Latest news with #BenRayLuján
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NCOA Applauds Reintroduction of Treat and Reduce Obesity Act
Bipartisan legislation would expand Medicare coverage of comprehensive obesity treatments View in browser Key Takeaways: The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate. Reintroduction in the U.S. House of Representatives is expected soon. If passed and signed into law, TROA would require Medicare to cover anti-obesity medications, including GLP-1s, and expand access to intensive behavioral therapy for weight management. TROA has historically gained bipartisan support and was first introduced in Congress over 10 years ago. ARLINGTON, Va., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the national voice for every person's right to age well, applauds today's reintroduction of the bipartisan Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) in the U.S. Senate. Led by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., TROA would expand Medicare coverage for the full continuum of obesity care, recognizing obesity as a chronic, treatable disease that affects 40 percent of older Americans. First introduced in 2013, TROA aims to improve Medicare by removing outdated barriers to quality obesity care. The legislation has consistently received bipartisan support, highlighting a growing agreement among policymakers about the need to tackle the nation's obesity epidemic. "Obesity is a chronic condition that has affected millions of Americans for decades, but getting adequate care remains stubbornly difficult for too many older adults," said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA President and CEO. "The reintroduction of TROA is a welcome and vital step toward ensuring all Americans have access to the full range of obesity treatments." The legislation would repeal an outdated statute that prevents Medicare Part D from covering FDA-approved obesity medications. TROA also enhances access to intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) under Medicare Part B, which under current policy can only be provided by primary care doctors. TROA expands access to IBT to ensure a broader array of health care providers, including registered dietitian nutritionists, obesity medicine specialists, endocrinologists, bariatric surgeons, clinical psychologists, and community-based providers. By expanding access to lifestyle-based interventions like IBT, TROA ensures patients with obesity will have access to the full spectrum of obesity care. Obesity is linked to over 200 medical conditions and is responsible for an estimated 400,000 deaths annually. In addition to the health impacts of obesity, it is also an expensive disease, costing an estimated $173 billion in the United States in 2019. Expanding insurance coverage of obesity treatments could help reduce the cost burden of obesity to both patients and all Americans. According to the USC Schaffer Center, access to innovative anti-obesity medicines, including GLP-1s, can produce a 13% return on investment. Another recent study found that employees taking anti-obesity medications saw reduced growth in medical cost rates over two years compared to those not taking them, resulting in lower costs for their employers in addition to significant health improvements. NCOA has advocated for older adults with obesity to be treated fairly by providers free from weight stigma and bias. With the National Consumers League, NCOA helped develop the Obesity Bill of Rights in 2024. About NCOAThe National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person's right to age well. Working with thousands of national and local partners, we provide resources, tools, best practices, and advocacy to ensure every person can age with health and financial security. Founded in 1950, we are the oldest national organization focused on older adults. Learn more at and @NCOAging. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE National Council on Aging Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Luján and Heinrich ask for FEMA reforms
Jun. 3—New Mexico's senators are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to improve its response to catastrophes in Western states. Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FEMA Acting Administrator David Richardson to improve FEMA's response to wildfires and the subsequent disasters, like flooding or mudslides, that so often follow. Richardson was appointed interim director in early May and made headlines Monday when he commented that he was not aware the country has a hurricane season, according to a report from Reuters. Spokespeople from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, the agency overseeing FEMA, have said the comment was a joke. "Western states face a distinct and growing threat: namely, catastrophic wildfires followed by cascading disasters such as landslides, flooding, and water system failures that compound damage and slow recovery," the letter reads. "These cascading events — which can happen years after an initial fire — are devastating, and FEMA has repeatedly struggled to respond effectively." In January, President Donald Trump created a council to review FEMA and suggest changes, including whether "FEMA can serve its functions as a support agency, providing supplemental federal assistance," to states, and Trump has suggested eliminating the agency. More than 2,000 FEMA employees have left the agency or have been laid off since Trump began his second term. The senators urged the administration not to weaken FEMA's authority. "Weakening or eliminating federal disaster assistance when state and local resources across the West are overwhelmed and depleted would be a dangerous step backwards," the letter says. Northern New Mexico communities have struggled with flooding in years after the 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire destabilized watersheds and caused soil degradation and vegetation loss. The senators point to 2024 flooding in Las Vegas, which disrupted the city's annual Fiestas. The senators are calling for FEMA's reimbursement formulas to be updated to reflect that infrastructure like bridges being rebuilt after fires may need to be more robust, given the risk of post-fire floods. They're also calling for FEMA's policies to adapt to the reality that some people living in areas at high-risk of catastrophic natural disasters like wildfires or hurricanes are no longer able to acquire private insurance coverage, asking the agency to "meet the needs of those who fall into this widening gap."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NM Dem U.S. Sen. Luján co-sponsors DOGE BROS Act
Congressional Democrats say the DOGE BROS Act is needed to counter Elon Musk and DOGE's efforts to access individuals' personal information. (Photo by) Several Congressional Democrats on Tuesday, including U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), announced a new bill aimed at countering what they describe as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's 'continued efforts to improperly access' individuals' 'personally identifiable information,' such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and Social Security numbers. The Defending Our Government's Electronic data: Bolstering Responsible Oversight & Safeguards (DOGE BROS) Act would increase five penalties for violation of federal privacy laws. As Source reported this week, the New Mexico Health Care Authority recently informed the contractor who manages payments on its behalf that it did not consent to such information being shared with the federal government, which requested the data. The United States Department of Agriculture, earlier this month, wrote a letter to all U.S. states asking them to provide the 'names, dates of birth, personal addresses used, and Social Security numbers' of anyone who is receiving or has applied to receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). 'From day one, Elon Musk's DOGE has taken a wrecking ball to the federal government and critical services for the American people, all while carelessly pursuing their sensitive personal data,' Luján said in a statement. 'Congress must do more to protect that information and keep it out of the wrong hands.' Specifically, the law proposes the following penalty increases for improper disclosure: identifiable information in any agency record from its current penalty of up to $5,000 to up to $30,000 information obtained from a computer in any U.S. agency or department without proper authorization from $250,000 up to $750,000 any Social Security or Medicare data would increase from $10,000 to $25,000 tax return information, which now carries a penalty up to $5,000, would increase up to $25,000 census data, now with a penalty up to $5,000, would increase up to $25,000 Lead sponsor U.S. Sen. Mark Warren (D-V.A.) said in a statement, 'As unvetted and unqualified DOGE employees continue to recklessly access the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans, it's important that we take steps to better protect this data. For too long, our privacy laws have sat outdated, barely serving as a deterrent for improper handling or potential release of information. This legislation would enforce that privacy must be a priority when handling the data of the American public.' Other sponsors — all Democrats — include: U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-V.A.), Chris Van Hollen (D-M.D.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-M.D.), Adam Schiff (D-C.A.), and Peter Welch (D-V.T.)
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NM delegation reacts to screwworm outbreak
A slide of a fly laying eggs in an animal wound. (Courtesy Special Collections, USDA National Agricultural Library). Members of New Mexico's federal delegation on Thursday responded to growing concerns about the spread of the New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly that can damage livestock and other animals. United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on May 11 announced the immediate suspension of live cattle, horse and bison imports through United States ports of entry along the southern border 'due to the continued and rapid northward spread' of NWS in Mexico. According to the USDA, NWS 'has been recently detected in remote farms with minimal cattle movement as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles away from the U.S. border.' U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced on Thursday bipartisan legislation, also sponsored by fellow New Mexico Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, aimed at curbing the outbreak. The Strengthening Tactics to Obstruct the Population of Screwworms (STOP Screwworms) Act, introduced by Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, would pay for and direct the USDA to start construction on a new sterile fly production facility. 'Given the current screwworm outbreak, Congress must take immediate action to help protect New Mexico's cattle and livestock from this growing threat,' Luján said in a statement. 'This bipartisan legislation will fund a new sterile fly facility to help stop the spread of the destructive New World screwworm and protect New Mexico's 1.4 million cattle and calves. This is a critical investment that supports over 10,000 cattle farms and ranches in New Mexico, saves the U.S. livestock industry nearly $1 billion each year, and helps prevent an outbreak in the U.S.' U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) who represents the state's 2nd congressional district that includes the border communities, wrote to USDA Secretary Rollins in March expressing concerns about the mounting NWS threat, and is a co-sponsor of the new legislation in his chamber. 'I've been raising the alarm about the New World Screwworm threat because I know what it means for our ranchers, ports, and rural economies,' Vasquez said in a statement this week. 'That's why I introduced this bipartisan bill to fight this outbreak and protect our livestock industry. I was one of the first lawmakers to urge the USDA to take this seriously. Livestock auctions in New Mexico are already feeling the squeeze, and ranchers who depend on cross-border cattle trade are being left in limbo. USDA must be transparent about the timeline for reopening ports of entry, and they need to address the staffing and operational issues that are slowing things down. Our border economies can't wait.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Luján asks for focus on firearm smuggling at the border
May 9—Sen. Ben Ray Luján and 13 of his fellow Democratic legislators are pushing the Trump administration to more aggressively pursue firearm smuggling. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the bust of a five-state drug trafficking organization earlier this week. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recovered more than 4 million fentanyl pills and $4.4 million in cash, as well as methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and weapons. Luján, D-N.M., and his colleagues want the administration to continue a focus on drug trafficking, especially fentanyl, by bolstering interagency coordination and expanding border crossing inspections to stop American firearms from traveling south to Mexico. Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, both from New Mexico, have signed onto the letter. "Put simply, if we do not stop the flow of American-made guns across the southern border to Mexico, we cannot stop the flow of fentanyl into our country over that same border," the letter reads. In a time characterized by partisan division, the call appears to align with the Republican Trump administration's goals. When President Donald Trump signed an expansion on tariff exemptions for Mexico in February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the two leaders agreed to work together to stop the flow of fentanyl from Mexico and guns from the U.S., according to a BBC report. In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated eight Latin American cartels and gangs Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The letter points out the new designations could be used to sanction or fine people providing firearms to the criminal organizations: "it is unlawful to knowingly provide material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization and those who do so can be fined or imprisoned for up to 20 years," the letter reads. The members of Congress urged Bondi and Rubio, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, to increase interagency cooperation to dismantle smuggling rings that facilitate weapons trafficking; expand border crossing inspections; increase law enforcement efforts against straw purchasers and firearm dealers; and strengthen intelligence-sharing with Mexican authorities.
