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News and updates

News and updates

White House Unveils Immigration Framework

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The White House shared with Congress yesterday its “framework” for immigration reform, which includes, in general terms, the Administration’s plan for “Dreamers.”  The text of the framework is available here.

Key parts of the plan include:

  • a 10- to 12-year pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million DACA-eligible individuals;
  • $25-billion trust fund for a border wall; and,
  • elimination of “chain” migration and the visa lottery system

The Administration has stated that it plans to release a more detailed plan next Monday.

Read more about yesterday’s framework here and here.

 

Azar Confirmed

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Alex Azar was confirmed by the Senate earlier this afternoon as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services by a vote of 55 – 43.

OMB Targets Feb 12

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The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced the intent to release the Administration’s FY 2019 President’s Budget Request to Congress on February 12. Incidentally, that date is the Monday following the date set for the the expiration of recent CR passed earlier this week.

The release was slightly delayed because of time lost during the recent three-day government shutdown. The budget is legally required the first Monday of February, but this and past Administrations have missed the deadline. This will be the second budget by the Trump Administration.

Senate to Take Up HHS Nomination

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The full Senate is scheduled to take up today the nomination of Alex Azar to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  Azar is not a new-comer to the HHS as he served as Deputy Secretary during the George W. Bush Administration.  He has recently been an executive at the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co.

HHS funds and oversees a host of health-related and biomedical agencies and research programs.  The National Institutes of Health is part of HHS.

Azar was nominated to replace former Secretary Tom Price, who resigned last year.