ADVISORY: Secretary Perdue to Swear-In Steve Censky and Ted McKinney TUESDAY
(WASHINGTON, D.C., October 6, 2017) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will swear-in Steve Censky as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Ted McKinney as the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs TUESDAY, October 10th at 11:00 a.m. ET at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Secretary and those being sworn-in will hold a press gaggle immediately following the ceremony. Censky and McKinney were unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate Tuesday, October 3rd.
Secretary Perdue to Swear-In Steve Censky and Ted McKinney
WHAT: Swearing-in ceremony for Steve Censky and Ted McKinney with a press gaggle immediately following.
WHEN: TUESDAY, October 10th at 11:00 a.m. ET
WHERE: USDA Patio of the Jamie L. Whitten Building, 1400 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, D.C. 20024
*NOTE: Media interested in attending must RSVP to press@oc.usda.gov by 6:00 p.m. ET MONDAY, October 9th.
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HHS activates aid for uninsured Puerto Rico residents needing medicine
As part of the Trump Administration’s government-wide response to Hurricane Maria, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) activated its Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) for Puerto Rico to give residents access to the critical prescription medications they need. The program pays for prescription medications for people without health insurance who are affected by disasters.
“During my time in Puerto Rico this week, I witnessed the extent of the devastation to the island first-hand,” said HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec, M.D. “We are dedicated to helping these Americans living in Puerto Rico meet their medical needs during this disaster, and I encourage uninsured residents to take advantage of this vital assistance.”
At no cost to uninsured patients, those needing certain drugs during an emergency can obtain a 30-day supply at any of the EPAP participating pharmacies. A list of the eligible drugs is available at http://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/epap/Pages/formulary.aspx. Patients can renew their prescriptions every 30 days while the EPAP is active.
They can also use the program to replace maintenance prescription drugs, specific medical supplies, vaccines or medical equipment lost as a direct result of the declared emergency or as a secondary result of loss or damage caused while in transit from the emergency site to the designated shelter facility.
EPAP provides an efficient mechanism for enrolled pharmacies to process claims for prescription medication, specific medical supplies, vaccines and some forms of durable medical equipment for eligible individuals in a federally identified disaster area. More than 750 pharmacies in Puerto Rico participate in EPAP.
Uninsured Puerto Rico residents affected by Hurricane Maria can call Express Scripts, 855-793-7470, to learn if their medication or specific durable medical equipment is covered by EPAP and to find a participating pharmacy.
President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, due to Hurricane Maria.
ASPR leads HHS in preparing the nation to respond to and recover from adverse health effects of emergencies, supporting communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening health and response systems, and enhancing national health security. HHS is the principal federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
Information on health, safety and HHS actions are available at www.phe.gov/emergency. Public Service Announcements with post-storm health tips are available at https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/psa/index.html. Residents in the continental United States are encouraged to provide these tips to family members and friends in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Updates and health information also are available at:
ASPR - @PHEgov
HHS - @HHSgov
CDC - @CDCgov
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I wanted to make sure you saw this Deseret News op-ed that was published today. In Utah and elsewhere in the country, manufacturing jobs help create and support middle-class families. As we celebrate Manufacturing Day today, Senator Lee shares his experience visiting manufacturing sites in Utah and highlights what can be done at the federal level to allow these middle-class jobs to flourish. The op-ed reads in part:
“The United States currently has the world’s highest corporate tax rate. True, many corporations don’t pay the full rate due to loopholes in the tax code. But that is only an argument for eliminating loopholes and lowering rates. Republicans in Congress are currently working on a tax reform plan that would do exactly that.
“The vast administrative state of the federal government (including but not limited to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Labor Department, and the Transportation Department) also inflicts between $1 trillion and $2 trillion in regulatory costs on the American economy every year. These costs are borne by all Americans in the form of higher prices for goods and services. At present, Congress has virtually no way to stop new regulatory costs from being devised by bureaucrats in the administrative state.
However, if Congress were to pass the “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny” (aka REINS) Act, then Congress would be able to veto any new federal regulation that inflicts more than $100 million in costs on the U.S. economy.
Manufacturers like Lifetime Products also would benefit from the bipartisan Reinforcing American-Made Products Act, which would set one national standard for the “Made in the USA” label, thus making it easier for American consumers to support American manufacturers.”
You can read the full op-ed here. Please reach out if you have any questions about the REINS Act, the Reinforcing American-Made Products Act, or the Senator’s plans for tax-reform.
