Impeachment, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, Budget, Federal Trade Commission, Health Care, Space Force, Food, Roger Stone

Today's News for the Week Prior and Up to February 12, 2020

Harris Statement on Senate Acquittal of President Trump
Source: U.S. Representative Andy Harris (R-MD, 1st)
February 5, 2020
“It’s about time that this sadly partisan frivolous impeachment effort ended - and Congress can once again turn their attention to important matters facing America, like drug prices, healthcare costs, border security, and keeping our economy going. Thank goodness the Senate brought this to an end - and too bad the House proceeded along partisan lines to attempt to undo the last election and to interfere with the ability of the American people to make their choice at the polls in 10 short months. The clear majority voting against removal in the Senate today shows just how frivolous this impeachment effort was.”
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Rep. Hayes Votes To Condemn Administration Attempts To Slash Medicaid Access For Low-Income Americans
Source: U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT, 5th)
February 7, 2020
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) voted in favor of House Resolution 826 to disapprove of the Trump Administration’s proposed Medicaid block grant plan. This resolution is in response to the announcement last week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that would allow states the option to cap Medicaid spending and reduce health benefits for millions using block grants. The Administration’s plan for states to cap and slash Medicaid would push Medicaid recipients off lifesaving medicines, impose unaffordable premiums to maintain coverage and leave more vulnerable families exposed to catastrophic medical bills – with ruinous consequences for rural hospitals, families seeking opioid addiction treatment for their loved ones and seniors with long-term care need.
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Guthrie Leads Charge to Protect Medicare Advantage
Source: U.S. Representative Brett S. Guthrie (R-KY, 2nd)
February 10, 2020
The Medicare Advantage program allows select Medicare-eligible patients to choose individually tailored insurance plans operated by private companies to supplement traditional Medicare benefits. Congressman Guthrie, along with Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), and Mike Kelly (PA-16) and 335 other members of the House, wrote to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to urge continued support for the Medicare Advantage program.
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Hastings’ Statement on Trump’s FY2021 Budget
Source: U.S. Representative Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL, 20th)
February 10, 2020
Once again, the President’s budget request for the coming year is nothing more than a broken promise to the American people. Instead of honoring the bipartisan budget agreement, the President has decided to pursue misguided policies that would aggravate the deficit, handout tax cuts to the wealthy, and leave working families with the bill.
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Senator Hawley Proposes to Overhaul the Federal Trade Commission
Source: Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO)
February 10, 2020
For years, Big Tech has gone unchecked due to inaction, weak enforcement, and a lack of accountability at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Congress’s leading voice on tech accountability, is proposing to overhaul the agency by restructuring it to meet the needs of today’s digital markets.
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Harder Slams Proposed $1.6 Trillion Cut to Health Care
Source: U.S. Representative Josh Harder (D-CA, 10th)
February 11, 2020
“This budget is so absurd that I’m almost waiting for someone to yell April Fools. Literally less than a week ago the President said that he wants to protect health care at the State of the Union – but actions speak louder than words and today he put out a proposal that would cut $1.6 trillion from health care programs. This is terrible for the Valley and our families, and I’ll fight these cuts tooth and nail.”
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N.M. Delegation, Governor Urge Senior Military Officials To Utilize, Develop State’s Space Assets For U.S. Space Force
Source: U.S. Representative Debra Haaland (D-NM, 1st)
February 11, 2020
U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.), along with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, sent a letter to General John W. Raymond, the first Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force and Commander of U.S. Space Command. The letter urged General Raymond to utilize New Mexico’s existing public and private sector space capabilities as the United States Space Force develops its infrastructure and mission. The letter was also sent to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Secretary of the United States Air Force Barbara Barrett.
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Hagedorn Champions Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Protect America’s Food Supply
Source: U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn (R-MN, 1st)
February 11, 2020
Rep. Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives in support of S. 2107, the “Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019.” The bill is designed to protect America’s farms and food supply by preventing the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) and other Foreign Agricultural Diseases (FAD) into the United States.
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Harris to Graham: Hold Immediate Hearing on Roger Stone Case and Make AG Barr Testify
Source: Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)
February 11, 2020
U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday sent a letter to Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) demanding that the committee hold a hearing—with Attorney General Bill Barr as a witness—on potential political interference in the sentencing of Roger Stone, President Trump’s former campaign advisor and longtime friend. Harris’ letter comes after reports that the Department of Justice was considering reducing the sentencing recommendation put forward by the career prosecutors overseeing Stone’s case, all four of whom have since requested to withdraw from the case, and after the Department filed an updated sentencing recommendation in the case that contradicted the career prosecutors.
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Small Businesses Win With USMCA, According to USITC Report

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by: Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council


Washington, D.C. - April 19, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- On April 18, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) released the report, “U.S.- Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors,” which found that the USMCA agreement would increase U.S. GDP by $68.2 billion and add 176,000 jobs. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) president & CEO Karen Kerrigan issued the following statement about the USITC report:

“America’s small businesses greatly benefit from trade with Canada and Mexico, and the USITC report shows enhanced value and growth for our economy and all industry sectors under USMCA. The biggest gains noted in the USITC report are for the service sector and manufacturing, which are dominated by small businesses. The findings clearly demonstrate the value of USMCA to workers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and our economy and is another reason why every member of Congress needs to get behind passage of this important agreement.”

Read the full USITC report here.

Small Business Trade Data with Canada and Mexico

According to the International Trade Administration small to mid-size businesses dominate trade with Mexico and Canada.

Export Data

Mexico: Of the 57,098 U.S. firms that export to Mexico, 57.7 percent have less than 20 employees, 72.3 percent have less than 50 employees, and 81.4 percent have less than 100 employees.

Canada: Of the 86,526 U.S. firms that export to Canada, 59.9 percent have less than 20 employees, 75.3 percent have less than 50 employees, and 83.7 percent have less than 100 employees.

Import Data

Mexico: In terms of imports, of the 15,481 U.S. firms that import from Mexico, 57.6 percent have less than 20 employees, 67.9 percent have less than 50 employees, and 74.6 percent have less than 100 employees.

Canada: Regarding Canada, there are 17,277 U.S. importers and 43.3 percent have less than 20 employees, 55.7 percent have less than 50 employees, and 65.3 percent have less than 100 employees.

Don't Let Grinch Bots Steal Christmas

By Senator Richard Blumenthal (D - CT)




Washington, D.C. - December 14, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action to protect kids and not let “Grinch Bots” steal Christmas toys. So-called Grinch Bots are algorithms and software deployed by online scammers to buy up popular toys and merchandise at lightning speed, and then re-sell those items at wildly inflated prices on websites like Ebay. After The New York Times reported that Grinch Bots have caused a shortage of Fingerlings, the Barbie Hello Dreamhouse and the Vampirina Scare B&B, among other toys, Blumenthal, Udall, and Schumer called on the FTC to convene a workshop to assess and address the damage these scammers have caused to kids and families this holiday season.

The senators also wrote that they plan to introduce legislation to combat Grinch Bots in the coming week.

“Millions of Americans are turning to online retailers in search of hard-to-find gifts for their family and friends this holiday season. Unfortunately, unscrupulous scammers are also taking note of the limited availability of popular items online, and are succeeding at gaming the system by aggressively deploying cyber bots that automatically spot and snap up the most popular products,” the senators wrote. “These bots are able to scoop up the season’s hottest toys before the typical consumer can even log on. They will then turn around and sell these limited availability items at large markups in the remaining shopping days of the holiday season. The profiteers behind these programs are becoming the Grinch bots of the 2017 holiday season."

“We respectfully request that the Federal Trade Commission convene a workshop on the use of bots that usurp technology and purchase large quantities of a particular product, including in-demand toys, with the intent to resell them. We request that you and your staff work with retailers, both online and traditional, to determine ways to protect consumers from high-speed purchases made by bots designed to game the system and take advantage and deprive consumers of online discounts,” the senators continued. "The commission should also collaborate with the nation’s 51 attorneys general to share information and best practices about how to protect consumers from these unfair practices. Such a workshop can help bring much needed attention to this issue, and help retailers and consumers assess the full extent of damage caused by these bad actors."

The full text of Blumenthal, Udall and Schumer’s letter can be found here.


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