Watch: The Tug-of-War Over Taxpayer Dollars
Julie Rovner, KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent and show host What is health? podcast, recently spoke with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) about the ongoing fight between President Donald Trump and Congress over control of federal spending.
Baldwin, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said lawmakers have been forced to take unprecedented steps to ensure the Trump administration spends taxpayer dollars correctly.
“In the most recently passed bill signed into law by Donald Trump, we had to put in place safeguards that we never had to put in our appropriations laws before to enforce our spending bills,” Baldwin said. “And these laws have made it clear that we expect them to spend what we appropriate, and not just all of it at the end of the fiscal year, but in a timely manner throughout the year.” »
The conversation also touched on the success – and limitations imposed by Trump – of the 988 Suicide & Crisis lifeline. The resource, which was created through a bipartisan effort, led to a notable reduction in youth suicide, according to a study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“It’s comforting to know that this work matters,” Baldwin said.
This interview was broadcast on May 14 in episode no. 446 of What is health? From KFF Health News: “Seeking a new FDA commissioner.”
