House Votes to Strip Health Care From MillionsOn Thursday, May 4, Republicans in the House narrowly passed the American Health Care Act ("Trumpcare"), their attempt to partially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). If enacted into law, this bill would leave 24 million more people uninsured, while cutting $800 billion in Medicaid funding, providing tax cuts for the wealthy, and revoking guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The Senate is drafting its own bill, which is expected to be different from the House version (if it passes the Senate, the two versions would have to be reconciled, so this legislation faces a long, bumpy road ahead).Trump Signs FY17 Spending BillOn Friday, May 5, President Trump signed a bill funding the government through September. The $1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill provides a $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), despite cuts proposed by Trump. Read more about scientifi...

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Science Fares Well in Appropriations Deal. Late Sunday, April 30, Congress reached an appropriations deal to avert a government shutdown and fund the government through September (the rest of FY17). This omnibus appropriations bill still needs to be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President this week (the current continuing resolution expires on Friday, May 5). Despite the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump administration, scientific programs actually fared reasonably well. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will see a $2 billion increase (Trump had proposed a cut of over $1 billion). The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will see a $16 million increase (Trump has proposed eliminating ARPA-E). Read more about scientific programs in the appropriations deal here, and more about what's in it more broadly here and here.Climate Science Removed from EPA Website. Just hours before demonstrators filled the streets for the People's Climate March...

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Midnight for Paris? Senior Trump administration officials were unable to come to an agreement on whether the United States should remain in the Paris Agreement during a Thursday meeting at the White House. Some officials (e.g., Steve Bannon, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt) want Trump to keep his campaign promise and withdraw from the Agreement while other officials (e.g., Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, David Banks, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner) want the United States to remain. A number of Congressional Republicans and businesses have also argued the United States should should remain in the Agreement. While no decision was made, there was consensus among senior officials that the United States should only stay in the Paris Agreement if they can negotiate new terms. Officials are expected to meet again in May for a final meeting ahead of the G7 Summit in Italy.Trump on Paris. In an interview, President Trump hinted...

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The EPA is calling for public comments on its regulations – the ones that protect us from polluted air and water, toxic chemicals, and climate change. Pledge to Save the EPA by 1) Attending or calling in to one of the the public comment sessions that the EPA is holding, and offer your comments and/or 2) Submiting a comment in writing. Click here to be taken to the comment page. More information here.As an update: the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) within the EPA is holding two public meetings (both of which the public is invited to participate in person or via teleconference) on May 1, 2017. They are as follows. Click the link to be taken to a page with more detailed information and registration information. from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon p.m. EDT on TSCA Subchapters I, II and VI rules and as well as EPCRA Subchapter II § 11023 rules. from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT on TSCA Subchapter IV (Lead Exposure Reduction) rules.The first meeting will be held from 9am to...

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Canadian Lumber TariffsOn Monday, President Trump announced that the US is imposing countervailing tariffs on Canadian lumber producers. There has been a great deal of media coverage of this issue since then, including talk about possible Canadian retaliation and a trade war. Here's what you should know:Bottom line: The President is touting these tariffs as a sign of his strength on trade. However, these tariffs are the latest round in a thirty-year old trade dispute, and would not have come as a surprise under any President. It is unclear whether the President's strong language on the issue marks any significant change in policy, or is just bluster. Background:1: The basic principle of free trade is that imported goods should be able to compete on an even footing with domestic goods. Free trade implies that countries should not put tariffs in place to make imports more expensive or provide subsidies to exports. Under current international trade law, it is sometimes permissible for ...

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Thousands March for Science Across the Globe. On Saturday, April 22, large numbers of people joined the March for Science in Washington, DC, and over 600 other locations across the globe to express their support for science and defend it against political attacks. Now that the march is over, the organizers are calling for a week of action to continue the process of advocating for science.Trump Targets H-1B Visas. On Tuesday, April 18, President Trump signed a "Buy American and Hire American" executive order, which, among other provisions, directs government agencies to "suggest reforms to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid petition beneficiaries." Changes to the H-1B visa system would likely impact America's tech industry, though the exact effects are unknown since this order does not propose specific changes.Shutdown Threat Looms, Causes Confusion. Congress returns this week from a two-week recess, facing a looming budget crisis and possible...

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Slashing Environmental Regulations. The Department of Commerce recently solicited comments from manufacturers, asking broadly which regulations the government could cut that would benefit domestic manufacturing. Nearly half of the 168 comments submitted in response targeted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including 48 targeting regulations promulgated under the Clean Air Act and 29 under the Clean Water Act. More recently, EPA issued a separate request for comment (due May 15) seeking input on regulations "that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification." It is likely that many of the industry comments calling for rollbacks of environmental regulations filed with Department of Commerce will be repeated in response to the EPA's request. For example, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce proposed extending the EPA's period for review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) from every 5 years to every 10 years. The EPA sets NAAQS for air pollutants such...

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CALL TO ACTIONPlease call your U.S. Representative and both U.S. Senators to express your opposition to the Trump administration's short-term budget request for Fiscal Year 2017, which artificially insists on $33 billion in new defense and border spending and $18 billion worth of spending cuts elsewhere in order to prevent the federal government from shutting down on April 29. Instead, urge your Member of Congress to work across party lines to pass a "clean" spending bill that keeps the government funded at or near its current levels. Find your Congressional members at WhoIsMyRepresentative.com. Feel free to customize the suggested script below with your own words.Suggested Script:My name is _____________, and I am a constituent of [Congressional member]. I strongly oppose the President's short-term budget request for the remainder of this fiscal year, for a number of reasons.First, the military does not need an additional $30 billion dollars in defense spending over the next five m...

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Time to get your comment on – the EPA needs you! EPA is calling for public comments on its regulations – the ones that protect us from polluted air and water, toxic chemicals, and climate change. The EPA needs to hear that Americans care about these protections, and are watching. We will not go backwards!PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT TODAY.The comment period ends on May 15th, so pledge to take action today!1. Attend or call in to one of the the public comment sessions that the EPA is holding, and offer your comments. Attending one of the in-person or teleconference sessions will make sure your voice is heard.a) See the list of public comment sessions below.b) Click the link to sign up for the session (note: not all sessions require pre-registration).c) Think about what you will say in advance, using the suggestions below.2. Whether or not you can attend or call into one of the public meetings, also submit a comment in writing. Click here to be taken to the comment page. Click the Comm...

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An Opportunity For Public Comments at EPAThe Trump administration's drive to roll back governmental protections continues. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it is taking public comments on regulatory reform in accordance with Executive Order 13777, "Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda." The agency "is seeking input on regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification." However, this is an opportunity for the public to offer their support for the key role the EPA plays in protecting human health and our environment.In January, President Trump signed a memo that ordered the Commerce Department to solicit public comments on "actions to streamline permitting and reduce regulatory burdens for domestic manufacturers." A recent analysis by The Washington Post of the comments submitted revealed that most came from industry, whose top targets for regulations to change or remove were clean air and water and labor protections--putt...

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