THE LONG GAME: With recess over, attention turns to Ukraine; New FISA bill proposed
Following a two-week recess, lawmakers return to Washington, D.C. facing a host of priorities, including proposals to assist Ukraine and to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had earlier pledged to take on the issue of assistance to U.S. allies—including Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan—after completing work on the FY24 funding measures that were resolved prior to the recess. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he spoke to Johnson about the need to pass a supplemental spending package along the lines of the measure approved by the upper chamber in February. However, many conservatives remain unconvinced, and some GOP holdouts have recently echoed an idea floated by former president Donald Trump to provide aid to Ukraine in the form of a loan. Meanwhile, Johnson must deal with these and other issues while facing a challenge to his speakership. In response to Johnson’s efforts to work with Democrats to keep the government from shutting down, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair. While her move has yet to gain traction with other House conservatives, that could change pending any agreement to provide help to Ukraine.
With a deadline approaching later this month, Speaker Johnson is backing new legislation that would extend Section 702 powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the program enabling the U.S. government to surveil non-citizens located abroad. The bill, the Reforming Intelligence and Surveillance Act, was unveiled Friday. It would impose limits on how federal agencies, including the FBI, can review information on Americans that are swept up while conducting surveillance on foreigners. In backing the bill, Johnson is trying to placate two factions within the Republican conference. Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), along with members of the House Freedom Caucus, demanded reforms to sharply reduce the federal government’s surveillance authority. Many Intelligence Committee members, led by chairman Mike Turner (R-OH), have cautioned that a warrant requirement could impede U.S. intelligence agents from responding quickly to threats. Johnson, in a letter to his colleagues pushing for the new bill, cited the section’s looming April 19 expiration date and claimed that the Senate might “jam us” by passing a clean bill without reforms to the program.
Washington Watch is published weekly when Congress is in session. Published monthly during extended recess or adjournment.
Spotlight on Puerto Rico
ap continues for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries
Representatives of Puerto Rico’s health care sector are lamenting a decision by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) not to implement recommendations to increase funding for these programs by 2025. Without the changes, approximately 657,000 beneficiaries on the Island covered by Medicare Advantage will receive lower benefits compared to those available to their peers on the mainland and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Compared to the states, the disparity is approximately 31%, according to Roberto Pando, president of the Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Products Association (MMAPA.)
In an unprecedented effort, the association, and a large group of stakeholders -more than 60 government officials and community organizations- highlighted the special circumstances surrounding the program in Puerto Rico and provided new data and analysis, providing HHS an opportunity to address the health care inequities on the Island. "All the community is disappointed that, after presenting new data on the funding gap and historic anomalies in the formulas applied, HHS and CMS did not make the fair and necessary administrative adjustments needed for low-income US senior citizens in our island,” said Pando who also believes there is the hope that Congress could intervene. The Medicare program on the Island will have to manage a deficit of more than $400 million in 2025 due to payment cuts and the inflation of health care expenditures. Meanwhile, based on statutory financial statements submitted to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), health care plans in the Medicare Advantage segment of Puerto Rico reported an unprecedented aggregate loss of over $500 million in 2023.
Thousands of policyholders still owed claims from 2017 hurricane
Almost seven years after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, nearly $22.3 million in claims is still owed to policyholders, new data show. Condominium owners are among those most affected by the outstanding claims, according to El Vocero. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner reports that there are 303,924 pending claims, about two-thirds of which involve residential property. Industry experts say that insurers would be equipped to handle another natural disaster of the magnitude of the 2017 hurricane, pointing out that the companies are financially solvent.
Massive dredging project underway
Despite opposition from environmentalists, a $62 million project to dredge San Juan’s seaport began last week. The project will enable larger vessels to use San Juan Bay, including ships serving a new liquid gas terminal on the Island’s north coast. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the project, which is expected to last until October and will result in the removal of nearly 3 million cubic yards of sea floor. San Juan’s governor estimated that the project will inject $400 million into the local economy. However, environmental groups have warned of the project’s impact on humans and wildlife. A lawsuit filed against the government by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity is pending in Washington, D.C. The organization says that the project, which was approved by the U.S. EPA, threatens corals, seagrass beds, turtles, and other marine life.
View From the White House
During a speech in Wisconsin, President Biden unveiled the administration’s latest plan to cancel “runaway interest” on student loans which could impact more than 25 million borrowers.
First Lady Jill Biden announced last week that the White House would hold a “state dinner” in May to honor outstanding teachers from around the country.
In a move largely seen as an attempt to block former President Trump from gutting the federal workforce if reelected, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a final rule last week that clarifies that nonpartisan career civil servants cannot have their protected status removed.
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