President Trump – First 100 Days

  

On Friday, January 20th Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. It is the 58th inauguration and the 72nd time the oath of office has been administered to an incoming president.

At 70 years old, Trump breaks Ronald Reagan’s record as the oldest president to ever take office and is now the third president born in 1946, following George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Trump is also the first president since Dwight Eisenhower with no prior elected office experience, and the first ever to have no government or military service.

Trump will enter the White House with Republicans controlling 241 House seats and 52 Senate seats, the largest majorities for an incoming GOP president since Herbert Hoover in 1929. Clinton and Barack Obama enjoyed larger Democratic majorities in both chambers upon becoming president but lost those advantages in ensuing midterm elections

Now that he has officially taken residence in the White House here’s what we could expect in his first 100 days.

Health Care… As in repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Still working on the replace part. However, as one of Trump’s first acts as President he signed an executive order late Friday giving federal agencies broad powers to unwind regulations created under the Affordable Care Act, which might include enforcement of the penalty for people who fail to carry the health insurance that the law requires of most Americans.

The executive order, signed in the Oval Office as one of the new president’s first actions, directs agencies to grant relief to all constituencies affected by the sprawling 2010 health-care law: consumers, insurers, hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, states and others. It does not describe specific federal rules to be softened or lifted, but it appears to give room for agencies to eliminate an array of ACA taxes and requirements.

Supreme Court…as in there’s been a job opening on the bench for almost a year and Trump is ready to fill it. He’s said he’s considering a list of right-leaning names.

Trade…as in Trump wants to renegotiate NAFTA (the ’90s trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico). And then he wants to pull out of the TPP. That’s the trade deal between the US and 11 other Pacific Rim countries (countries that border the Pacific Ocean like Canada, Japan, Mexico) that President Obama put together. The aim was to open up trade between countries that produce almost half of the world’s goods and services. Critics on both sides of the aisle point out that this could hurt US workers by sending jobs overseas. One of those very loud critics is Trump.

Trump announced a series of executive actions focused on trade and the federal workforce, making good on a pair of his core campaign promises.

The actions, signed at the White House, implement a federal employee hiring freeze, formally withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and reinstate a GOP-backed policy regarding foreign aid and abortion funding.

Energy…as in Trump plans to get rid of a bunch of federal rules on US energy production including oil, gas, and coal put in place to fight climate change. He’s said he’ll also make it easier for oil pipelines (such as the, Keystone XL) to move forward. Trump says this would boost job creation.

Lobbying ban…as in Trump wants the ‘revolving door’ between K Street and the US gov to swing a little slower. He’s calling for a five-year ban on White House and Congressional staffers taking lobbying jobs after they leave. He also wants a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying for foreign governments.

Immigration…as in Trump will move to “cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities” – aka cities that allow undocumented immigrants to stay without fear of being prosecuted or deported. He’s also said he’ll start deporting about two million undocumented immigrants with criminal records. And that he’ll hit ‘pause’ on immigration from regions with a history of terrorism that do not vet people coming into the US. He’ll also practice “extreme vetting” for all immigrants.

Hello, Congress? It’s nurses. We need to talk.

  

Nurses have the power to change the conversation on health care – starting with your senators, right now.

Can you speak out for your patients today? A two-minute phone call could make all the difference for patients who are on the brink of losing their health insurance.

Just dial 1-202-224-3121 to reach the Capitol Switchboard and an operator will connect you to your senator’s office.

When you’re connected, here are some pointers to guide your conversation:

  • Share your name and your town or city so they’ll know you’re a constituent.
  • Tell the staffer that you are a nurse, and you’re concerned that patients like yours could lose access to health care if the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
  • Remind them that insurance costs were skyrocketing before the ACA went into effect, and that without it, millions of people would have simply been priced out of healthcare already.1
  • Explain that, as a nurse, you want to share your personal story of how you experience the healthcare system. Share your vision for what is working and what is not, and what Washington can do to fix those problems.
  • Finally, thank them for their time. If you have another minute, call the switchboard again and ask to speak to your other senator’s office.

Once you’re done, let us know you’ve made your call so we can keep track of which senators are hearing from nurses and hold them accountable here in Washington.

Yes, I called my senator’s office and spoke with a staffer.

Yes, I called both my senators’ offices and spoke with their staff.

No, I wasn’t able to get through, but I’ll try again later!

Thank you for taking care of your patients every day, and thank you for speaking out today. Nurses like you truly are making a difference in Washington!

Rep. Tom Price, Health and Human Services Nominee, Leaves Many Questions Unanswered at Confirmation Hearing

  

Today’s courtesy hearing for Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee  raised more questions than answers. Recently, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that repealing portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would increase premiums by 20-25 percent and leave 18 million people uninsured within the first year. Price did not address those staggering statistics at all. Instead, he insisted that the administration’s plan would not leave millions without coverage and would cover more people than the ACA. Unfortunately, he did not provide any details about the plan.

Sen. Alexander, Chairman of the HELP Committee, asked Price if the administration’s plan would be a quick fix. Price assured him it would not be and that everyone would have access to high-quality health care. “We don’t intend to replace a Democratic plan with a Republican plan,” said Price. Chairman Alexander committed to a “step-by-step” process to repeal ACA and devise a long-term solution for all Americans. Alexander continued by saying the final plan should focus on employer coverage, Medicaid and the individual marketplace. Price still didn’t commit to details, but said that the plan would provide access to coverage and that full repeal would not be finalized until a replacement plan was in place.

Not knowing what the administration’s proposal entails, legislation that Price has introduced since 2009 gives us some indication of what to expect in the final plan. Price’s bill would repeal the ACA’s Medicaid expansion; favor young and healthy Americans, while putting coverage for people with pre-existing conditions at risk. Democratic members of the Committee pointed out the inconsistencies with what Price said at today’s hearing to what he has said in the past. Despite their questions, Price would not commit to maintaining the ACA’s protections for people with disabilities, women, mental health, or addiction. He also did not commit to shield Medicare or Medicaid funding from cuts. Price, a former orthopedic surgeon, later came under fire from Democrats for allegedly profiting from inside information on healthcare stocks and benefiting from legislation he helped write while serving as a member of the House Ways and Means Health subcommittee. Price insisted that he had done nothing inappropriate, as he used a broker and wasn’t aware of the stocks he owned.

Price will come before the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over his nomination, on January 24th at 10am. In advance of the Finance hearing, ANA is sharing our priorities and offering questions to Committee champions to get Price on record affirming his support for improving access, quality, and affordability of healthcare.