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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2017)
Page 12A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Tom Price sworn in as health secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new health secretary took office Friday after becoming the latest Cabinet nominee to eke out a confirmation victory in the bitterly divided Senate. Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to Tom Price, of Georgia, at the White House hours after the Senate confirmed him 52-47 in a party-line vote. That roll call came in the dead of night, thanks to Democrats’ tactic of forcing prolonged debates to broadcast their opposition to Trump and his team. Pence said Price, an ortho- pedic surgeon, is “uniquely qualified” for the job and playing a leading role in helping the Republican-con- trolled Congress achieve its top priority of repealing and replacing the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. Pence called Price “the most principled expert on health care policy” in Congress. Price served seven terms in the House. As head of the Health and Human Services Department, Price will take center stage as the administration and congressional Republicans try delivering on their pledge AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Vice President Mike Pence administers the oath of office to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, accompanied by his wife Betty, Friday in the Ei- senhower Executive Office Building in Washington. to scrap President Barack Obama’s health care law and substitute their own programs. After years of trying, they finally command both the White House and Congress but have so far struggled to craft a plan with enough votes to win approval. Price is likely to play a lead role both in shaping health care legislation and issuing department regula- tions aimed at weakening Obama’s statute. “Having Dr. Tom Price at the helm of HHS gives us a committed ally in our work to repeal and replace Obamacare,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Friday. Democrats focused on the legislation Price once sponsored, including efforts to kill Obama’s law. He’s also sought to reshape Medicare’s guarantee of health coverage for seniors into a voucher-like program, cut Medicaid, which helps poor people afford care, and halt federal payments to Planned Parenthood because it provides abortions. Sen Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., conceded that Price had experience but added, “It’s the kind of experience that should horrify you.” That battle won, Republi- cans were preparing to next win Senate confirmation for financier Steven Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary. He was expected to get the chamber’s approval Monday, along with Trump’s choice to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, physician David Shulkin. Republicans have lauded Mnuchin’s long career in the finance and banking worlds. As they did with Price, Democrats are attacking Mnuchin’s background, such as criticizing OneWest bank, which he led, for not protecting thousands of homeowners from unneces- sary foreclosures. They also said he failed to disclose nearly $100 million in assets on forms he filed with the Senate. Price’s nomination is part of a larger clash in which Republicans want to quickly enact priorities long blocked by Obama. Democrats, with few tools as Congress’ minority, are making a show of resistance, stretching some floor debates to the maximum 30 hours Senate rules allow. WALDEN: Is opposed to selling off public land Continued from 1A Walden did say he supports parts of the current law, like prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insur- ance plan until they are 26. But he said the individual mandate has not worked, and he envisions other ways of getting more people into the insurance pool that are incentive-based, rather than penalty-based. Walden is also in favor of expanding health savings accounts as a tool to empower consumers, he told the crowd in Weston. “It just seems to me the market isn’t working very well right now,” he said. “We’re all paying more and we’re getting less.” Immigration was another hot-button issue at both town halls, and Walden did not mince words when he said he is “not an open borders guy.” “My view is that a country that doesn’t have control of its borders doesn’t have control of its security,” he said. That being said, Walden sounded skeptical of Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico, describing it as “unnecessary” and “unfea- sible.” There are other ways to strengthen border security, Walden said, such as using drones and beefing up patrols. When asked specifically about farm labor, Walden did say there are federal programs available — such as the H-2A visa program for seasonal workers — that can help provide workers in the fields. But he said there must be a cap on green cards, and urged Oregon to invest more in education, so jobs at factories and data centers can be filled by Americans. Blue Mountain Commu- nity College is building a new workforce training center in Boardman, not far from the SAGE Center where Walden spoke, aimed at doing just that. “I am not going to sign off on the notion that all these jobs in Morrow County couldn’t be filled by people here in Eastern Oregon,” Walden said. On the subject of educa- tion, several people at both town halls asked about what will happen to local schools after Betsy DeVos was recently confirmed as the new education secretary. Walden pointed to the Every Student Succeeds Act, which passed in 2015 and replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. The law, Walden said, puts school boards and communities in greater control of their own issues. If DeVos wanted to change that, Walden said she would have to change the law. “That’s not going to happen,” he said. In Weston, one resident asked what Congress will do to affect climate change. Walden then discussed his legislation that would increase forest thinning to reduce large wildfires, thus reducing a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions. “We should be better stewards of these forests,” Walden said. In a meeting last week with President Trump, Walden said the president is “all on board to try and help us” with forestry legislation that he insists will boost jobs, make communities safer and watersheds more healthy. Walden said he was pleased to see there was no designation of a national monument at the Owyhee Canyonlands before Obama left office. As for selling off public land, Walden said he is opposed, and furthermore such a proposal would never pass Congress. One such proposal by Rep. Jason Chaf- fetz (R-Utah) was withdrawn after it faced severe backlash. As he wrapped up his visit to Boardman, Walden was asked whether Congress planned to investigate any of Trump’s apparent conflicts of interest with his various busi- nesses. Walden said Congress is not the right venue for such an investigation, and there are other watchdog outfits dedicated to tracking ethics violations. “I don’t look to Congress to begin a very costly, time-consuming investiga- tion,” he said. At some point, Walden said there has to be a moment of pause for the country to come together — a comment that drew more than a few scoffs and chuckles from the crowd. “I just think we have a lot of work to do,” Walden said. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. Saturday, February 11, 2017 FUNDS: Pendleton, Hermiston use the money for taxi ticket programs Continued from 1A there should be a set formula for calculating allotments of STF funds, based on things like the number of clients served and the service area’s percentage of senior and disabled residents. For the 2017-2019 biennium the committee has recommended the city of Pendleton receive $62,500 per year, the city of Herm- iston $37,500 per year, the city of Milton-Freewater $37,500 per year, Good Shepherd Health Care System $26,000 per year, CAPECO $15,000 per year, Clearview Mediation $15,000 per year, Herm- iston Senior Center $3,000 per year and Foster Grand- parents $2,000 per year. In 2015 the committee recommended Pendleton receive $90,000, Hermiston $32,000, Milton-Free- water $50,000, CAPECO $18,739, Good Shepherd $28,235, Clearview Medi- ation $20,138, Hermiston Senior Center $3,000 and Foster Grandparents $6,500. Carter and Morgan said that in earlier years some of the nonprofits used to ask for — and receive — significantly less. County finance director Robert Pahl said the county provides guidelines for the Special Transportation Advisory Committee to consider in its deci- sion-making process. “There is a coordinated plan that the county put together with public input that has some priorities in it that the committee uses as guidance,” he said. Committee chair Darrin Umbarger said with less money coming in from the state, the committee decided it was only fair to make everyone share the burden of cuts by getting less than they requested. Carter and Morgan expressed concern that two of the three committee members who were present on Monday to vote on how the money would be distrib- uted were also affiliated with organizations asking for money (Umbarger is CEO of Clearview Medi- ation and Virginia Beebe is on the Hermiston Senior Center board). Umbarger said that he and Beebe had someone else give their organiza- tion’s presentation to the committee and recused themselves when it came time to vote on their organi- zation’s application. He said it was important to have people on the committee familiar with programs for transporting senior and disabled residents. Pendleton uses STF funds for a taxi ticket program that subsidizes rides for senior and disabled residents, van transport to the senior meal program, the Care Ride to St. Anthony Hospital, a dial-a-ride bus and a taxi ticket program for the general public. Hermiston uses the money for subsidized taxi tickets for senior and disabled residents, while Hermiston Senior Center transports seniors to its meal program and Good Shepherd’s CareVan offers rides to medical appointments. Milton-Freewater also has a taxi ticket program for senior and disabled residents. CAPECO offers a dial-a-ride program for seniors. Clearview Mediation uses wheelchair accessible vans for a dial-a- ride service for seniors and individuals with disabilities in the Pendleton area. And the Foster Grandparents program based in Pend- leton reimburses volunteer “grandparents” who mentor elementary school students for their travel. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536.
