The Paper Trail: June 18, 2024

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The Paper Trail

Announcements

Finding Waste at Your Agency: POGO’s virtual training on how to spot potentially wasteful spending will be held Friday, June 21 at 12 noon EDT. This event is only open to staff in Congress, GAO, and CRS. Register HERE.

Top stories for June 18, 2024

Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic: The U.S. military launched a clandestine program at the height of the COVID pandemic to discredit Chinese vaccines and other life-saving aid. The target: Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk. (Chris Bing and Joel Schectman, Reuters)

FDA took 15 months to act on infant formula whistleblower complaint, audit says: HHS’s inspector general found the FDA was dangerously slow to respond to multiple complaints about conditions at an Abbott Nutrition facility that contributed to the nationwide infant formula shortage. (Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill)

Staffing, funding shortages forced DHS to release hundreds of “inadmissible” international travelers: An inspector general report found DHS at an unnamed airport allowed into the country hundreds of travelers it had deemed as inadmissible, and in dozens of cases it never followed up to subsequently remove them. (Eric Katz, Government Executive)

Groups urge FEMA to recognize extreme heat, wildfire smoke as a “major disaster”: The petition, filed on Monday by dozens of groups across several states, seeks to assist states and local regions struggling to financially recover from the surge of extreme heat and wildfire smoke amid climate change. (Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill)

The resistance to a new Trump administration has already started: A coalition of Democratic officials, progressive activists, watchdog groups, and ex-Republicans is laying the groundwork for a possible second Trump administration, taking pre-emptive actions to counter what they see as a grave threat to American democracy. (Charlie Savage et al., New York Times)

Israel-Hamas War

Key Democrats approve major arms sale to Israel, including F-15s: Under pressure from the administration, Rep. Gregory Meeks and Sen. Ben Cardin approved the multibillion-dollar sale despite lingering concerns about the death toll in Gaza. (John Hudson, Washington Post)

Probe finds two universities failed to protect Jewish, Muslim students: The U.S. Department of Education found that the University of Michigan and the City University of New York failed to adequately protect both Jewish and Muslim students following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Some department investigations related to antisemitism and Islamophobia were pending before October 7, but the number has spiked since then. (Laura Meckler, Washington Post)

Insurrection

334 public officials in 5 swing states have undermined or cast doubt on elections: A new study found that hundreds of state and local government officials in five key swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin — have denied election outcomes, tried to overturn an election, or made statements to undermine an election. (Erin Mansfield, USA Today)

Trump pledged to pardon Jan. 6 rioters. He faces pressure to name names: Donald Trump’s promise to pardon January 6 defendants has raised alarms about his support for political violence and touched off conversations among supporters about how to deliver on his pledge. (Isaac Arnsdorf and Greg Jaffe, Washington Post)

Dobbs Aftermath

Judge rules that federal agency can’t enforce abortion rule in Louisiana and Mississippi: A federal judge in Louisiana granted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and employers in Louisiana and Mississippi temporary relief from complying with a federal rule that requires them to provide workers with time off and other workplace accommodations for abortions. (Alexandra Olson and Claire Savage, Associated Press)

Bernie Sanders calls for investigation into contraception costs: Under the Affordable Care Act, health plans are required to provide birth control to patients as a preventive service, but some insurers flout the law and make patients pay. (Dan Diamond, Washington Post)

Russia-Ukraine War

Harris announces $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine at peace summit: Vice President Kamala Harris said the package will include $500 million for energy assistance, $324 million for emergency energy infrastructure repair, and $379 million for refugee aid. (Freddie Clayton, NBC News)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

VA designates male breast cancer, 2 other cancers as service-connected illnesses under PACT Act: The VA designated male breast cancer, urethral cancer, and cancer of the paraurethral glands as presumptive diseases under the PACT Act, allowing affected veterans to file for expedited disability benefits. (Patricia Kime, Military.com)

Reservist in Maine shooting was a “low threat” after hospital release: A lieutenant colonel with the Army Reserves told an investigatory panel that Robert Card, a reservist who committed the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, had a low threat profile when he left a psychiatric hospital prior to the killings. The officer also testified there were limitations on forcing Card to adhere to a mental treatment plan while in civilian life, and that there was no mechanism for the Reserves to seize Card’s weapons. (Patrick Whittle, Army Times)

Business and Finance

Closing asset loophole could add billions to tax collections, IRS says: Businesses and wealthy individuals inappropriately move assets from one entity to another on paper to avoid paying tens of billions of dollars in taxes. The Treasury Department vowed to crack down on the practice. (Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post)

As the Hill sets its focus on China, DC trade groups are the latest in the line of fire: As distrust of China reaches a fever pitch in Washington, companies with roots in the country or suspected ties to the Chinese government are rapidly finding themselves without allies to make their case to lawmakers. The pressure campaign is now turning to trade associations, with several major industry groups buckling under demands to boot China-linked members. (Caitlyn Oprysko, Politico)

Tech

Opinion: Surgeon General: Why I’m calling for a warning label on social media platforms: The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency. Social media has emerged as an important contributor due to harassment, abuse, exploitation, and exposure to extreme violence and sexual content. (Vivek H. Murthy, New York Times)

Social-media influencers aren’t getting rich—they’re barely getting by: For most who pursue careers as social-media content creators, just making ends meet is a lofty goal — and even that is getting harder. (Sarah E. Needleman and Ann-Marie Alcántara, Wall Street Journal)

Infrastructure

Senate poised to send bill boosting nuclear power to Biden’s desk: The bipartisan bill is seen as a win for the nuclear power industry, as it would make nuclear plants quicker and less expensive to build. Critics are concerned the legislation could also weaken the NRC. (Rachel Frazin, The Hill)

NSF’s ongoing major infrastructure project delays due to personnel, supply challenges, report says: All five $100 million-plus National Science Foundation-funded infrastructure projects currently under construction have experienced delays, according to the GAO. (Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive)

Health Care

Leaked documents reveal patient safety issues at Amazon’s One Medical: Since Amazon acquired the primary-care service, elderly patients have been routed to a call center — staffed partly by contractors with limited training and medical experience — that, in one month, failed on more than a dozen occasions to seek immediate attention for callers with urgent symptoms. (Caroline O'Donovan, Washington Post)

Older women are being significantly shortchanged by medical research: Medical research has shortchanged women for decades. This is particularly true of older women, leaving physicians without critically important information about how to best manage their health. (Judith Graham, Washington Post)

When therapists lose their licenses, some turn to the unregulated life coaching industry instead: Despite past misconduct, some former therapists have continued their careers as life coaches. Now, after a high-profile conviction in Utah, legislators are asking whether it’s time for more oversight. (Jessica Miller, ProPublica)

ICYMI

Immigration and Border Security:

→ Biden gives legal protections to undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens

→ More cities feel strain as migrants move in seeking better prospects

Other News:

→ Biden’s Title IX law expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students dealt another setback

→ Speaker Johnson says House will go to court for Biden audio after DOJ refused to prosecute

→ Anthony Fauci: What I saw inside the government’s response to COVID-19

→ Gaetz claims House Ethics panel opened “new frivolous investigations” into him

→ Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint during Biden L.A. fundraiser

Upcoming Events

📌 Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: CEO Dave Calhoun Testifies. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Tuesday, June 18, 2:00 p.m., 216 Hart Senate Office Building

📌 WEBINAR: Dollars and Demographics: How Census Data Shape Federal Funding Distribution. Project On Government Oversight and Census Counts. Wednesday, June 26, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Hot Docs

🔥📃 DHS OIG: CBP and ICE Did Not Have an Effective Process for Detaining and Removing Inadmissible Travelers at an International Airport (REDACTED). OIG-24-30 (PDF)

🔥📃 GAO - Priority Open Recommendations: Department of the Interior | Department of Transportation

🔥📃 House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds: Quick Tips for Interns on Working with Whistleblowers. June 17, 2024 (VIDEO)