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You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - November 29, 2016
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This is the November 29, 2016, edition of a daily email sent from November 2016 to September 2017 that covered Donald Trump's presidential transition team, potential cabinet appointees, and the different policy positions of those individuals who may have had an effect on the new administration. Previous editions of "You're Hired" can be found here.
Nominations and Appointments
As of November 29, 2016, Trump had announced four out of 15 cabinet nominations.
Tom Price
Rep. Tom Price of Georgia is Trump’s pick to head Health and Human Services. Price, an orthopedic surgeon and six-term member of Congress, has been an outspoken critic of Obamacare and began offering alternatives to the law as early as 2009, when Obamacare was first being debated in Congress. Last June, at an American Enterprise Institute event, Price said, “They believe the government ought to be in control of health care. We believe that patients and doctors should be in control of health care.”
Price’s appointment underscores the likelihood of the full-repeal and replacement of President Obama’s signature healthcare law. Trump made the repeal and replacement of Obamacare a key part of his campaign platform. After the election, however, he suggested that he may propose keeping some aspects of the law such as the provision that requires insurers to sell coverage to people with preexisting conditions and another provision that lets younger people remain under their parents’ insurance plans through their mid-20s.
Price is close with Mike Pence and is an ally of House Speaker Paul Ryan, whom he replaced as chairman of the House Budget Committee. Price endorsed Trump for president in May 2016.
Where Price stands on healthcare policy:
- Full Repeal of Obamacare. Price told Philip Klein of The Washington Examiner in 2015, “It needs to be fully repealed, because the first step out of the gate for Obamacare is a step in the wrong direction and that is for government control over every aspect of health care, so it's hard to fix the system that they have put in place without ending that premise that government ought to be running and controlling health care.”
- Price’s proposal for an Obamacare replacement. The legislative replacement for Obamacare for which Price has been advocating since 2009 is the "Empowering Patients First Act." It offers a potential blueprint for the type of healthcare policy that the Trump administration might pursue with Price at the helm of HHS. Much of the bill was featured in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s “Better Way” agenda, and Trump echoed many of Price’s ideas on the campaign trail. The bill includes tax credits based on age, which individuals and families could use to purchase insurance policies, as well as a one-time tax credit for health savings accounts. The issue of tax credits has been a flashpoint among conservatives in debates over healthcare, with some favoring tax deductions over credits. Price has said that he supports the idea of tax credits “because we felt it was cleaner.” Other features of Price’s bill include allowing insurers to sell policies across state lines and groups of businesses to purchase “association health plans.” Grants would be provided to states to help cover healthcare costs for individuals with pre-existing conditions.
- Medicare and Medicaid. Under the Empowering Patients First Act, individuals on government programs like Medicare and Medicaid would be able to opt out and use their tax credit to purchase private coverage. Trump has previously voiced some resistance to making significant changes to Medicare, saying in April 2015, “Every Republican wants to do a big number on Social Security, they want to do it on Medicare, they want to do it on Medicaid. And we can’t do that. And it’s not fair to the people that have been paying in for years.”
Conservative takes on Price’s nomination
- Sen. Rand Paul: “My friend and fellow physician @RepTomPrice is a great pick for Secretary of HHS. Let's repeal Obamacare & fix our broken healthcare system.”
- Speaker Paul Ryan said, “This is the absolute perfect choice. Tom Price has made health care his life's work. As a doctor, he has practiced and taught medicine, and he knows exactly how Washington's decisions affect patients. As a legislator, he has played a leading role in developing conservative health care solutions that put patients first. We could not ask for a better partner to work with Congress to fix our nation's health care challenges. I'm so happy for Tom and his family, and I commend President-elect Trump for this excellent nomination.”
Liberal takes on Price’s nomination
- Senator and former Democratic nominee for vice president Tim Kaine tweeted, “Rep. Tom Price could reverse ACA progress & threaten reproductive care, Medicare & Medicaid. Very discouraged by this pick.”
- Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly said, “Tom Price has led the charge to privatize Medicare, and for this reason, I cannot support his nomination. I am ready to work with anyone who wants to improve access to quality health care for Hoosier families and seniors, but the nomination of Tom Price would put us on a direct path to end Medicare as we know it, which would raise health care costs and break a fundamental promise to seniors.”
What the medical community is saying
- American Medical Association: "The American Medical Association strongly supports the nomination of Dr. Tom Price to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). His service as a physician, state legislator and member of the U.S. Congress provides a depth of experience to lead HHS. Dr. Price has been a leader in the development of health policies to advance patient choice and market-based solutions as well as reduce excessive regulatory burdens that diminish time devoted to patient care and increase costs. We urge the Senate to promptly consider and confirm Dr. Price for this important role."
- Federation of American Hospitals: "In light of expected legislative action on the ACA, it is noteworthy that [Tom Price's] repeal and replace proposal recognizes the need to protect access to hospital care for millions of Americans by restoring deep Medicare and Medicaid cuts. His leadership will be critically important in the days ahead, and we look forward to working constructively with Chairman Price on any effort to ensure that Americans can obtain affordable health care coverage.”
Seema Verma
Trump also announced that he had selected Seema Verma to serve as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that oversees the day-to-day operations of Medicare and Medicaid. The role of the “Administrator” is essentially a department head. Verma is an Indiana-based healthcare policy expert, who worked with Mike Pence’s administration to formulate a Medicaid expansion program in Indiana under Obamacare called “Healthy Indiana 2.0.”
Elaine Chao
Tom Price wasn’t the only cabinet announcement of the day. Elaine Chao is set be to Trump’s nominee for the Department of Transportation. Chao, the spouse of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, served as the secretary of the Labor Department under George W. Bush and as deputy secretary of transportation under George H. W. Bush. Since 2009, Chao has sat on the boards of several non-profit and corporate companies and has been a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, where she authored papers on labor, employment, and the economy.
Ordinarily, the secretary of the Department of Transportation is viewed as less influential than the secretaries of other departments such as Health and Human Services or the State Department. However, as the next transportation secretary, Chao could not only be responsible for overseeing a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that Trump has stated he plans to make a priority of his administration; she could also play a key role in the task of navigating the plan through Congress. Lawmakers and outside groups have voiced mixed reactions to Trump’s infrastructure proposals. Some conservatives have expressed concerns over the plan’s price tag and skepticism of its projected economic benefits. Some liberals have called it corporate welfare. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, however, have indicated a willingness to work with Trump on the issue. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R) said, “I think this is critical, something that could draw us together.” New York Democratic Rep. José Serrano, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, added, “The country needs it.”
Side note: Chao and McConnell are not the first transportation secretary/Senate majority leader couple in U.S. history. Elizabeth Dole headed the department while her husband, Sen. Bob Dole was Senate majority leader from 1985 to 1987.
See also
- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition
- Donald Trump presidential transition team
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