The Trump administration unveiled a plan to force hundreds of thousands of Americans to hold jobs if they want to continue receiving food stamps. The administration is planning to do so by executive action as this is not something they could accomplish by going through Congress. [WP 12/20/18] .
A “deploy or get out” policy, unveiled by the Trump administration in February 2018, directs the Pentagon to identify service members who cannot be deployed to military posts outside of the United States for more than 12 consecutive months and to separate them from military service. Since current U.S. military policy identifies servicemembers living with HIV as non-deployable they face immediate discharge under this policy. [Good 12/20/18]
Under new advice issued by Trump administration health officials, states would be free to redefine the use of ACA subsidies. Under the new guidelines, states could allow the subsidies to be used for health plans the administration has been promoting that are less expensive and would provide skimpier benefits and fewer consumer protections. [WP 11/29/18]
Just a month before this year’s open enrollment period began for the Affordable Care Act plans, the Trump administration removed an online resource intended to help members of the Latino community enroll for health care. [WP 12/11/18]
The Trump administration announced a plan that would weaken restrictions on coal-fired power plants, allowing them to release mercury and other pollutants linked to respiratory illnesses into the atmosphere. [NYT/Axios 12/28/18]
HUD Secretary Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon, has been a longtime skeptic of using government power to eliminate discriminatory housing practices. He proved that once again by suspending an Obama-era rule, mandating that communities fix long-standing patterns of discrimination. [WP 1/2/18]
2016 Election
In the 2016 election:
55.7% of the voting-age population voted
61% of voting-age citizens voted
85.8% of registered voters voted
[PEW 5/21/18]