Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Chief Of Staff Last Year Lobbied Very Agency He Now Helps Run, Ethics Waivers Reveal
The Wall Street Journal: Ethics Office Releases Nearly A Dozen Trump Waivers
The Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday released copies of nearly a dozen ethics waivers for officials working at federal agencies, showing which members of President Donald Trump’s administration are allowed to work on issues they handled before joining the government. (Ballhaus, 6/7)
The New York Times: Lobbyists, Industry Lawyers Were Granted Ethics Waivers To Work In Trump Administration
Lance Leggitt helped collect $400,000 in fees last year while working as a lobbyist to try to influence Medicare policy at the Department of Health and Human Services — an agency where he now serves as chief of staff. Under an executive order signed by President Trump in January, lobbyists were banned from that kind of government work. But Mr. Leggitt is among a half dozen officials across the federal government who have been granted special waivers to disregard ethics rules, according to a new set of documents released Wednesday. (Lipton and Ivory, 6/7)
The Washington Post: Limited Ethics Waivers Reflect New Freedom For Former Lobbyists To Join Government
At the Department of Health and Human Services, at least five former lobbyists other than Leggitt have been tapped to serve. They include Keagan Lenihan, a senior adviser to Secretary Tom Price who last year lobbied on Medicare and Medicaid issues for McKesson Corporation, a pharmaceutical distributor. (Gold and Eilperin, 6/7)
