ICYMI: La campaña de Trump entiende que el voto Latino es crucial, y por eso continuamos con el trabajo que comenzamos en el 2020. El Presidente Trump está enfocado en conectarse a los votantes Hispanos, los temas que más les importan a ellos y sus valores: la familia, la libertad y sobre todo, la fe. @mercedesschlapp https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849159023330775040/pu/vid/avc1/640x360/MI8riYB9Rw6RyklB.mp4?tag=12
Imagine a world where leaders honor their constitutional oaths.
At CPAC 2022, @tulsigabbard made her first appearance in the conservative movement as she addressed the attendees at the Ronald Reagan Dinner. Today, we celebrate alongside Tulsi as she formally joins the party of the people!
Explore more by visiting https://t.co/BVHdkphgnl https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849158456034418688/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/9jdIl76_n2AfVoiy.mp4?tag=12
CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp joined leaders in the Latino community like Eduardo Verástegui, Miami mayor Francis Suarez, Doral mayor Christi Faga, CEO of Goya Bob Unanue, Latino business owners, and more for a Latino Americans for Trump panel with President Trump in Doral, Florida.
President Trump addressed questions from the panel about his policies that will help business, secure the border, end human trafficking, support law enforcement, establish energy independence, and more.
“We had the cleanest air that we ever had in my administration and yet, we also had more jobs, more productivity. We had the best numbers we’ve ever had. We had the lowest taxes,” said Trump.
He promised to act quickly on the economic issues plaguing American business owners, including by a tax bill that would cut taxes lower than President Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts.
The panel also countered the popular narrative that Hispanics largely support open borders and lax immigration policy. Instead, as the panelists and President Trump’s remarks pointed out, Hispanics are deeply concerned with the criminals coming through the southern border and making the communities where they raise their children unsafe. President Trump addressed community safety and human trafficking with promises to close the southern border, curb illegal immigration, and empower law enforcement to do their jobs.
Common sense policies like these on the economy and immigration have slowly been winning over Hispanic voters in the last three elections. 2024 is marking a historic shift of even more Latino Americans identifying with the Republican Party.
“I just saw a poll that we’re leading with Hispanics, and that’s never happened before,” said Trump.
Polls indicate that Hispanics are done with the Democrat Party’s identity politics and continue to increasingly see the value in conservative policies that reflect their family values.
Watch the full Latino Americans for Trump panel on X @CPAC. https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849142929975115776/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/XC7VzqmzsdglSz0g.mp4?tag=12
The biggest threat to our country isn’t from a foreign nation, but from the power-hungry elites from within.
At CPAC 2022, @tulsigabbard made her first appearance in the conservative movement as she addressed the attendees at the Ronald Reagan Dinner. Today, we celebrate alongside Tulsi as she formally joins the party of the people!
Explore more by visiting https://t.co/BVHdkphgnl https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849126386117599240/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/b8PqUzU5jqG1C_tE.mp4?tag=12
The Coalition Against Socialized Medicine (CASM) and the CPAC Foundation’s Center for Regulatory Freedom (CRF) have been actively engaging in key health policy debates to advocate for patient autonomy, transparency, and market-driven healthcare solutions. CASM and CRF have focused on countering the influence of government overreach and corporate oligopolies within the healthcare system. Below is a summary of their recent work.
1. Support for FTC’s Actions Against Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)
In response to a Wall Street Journal editorial critical of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) lawsuit against PBMs, Andrew Langer and David Safavian wrote an op-ed explaining why they support the FTC's investigation. While they generally oppose many of the current FTC’s initiatives under Chair Lina Khan, they view the suit against PBMs as an essential move to restore competition in healthcare.
Key Points:
Vertical Integration & Market Concentration: The FTC's report highlights how vertical integration in the PBM industry has led to inflated drug prices and restricted patient access to medications. The report found that the largest six PBMs, which handle over 90% of drug claims, are now part of vertically integrated conglomerates.
Bipartisan Concerns: Langer and Safavian underscore that dissatisfaction with PBM practices spans political lines. Reports from both the Republican-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and healthcare professionals align with the FTC’s findings that PBMs have manipulated drug prices to their advantage.
Political and Financial Influence: The duo criticizes the Democratic Party’s role in supporting PBM dominance. They argue that PBMs benefited from regulatory leniency due to financial support directed towards Democratic initiatives, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA, according to Langer and Safavian, not only subsidized big insurer-PBMs but also diverted substantial funds from Medicare to other spending priorities.
This stance reflects CASM and CRF’s broader advocacy for dismantling anti-competitive practices in healthcare. They argue that increasing transparency and competition is crucial for improving patient outcomes and lowering healthcare costs.
2. Comments on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
In another significant effort, the CRF provided detailed comments regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) proposal to lower the age for routine pneumococcal vaccination from 65 to 50. Andrew Langer also authored an op-ed, published in Townhall, regarding this.
CRF’s Position:
Support for Lowering the Vaccination Age: CRF supports ACIP’s move, stating that it could enhance public health outcomes by expanding preventive care access. Lowering the age threshold to 50, they argue, is a necessary step to protect more Americans, particularly those with underlying conditions such as COPD and diabetes.
Advocacy for Vaccine Choice: However, CRF emphasizes that ACIP should not favor one vaccine over another. They point out that both FDA-approved vaccines for pneumococcal disease (PCV13 and PPSV23) are effective. Recommending both allows patients and physicians to choose the best option based on individual needs, rather than being forced into a single, government-endorsed choice.
Restoring Public Trust: CRF also frames this recommendation as a means to rebuild trust in public health institutions. By advocating for flexibility and patient choice, they believe ACIP can counter the top-down, restrictive policies that characterized public health mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. This approach is positioned as a way to respect the doctor-patient relationship and empower individuals in their healthcare decisions.
3. Broader Advocacy Against Healthcare Consolidation
Both CASM and CRF have been vocal about the broader issue of healthcare consolidation and its detrimental impact on American consumers. They argue that the power dynamics created by PBMs and vertically integrated healthcare conglomerates—facilitated by political collusion—reduce competition and inflate healthcare costs.
Critique of Regulatory Collusion: Insurer-PBM Alliances: Langer and Safavian outline how insurer-PBM conglomerates have been protected from anti-trust scrutiny due to political financial exchanges, particularly highlighting collaborations with organizations like the AARP. These alliances, they argue, prioritize profits over patient welfare, resulting in higher medication costs and reduced treatment options for consumers.
Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): The IRA, in their view, exemplifies a misguided policy that indirectly bolstered the healthcare oligopoly. Langer and Safavian assert that the act siphoned significant resources from Medicare, weakening the program while supporting large healthcare corporations. The additional funding requirements, they argue, also artificially inflate taxpayer burdens without tangible improvements in healthcare quality.
A Consistent Call for Patient-Centered, Market-Driven Reform
CASM and CRF’s recent work demonstrates a consistent approach focused on championing patient autonomy, transparency, and competition in healthcare policy. By advocating for a less interventionist, market-based healthcare system, they seek to dismantle the monopolistic structures that, in their view, have been enabled by government collusion with large corporate entities.
FTC’s PBM Suit: They cautiously support the FTC's actions, viewing it as a necessary step to reintroduce competition and transparency into an industry dominated by a few powerful players.
ACIP’s Vaccine Recommendations: They encourage policies that promote choice and flexibility, ensuring that healthcare remains individualized and patient-centered, while also emphasizing the importance of restoring trust in public health authorities.
Healthcare Market Consolidation: CASM and CRF call attention to the dangers of corporate monopolies in healthcare, arguing that a rollback of regulatory favoritism is crucial for reducing prices and improving healthcare outcomes for all Americans.
By focusing on these key areas, the Coalition Against Socialized Medicine and the CPAC Foundation’s Center for Regulatory Freedom continue their mission of promoting healthcare policies rooted in free-market principles, transparency, and individual freedom. https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849121156600647680/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/lEffdrpo4_Wq-gYf.mp4?tag=12
From the Ranchers for Trump Rally in Fallon, Nevada: @mercedesschlapp speaks with Curtis Martin about the importance of making America healthy again. https://t.co/4qM6kGUEXb https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1849120918750089216/vid/avc1/1920x1080/E31WIYWCWjQ5QWfI.mp4?tag=16
Since her parents’ incarceration, Savannah Chrisley has become an advocate in the criminal justice reform sphere. She joined Mercedes Schlapp to talk about her experience as a criminal justice reform activist and the changes the criminal justice system needs.
At a recent speaking engagement, Chrisley encountered denial about mass incarceration and slave labor in the prison system. Her parents’ experience in prison opened Chrisley’s eyes to the corruption and inhumane conditions of the prison system, and now, she is opening the eyes of others to the corruption in the justice system and the unfair treatment of inmates.
Chrisley was particularly moved by her mother’s experience being transported, which included being chained at the ankles, stomach, and arms and heckled by male inmates, to work on legislation that will improve transport for women. Together with Brett Tolman and Right on Crime, Chrisley is working to craft and pass legislation that would ensure women are transported separately with other biological women and receive equal visitation rights as men.
As she anticipates the trauma her mother has and will endure, she is also working with a doctor on a clinical trial of the lasting effects of incarceration on the brain.
“Hopefully, we can come up with something that can help rehabilitate these individuals because I just know, as a Christian, you shouldn’t be nailed to the cross forever,” said Chrisley.
Watch her full conversation with Mercedes Schlapp where they discuss criminal justice reform, President Trump, and the 2024 election on CPAC+. https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849103993370292224/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/5sgOW58ltKd0BDMc.mp4?tag=12
From the Ranchers for Trump Rally in Fallon, Nevada: @mercedesschlapp speaks with @joeygilbertinc about the top issues people in Nevada care about. https://t.co/fPC5w7nJj8 https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1849098710023565312/vid/avc1/1920x1080/HzyWwkDWX9hd79l_.mp4?tag=16
Top News: Sister Of Deceased Soldier Blasts The Atlantic For Latest Anti-Trump Fabrications
Gold Star families and former White House officials are slamming Jeffrey Goldberg’s attempt to smear Trump with another fallacious hit piece.
Explore more news at https://t.co/dS9FPT2Qry https://t.co/aDOy3KVR36 
Top News: Tulsi Gabbard: 'I'm Joining the Republican Party'
Former Hawaii Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday used her appearance at a rally for former President Donald Trump to announce she's joining the Republican Party.
Explore more news at https://t.co/dS9FPT2Qry https://t.co/MT6NtyzjOB 
Censorship is one of the most dangerous threats to the United States. https://t.co/NQlOkLKg24 https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849088425950842881/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/SkmZLfiYY6HXGDK8.mp4?tag=12
Kamala Harris puts illegal aliens before the American people. https://t.co/UGjYSQGER1 https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849073324447477761/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/pvfAguwCc6k0kZUa.mp4?tag=12
President Trump will make America energy dominant. https://t.co/eFuo1RH0bB https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849058201070690304/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/Q4a2eqy5HfQzfw4h.mp4?tag=12
Immigrants are not to blame for America’s housing crisis, Kamala Harris is to blame with her horrendous open border policies https://t.co/xhgBAzUDwU https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1849056930058141696/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/0TO5vIsEUZfAbw6t.mp4?tag=12
America UnCanceled: @_ItsSavannah_ joins @mercedesschlapp to give an update on her journey of fighting for criminal justice reform and joining the Trump campaign trail https://t.co/5bAJiA1ujZ https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1848823066022891520/vid/avc1/1280x720/BXP65DwbqVOak_ik.mp4?tag=14
Much of America’s problems are due to Kamala Harris’ open border. https://t.co/VhNjM21ICh https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1848846799672336384/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/dsj9oJiMtfEQDYB0.mp4?tag=12
Con solo dos semanas a la elección, el Presidente Trump está trayendo su mensaje a la comunidad que lo llevará a la Casa Blanca, la comunidad Latina. Trump está enfocado en ganar una cantidad histórica del voto Hispano en los temas que más importan: la economía, el costo de vida y la seguridad de nuestra nación. ¡Que Viva Trump! ¡Y que viva los Estados Unidos!
Kamala Harris has had 3.5 years to execute the promises she is running on. https://t.co/b7c0Au1IiW https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1848831700861673472/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/Lt8ssK7XqDaxE5gl.mp4?tag=12
Our organization’s commitment to improving and modernizing the United States criminal justice system took us across the Atlantic last week as CPAC joined partners in the public safety field, including the Vera Institute of Justice, on a consequential trip to Berlin, Germany. As part of series of tours and learning sessions alongside our European partners, we were granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Ministry of Justice in Berlin, learning about both similarities and differences in our approaches to the law. One common theme became clear from both our partners here at home and abroad: we must do more to honor our commitment to human dignity and protecting liberty.
Alongside experts in history and public safety, we gathered first to learn from the horrors of the holocaust and remember that justice can be weaponized to deprive liberty from innocent men, women, and children in society. After exploring the foundations of this shared commitment to justice, CPAC had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the legal system, including attorneys, judges, and corrections leaders to learn more about innovative approaches to rehabilitation and second chances. Officials in Berlin provided in-depth tours of the city’s prison and jail facilities, offering us a glimpse of programming and conditions aimed not simply at punishment, but providing the incarcerated population with a meaningful second chance upon release.
One clear lesson came from our work abroad: the United States must do more to improve public safety through taking active steps to support those individuals in prison seeking a better life. If we are to live up to our values of liberty and freedom for all, criminal justice leaders in our country must explore new and innovative paths to ensure that people behind bars can earn redemption. Further, we must commit to learning from our past mistakes, just as our partners in Germany have done, to avoid wasting resources and efforts on purely punitive practices that do little to improve wellbeing of the communities we serve. CPAC’s work to bring positive change to the criminal justice system was greatly strengthened by the lessons learned with our new partners in Berlin and the commitment amongst stakeholders here at home to find a better way forward for public safety. https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1848826620380954624/pu/vid/avc1/720x1280/K1L-W7EWmAnNiVOo.mp4?tag=12
President Trump recognizes @mercedesschlapp and @mschlapp at a Latinos for Trump event in Miami, Florida. https://t.co/CyetioxTUJ https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1848824884878532608/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/SVqh01DGrmEWmxI2.mp4?tag=12