One week, one issue, one action.
What's the issue? Although the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Republicans' effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in the House, it was unable to pass in the Senate. Instead the Senate drafted their own healthcare bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). That too failed to get enough support... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? In 2015, more than 30,000 Americans died from opioid drug overdose (involving prescription pain medication or heroin/fentanyl)- more than any year previously on record. The United States spends more than any other country in the world on health care, and yet it only ranks 27th in terms of life expectancy. A large portion of... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? Between 2000 and 2014, maternal mortality (defined as the death of the mother from pregnancy related causes between the beginning of pregnancy until six weeks after birth) increased 27% in the United States. This happened during a time were global maternal mortality fell by more than a third, leaving the United States with... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a letter to Congress seeking permission to prosecute medical marijuana providers, which would undo federal protections that have been in place since 2014. According to Sessions, "it would be unwise for Congress to restrict the discretion of the Department to fund particular prosecutions, particularly in the... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? On July 6th, 2016, Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer after being stopped for a broken tail light. Castile informed the officer that he was was carrying a licensed firearm, and then was shot seven times as he reached for his wallet. Castile's girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? Trump is expected to announce renewed restrictions on travel to and trade with Cuba this Friday, rolling back Obama's loosening of those restrictions in 2014. While no specifics have been confirmed by the administration, it is expected that the new rules would restrict Americans' ability to travel to Cuba as well as... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? In the United States, there are substantial tax benefits to home ownership. One of these is the mortgage interest deduction (MID). With the MID, taxpayers can deduct any interest on the mortgages they pay for their first and second homes, up to one million dollars. Although there is no sign yet that... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? On Trump's 4th day in office, he reinstated the Mexico City Policy, also known as the global gag rule, which was originally enacted by Reagan in 1984 and had been most recently been repealed by Obama in 2009. The policy states that the US government can only give family planning aid to organizations that “neither perform... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? Trump's first education budget is expected to be released on Tuesday (May 23rd). Although the documents are not yet finalized, an Education Department Employee described them to the Washington Post. As described, the budget represents large cuts to the federal education budget, and a big push to advance school choice as the education priority... Continue Reading →
What's the issue? The E.M.W. Women’s Surgical Center in Louisville is Kentucky's only abortion clinic, and it is at risk of closing. If it were to close, Kentucky would become the only state in the USA without an abortion clinic. Neighboring Louisiana, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia all have a 24 hour waiting period before... Continue Reading →
Persistence 