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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2018)
Page 10A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Tuesday, January 2, 2018 Staff photo by Jade McDowell AP Photo/Evan Vucci President Donald Trump arrives for a New Year’s Eve gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort with first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron, Dec. 31 in Palm Beach, Fla. Perils abroad, full plate at home as Trump opens second year By CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON — The glamour of his holiday break behind him, President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Monday night to face a hefty legislative to-do list, critical midterm elections and perilous threats abroad. Trump started his second year in Washington after a lengthy sojourn at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, capped by a New Year’s Eve bash. Before his departure for the capital, he fired angry tweets at Iran and Pakistan, slamming Islamabad for “lies & deceit” and saying the country had played U.S. leaders for “fools,” a reference to frustrations that Pakistan isn’t doing enough to control militants. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif tweeted that his government was preparing a response that “will let the world know the truth.” Meantime, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday the United States should be aware that his country’s nuclear forces are now a reality, not a future threat. To that, Trump only said: “We’ll see.” The president is hoping for more legislative achievements after his pre-Christmas success on taxes. He plans to host Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin at Camp David next weekend to map out the 2018 legislative agenda. Republicans are eager to make progress before atten- tion shifts to the midterm elections. The GOP wants to hold House and Senate majorities in 2018, but must contend with Trump’s historic unpopularity and some recent Democratic wins. The president concluded 2017 with his first major legislative achievement — a law to cut taxes, beginning this year, for corporations and individuals at an esti- mated cost of $1.5 trillion added to the national debt over 10 years. The tax overhaul also will end the requirement, in 2019, that all Americans buy health insurance or pay a fine. That’s a key component of the Obama-era health law that that Republicans have been unable to repeal; other features of the law remain intact. The White House has said Trump will come forward with his long-awaited infra- structure plan in January. Trump has also said he wants to overhaul welfare and recently predicted Democrats and Republicans will “eventually come together” to develop a new health care plan. Ryan has talked about overhauling Medicaid and Medicare and other safety-net programs, but McConnell has signaled an unwillingness to go that route unless there’s Democratic support for any changes. Republicans will have just a 51-49 Senate majority — well shy of the 60 votes needed to pass most bills — giving leverage to Democrats. Congress also has to deal with a backlog from 2017. It must agree on a spending bill by Jan. 19 to avert a partial government shutdown. Lawmakers also have unfinished business on additional aid to for hurri- cane victims, lifting the debt ceiling, extending a children’s health insurance program and extending protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Trump has said he wants money for a border wall in exchange for protecting those immigrants. Trump spent his last day in Florida as he spent most other days — visiting his golf course and tweeting. On Pakistan, he said: “The United States has fool- ishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terror- ists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” It was not immediately clear why the president decided to comment on Pakistan. The U.S. has long accused Islamabad of allowing militants to operate relatively freely in Pakistan’s border regions to carry out operations in neighboring Afghanistan. In August, the United States said it would hold up $255 million in military assistance for Pakistan until it cracks down on extremists threatening Afghanistan. On Iran, Trump kept up his drumbeat in support of widespread anti-govern- ment protests there. He tweeted Monday that Iran is “failing at every level” and it is “TIME FOR CHANGE.” Baby Jose Phillip Escobedo, also known as Joey, is pictured with his parents Jose and Jennifer Escobedo at Good Shepherd Medical Center a few hours after Joey was born. BABY: Healthy boy born news. “We figured if they were water broke on Friday, she awake they would call, if didn’t begin going into not they would see it in the labor — a phenomenon known as premature rupture morning,” Jennifer said. A tired but excited of membranes, or PROM. Jennifer was presented The longer labor is delayed Monday after- after PROM, noon with a the greater teddy bear the chance of and a large infection for basket of the mother items for the or baby, so baby, as well Jennifer was as a profes- induced. sional photo She said the shoot, thanks hospital staff to his status was very as the first considerate baby of 2018 in starting the born at Good “least intru- Shepherd. sive” medica- There were a tions first and — Jennifer Escobedo, few items in working up, but even after mother of Jose ‘Joey’ Phillip there for her, too, she was the final dose Escobedo, Umatilla of pitocin Joey County’s first baby of 2018 told. “Is it was still being cookies?” she shy. “For some reason he asked jokingly, commenting didn’t want to descend, so we that she couldn’t wait to eat decided to do a C-section,” solid food again. Jennifer teaches she said. preschool for Head Start During the C-section they in Boardman, and Jose discovered the umbilical cord works security in the area. had looped around the baby’s neck, but in the end, after The couple said they were all the drama, he was born looking forward to bringing healthy. Not knowing what home their first child in a extended family members’ couple of days. ——— sleep patterns would be like Contact Jade McDowell in the early hours of New at jmcdowell@eastorego- Year’s Day, they send out text messages with the good nian.com or 541-564-4536. Continued from 1A “I was not expecting a New Year’s baby. I was expecting a tax break baby.” 101: Looking for way to cover $320M shortfall Continued from 1A R-Medford — launched a referendum drive to repeal the bill. A no vote is a vote to revoke the legislation. Measure 101 critics maintain that most of the $320 million shortfall could instead come from elsewhere and that it unfairly taxes individuals, small businesses, school districts, college students and non-profits while exempting corporations and unions because of their lobbyist power. Parrish, whose cell phone number appears in the special election voters’ pamphlet, said the ques- tion isn’t whether to fund Medicaid, but how to fund it. “We didn’t think taxing the health insurance plans of our teachers is a fair way fund Medicaid,” she said. “$25 million is going to come out of our public schools.” Parrish also said she believes taxing net revenues of larger hospitals will boost costs for patients. Patty Wentz, spokes- woman for the Yes for Health Care campaign, sees things differently. For one, she fears losing federal matching funds if Oregon lawmakers can’t figure out a way to pay for Medicaid. “With Measure 101, we put in $320 million and it gets matched and expanded to $1.3 billion,” Wentz said. “Without Measure 101, we could be down $1.3 billion in our health care budget. People would lose health care. It gives us the most certainty in funding health care — anything else is a gamble.” individuals now use the St. Anthony emergency department for primary care. “People don’t wait until they’re really sick and then go to the ER,” Gutierrez said. “That’s a really ineffi- cient way to do heath care.” Hoffman worries that if the measure is voted down, exciting gains in health care like that could evaporate. He pulled out a graph that showed that ER visits, hospitalizations Staff photo by E.J. Harris and specialist visits among Ashton Dokka, 13, holds up his asthma inhaler that would cost $70 without coverage from Medicaid OHP patients decreased as visits to primary providers expantion due to the Affordable Care Act. rose. “What we’re doing is working,” Hoffman said. He said the stakes of — Jennifer Dokka, failing Measure 101 are Medicaid expansion recipient who has two sons with asthma high. “A third of Umatilla A coalition of 125 Medical Center in Herm- County — a third of Eastern organizations supports the iston, is more guarded. The Oregon — receives this measure. The list includes administrator thinks the state insurance,” Hoffman said. the Oregon Association should stand on its own, not “Of that third, half are chil- of Hospitals and Health assessing hospitals, insur- dren.” Dokka, the single mom Systems, the Oregon ance companies and others Medical Association and the for enough state dollars to on Medicaid, said she’ll be relieved if Measure 101 Oregon Nurses Association. garner a federal match. “Insurance companies However, “I’m passes. If not, she worries and hospitals not only supportive of it because I about whether state legis- endorse this package, they don’t think we have an alter- lators can cobble together helped craft it,” said Dr. native,” Burke said. “Our financing. “I’m worried that they Charles Hoffman, a Baker state has found itself in an City internist who advo- untenable position. Oregon don’t have a Plan B,” Dokka cates for passage of the is the state fourth-most said. “We have a backup measure. dependent on federal dollars Harry Geller, CEO of and that’s not an enviable plan,” Parrish said, adding CHI St. Anthony Hospital in position. We need to work to that an alternative bill is already drafted. “We believe Pendleton, is also a backer. change that.” “I wholeheartedly urge Supporters say that there’s a way to get there. I people to vote yes on expanded Medicaid means have family in the expanded Measure 101,” Geller said. that fewer people use the Medicaid program. Do you “The hospital community emergency room for basic think I’d cut care to my own is pretty united to protect health care and hospitals family?” ——— health care for everyone in pay less in charity care. Contact Kathy Aney at the state.” St. Anthony nurse Margie Dennis Burke, president Gutierrez, a Measure 101 kaney@eastoregonian.com and CEO of Good Shepherd supporter, says fewer or 941-966-0810. “An inhaler costs about $70.” Staff photo by Kathy Aney A runner and her two dogs usher in the new year by participating in Monday’s Resolution Run at Riverfront Park in Hermiston. RUN: Pets join in the fun Continued from 1A the below-freezing tempera- tures, and T-shirts printed with the date of the run and “Hermiston: You Can Run Here” were available. The slogan is an echo of the city of Hermiston’s former slogan “You Can Grow Here.” Some athletes took to the trail with baby strollers, while others brought along their dogs. The first group of runners to return reported being greeted by a very excited stray dog partway through their run, and once they had rehydrated several of them took off for another run together. Liz Sharon, who ran the trail with her daughter and her daughter’s friend, said she felt the run went well and was a good way to start the new year. “It’s a fun community event,” she said. “... I like the new year. I like the new start.” Nate Rivera said he enjoyed the run and was glad the weather was clear for it, even if it was cold. He said the Resolution Run each year feels like a good way to reset from the over-eating and lazing around that usually happens over the holidays. “It breaks you out of that holiday rut,” he said. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536.