Activists Baffled By Trump’s Seeming About-Face After Two Years Of Policy Changes That Weakened Fight Against HIV
President Donald Trump over the past two years has taken steps -- such as limiting Medicare coverage for HIV drugs and rolling back Medicaid programs that cover 40 percent of people who test positive -- that fundamentally undermine the battle against the virus. Now, however, he's pledged to end the epidemic. Some activists are feeling the whiplash.
The New York Times:
Trump Pledged To End H.I.V. But His Policies Veer The Other Way.
In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a bold plan to end the scourge of H.I.V. by 2030, a promise that seemed to fly in the face of two years of policies and proposals that go in the opposite direction and could undermine progress against the virus that causes AIDS. In November, the Trump administration proposed a rule change that would make it more difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to get the medicines that treat H.I.V. infection and prevent the virus from spreading. (Pear, 2/12)
In other news on the president —
The Hill:
Trump Raises Fracking, Abortion In Meeting With Cuomo
President Trump on Tuesday suggested that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) open the state up to fracking to improve its economy, and he also raised concerns about the state's recent legislation that expanded access to abortion. The two New Yorkers spoke at the White House after Cuomo requested a meeting to discuss a provision in the Republicans' 2017 tax-cut law that caps the state and local tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000. (Samuels, 2/12)
