Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump And Policymakers Should Work To Ensure Big Families, Group Says
The Washington Post: Heritage Paper On Families Calls For ‘Marriage Bootcamp,’ More Babies
A report from the Heritage Foundation, titled “Saving America by Saving the Family,” urges President Donald Trump and lawmakers “to save and restore the American family” through massive tax credits for families with more children while capping alimony payments, enacting strict work requirements on social benefit programs, discouraging online dating, creating marriage “bootcamp” classes and more. (Tucker and Bogage, 1/8)
In related news about parenting —
AP: Trump Funding Threats Set Child Care Providers And Parents On Edge
Without federal subsidies, Breyanna Rodriguez’s child care bill for her four children would run $4,400 a month, which would eat up most of her husband’s paycheck. With child care assistance, Rodriguez, who lives in Cortland, Illinois, is able to work part-time and take community college classes while she prepares for nursing school. Now, citing concerns about fraud, the Trump administration has said it will withhold frozen federal child care funding for Illinois and other states while it conducts an extensive review. If she loses her subsidy, Rodriguez said, “I’ll have to drop out of work. I’ll have to drop out of school.” (Balingit and Kramon, 1/8)
On the immigration crisis —
The New York Times: What Trump Said About the ICE Shooting In Minneapolis When Pressed
Just hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday, President Trump told a group of New York Times reporters that the woman was at fault because she had tried to “run over” the officer. ... As a slow-motion surveillance video of the shooting played on the laptop, we told him that this angle did not appear to show an ICE officer had been run over. “Well,” Mr. Trump said. “I — the way I look at it … ” “It’s a terrible scene,” Mr. Trump said at the end of the video. “I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.” But did this fatal shooting mean his ICE operation had gone too far? Mr. Trump sidestepped the question, instead blaming his predecessor's immigration policies. (Kanno-Youngs, 1/8)
The Washington Post: Trump Administration Jails Migrant Teens In Facility Known For Child Abuse
The Trump administration says it is focused on protecting unaccompanied migrant children. It imposed strict new background checks on those seeking custody of young migrants and cut ties with a chain of youth shelters accused of subjecting children in its care to pervasive sexual abuse. (MacMillan, 1/8)
On the environment and health —
Bloomberg: Trump Expands US Climate Retreat With Exits From UN Bodies
President Donald Trump extended the US retreat from global cooperation on climate action by signaling a withdrawal from flagship international organizations, including the main United Nations and scientific bodies focused on the issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are among a total of 66 groups the US will exit, spanning multiple sectors. The climate moves are seen as likely to diminish the US role in addressing greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly limit the global influence of those entities. (Stringer and Dlouhy, 1/8)
The Washington Post: Advocates Sue Trump Officials For Answers On East Wing Asbestos Risks
Public health advocates sued the Trump administration Wednesday to compel officials to disclose whether their rapid demolition of the White House’s East Wing annex exposed workers or the public to hazardous building materials. The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which filed Freedom of Information Act requests in November but says it has yet to receive any relevant documents, is demanding that the White House explain whether it undertook asbestos inspections, air monitoring, waste disposal safeguards and other legally required steps as part of its demolition project. (Diamond and George, 1/7)
A medical emergency has happened on the International Space Station —
Bloomberg: NASA Mulls Ending Space Mission Early After Medical Emergency
NASA is considering ending a mission on board the International Space Station early after an astronaut suffered a medical emergency. The US space agency said Wednesday it could curtail the Crew-11 mission in a rare move, which involve astronauts from the US, Japan and Russia, after postponing a Jan. 8 spacewalk in light of the emerging health concern. “Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options,” NASA said in a statement. (Lee, 1/8)
