Overnight Energy: Pruitt spent at least $9,600 to decorate office | EPA backtracks and lets reporters into summit after criticism | White House to 'look into' incident

View in your browser     EPA SPENT AT LEAST $9,600 ON OFFICE DECOR AND DESKS: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt spent at least $9,600 to decorate his personal office with Smithsonian artwork, a refurbished desk and other framed items, according to an internal document obtained by The Hill on Tuesday. EPA paid the Smithsonian Institution $1,950 for labor and delivery charges on three pieces of artwork loaned to Pruitt's executive office suite and spent over $2,500 to frame items that included a photo of him with President Trump and an American flag. Additionally, the document confirms earlier reports that agency officials paid $2,963 for a standing "captain's" desk and another $2,075 to refurbish another office desk for the administrator. The costs were tallied in an email sent to an EPA staffer in the general counsel's office last week that was labeled "expenses." The Smithsonian doesn't charge federal agencies to rent items. The costs for the three paintings -- one by William Louis Sonntag Sr., the others being portraits of founding fathers John Marshall and James Monroe -- were for labor and delivery.   The Smithsonian did not respond to a request for comment. The institution confirmed to The New Republic last month that Pruitt is borrowing the works and said that it does not charge rent to federal agencies, but did not mention the labor and delivery costs. Federal agencies and presidents routinely rent works of art from the Smithsonian. The expenses listed for Pruitt appear to surpass the $5,000 limit set by Congress for redecoration costs. When the costs exceed that amount, an agency must notify lawmakers first.   But EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox defended the expenditures. He said that many of them do not count as costs to furnish Pruitt's office. The refurbished desk, Wilcox said, was offered to Pruitt by the Office of Administration and Resources Management, which fixed it up itself. The $1,200 painting and the $916.15 American flag were put in a "lobby," Wilcox said, but he did not specify whether the lobby was part of Pruitt's office suite. And the two framed certificates from Pruitt's confirmation are a standard expenditure for EPA heads, he said. After taking those out, Pruitt's total office furnishing costs fall just below the $5,000 limit. Read more here.   Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill's roundup of energy and environment news of the moment. The Hill got a firsthand view of the EPA's chemical sumitt this morning and got to witness the backlash from media outlets that were barred for attending (more below). Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com, and Miranda Green, mgreen@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @mirandacgreen, @thehill.   REPORTERS BLOCKED FROM EPA SUMMIT: A number of media outlets pushed back at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday for limiting the reporters allowed to cover part of its chemical summit on Tuesday -- including one reporter who says she was forcibly removed from the event. Reporters from CNN, The Associated Press and E&E News were among a group of journalists initially barred from attending a two-day-long event kicked off at EPA headquarters Tuesday morning. While a handful of reporters from publications including The Hill were personally invited to attend EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's opening remarks and the first section of the panel, other outlets not invited were not allowed to attend the National Leadership Summit on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), hazardous chemicals linked to cancer. Media representatives in attendance included those from Politico, The Wall Street Journal and CBS. AP reporter Ellen Knickmeyer tweeted that the group of reporters were turned away at the door. "The @AP, @CNN and E&E all showed up to cover this @EPA meeting on widespread, dangerous contaminants in many drinking water systems around the country. We were all turned away at the door of the EPA building." The AP later reported that guards blocked their reporter from entrance and grabbed the reporter by her shoulders to remove her from the building after she asked to speak to an EPA public affairs spokesperson. Read more.   EPA REVERSES COURSE: EPA later reversed course amid the public outcry and let reporters cover the afternoon session of the summit. "EPA is opening the second portion of today's PFAS Leadership Summit to press. The first portion was available via livestream," a spokesperson said in a statement. "This will start at 1 p.m and last until 5:30 p.m. and you can enter via the East Entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue NW." Read more.   White House to 'look into' incident: The White House said it would "look into" the allegations that reporters were barred from the event "Certainly we'll look into the matter. I know EPA has put out a statement, at this point I'd refer you to them as we look into the incident," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Tuesday's press briefing. "I can't speak to a situation I don't have a lot of visibility into," she added. Sanders was pressed later in the briefing on whether she felt it would ever be acceptable to physically turn away reporters. "I'm not going to weigh into random hypotheticals that may or may not exist," she said. "I don't know any information about this specific incident. You're asking me to speak to blanket possibilities, which I'm not going to do." Read more.   What Pruitt said at the summit: While details over Pruitt's remarks at the summit were overshadowed by the controversy, Pruitt shed some light on EPA's future plans to determine a unified standard for regulating PFAS. Pruitt called determining a maximum contaminant level a "national priority" and said the agency was in the process of developing groundwater determinations for the chemicals that is expected to be finished by the fall. He added that EPA was working to formally declare the class of chemicals a hazardous substance and said that the effort should be done by December. Pruitt said he wanted to "take action and not just raise awareness over these next couple months."   GOP lawmaker wants HHS to release study: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) is demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services publicly release a high-profile study looking at the harms of PFAS at low exposure levels. Turner had previously demanded that Pruitt release it. But Pruitt told Turner and other lawmakers that since the study belongs to HHS's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, only that agency can release it. "Administrator Pruitt's letter made it clear that the EPA is not currently blocking the release of the study on PFAS, although it did not indicate whether it had sought to block this release previously," Turner said in a statement. "Now that Administrator Pruitt has said HHS does have the authority to release this study, I'm calling on [HHS Secretary Alex] Azar to do so as soon as possible. The release of this study is a public health and safety issue for every community with a military installation in it, including mine."   ON TAP WEDNESDAY: The EPA will hold the second and final day of its PFAS National Leadership Summit.   OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: China's securities regulator is pledging to boost environmental responsibility and green financing standards for regulated companies, Reuters reports. United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says the government opposes the proposed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline meant to link Russia and Germany, The Guardian reports.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Tuesday's stories ... -White House to 'look into' incident involving EPA turning away reporters -Dems introduce bill to block Alaska refuge drilling -EPA reverses course, lets reporters into hearing after outcry -Gas prices reach $5 per gallon in Manhattan -Media push back against EPA limiting reporters at chemical summit -Former Trump adviser heads effort to crack down on climate shareholder resolutions         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Breaking News: Pruitt spent at least $9,600 on office decor, restored desks: email

View in your browser     Pruitt spent at least $9,600 on office decor, restored desks: email Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt spent at least $9,600 to decorate his personal office with Smithsonian artwork, a refurbished desk and other framed items, according to an internal document obtained by The Hill on Tuesday. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Breaking News     Forward Breaking News     You Might Like       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Health Care — Sponsored by PCMA — House passes 'right to try' bill on experimental drugs | Trump moves to restrict abortion referrals | US offers $7M for Ebola fight

Sponsored by Pharmaceutical Care Management Association | View in Browser     Welcome to Overnight Health Care, sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.    Today was a big day for proponents of the government expanding access to experimental medical treatments after the House sent "right to try" legislation to the President Trump's desk. Also on the health care front, the U.S. committed to helping fund the response to the newest Ebola outbreak, and the CDC released the latest annual report on the number of uninsured Americans, with some surprising numbers. More on that below. Send tips and comments to Jessie Hellmann, jhellmann@thehill.com; Peter Sullivan, psullivan@thehill.com; Rachel Roubein, rroubein@thehill.com; and Nathaniel Weixel, nweixel@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @jessiehellmann, @PeterSullivan4, @rachel_roubein, and @NateWeixel.   We'll start in the House, which handed a major victory to President Trump, Vice President Pence and groups backed by mega-donors Charles and David Koch today. Right to try lands exactly where Trump wants it -- on his desk. In a 250 to 169 vote, largely along party lines, the House passed "right to try." The bill lets patients bypass the Food and Drug Administration when requesting access to experimental drugs. Who's happy: President Trump and Vice President Pence, who are vocal right to try supporters Groups backed by mega-donors Charles and David Koch, which created campaigns urging Congress to pass the bill Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), who sponsored the bill in the Senate Their argument: Very sick patients should have every tool at their disposal to try a drug that could extend their life and that the FDA's program letting patients request access to investigational drugs is time-consuming and burdensome. Who's not happy: House Democrats More than 100 patient advocacy groups, who sent a letter Monday to express their "strong opposition" Their argument: Sidelining the FDA could put patients in danger and the FDA already has a compassionate use program that approves 99 percent of requests. Also that there's no guarantee patients will be able to get the medicine they requested because drugmakers have to agree to give it to them. What passed: The Senate version of the bill. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) had hammered out a different version of the bill that included additional patient protections and narrowed the criteria for a patient's eligibility to get an investigational drug. It passed the House in late March. But Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) blocked a unanimous consent request to take up the House bill. Read more here.         SPONSORED CONTENT   Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Drugmakers set and raise the price of prescription drugs unrelated to the rebates they negotiate with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).  The most direct way for drugmakers to reduce costs and improve access is to simply cut their own prices.       Chuck Grassley is talking with "big pharma" about a possible drug pricing deal. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is floating an intriguing possible deal to get a long-stalled drug pricing bill moving. He says he is in talks with "big pharma" about a deal that would allow his bill to spur introductions of cheaper generic drugs to move forward, in exchange for a separate fix that PhRMA, the drug lobby, wants. "I think we're getting some talk between us and Big Pharma," Grassley told reporters Monday evening. "Big Pharma's interested in the money that it brings in to offset some things they want done, and so we're in talks on that and I hope it can get done." Between the lines: Grassley is indicating he thinks PhRMA might want a fix on a separate issue, undoing a Medicare change that shifted costs onto drug companies, badly enough that they will agree to his drug pricing bill on generics, known as the Creates Act. Watch the House, too: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said last week that House lawmakers are working on a "compromise" version of Grassley's Creates Act. We detail the negotiations here.   HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced the U.S. would contribute up to $7 million to fight a new Ebola outbreak in the Congo. Azar made the announcement in Switzerland at the World Health Assembly, the decision making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), while urging other member states to contribute to "ensure we defeat this outbreak." Read more here.   Red states aren't getting a free pass on Medicaid waivers. Red states are getting a reality check from the Trump administration in just how conservative they can remake their Medicaid programs. CMS administrator Seema Verma earlier this month rejected Kansas's request to impose lifetime limits on Medicaid beneficiaries, and followed that up last week by saying the agency would not approve lifetime limits in any state. Why this matters: Kansas was the first time the administration completely rejected a policy favored by conservatives, showing there is no blank check for red states just because they're conservative. What's next: The administration has yet to make a decision on other conservative wish list policies, such as Wisconsin's proposal for drug testing Medicaid recipients, and partial Medicaid expansion, which would let states expand coverage for only a fraction of the population and still receive full federal funding under ObamaCare. The challenge: Lawsuits. Experts said CMS is treading carefully, and will only approve waivers that they believe will survive the inevitable lawsuits that follow. We break it all down here.   The gap between Medicaid expansion states and the holdouts is widening.  According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people are twice as likely to be without insurance in states that have refused to expand Medicaid as in those that have expanded coverage. In the 32 Medicaid expansion states (plus Washington, D.C.), 9.1 percent of people were uninsured in 2017, compared with 19 percent in the holdout states.   The CDC survey also found that the total number of uninsured Americans hasn't changed much over the last years; it's basically held right around 9 percent since 2015. What about the Trump effect? On the surface, the numbers seem to be a counter to Democratic arguments that the Trump administration sabotage is increasing the number of uninsured people. But the effects of the biggest Trump-era policies-- repeal of the individual mandate penalty and expanding access to short-term plans-- haven't been felt yet, and likely won't until 2019. More on the numbers here.     New abortion restrictions unveiled. The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new restrictions that would bar health clinics that refer patients for abortions or share space with abortion providers from receiving federal funds under a decades-old family planning program. President Trump is expected to tout the new restrictions Tuesday evening during his speech at an annual fundraising gala for the Susan B. Anthony List, a national anti-abortion group based in Washington. Administrative officials also briefed anti-abortion groups on the proposed regulations late last week. Attack on Planned Parenthood:  The long-expected restrictions on the Title X Family Planning grant program were advocated for years by anti-abortion groups and other conservatives, who view the changes as a way to cut federal dollars going to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood receives millions of dollars in funds each year from the $286 million program. The organization indicated last week it would no longer seek funding under the program if the restrictions were put into place. Conscience protection: HHS said the proposed changes ensure "Title X health providers ... are not required to choose between the health of their patients and their own consciences." The restrictions are just the latest anti-abortion issue tackled by Trump, whom advocates often describe as the most "pro-life president in history." Read more here.   President Trump is speaking before the Susan B. Anthony List gala Tuesday night. Stay tuned to TheHill.com for coverage of the event, which begins at 7 pm.         SPONSORED CONTENT   Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have outlined several policy solutions to ensure patients receive opioid prescriptions when safe and medically appropriate. One important solution would be requiring e-prescribing of controlled substances in Medicare (S. 2460 / H.R. 3528, the Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act). A new study by the Opioid Safety Alliance finds this could save taxpayers $13 billion over 10 years.       Tuesday roundup: The number of Americans who believe vaccinations are crucial to public health has fallen by 10 percent in the last 10 years, according a new survey .... Another survey, this one from the Federal Reserve, found that 1 in 5 Americans knows someone who has been addicted to opioids.   What we're reading Automated health care offers freedom from shame, but is it what patients need? (The New Yorker) Many cancer patients juggle care along with financial pain (Associated Press) Oscar Health has a vision of fairer pay for doctors and clearer pricing for patients (CNBC)   State by state Key GOP state senator reaches compromise with Virginia House on Medicaid (The Washington Post)  AP Interview: Unemployment exemption gone from Michigan Medicaid bill (Associated Press) California attorney general appeals judge's decision to overturn physician-assisted suicide law (Los Angeles Times) Iowa Poll: Education and health care are major worries for Democratic primary voters (Des Moines Register)   From The Hill's opinion pages US and global community has to keep the Ebola outbreak from spreading -- don't cut funds  Over 14 million lives saved thanks to the US emergency plan for AIDS relief         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters     Forward Healthcare Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.