Presidential Executive Order on Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs

"REDUCING REGULATION AND CONTROLLING REGULATORY COSTS

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, as amended (31 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Purpose.  It is the policy of the executive branch to be prudent and financially responsible in the expenditure of funds, from both public and private sources.  In addition to the management of the direct expenditure of taxpayer dollars through the budgeting process, it is essential to manage the costs associated with the governmental imposition of private expenditures required to comply with Federal regulations.  Toward that end, it is important that for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be identified for elimination, and that the cost of planned regulations be prudently managed and controlled through a budgeting process..."

 Executive Regulations

13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery

"Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."..."
13th Amendment

E-Cigarettes and Young People: A Public Health Concern

"Talk with teens and young adults you know about the dangers of e-cigarette use.

E-cigarettes, devices that typically deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other additives to users through an inhaled aerosol, are a rapidly emerging trend, and are especially popular among youth and young adults. These devices are referred to by a variety of names, including "e-cigs," "e-hookahs," "mods," "vape pens," "vapes," and "tank systems." E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver other drugs besides nicotine, such as marijuana.

Scientists are still learning more about how e-cigarettes affect health. However, there is already enough evidence to justify efforts to prevent e-cigarette use by young people. We know that the vapor from e-cigarettes is harmful because it contains harmful ingredients, including nicotine. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can cause addiction and can harm the developing brain..."
E-cigarettes and Teens

Sentencing Reform at the End of the 114th Congress

"On December 23, 2016, the House Judiciary Committee reported the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713). The Senate Judiciary Committee had previously reported a corresponding proposal, as Title I of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (S. 2123). The 114th Congress ended before final differences could be resolved. The two bills would have adjusted sentencing provisions in the case of certain drug and firearms convictions. More specifically, they would have:

afforded federal courts the opportunity to avoid by way of “safety valves” certain mandatory minimum sentences when sentencing low-level, non-violent drug offenders;

modified the mandatory minimum sentences applicable to certain recidivist drug offenders; completed the task of making the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA) retroactive;

revised the mandatory minimum sentences for the possession of a firearm in furtherance of various drug or violent offenses;

reduced the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) mandatory minimums, but increased the maximum sentence for unlawful firearm possession...".
Sentencing reform

Executive Authority to Exclude Aliens: In Brief

"The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides that individual aliens outside the United States are “inadmissible”—or barred from admission to the country—on health, criminal, security, and other grounds set forth in the INA. However, the INA also grants the Executive several broader authorities that could be used to exclude certain individual aliens or classes of aliens for reasons that are not specifically prescribed in the INA.

Section 212(f) of the INA is arguably the broadest and best known of these authorities. It provides, in relevant part, that:
    Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate..."

Executive Authority and aliens

Blog CBO Director’s Statement About the Budget and Economic Outlook for 2017 to 2027

"CBO Director’s Statement About the Budget and Economic Outlook for 2017 to 2027

Posted by Keith Hall on

January 24, 2017

This morning I briefed the press about The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2017 to 2027, which CBO published today along with two slide decks, The Budget Outlook for 2017 to 2027 in 20 Slides and The Economic Outlook for 2017 to 2027 in 16 Slides, illustrating the report’s key findings.

The briefing opened with the following remarks.

Summary of the Baseline Economic Outlook

The economic forecast that underlies CBO’s budget projections indicates that in real (inflation-adjusted) terms, gross domestic product will expand at an average annual pace of 2.1 percent over the next two years—if current laws generally remained unchanged—after rising last year at an annual rate of 1.8 percent. We expect that growth to boost employment, virtually eliminate the remaining slack in the economy, and drop the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent by the fourth quarter of 2018..."

Economic outlook

Executive Order Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal

"MINIMIZING THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PENDING REPEAL

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  It is the policy of my Administration to seek the prompt repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended (the "Act").  In the meantime, pending such repeal, it is imperative for the executive branch to ensure that the law is being efficiently implemented, take all actions consistent with law to minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens of the Act, and prepare to afford the States more flexibility and control to create a more free and open healthcare market..."
Affordable Care Act Repeal

The Original Women's March on Washington and the Suffragists Who Paved the Way

"Following on the heels of President Donald Trump's inauguration this Friday, at least 3.3 million Americans gathered for marches around the country, rallying behind calls for a Women's March on Washington—though the rallies ultimately spready to many cities worldwide. In Washington, D.C., alone, crowd estimates were around 500,000, with protestors calling for gender equality, protection for immigrants, minority and LGBTQ rights and access to women's health services.

But it wasn't the first time huge crowds of women turned out to make demands of the government. On March 3, 1913, one day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson, more than 5,000 women descended on Washington to fight for the vote. Some came on foot, some on horseback, some in wagons. There were costumes and placards and about half-a-million spectators lined the streets. Among the marchers were journalist Nellie Bly, activist Helen Keller and actress Margaret Vale—who was also the niece of the incoming president (who was by no means an ally of the suffrage movement; he once said women who spoke in public gave him a “chilled, scandalized feeling”). Despite being heckled and harassed by the crowd, the march was enormously memorable; six years later Congress passed the 19th Amendment, extending the franchise to women nationwide.
Women's March on Washington(1913)

Marijuana's Health Effects

"Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, with 22.2 million users. But the types of marijuana available today are more potent than before and come in many forms, including oils that can be vaped, and edibles, from brownies and candy to sodas. This leaves many with a lot of questions about marijuana use and its health effects.

New Web pages, published this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provide more information about the health effects of marijuana use and answer some of the commonly asked public health questions in the discussion about marijuana in the United States.

Here are just a few of the health effects you may want to know:

• Marijuana use directly affects the brain—specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and attention.
• The compounds in marijuana can affect the circulatory system and may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
• Smoking marijuana can lead to a greater risk of bronchitis, cough, and phlegm production..."

 Marijuana

Blog CBO’s Long-Term Projections of Labor Force Participation

"In preparing the economic forecast underlying its forthcoming report on the budget and economic outlook, CBO updated its projections of labor force participation. In this blog post, we explain those updates and compare them with the agency’s previous projections and with those of the Social Security Trustees. The full economic forecast will be described in The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2017 to 2027, which will be released on January 24..."
Labor force participation

The Obama Administration Digital Transition: Moving Forward

"...Where you can access archival Obama White House content

After January 20, 2017, materials will continue to be accessible on the platforms where they were created, allowing the public continued access to the content posted over the past eight years.

WhiteHouse.gov becomes ObamaWhiteHouse.gov
The Obama White House website – which includes press articles, blog posts, videos, and photos – will be available at ObamaWhiteHouse.gov, a site maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), beginning on January 20, 2017. If you are looking for a post or page on the Obama administration’s WhiteHouse.gov from 2009 through 2017, you can find it by changing the URL to ObamaWhiteHouse.gov. For example, after the transition, this blog post will be available at ObamaWhiteHouse.gov/obama-administration-digital-transition-moving-forward..."

Obama Administration archives

Stalking: Know it. Name it. Stop it.

"January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Teaching adolescents healthy relationship skills is one strategy CDC promotes to help you prevent stalking in your community.

Stalking involves a pattern of harassing or threatening tactics that are both unwanted and causes fear or safety concerns in the victim. These behaviors can come in the form of threatening phone calls, text messages, spying, or showing up at the victim's home or workplace, and leaving unwanted gifts or cards. Stalking victims are often very fearful or believe that they or someone close to them could be harmed or killed as a result of the perpetrator's behavior..."
Stalking

Working in Workplace Safety

"Ensuring safe and healthy workplaces is a top priority of the Labor Department. It’s also a smart career path for people interested in making sure offices, factories, mines and other workplaces are safe from hazards and adhere to regulations concerning health, safety and the environment.

The median wages for all of these jobs are also higher than the median wage for all occupations ($36,200). Here’s a closer look at nine options (chart text available below):..."
Workplace safety

Scarlet Fever: A Group A Streptococcal Infection

"Scarlet fever results from group A strep infection. If your child has a sore throat and rash, their doctor can test for strep. Quick treatment with antibiotics can protect your child from possible long-term health problems.

Scarlet fever – or scarlatina – is a bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus or "group A strep." This illness affects some people who have strep throat or skin infections caused by group A strep. It is usually a mild illness, but people with scarlet fever need treatment to prevent rare but serious health problems. Doctors treat scarlet fever with antibiotics to help clear up symptoms faster and reduce spread to other people.

Although anyone can get scarlet fever, it usually affects children between 5 and 15 years old. The classic symptom of the disease is a certain type of red rash that feels rough, like sandpaper..."
Scarlet fever

Rubella: Make Sure Your Child Gets Vaccinated

"Rubella is a contagious disease caused by a virus. For some people—especially pregnant women and their unborn babies—rubella can be serious. Make sure you and your child are protected from rubella by getting vaccinated on schedule.

Young children who get rubella usually have a mild illness, with symptoms that can include a low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. Older children and adults are more likely to have a headache, pink eye, and general discomfort before the rash appears..."

Rubella