Reps in the News: Climate Change Task Force; More

Governor Tony Evers

Gov. Evers announced the members of the Legislature who will be appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, which was created through Executive Order #52 and will advise and assist the governor in developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change for the benefit of all Wisconsin communities.

The newest appointments to the task force are:

• Rep. Greta Neubauer, 66th Assembly District 

• Rep. Mike Kuglitsch, 84th Assembly District

• Sen. Mark Miller, 16th Senate District

Source: Evers press release

Representative Mike Gallagher

Rep. Gallagher – alongside Reps. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), William Timmons (R-S.C.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) – introduced the Time to Rescue United States’ Trusts (TRUST) Act, a bill that would establish special congressional rescue committees tasked with crafting legislation that restores and strengthens federal trust funds that are on the brink of insolvency. 

Without legislative action, critical government trust funds such as the Highway, Medicare Hospital Insurance, Social Security Disability Insurance, and Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust funds may be exhausted in the next 13 years. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. 

Source: Gallagher press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Following National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week last week, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined colleagues in urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to do more to address prevention, screening and treatment of children affected by lead exposure.

In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma led by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the senators demanded an update on the steps CMS will take to address demonstrated gaps in data pertaining to blood-lead-level screenings and urged CMS to renew its commitment to ensuring appropriate lead screening for children at risk of lead exposure.

Right now, federal law requires blood-lead screening “as appropriate for age and risk factors” for all children enrolled in Medicaid, including lead screenings at 12 months and 24 months of age. However, because the data are incomplete, CMS is impeding its own ability to address lead-poisoning prevention. 

The senators are asking Verma to do more to increase screening rates, emphasize prevention and facilitate early intervention.

Source: Baldwin press release

Senator Ron Johnson

Sen. Johnson met in July with a former Ukrainian diplomat who has circulated unproven claims that Ukrainian officials assisted Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, a previously unreported contact that underscores the GOP senator’s involvement in the unfolding narrative that triggered the impeachment inquiry of President Trump.

Andrii Telizhenko said he met with Johnson for at least 30 minutes on Capitol Hill and with Senate staff for five additional hours. He said discussions focused in part on “the DNC issue” – a reference to his unsubstantiated claim that the Democratic National Committee worked with the Ukrainian government in 2016 to gather incriminating information about then-Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort.

Telizhenko said he could not recall the date of the meeting, but a review of his Facebook page revealed a photo of him and Johnson posted on July 11.

Source: washingtonpost.com

President Donald Trump

The Trump administration has spent three years trying to help the coal industry by rolling back environmental regulations and pushing for subsidies for coal-fired power plants. Still, the long list of coal-company bankruptcies has continued, and dozens more plants have announced their retirement since Trump took office.

Now the list of bankruptcies includes a company headed by one of Trump’s most vocal supporters: Murray Energy Corporation filed for Chapter 11 on Tuesday. The company says it reached an agreement to restructure and continue operating. 

Source: npr.org