Regulatory Action Center Review – September 24, 2020
Welcome to the new and improved Regulatory Action Center (RAC) Review! RAC proudly keeps you up to date on what we’re up to and what we’re keeping our eyes on here in the swamp. We offer resources for you to get involved in the rulemaking process to hold unelected bureaucrats accountable and occasionally offer praise in the event they have a good impulse. We will also highlight the incredible work our activists have done to advance the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty, and the rule of law. For more ways to get involved and stay informed, check the links at the bottom of this post.
RACtivists by the Numbers
RACtivists have driven 22,118 comments to the Department of Health and Human Services alone over the last two years, urging them to reconsider their harmful prescription drug price control proposal, known as the “international price index” and later, the “most-favored nation” proposal.
Four Things to Know
1) Trump Appointee of the Week: Ajit Pai
Welcome to FreedomWorks’ latest blog series, Trump Appointee of the Week! From now until Election Day, we will highlight one of President Trump’s political appointees and their accomplishments. Check back every other week for the next edition and let us know who you want to see named the next Trump Appointee of the Week! FreedomWorks is proud to announce that its inaugural Trump Appointee of the Week is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai. In 2011, Pai was nominated to be a commissioner on the panel by then-President Barack Obama. After his inauguration, President Trump elevated Pai to Chairman and re-nominated him for another five-year term on the Commission.
More resources:
Read the blog: HERE
Read the FreedomWorks Issue Brief: HERE
2) Trump Signs Executive Order for Prescription Drug Price Controls
This foreign reference pricing, for those who don’t know, would tie drug prices in Medicare — originally just for Part B, but in this new proposal for Part D as well — to drug prices in certain Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The Most-Favored Nation (MFN) provision would ensure that of those nations, the U.S. sets the lowest price ceiling of them all. While, at face value, it might seem like a good idea to lower U.S. drug prices, this IPI/MFN proposal comes with all sorts of unintended consequences.
More resources on this:
Read FreedomWorks’ Statement: HERE
Read FreedomWorks’ Blog: HERE
Read the Executive Order: HERE
3) Army Proposes Revised Criteria for Arlington Burial
ANC is also currently developing the Southern Expansion Project, which includes the area nearest the Air Force Memorial and a part of the former grounds of the Navy Annex. This future expansion will add 37 acres of burial space for our nation’s veterans. However, expansion alone will not keep Arlington National Cemetery open to new interments well into the future. Without changes to eligibility, even with the new expansion, Arlington National Cemetery will be full for first burials by the mid-2050s.
More resources on this:
Read the proposal: HERE
4) New Trump Pick Has Ramifications for Administrative Law
The new Trump pick for the Supreme Court could have sweeping effects on the future of the power of the administrative state. Depending on the new justice’s view on certain case law, the high court may be poised to drastically roll back the power of the unelected bureaucracy, which would increase individual liberty and boost our economy.
More resources:
Read the FreedomWorks breakdown of the SCOTUS shortlist: HERE
RAC Resources
You can always find all RAC content (blogs, updates, press releases, and comment campaigns) HERE.
You can always sign up to become an elite RACtivist, if you haven’t already, HERE.
