Advocacy

Good Afternoon, Please see "This Week in Primary Care Policy" newsletter provided by KPCA Federal Policy Analyst, Colleen Meiman:  What a week…. It feels quite long (and so is this email.)  Here's this week's newsletter, and several attachments.   

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. New DEI ban on Federal grantees:  One of President Trump's new Executive Orders will prohibit organizations from receiving Federal grant funds unless they attest that they do not engage in any Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) activities or programs.  (The EO even rescinds affirmative action requirements on Federal contractors that date back to President Lyndon Johnson.)  See page 5. 

2. Future Grant Funding: If you have questions about the future of CHC grant funding, please see the section on "Could the new Administration put CHC/PCA/ HCCN grant funding at risk?  It depends."  At a minimum, Colleen sees no need for grantees whose SAC is coming soon to be particularly concerned, or for any CHC to expect that funding it has already received will be "clawed-back" (except in cases of non-compliance or overpayment.) Regarding funding for future budget periods, this section summarizes a detailed analysis of the issue by the Feldesman Law Firm.  See page 6.

3. DOGE: Two significant changes to the Department of Government Efficiency occurred quietly this week.  First, Vivek Ramaswamy stepped down as co-lead, leaving Elon Musk alone in the top leadership position.  Second, the group's official mandate was changed (and according to some, significantly reduced) to a primary focus on Federal IT systems, rather than budget cuts.  If you can,  I recommend reading this article (also included as an attachment) for insights on what may lie ahead for DOGE and Trump-Two.  See page 4.  

4. RFK Jr. nomination: The Senate will hold two confirmation hearings next week on Robert F. Kennedy Jr's nomination to serve as HHS Secretary (Finance Committee on Wed., HELP on Thursday.) Conservative opposition to his nomination appears to be growing again, due in part to a campaign led by former Vice President Pence to draw attention to RFK Jr.'s past support for abortion.  See page 4. 

5. HHS freezes: The freeze on all non-emergency external communications from HHS is currently scheduled to be lifted on Saturday Feb. 1.  It is currently unclear if HRSA staff will be permitted to attend or speak at the P&I, which takes place the following week.  Meanwhile, the travel ban on HHS staff is set to remain in place indefinitely. See page 8. 

6. Scope Manual: Colleen has not yet completed her summary of BPHC's Draft Scope Manual, and does not want to circulate it until NACHC and Feldesman staff (who have been very collaborative in the process) have reviewed it.  It will be circulated ASAP; in the meantime, please contact Colleen with questions, and know that we are all in good hands with the comments being currently prepared (including by the Wisconsin PCA.)  

RECOMMENDED ACTION ITEMS

1. DEI ban on Federal grantees:  In response to the Executive Order prohibiting organizations from receiving Federal grant funds unless they attest that they do not engage in any Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) activities or programs:

• PCAs are advised to share this information with their CHCs.
• Both PCAs and CHCs should consider reviewing their current organizational structures, job titles, workplans, webpages, etc. to see how they align with this pending requirement.  See page 5. 

2. Immigration:  Following the rescission of the "sensitive locations" policy that blocked immigration enforcement actions in health care settings, you may want to share these resources with your CHCs:

·         A list of resources that may help with their planning, with live links, as an Excel file.  (This list is also available at Tab One of the Online Resource Spreadsheet, but some CHCs might prefer a stand-alone document.

·         Slides from Colleen's Office Hours sessions (today -- Friday 1/24 – 3:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern and Monday 1/27 1:30 – 2:30 PM Eastern) about immigration and other new Executive Orders.  See page 9

3. HHS staff travel: If your PCA has a conference occurring soon, and has invited an HHS employee to participate, prepare for the possibility that they may be unable to attend. All HHS employees are currently subject to a travel ban, and there is no information on when it will be lifted.  See page 8. 

Please reach out if you have any questions, insights, concerns, etc.

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Chuck O'Neal
Director, Member Support
KPCA
Frankfort KY
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