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Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

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Monday, Mar 22 2021

Full Issue

No Easter Egg Roll At White House, No Tolerance For Staffers' Drug Use Either

The covid pandemic has forced another White House crackdown — this time canceling the traditional Easter Egg Roll, hosted by the first lady. In other news, five White House staffers have been fired for past drug use, and Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Florida today to promote the covid stimulus plan.

The White House Easter Egg Roll has been canceled for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic. The White House Historical Association announced the event will instead take place virtually. The holiday celebration is organized by the first lady and typically draws crowds of 30,000 people. (Gonzalez, 3/20)

Five White House staffers have been fired because of their past use of drugs, including marijuana, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday. Marijuana has become a delicate issue for President Joe Biden's administration because 15 states and Washington, D.C., allow for recreational usage, despite a federal prohibition. The administration has tried not to automatically penalize potential staffers for legal behavior in their communities by developing a more flexible policy, Psaki said in a statement to The Associated Press. (Boak, 3/19)

With Xavier Becerra's confirmation on Thursday as Health and Human Services secretary, the Biden administration's health care team is clicking into place — not that it's been sitting around waiting. Many of the most important health care jobs in the executive branch right now aren't the Senate-confirmed leadership roles, but the management advisers and rank-and-file civil servants in charge of the vaccination effort. (Baker, 3/19)

In updates on the stimulus act —

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday to tout the administration's $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan, according to an administration source. It will be her first visit since crisscrossing Florida last fall during the presidential campaign. (Fins, 3/21)

KHN: Journalists Analyze The Covid Relief Bill

Reporter LJ Dawson discussed how undocumented immigrants have been left out of the pandemic relief package with Newsy on Tuesday. KHN correspondent Emmarie Huetteman discussed Affordable Care Act provisions included in the recent covid-19 relief bill with Newsy on Monday. (3/20)

In news about the Trump administration —

Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta will be out June 29 with "Nightmare Scenario," a scoopy narrative of President Trump's chaotic response to the pandemic. Harper, the publisher, says the authors "reveal the numerous times officials tried to dissuade Trump from following his worst impulses ... And they show how the petty backstabbing and rivalries amongst cabinet members, staff, and aides, created a toxic cycle of blame, sycophancy, and political pressure." (Allen, 3/19)

Undocumented immigrants were less likely to visit primary care physicians after former President Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, according to a March study — suggesting his rhetoric had a chilling effect, experts said, that could make those individuals less likely to seek critical care or, even now, Covid-19 vaccinations. The study, published earlier this month in JAMA, showed a 34.5% decrease in undocumented adults’ primary care visits when they compared the periods roughly a year and a half preceeding the June 16, 2015 start of Trump’s campaign to the period roughly three years after it. Undocumented children’s visits dropped by even more — 43.3%. (Faheid, 3/22)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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