Oh No!
What to know: The leftist publication Common Dreams says the Trump administration is working to undermine “the 10 Commandments of Climate Policy,” including the EPA’s “Endangerment Finding,” its basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
The TPPF take: The Endangerment Finding was anything but scientific.
“The Obama EPA violated federal law when it issued the Endangerment Finding without submitting it to the Science Advisory Board for required peer review,” says TPPF’s Ted Hadzi-Antich. “This procedural violation alone justifies rescission, but the finding also lacks the clear congressional authorization required for decisions of such vast economic and political significance under the Supreme Court’s Major Questions Doctrine.”
For more on the Endangerment Finding, click here.
No Home
What to know: President Trump is taking on homelessness in the District of Columbia. This has some “advocates” for the homeless worried.
The TPPF take: Homeless policy has only made the problem worse. The Trump administration is investing in the places that target the root of these issues.
“Money must be spent on projects that actually uplift the homeless from their circumstances,” says TPPF intern DJ Wu. “Scott Turner, the Trump administration’s new HUD secretary, is fighting for effective care without bloated subsidies. Re-emphasizing the many needs of the homeless that go beyond housing, he is working to ensure that funds are spent in places that utilize self-sufficiency and well-being in the long run.”
For more on homelessness, click here.
‘Fail First’
What to know: Insurers often require patients to try less expensive—and less effective—treatments before getting what their doctors prescribe. The practice is called step therapy or “fail first.”
The TPPF take: TPPF intern Brooke Garner has experienced “fail first” policies.
“When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, organs, and tissues it’s meant to protect,” says Brooke. “That diagnosis marked the start of a lifelong battle not just against disease, but against a system designed to deny me the treatment I needed. I had to try and fail multiple cheaper medications; ones my doctor knew would not work before being granted access to the treatment my condition required.”
For more on Brooke’s story and “fail first” policies, click here.