Newly elected Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Monday formally rescinded the state’s controversial Medicaid work requirements enacted by his Republican predecessor, Matt Bevin. During a news conference, Beshear signed an executive order rescinding the state’s Medicaid waiver that would have imposed work requirements and premiums on many beneficiaries. Rescinding the requirements fulfills a promise Beshear […]
Read MoreA major union for health care workers in Pennsylvania is splitting with other labor groups in the state and opposing legislation that would keep an institution for developmentally disabled people open. At issue is the Polk State Center in Venango County, Pa. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) issued an executive order to close the facility, but […]
Read MoreAmericans received more than twice as many robocalls this year as they did in 2018, according to a new study released this week. Hiya, a company that develops tools to detect caller identity and protect consumers from scams, estimates in its new report that 54.6 billion robocalls were placed from January to November 2019, up 108 percent […]
Read MoreDemocrats are complaining that the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) set for a Senate vote this week doesn’t go far enough to protect election security. The bill includes a number of provisions that would tighten security, but Democrats — who for much of the year have targeted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell […]
Read MoreDemocrats looking for a health care fight in 2020 have found a key marker with the House drug pricing bill. The House on Thursday passed the legislation on a largely party-line vote of 230-192. The measure, which would allow the government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, has already been declared “dead on arrival” […]
Read MoreMexico is protesting an added provision to the recently signed trade agreement between itself, the U.S. and Canada that would station U.S. officials in Mexico to track the enforcement of its labor laws and ensure compliance with the new deal. The version of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) President TrumpDonald John TrumpRepublicans aim to avoid war with […]
Read MoreLawmakers added $24.7 billion in emergency and “off-book” spending to a nearly $1.4 trillion package as they sought to settle differences and finish the congressional appropriations bills for the fiscal year. The White House and Congress had reached a $1.37 trillion deal in July that increased defense spending by $22 billion and domestic spending by […]
Read MoreThe U.S. Treasury Department on Monday announced that it had sanctioned two South Sudan officials who it says have “perpetuated the conflict” in their country. The sanctions are intended to put pressure on the South Sudan government to develop a unity government. Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro and Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Kuol […]
Read MoreA top Cuban diplomat reportedly said Monday that some officials in the U.S. government want to “sever” the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. Carlos Fernández de Cossio, the Cuban foreign ministry’s general director for U.S. affairs, made his comments outside a U.S.-Cuba academic conference in Havana, saying some U.S. officials are aiming to “increasingly apply […]
Read MoreDemocratic lawmakers and health care advocates are calling on the Trump administration to extend the deadline for ObamaCare open enrollment after reports of widespread glitches with the healthcare.gov website. For the 38 states that use healthcare.gov, Sunday is the last day to sign up for ObamaCare plans for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2020. According to […]
Read More