Acton Occasional Series

March 22, 2017

Understanding the President’s Cabinet: Interior Secretary

Note: This is the ninth in a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introduction here. Cabinet position:  Secretary of the Interior Department:  U.S. Continue Reading...

March 20, 2017

Explainer: What you should know about the Meals on Wheels controversy

Embed from Getty Images What’s the story? Last week, numerous media outlets falsely reported that the Trump administration proposed 2018 budget would eliminate charities like Meals on Wheels. The reports also claimed that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney had said during a press conference that Meals on Wheels “doesn’t work.” Continue Reading...

March 16, 2017

Explainer: What you should know about President Trump’s FY2018 budget

What is the president’s budget? Technically, it’s only a budget request (and in this case, just a blueprint of a request). The budget request is a proposal telling Congress how much money the president believes should be spent on the various Cabinet-level federal functions, like agriculture, defense, education, etc. Continue Reading...

March 15, 2017

Understanding the President’s Cabinet: HHS Secretary

Note: This is the eighth in a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introduction here.   Cabinet position: Secretary of Health and Human Services Department: Department of Health and Human Services Current Secretary: Thomas E. Continue Reading...

March 08, 2017

Understanding the President’s Cabinet: HUD Secretary

Note: This is the seventh in a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introduction here. Department:  Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Current Secretary:  Dr. Continue Reading...