Sarah Rittling

In a new blog post, I address how the authoritarian #Project2025 agenda endangers the future of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, with some specific implications for sexual and reproductive health and disability. #ProtectMedicaid https://lnkd.in/epmRHi8Y

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Our last and next president has tried to distance himself from #Project2025, claiming he "has no idea who is behind it." But it was developed by a broad coalition of conservative organizations, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, perhaps the leading conservative think tank in the U.S., "for the next conservative administration." And at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration had a hand in Project 2025. These include Roger Severino, the Trump appointee who led the HHS Office for Civil Rights through its many successful efforts to rescind regulations clarifying civil rights in health care and drastically expand the rights of health care providers and staff to deny their patients essential care. Severino currently serves as Heritage's VP of Domestic Policy and authored Project 2025's plans for HHS: a frightening playbook to narrow health care access (including abortion) and related civil rights across the entire country, using mechanisms that will affect those in seemingly "safe" states (e.g., those that have passed ballot initiatives and legislation to strengthen state abortion rights). I previously wrote about some of the plan's most frightening proposals for Medicaid, the ACA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in the National Health Law Program blog post below. It doesn't stop there. Six of his former Cabinet secretaries co-authored or collaborated on Project 2025. Four of his ambassadors and several enforcers of his racist immigration agenda were involved. About 20 pages are credited to his first deputy chief of staff. Democracy Forward has a great resource summarizing what Project 2025 will mean to the American people, called "The People's Guide to Project 2025." https://lnkd.in/e79aAJxe. As Democracy Forward writes, "these threats aren't hypothetical. These are their real plans." It's important to not give into despair. We cannot give up hope; we must keep fighting to hold the line on health care access and democracy at large. But first, for those who have not already done so, it is time to understand and steel yourselves for what's to come. https://lnkd.in/epmRHi8Y

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Join FutureEd and a national panel of experts for a lively webinar conversation on Nov 13 at noon about the future of state standardized testing, a critical but controversial issue in the national education conversation. Register here: https://lnkd.in/exdAGnfV  #standardizedtesting #ESSA #schoolaccountability

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What is the Office of Regional Affairs? By Office of Advocacy On Oct 15, 2024 by Will Purcell, Director of Regional Affairs The Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) advances the views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policymakers. As the voice for small businesses in the federal government, it is critical for Advocacy to hear from small business stakeholders all over the country so that we can better understand their concerns. After all, different regions have different concerns, and the Office of Regional Affairs works diligently to make sure those are heard in Washington D.C. Advocacy’s Office of Regional Affairs consists of staffers spread across the country. A regional advocate is located in each of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) ten geographic regions. The advocates are the eyes and ears for Advocacy across the nation. They help promote and champion small businesses in their region. Regional advocates: Represent the Chief Counsel for Advocacy in their regions, often facilitating opportunities for the Chief Counsel and DC staff to meet with local businesses concerned about regulations that impact their business. Conduct extensive outreach to regional small business communities so that Advocacy’s DC team is better informed of distinct regional and local small business concerns. Maintain a partnership with regional and district SBA staffers to ensure that SBA is aware of Advocacy’s products and actions. Refer regulatory concerns for already existing rules to regional Regulatory Fairness Boards and the SBA Office of the National Ombudsman. This ensures that even small businesses outside of Advocacy’s scope of work are heard. Each regional advocate engages with small businesses differently, based on their region, their network of contacts, and their background. However, all the regional advocates work to amplify the voices of the small businesses in their regions to ensure that critical information makes it back to Washington D.C.  The advocates amplify small business voices by relaying stories from the field. The advocates’ news articles are a useful way to showcase their work. This allows Advocacy to spotlight small business struggles and successes, which provides personal insight into complex regulatory law and a face to government statistics. If you are a small business and wish to reach out to an advocate in your region, or you are a trade group or local association that wishes to have a regional advocate speak at one of your events, feel free to reach out to an advocate in your region. Alternatively, you can reach out to Will Purcell, Director of the Office of Regional Affairs, at will.purcell@sba.gov.

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OVC announces two new solicitations: Meeting the Basic Needs of Crime Survivors in Underserved Communities: https://lnkd.in/e9UvCG6T These grants will help programs in communities hard hit by crime to address the basic needs of crime victims, such as transportation, temporary or transitional housing, clothing, food, and other items for their well-being, healing, or safety. Through this funding opportunity, OVC hopes to support culturally specific victim serving organizations that understand the complex, multilayered, and specific challenges that crime victims from underserved communities face when attempting to access services. This solicitation is part of a pilot program to streamline the grant application process and encourage applications from smaller organizations, organizations in underserved areas, and organizations that have never received federal funding. In addition to simple, clear language, OVC is also offering applicants multiple ways to submit their project narratives. Applicants can submit project plans using a questionnaire, through a video explaining their project, or by signing up to give an oral presentation. The second funding opportunity is the FY 2024 field-generated solicitation to increase options and expand access for crime victims: https://lnkd.in/eaCDrSyx These grants are meant to provide funding for programs that offer innovative solutions to increase the service options available to crime victims, expand access to underheard and underrepresented communities, or improve the way information is delivered to crime victims. Through this funding opportunity, applicants get to tell OVC about an issue that needs solving and their proposed innovative way to address it! Learn more about the projects previously funded by this opportunity in the comments.

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HHS’ Office of Child Support Services has issued a final rule making federal financial participation available for states and tribes to provide employment and training services to non-custodial parents.  States and tribes are not required to access these funds, but the rule provides open-ended funding for allowable expenditures. It is the first dedicated funding source for employment and training services for non-custodial parents. Adoption of the rule represents completion of an effort that had begun under the Obama administration, when a similar rule had been proposed. https://lnkd.in/e2-PKTbq

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Learning so much from the detailed and rich report out this week from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on Facial Recognition Technology. There is specific information on each of the federal agencies that is well worth reading for those following this topic closely or anyone interested in the current state of some of the federal government practices around biometrics and data privacy. I was pleased to have a few quotes embedded, and particularly liked the practical IRL example of a "dark pattern" at airports around FRT, which was a whole conversation at the hearing. While the storage of the data locally by TSA is a plus, whether the public does or does not understand the ability to opt out in real time as they clear hurdles to boarding a plane is a practical example of how power and coercion around loss of privacy are major factors we should always consider, and test for, as we know that people will not experience agency equally: "Why don’t we opt out when we approach that checkpoint? Well, it’s about the power dynamics of withholding our consent. We’re approaching an official checkpoint that has the power to disrupt our plans on a ticket we’ve already bought, and most people would not be well-informed that they can opt out without penalty or consequence. They would simply defer. So, this question of power dynamics and how technology shows up in the real world, who knows how it works and who doesn’t? . . . We have to think about the real-world testing [of] the power dynamics that are implicit in any of these situations in order to understand the civil rights implications." https://lnkd.in/eXeYBXkg

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Tomorrow, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science will mark up the FY25 Appropriations for those agencies. This morning, the Subcommittee released its draft legislation (link below). The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice had requested a 28% increase over its FY24 appropriated amount of $225,000,000 to $288,000,000. Instead, the Committee has proposed a funding level of $192,776,000, or a 14.3% decrease from FY24 levels. This is an even greater reduction than what the FTC got in its appropriation (9.6%). Compared with the FTC, there are fewer "no funds shall" restrictions in the Antitrust Division's appropriation, but Sec. 221 would prevent the Division from implementing changes to the HSR premerger notification process, and Sec. 592 would prevent the Division from working with the European Commission in the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (a similar provision was included in the FTC's appropriation). Again, introduction of the House Republicans appropriations bills is just the first step in this process. But Republicans have, once again, laid down some markers about the scope of enforcement that they find, ahem, appropriate. And while Chair Khan and the FTC generally come in for more vocal criticism, it is clear that House Republicans, at least, want to see similar constraints placed on AAG Kanter and the Antitrust Division. #appropriations #antitrustdivision #competitionlaw #antitrustlaw

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Opportunity

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My annual state legislative and policy preview is up! Find out what corporate power related issues will be at the forefront of state government debates in 2025.

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Curious how #reconciliation will shape the 2025 #healthpolicy landscape? My colleague Elizabeth (Liz) Wroe knows the process inside and out and will share some of her wisdom on Wednesday in this #free webinar!

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Last week, we filed supplemental testimony with the United States Commission on Civil Rights on the use of Artificial Intelligence by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-- we close them with a what we hope is a useful set of questions for DHS: 1) What stakeholder engagement is planned around specific use cases? 2) What empirical testing has been conducted with real-world users (e.g., has TSA measured whether or not airline passengers fully understand their ability to withhold consent at checkpoints to FRT uses? What evidence suggests that they do or do not feel at liberty to make a choice?) 3) What changes in biometric surveillance policy or other steps are DHS considering, if any, in light of the OMB EO? 4) What programs at DHS will likely receive waivers in December and what is the timeline for aligning those uses with the requirements of the EO? 5) What are the implications for FRT of Secretary Mayorkas’s new AI initiative? 6) What evidence of consent for data collection does DHS regarding its well-publicized collections of DMV and utility data that include US citizens? 7) Why does DHS feel a need to hold onto non-citizen data for an astonishing 75 years? 8) What training has been completed at this stage in terms of the timeline and what has yet to be done? 9) Does the planned training adequately capture the human factors and limitations of the tech use cases? Will the training be shared with the Commission? Has it been independently evaluated? 10) What are safety evaluations that have been conducted by DHS regarding risks to migrants and new, more hazardous corridors that may be created in light of the plan to expand DHS surveillance technologies and towers at the border? https://lnkd.in/eM3K7vm7

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Evidence champions – where you at??? The awesome OMB Evidence Team is recruiting a one-year IPA to help champion public sector evidence-building, evidence use – and all the translation and relationship-building in between. This is an exciting role meant for people looking to bust barriers, to connect evidence to policy and program design, and get cool things done. For more information, see here: https://lnkd.in/ecCXF59f #evidence #policy #getstuffdone

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Understanding U.S. democracy is crucial in today's society for fostering informed and active citizenship. It enables individuals to participate effectively in civic processes and contribute to the health and sustainability of the democratic system. It also empowers citizens to participate with some basic knowledge of our legal system. #law #lawyers #barassociation #ABA #civicliteracy #financialliteracy #judicialprocess #courts

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I am proud to announce the release of our 2023-2024 impact report, which highlights the results of our work to build a better government and a stronger democracy. The report explores the difference we made for public servants, their agencies, and our good government allies over the past year and our future plans to help the federal government keep pace with the world. The health of our democracy depends on the ability of our government to connect with and deliver for the people it serves, regardless of partisan battles and election outcomes. At a time when our democracy faces several challenges, including low trust in public institutions, political polarization, and increasingly virulent attacks on the nonpartisan civil service, our accomplishments, and plans for the future are critical. Read the full report to learn more about our work.  https://lnkd.in/dPCZcTw6 

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We at Exiger including myself as the White House lead for the supply chain task force for accleration during the pandemic, recognize the critical impact of the ongoing strike. The repercussions extend beyond mere inconvenience, affecting relief efforts post-hurricane Helen. FEMA stockpiles urgently require replenishment, with essential supplies still stranded on cargo ships in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. For companies navigating supply chain disruptions or seeking alternative suppliers, our team at Exiger is here to help. Don't hesitate to reach out for support in tracking your products' journey and exploring viable solutions. #Exiger #SupplyChain #ReliefEfforts #FEMA #HurricaneHelen #LogisticsAssistance

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✨ A Historic Year for MBDA in 2024! ✨ 2024 was a monumental year for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Three years after the passage of the Minority Business Development Act of 2021, MBDA has firmly established itself as a permanent, influential force for the country’s more than 12 million minority business enterprises (MBEs). This year, MBDA achieved incredible milestones: 📈 MBDA helped secure over $3.2 billion in contracts and $1.6 billion in capital, creating and retaining over 23,000 jobs. 💡 Advanced the Capital Readiness Program, the largest federal initiative of its kind, which in its first year served 6,300 entrepreneurs and facilitated $263 million in capital for underserved businesses. 🤝 Traveled across the nation to connect with entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and program partners, witnessing firsthand the energy and determination to break barriers and open doors for MBEs. Connecting these leaders to opportunities for growth and scaling. 🏛 Strengthened MBDA as a data-driven, permanent federal agency with the mission of closing the $7.1 trillion opportunity gap, advancing economic equity, and enhancing national security. This progress is a testament to the vision behind the Minority Business Development Act and the bipartisan coalition that supported its passage and the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration. Our economy is strongest when every American has a fair shot at the opportunity to build and grow a business. I am proud of MBDA’s enduring legacy and the role it will continue to play in fostering an economy that works for all. Leading this Agency has been the honor of my life. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for minority businesses and advancing America's security and competitive. #MBDA #YearInReview #EconomicEquity #OpportunityGap #PoweredByMBDA #TeamMBDA #BidenHarrisAdministration

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