the monkeypox disease, virus, and variants—or clades—with current best practices.”

Going further: The WHO is also workshopping new names for the monkeypox virus as a whole, including the disease it causes, after outcry over potential stigmatization. The WHO cautioned early in the COVID-19 pandemic against referring to the virus as the “China virus” or the “Wuhan virus” due to potential discrimination. 

Read more heres. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Post-Roe, more Americans want their tubes tied. It isn’t easy. (The Washington Post) 
• Newly-launched U.S. drugs head toward record-high prices in 2022 (Reuters) 
• ‘What aren’t we facing?’: Immunization leader lays bare challenges to the monkeypox response (Stat) 
• As fungal infections grow resistant to medication, desperate patients try drug after drug (NBC News) 

STATE BY STATE

• New York City officials host monkeypox town hall as disease continues to sweep city (ABC News) 
• All three Louisiana abortion clinics are leaving the state, staff say (WWNO) 
• Idaho colleges don’t have much freedom to move in a post-Roe climate (Idaho Education News)  
• ‘Frustration and stress’: state officials fault rollout of monkeypox vaccine (New York Times) 

OP-EDS IN THE HILL

• Want affordable health care? Make hospitals comply with posting prices online 
• Where are the next pockets of monkeypox cases likely to be? 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Health Care page for the latest news and coverage. See you tomorrow.

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