1600 Daily The White House • June 17, 2019 11 million Americans Are About to Get More Freedom in Their Healthcare

The White House • June 17, 2019 11 million Americans are about to get more freedom in their healthcare  There are two big ways Washington can affect healthcare for Americans. The first is by working to expand the range of affordable, high-quality options available in every community. The second is by purposefully eliminating these options in order to drive more people toward centralized, government-run healthcare schemes. Here’s an example: Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or HRAs, allow workers to shop for a health insurance plan that’s right for them and their families. The previous administration imposed crushing fines and penalties on HRAs to prevent employees from selecting the plan of their choice. “It was impossible,” President Trump said.    HHS Secretary Azar: President Trump takes more major action on healthcare   On Friday, President Trump announced that HRAs will now receive the same tax treatment as other employer-provided health plans. The move is crucial for America’s small businesses: It’s estimated that 90 percent of the businesses that will take advantage of HRAs have fewer than 20 employees. “The Obama administration had made it illegal for our business to help employees with their health insurance costs,” Maryland small business owner Tom Kunkel said at the White House on Friday. “After the Obama ruling we had to stop all reimbursements . . . which caused a great bit of hardship for our employees.” Now, his business and others can help defray healthcare costs for employees again. The Trump Administration expects that 800,000 employers will offer these new HRAs to more than 11 million employees and family members once employers fully adjust to the rule. As a result, some 800,000 Americans who would otherwise be uninsured are projected to gain coverage. President Trump takes another step toward improving American health insurance. Watch: “We have to reject” the socialist model of healthcare, the President says In photos: Vice President Pence visits Yellowstone  Last week, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Yellowstone National Park in Montana, where he addressed the aging infrastructure of America’s parks. “I wanted to make sure that all of you who make Yellowstone National Park work every day know that, in this administration, in this White House, you have a President who is committed to conservation,” the Vice President said with Old Faithful in the background. In 1872, Yellowstone was established as America’s first national park. In doing so, President Ulysses Grant said that the land should be set apart “for the benefit and [the] enjoyment of the people.” Today, more than 4 million people visit Yellowstone each year. To protect this legacy for future generations, President Trump has marked nearly $3 billion of his 2020 budget for our National Park Service. The Administration is also introducing an innovative approach to conservation called the Public Lands Infrastructure Fund, under which half of all revenues from leases on public lands will go directly to improving the infrastructure needs of our parks. “To every American that might be looking on from afar, we simply say: America has the best national parks in the world,” the Vice President said. In photos: Vice President Pence visits Yellowstone  Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen Vice President Mike Pence and Mrs. Karen Pence visit Yellowstone National Park and help replace the boardwalk at Old Faithful | June 13, 2019 The White House · 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW · Washington, DC 20500 · USA · 202-456-1111

West Wing Reads - Bahrain Workshop on Palestinian Economy is the Opportunity of a Generation

Bahrain Workshop on Palestinian Economy is the Opportunity of a Generation “This is exciting -- an opportunity of a generation. We are grateful to the Kingdom of Bahrain for extending the invitation to [the Trump Administration] to host the June 25 and 26 workshop with them for the benefit of Palestinians and others in the region, offering us a unique opportunity to communicate our economic vision,” White House Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt writes in CNN. “This workshop will facilitate discussions on an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for Palestinians . . . President Trump is informed by previous attempts at peace but not encumbered by them. He is seeking a realistic resolution and a brighter future for all those burdened with this conflict.” Click here to read more. “The Trump administration is doing just about everything it can to slow the flood of undocumented Mexicans and Central Americans coming to the U.S. and claiming asylum. But alleviating our growing border crisis is impossible unless Congress changes our immigration laws,” the Washington Examiner editorial board writes. “It is certainly true that most Democrats are at best muddled on the immigration question and at worst fully in favor of opening the southern border to anyone who wants to come into the country. But the party of the Left cannot deny that we have a crisis at the southern border.” “Some Border Patrol agents in Texas are concerned about exposure to Ebola by a migrant fleeing the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the United States. But more of them are worried about other illnesses frequently popping up among detainees at stations across the southern border,” Anna Giaritelli reports for the Washington Examiner. “Border Patrol’s holding facilities in the Del Rio and El Paso sectors, or regions, are inundated with sick detainees, as well as sick agents.” “U.S. factory production bounced back in May after a four-month slump while the growth of industrial output in China fell to its slowest pace since 2002,” John Carney reports for Breitbart. “U.S. tariffs are taking a toll on the world’s second-largest economy. The U.S. factory data is an important sign that the U.S. manufacturing sector is more resilient to trade stress than many economists had forecast.” “Now [President Trump] is the namesake of a tiny Israeli settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights,” Ilan Ben Zion writes in The Associated Press. “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet convened in this hamlet Sunday to inaugurate a new settlement named after President Donald Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the U.S. leader’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.”

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17, 2019 President Donald J. Trump Approves Disaster Declaration for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska   Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and ordered Federal aid to supplement the Tribe’s efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from March 13 to April 1, 2019. Federal funding is available to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Pete Gaynor, Acting Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Constance C. Johnson-Cage as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Tribe and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

Resolute Reads REAL NEWS PRESIDENT TRUMP DOESN'T WANT YOU TO MISS

REAL NEWS PRESIDENT TRUMP DOESN'T WANT YOU TO MISS Kim Kardashian West Returns to White House for Prisoner Reentry Event -CBS News “Kim Kardashian West, who was a driving force behind the commutation of Alice Johnson, returned to the White House to speak at an event promoting the hiring of prisoners released early under the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform law President Trump signed into law in December,” CBS reports. “These people want to work. They want the best outcome,” Kardashian West said. F-35 Over Washington: An Excellent Message to Friend and Foe -Washington Examiner “President Trump was right on Wednesday to order an F-35B strike fighter overflight of Washington, D.C. The display was a gesture to visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda. Poland intends to buy a number of F-35s,” Tom Rogan writes. “But this flypast also sends a broader message to the world . . . It's better to be an American friend than an American enemy.”  Watch: A historic F-35 White House flyover When Will Congress Get Serious About the Suffering at the Border? -The New York Times “It is time for Congress to stop dithering and pass emergency funding to deal with this nightmare” at our southern border, The New York Times editorial board writes. “Border facilities and migrant shelters are dangerously overcrowded, and the staff is overburdened. Dysfunction, disease and even death are a growing reality.” The bottom line: “It has been more than a month since the administration sent Congress a request for $4.5 billion in additional border assistance.” The time for action is now. Ivanka Trump Pushes Initiative to Give Women Bigger Role in Global Peace Efforts -The Wall Street Journal Research shows that countries are more peaceful and stable when women have a seat at the decision-making table. The Trump Administration unveiled a new initiative this week “aimed at giving women a bigger role in global peace and security efforts,” Catherine Lucey reports. “White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, has been a key champion of the effort and took part in a discussion about it at the Capitol with a bipartisan group of lawmakers.”  Watch: Ivanka Trump on getting more Americans into the workforce "It's a Huge Deal" – Iowa Farmers React to President Trump's Order on E15 Fuel -KETV “President Donald Trump came to Council Bluffs to praise farmers, and pledged to continue fighting for them,” José Zozaya reports. “The president announced year-round sales of E15 fuel,” as well as new actions to help farmers produce safer, more sustainable crops without excessive interference from Washington. “It’s a huge deal,” said local farmer Bruce Bracker. President Trump is “a businessman that keeps his word.” A Win for Trump in the Border Fight -Boston Herald “Chalk up another big win for President Trump, getting Mexico to act on the border crisis that do-nothing Democrats continue to recklessly ignore and downplay at America’s peril,” Adriana Cohen writes. “In May alone, 144,278 illegal immigrants were apprehended at the border . . . [Last week,] the president announced the U.S. has reached an agreement with Mexico to stem the tide of illegal immigrants.”  Watch: Thank you to the brave men and women who protect our border! Gov. Wolf and President Trump Find Common Ground on Workforce Issues -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) and President Trump “don’t agree on much, but common ground brought them together Thursday – along with seven other governors – to discuss barriers to workforce entry,” Tracie Mauriello writes. “Two initiatives both support are criminal justice reforms that make it easier for people convicted of crimes to re-enter the workforce and occupational licensing reforms that loosen requirements and make it easier for military spouses to transfer licenses between states.”

White House Photo's of the Week June 10 - June 15, 2019

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 14, 2019

Photos of the Week Monday, June 10, 2019 President Donald J. Trump is presented a helmet by driver Simon Pagenaud and Team Penske owner Roger Penske, left, as the 103rd Indianapolis 500 Champion Team and their car are honored Monday, June 10, 2019, in front of the Rose Garden of the White House.  (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)       Vice President Mike Pence talks with Bret Baier of Fox News in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office Monday, June 10, 2019, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)         Vice President Mike Pence meets with Mariano Rivera Monday, June 10, 2019, in his West Wing Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)       Tuesday, June 11, 2019 President Donald J. Trump participates in a briefing aboard Air Force One Tuesday, June 11, 2019, on the flooding of communities along the Missouri River. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)       President Donald J. Trump, joined by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, members of the Future Farmers of America, and local officials, signs an executive order on modernizing the regulatory framework for agricultural biotechnology products Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)       Vice President Mike Pence participates in a Trade Works for America USMCA roundtable Tuesday, June 11, 2019, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)       Vice President Mike Pence participates in a lunar base diorama presentation Tuesday, June 11, 2019, in his West Wing Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)       Wednesday, June 12, 2019 President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose for a photo with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and his wife Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at the South Portico entrance of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)       President Donald J. Trump and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda sign a joint declaration Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)       President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watch an F-35 flyover with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and his wife Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda Wednesday, June 12, 2019, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)       President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watch an F-35 flyover with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and his wife Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda Wednesday, June 12, 2019, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)       First Lady Melania Trump walks with Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda, wife of the President of Poland Andrzej Duda Wednesday, June 12, 2019, along the West Wing Colonnade of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)       President Donald J. Trump participates in a press conference with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)       President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump receive a policy update on the initiative to stop opioid abuse and reduce drug supply and demand Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)       Second Lady Karen Pence delivers remarks to military spouses about employment challenges and solutions Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at the Montana Army National Guard in Billings, Mont. (Official White House Photo by Amy Rossetti)       Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence meet with families Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at the Willow Way Program Home in Billings, Mont. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)       President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump talk with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and his wife Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)       President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the President of Poland Andrzej Duda, and his wife Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda, greets guests at a Polish-American reception Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)       Thursday, June 13, 2019 President Donald J. Trump attends a working luncheon with governors to discuss workforce freedom and mobility Thursday, June 13, 2019, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. (Official White House by Shealah Craighead)       Vice President Mike Pence, joined by Second Lady Karen Pence, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, and Superintendent of Yellowstone Cameron Sholly, delivers remarks on Thursday, June 13, 2019, at Yellowstone National Park in Montana. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)       President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on second chance hiring Thursday, June 13, 2019, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)       President Donald J. Trump looks on as Kim Kardashian West delivers remarks on second chance hiring Thursday, June 13, 2019, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)       Friday, June 14, 2019 President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on expanding healthcare coverage options for small businesses and workers Friday, June 14, 2019, in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)