Health Screenings Work. So Why Gut the Panel Behind Them?
Dismantling the advisory panel would be a disastrous blow to Americans' health. The group's focus is on the complex science of prevention and constantly evolving evidence-based medicine. That's why already overworked doctors rely on the task force for expert guidance.
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USA Today
15 minutes ago
- USA Today
Repealing greenhouse gas emissions rule could cost American drivers more, not less
Repealing emission standard for new cars could save Americans money — if gas prices drop. Ending greenhouse gas emissions standards for new cars is supposed to result in more 'affordable choices' for consumers and 'regulatory relief' for companies, according to a statement from the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet, the agency's draft impact analysis shows the proposal might instead cost the country more than it would save. It depends on what is counted and assumptions about the broader economy. 'They're trying to cook the books to show that somehow what they're doing saves costs,' Joseph Goffman, a former assistant administrator at the EPA office overseeing air pollution rules, said in an interview. A spokesperson for the agency agreed that some of the modeled scenarios were 'highly speculative' but said they are designed to show the influence of market conditions, like gas prices. One estimate showed repealing emissions standards would cost the country $350 billion a year. Another predicting ideal economic conditions showed annual savings of $490 billion. Neither of those figures included the cost of public health impacts from air pollution. Initial details of the proposal to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding were announced Tuesday by Lee Zeldin, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. 'With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,' Zeldin said at an Indiana auto dealership, calling greenhouse gas rules 'the real threat to Americans' livelihoods.' Dropping emissions standards for new vehicles is one effect of the agency's plan to repeal the 'endangerment finding,' which underpins the federal government's ability to regulate the greenhouse gases that fuel climate change. In 2009, the agency under former President Barack Obama detailed evidence that greenhouse gases, including those emitted by cars, harm human health. Last year, President Joe Biden's administration set rules to reduce the release of these heat-trapping gases as well as other air pollutants. Widely touted economic benefits of $99 billion per year included reduced public health costs from cleaner air along with reduced fuel and maintenance costs. More: Trump EPA reverses pollution limits on power plants How are the costs and benefits calculated? To understand the economic impact of the proposal, the Environmental Protection Agency modeled several different scenarios in a draft report. Some include changing more government policies than others. Some rely on economic factors beyond the government's direct control. For instance, one projection estimates repealing the endangerment finding and the car emissions standard for greenhouse gases would have a net cost of $350 billion for the nation. That scenario includes ending tax credits for new electric cars created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Other projections show that the repeal would result in overall savings once a gallon of gasoline becomes a dollar cheaper than previously forecasted. Goffman suggested that 'an unrealistically low price for gasoline' was the only way the Trump administration could show the plan had broad economic benefits. An EPA spokesperson told USA TODAY: 'These values are illustrative and show the sensitivity of future gas savings based on different fuel prices. Many actions that can impact gas prices in the future and basing the benefits on future gas prices is highly speculative.' Will cars be cheaper? When the Biden administration announced its car pollution standards in 2024, the EPA explained how the rule could change the cost of new cars as part of its an 800-page analysis. Purchase prices were projected to increase, ranging from about $900 for a sedan to $2,600 for an SUV. But the agency said consumers would save money in the long run because of cheaper maintenance and fuel savings over the vehicle's lifetime. For example, sedan and SUV drivers would save $4,400. The savings projected under Biden were even larger after including purchase incentives in the calculations. But those will be eliminated as a result of cuts in Trump's "Big Beautifull Bill" that was approved by Congress weeks ago. For instance, people who buy new electric cars soon will lose access to $7,500 in tax credits. The draft analysis of the new proposal is much shorter – just 63 pages – and does not project changes in the cost of new cars. Instead, it estimated nationwide impacts. Trump administration officials have touted $54 billion in annual savings for Americans. An EPA spokesperson clarified that figure included benefits from expected new vehicle technology but did not include costs such as long-term maintenance. Adding those leads to a net cost increase of $18 billion per year. How will the repeal affect public health spending? When Biden's administration set car emissions standards last year, a report calculated it would save the nation $13 billion annually in public health spending by reducing the amount of fine particulate matter released in the air. This pollution is associated with premature deaths and hospitalizations from respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. That report also estimated that limiting greenhouse gas emissions would bring $72 billion climate benefits annually. This was calculated from the social cost of carbon, a measure that considers things like human health effects, agricultural productivity and property damage from natural disasters. The repeal proposed by Zeldin would keep the particle pollution limits, however, it would remove standards for greenhouse gas emissions. The new estimates did not include the impacts, like public health, of increases in greenhouse gas emissions. Future of climate change regulation beyond cars Goffman, the former EPA official, said repealing the endangerment finding has impacts beyond car emissions. Its repeal could limit the federal government's power to regulate all greenhouse gas emissions and make future attempts to tackle climate change harder. 'This goes beyond an individual administration exercising discretion that can be reversed by a future administration,' Goffman said. 'They've taken themselves out on the legal ledge, and it's only a couple of millimeters wide.' This proposed repeal is part of a larger movement from the Trump EPA. In June, Zeldin announced intent to remove and scale down air pollution limits on power plants. In that news release, the agency said it would save the power sector about $1.2 billion dollars annually in regulatory costs. It didn't mention that their cost-benefit analysis found it would also cost $8 billion dollars annually from worsened public health. That means a net negative from easing those pollution limits: While companies save money, people would spend more because of poorer health. Electricity generation and transportation are the two biggest greenhouse gas emitting sectors. Together they make up over half of emissions in the country. The plans to scale back limits on power plants and new cars could have significant influence on global efforts to avoid climate change impacts. 'Trump's EPA is trying every trick in the book to deny and avoid their mission to protect people and the environment,' wrote Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator who now leads the advocacy group, America Is All In. 'Instead of doing their job, this EPA is putting the safety of our loved ones at risk.' Written comments from the public about the repeal proposal can be submitted until Sept. 15. The agency also plans to hold public hearing sessions next month. More details can be found on the agency's website.
The Hill
15 minutes ago
- The Hill
How Trump's tariffs could affect your grocery bill
President Trump's wide-ranging tariffs scheduled to go into effect Friday could raise food and grocery prices by several percentage points, according to analyses by two think tanks. The Yale Budget Lab estimated Monday that food prices would rise 3.4 percent in the short-run and stay 2.9 percent higher in the longer term. The Tax Foundation calculated that about 75 percent of the country's food imports would be impacted by the tariffs in some way, notably liquor, baked goods, coffee, fish and beer. Alex Durante, an economist with the Tax Foundation, said many people might choose to eat the cost of the tariff because many agricultural products don't have immediately available domestic alternatives. 'You can't make French wine in, say, California because then it ceases to be French wine,' he said. 'To that extent, consumers might have limited availability to switch to alternatives and they might just simply continue paying the tariff burden prince.' That said, not every item in Americans' grocery baskets could see price increases. Many agricultural products from Mexico and Canada, including some fruits, vegetables and meat products, are reportedly exempt under a trade agreement negotiated during Trump's first term. Potential duties on other imports and countries are still being worked out. Trump struck a trade deal with the European Union this week that established a 15 percent duty on goods from the bloc. But wine and spirits, for instance, still need to be negotiated, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week. 'The Administration has consistently maintained that the cost of tariffs will be borne by foreign exporters who rely on access to the American economy, the world's biggest and best consumer market,' a White House spokesperson told CNBC this week. The Hill reached out to the White House for comment. Here are five staples in your grocery cart that could see a price hike. Fish and seafood Canada, which makes up more than 15 percent of U.S. seafood imports, the most of any country, is currently locked in trade negotiations with Trump's trade representatives. The president's threat of a 35 percent tariff on the U.S.'s northern neighbor posed in April would reportedly exempt goods that comply with a trade deal negotiated during his first administration. Goods primarily produced in North America are tariff-exempt under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA). Indonesia (7.6 percent of U.S. seafood imports) will face a 19 percent tariff rate under a trade deal announced by the U.S. last week. Vietnam (6.9 percent) agreed to a 20 percent tariff, down from a 46 percent rate originally threatened by Trump. Coffee Brazilian coffee, which accounted for nearly a quarter of the country's 2024 coffee spending, could face a 50 percent tariff, along with all other imports to the U.S. Trump made the move in order to pressure the country's judiciary to drop the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president facing charges after his supporters stormed government buildings in early 2023. Switzerland, the source of 13.4 percent of American coffee imports, could also face a 31 percent rate. Trump also threatened tariffs on Colombia (16.8 percent of coffee imports) in January but later rescinded them. The average retail price of coffee is already up about $1 compared to what it cost in January. Rice The U.S. relies on Thailand, which could be subject to a levy as high as 36 percent, for more than half of its imported rice. The Southeast Asian nation's finance minister said Tuesday that he expected trade talks to be completed before Aug. 1 and that the final tariff rate would be lower than what Trump initially threatened, Reuters reported. India, another major importer, is also in trade talks with the U.S. Trump on Wednesday announced a 25 percent tariff on the country. Food Business News estimated in April that America's foreign rice supply faced an average added tariff of 33 percent. Rice exports from American producers have also been a sticking point for the Trump administration during negotiations with Japan, with the U.S. pushing to have more American rice bought in Japan tax-free. Alcohol Mexico, America's top source of spirits including tequila, is facing down a 30 percent tariff starting Thursday. The country also accounts for more than 83 percent of beer exports to the U.S. Domestic beer producers could also be impacted, the Cato Institute argued in July, because they depend on aluminum for cans and ingredients like hops, malts, and sugar imported from other countries. Any levies on wine imports from France and Italy remain to be negotiated as part of the EU's larger trade agreement with the US. New Zealand, another top source of wine (7 percent of U.S. imports), is subject to Trump's general 10 percent tariff increase but has not yet seen another duty imposed on top of that. Chocolate If the USMCA remains in place, Canadian and Mexican chocolate will continue to be exempt from American tariffs, regardless of where they source their cocoa. Several chocolate makers in Mexico and Canada told Reuters that the new tariffs actually boosted their businesses over American manufacturers, who have to import their cocoa from overseas that is tariffed under Trump's policies. Ivory Coast (9.4 percent) faces a reciprocal tariff of 21 percent, a move that the country's agriculture minister said in April would lead to higher cocoa prices.
Fox News
17 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump to unveil new MAHA initiatives at 'Make Health Tech Great Again' White House event
The White House is poised to unveil new details on Wednesday surrounding the Trump administration's efforts to advance healthcare technology and partnerships with private-sector technology companies. The "Make Health Tech Great Again" event is expected to provide more details on how the administration is advancing a "next-generation digital health ecosystem," after securing partnerships with companies including Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI to better share information between patient and providers within Medicare and Medicaid services. "For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health," Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement Wednesday ahead of the event. "That ends today. We're tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that serves the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again." The Trump administration is partnering with more than 60 companies to bolster how health information is shared electronically, including through the use of apps, and beef up the interoperability of health information networks, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The apps aim to address issues including diabetes and obesity management, and provide beneficiaries with AI assistants to walk through symptoms, provide care options, and assist with scheduling appointments. Other functions that the technology aims to solve are providing digital check-ins to streamline services and cut down on paper intake forms. The White House event is a follow-up to the request for information notice that the CMS posted in May requesting information from stakeholders on ways to beef up health technology interoperability. Other technological advances on the health front include plans for CMS to launch an app library on to best direct beneficiaries to the right digital health tools, according to CMS. "We have the tools and information available now to empower patients to improve their outcomes and their healthcare experience," CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a statement Wednesday. "For too long, patients in this country have been burdened with a healthcare system that has not kept pace with the disruptive innovations that have transformed nearly every other sector of our economy," Oz said. "With the commitments made by these entrepreneurial companies today, we stand ready for a paradigm shift in the U.S. healthcare system for the benefit of patients and providers."
