Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Donates Salary Toward Battling Opioid Epidemic, Combating Teenagers' Use Of E-Cigarettes
President Trump donated his salary from the second quarter of 2019 to the Surgeon General's office, the聽White House announced聽Friday. The Surgeon General's office falls under the Department of Health and Human Services. The White House said the donation will help address the opioid epidemic and the growing use of e-cigarettes by teenagers and children. (Samuels, 8/16)
It's his third salary donation to the Department of Health and Human Services.聽"The President recognizes the important mission of the Surgeon General to protect and improve the health of all Americans, including helping to tackle the opioid epidemic and raise awareness of the dangers of e-cigarette usage among teenagers and children," the White House said in a statement.聽(O'Donnell, 8/16)
Since taking office, Trump has donated his salary to a variety of government agencies and efforts. He tweeted in March that he had donated a quarter of his annual salary to the Department of Homeland Security, posting a photo of a signed check for $100,000 made out to the department. Federal regulations prohibit agencies from accepting donated funds without congressional authorization. Unauthorized funds would instead be deposited into the Treasury Department's general fund. (Carvajal, Vazquez and Kelly, 8/16)