Category: Congress

What to know about Pam Bondi, Trump’s new pick for attorney general

Bondi, about, know, pick, general, attorney, trumps0 comment

NEW YORK (AP) — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration after a federal sex trafficking investigation and ethics probe made his ability to be confirmed dubious. The 59-year-old has long been in Trump’s orbit and her name had been floated during his first term as a potential candidate for the nation’s highest law enforcement role. Trump announced his plans to nominate Bondi Thursday in a social media post.…

Read More...

Trump chooses TV doctor Mehmet Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

doctor, Centers, Chooses, Mehmet, Medicare, lead, Medicaid, services, Trump0 comment

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans and selected Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department. “Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country,” Trump said in a statement. “He will also cut waste…

Read More...

And old health network is about to get a shot in the arm

about, Network, shot, health0 comment

For the first time in decades, the Health and Human Services department plans to shake up an obscure system. It’s the one controlling human organs destined for transplant patients. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network serves some 100,000 patients and their families and officials say it’s overdue for modernization. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin  got more details from the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, Carole Johnson. Interview transcript: Tom Temin And you’re kind of like the small agency does so much that nobody has heard of…

Read More...

Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far

People, positions, Trump, Here, picked0 comment

President-elect Donald Trump is starting to fill key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign. Here’s a look at who he’s selected so far. Susie Wiles, chief of staff Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Wiles has a background in Florida politics. She helped Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him…

Read More...

It’s time to take out the garbage

Take, Time, It's, 'garbage'0 comment

Garbage. Hitler. Low IQ. Fascist. Gross incompetent. Unstable. Obsessed. How elegant our political speech has become. It all sounds like an electronic toy we had in the house when the kids were little. You pushed a button on the Insultinator, and it would emit from a library of words, a rude sentence. Something like this: “You’re a boring, stupid, obnoxious loser!” in a grating voice. Like our candidates, this green plastic gadget could create many variations of insults. Luckily my kids survived this ridiculous item with their manners intact. Balzac’s…

Read More...

New bill calls for penalizing career federal workers for policy resistance

Policy, calls, federal, workers, Bill, Resistance, career, penalizing0 comment

  A new bill in the House would penalize career federal employees who don’t follow directives from a presidential administration. The so-called STRAFE Act would require agencies to report any policy resistance from federal employees to the White House. The penalties for violations would be on par with the consequences for Hatch Act violations. Texas Republican August Pfluger, who introduced the bill, said it’s meant to combat what he described as employees’ “coordinated resistance” to policies during the former Trump administration. It’s the same phenomenon that former Trump officials have…

Read More...