Insights^

First Lady Jill Biden kicked off the holiday season in Washington when she accepted the White House’s official Christmas tree on November 22c– an 18.5-foor Fraser fir hailing from Jefferson, North Carolina.  Christmas trees have a long tradition in the White House that, like many presidential traditions, have no clear point of origin and speak to the rich history of America’s most important residence.

Origins and Development of a Tradition

For much of the 19^th Century, Christmas was observed privately in the White House, a far cry from the ceremonious tradition observed today.  President John Adams and his family celebrated the first White House Christmas in December 1800, just two months after the second President moved into the newly constructed Executive Mansion, as it was originally known.

It’s not entirely clear who was the first president to display a Christmas tree in the White House.  Some sources point to President Franklin Pierce, who was in office from 1853 to 1857, while others say President Benjamin Harrison was the first to bring in a tree in 1889.  According to accounts, Harrison displayed the tree in the Yellow Oval Room on the second floor, which was used as a library and parlor for the First Family at that time.  Since electricity had yet to be installed in the White House, wax candles were used to light the tree.  Lights with electric bulbs didn’t appear on the White House Christmas tree until 1894 under President Grover Cleveland.

Over the course of the 20^th Century, various presidents developed and formalized the traditions of the White House Christmas tree.  In 1924, the District of Columbia Public Schools gifted the White House a “National Christmas Tree” that was erected on the Ellipse south of the White House, and President Calvin Coolidge led a lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve with a separate tree that was donated from Middlebury College in Vermont.

In 1929, President Henry Hoover placed a Christmas tree in the Blue Room, which has since been home to the official White House Christmas tree.  First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy began the tradition of themed decorations in 1961 by including characters from the “Nutcracker Suite” ballet as ornaments.  Other themes for decorations displayed over the years include First Lady Bird Johnson’s gingerbread men decorations, and in 2013, First Lady Michelle Obama featured holiday greeting cards from military servicemembers.  For 2021, the First Family selected a “gifts from the heart” theme that honors military service members and COVID-19 first responders.

Christmas Tree Selection

Since 1966, the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) has selected and presented the White House with its official Christmas tree.  Each year, tree growers, industry experts, and consumers vote in a national contest held by the NCTA to select the tree grower who will provide that year’s official White House tree.  To qualify for the contest, growers must first win state or regional competitions.  The most selected type of tree is fir, with spruces being a distant second.Since the NCTA formalized the selection process over a half-century ago, 13 trees have come from North Carolina, 10 have come from Pennsylvania, and eight have hailed from Wisconsin.

Drug overdose deaths in the US reached a record high of 93,331 in 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Synthetic opioids including fentanyl played a major role, contributing to 60% of all overdose deaths.  While the opioid epidemic isn’t exactly new, the pandemic has certainly exacerbated the epidemic, causing an uptick in illicit drug use and driving many to use in isolation.  With the Biden administration currently focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, what’s being done to address the other public health crisis facing the nation?

New Drug Czar, New Focus on Opioids?

On October 28, the Senate confirmed Dr. Rahul Gupta as Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).  The first medical doctor to serve as “drug czar,” Gupta is no stranger to the opioid epidemic.  As West Virginia’s health commissioner, Gupta gained national recognition for his data-driven drug treatment work in a state that has been devastated by the epidemic.  By appointing Gupta, the administration could be signaling a new focus on addressing the opioid crisis.

First-Time Support for Harm Reduction Policies

Since his confirmation, ONDCP Director Gupta and other top public health officials including Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra have put forth a strategy known as “harm reduction” that provides care and support to people actively using illicit drugs.  While some state and local government already employ harm reduction strategies, they’re still considered controversial and have never previously been utilized by the federal government.

One harm reduction policy the administration has specifically endorsed is a needle exchange program that involves giving sterile syringes to people who inject drugs.  While the administration believes this strategy will help reduce transmission of infectious diseases associated with illegal drug use, some lawmakers and law enforcement officials are expected to oppose the new policy.

Higher Prison Sentences for Fentanyl?

Many opioids sold on the street are laced with fentanyl, contributing to the rise in overdose deaths.  To combat the growing prevalence of fentanyl, the Biden administration recently recommended that all fentanyl related substances be permanently placed into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act as currently fentanyl is a Schedule II drug.  According to the administration, this will provide law enforcement with the tools they need to respond to the trafficking and manufacture of fentanyl in an effort to reduce the overall supply of fentanyl.

However, criminal justice and civil rights advocates say the move would lead to harsher prison sentences, and in return, exacerbate racial disparities already prevalent in the criminal justice system.  Doing so, they argue, would make for a repeat of the nation’s experience with higher penalties for cocaine possession in the 1980s and 1990s, where criminal defendants had little recourse due to a lack of legal resources.

Other plans put forward by the Biden administration include:

• Reducing stigma for people suffering from addiction.
• Greater access to drug treatment.
• A program to address racial and regional inequities in how people are treated for substance use disorder.

Will It Make a Difference?

Most of the administration’s proposals require congressional approval, and so far, a key proposal on harm reduction has gotten traction in Congress.  The Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill that was approved by the House in July 2021 removes a longstanding general provision that prohibits federal funds from being used to purchase syringes, thus clearing the way for needle exchange programs.  But as Congress grapples with high-priority items like the Build Back Better Act, FY 2022 spending, and the debt ceiling – all with aspirations to finish them by the end of the year – it remains to be seen how much Congress will do in the near-term to enable the administration to take new steps to reign in the opioid epidemic.  With perhaps a waning pandemic in 2022, lawmakers may be better positioned to work with the administration on addressing the opioid crisis in the second session of the 117^th Congress.

COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children Ages 5-11 Commence

Children ages 5-11 started receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine this week after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky gave the go-ahead on Tuesday night.  Walensky’s authorization followed a recommendation by a CDC advisory committee earlier that day as well as authorization from the Food and Drug Administration the previous week. The Biden administration has already confirmed that it has procured enough Pfizer vaccine doses to support vaccination for the country’s 28 million children that are 5-11 years old.  However, vaccine hesitancy is likely to remain as much of a concern in children as it is in adults. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, only a third of parents said they would get their kids vaccinated right away, while another third are opting for a “wait and see” approach.

Administration Issues New Rules on Vaccination Requirements

On November 5, the Biden administration issued a pair of rules that lays out vaccination requirements for 100 million American workers. The first rule, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), stipulates that organizations with 100 or more employees must ensure that their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4, 2022, or that they test negative for COVID-19 at least once a week.  The second rule, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), requires that all health care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs must make certain that eligible staff is also fully vaccinated by January 4, 2022.  Unlike the OSHA rule, the CMS rule does not have the option to opt-out of getting the vaccine by testing weekly.  While health care providers are supportive of the intent of the CMS rule, some are worried that the new requirements could exacerbate the industry’s staffing shortage.

House Tees Up Votes for Social Spending, Infrastructure Bills Today

The House is expected to vote Friday on both the $1.75 trillion social and climate spending package and bipartisan infrastructure bill.  The vote follows a busy Thursday night where Democratic leadership hammered out last-minute deals with caucus members on state and local tax deductions, drug pricing, and immigration.  Democrats can only afford to lose three votes on the social spending bill, as no Republicans are expected to vote for it.  However, the fate of the social spending bill remains uncertain in the Senate, where centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has declined to offer his support until the Congressional Budget Office provides an estimate on how the measure will impact the deficit.  The social spending measure will also require approval from the Senate parliamentarian, who must decide whether the updated bill can advance in the upper chamber through budget reconciliation.

Dems on Alert after GOP Sweeps Statewide VA Races

Democrats are preparing for a tough 2022 midterm election after Republican candidates won elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general in Virginia on November 2.  Some pundits say the results mark a return of the swing-state status of Virginia, which hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 2004.  However, other pundits point out that in 10 of the last 11 gubernatorial races, the winner came from the opposite party as the president, indicating that the results are simply indicative of a longer pattern.  Nonetheless, Democrats are fearful that enthusiasm for Republican candidates in Virginia could preview what was already expected to be a difficult 2022 midterm election for the party.  Some Democrats in Washington have responded to the election by pledging to work together on passing high-priority items like the Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan infrastructure bill to show voters they can deliver on policy promises.

ICYMI: Capitol Police Prevail over Lawmakers in Congressional Football Game

At Wednesday’s Congressional Football Game, a team consisting of members of Congress lost to the Capitol Police team 26-6.  First started in 2004 to raise money for the Capitol Police Memorial Fund, the annual tradition took on a different meaning this year after more than 130 officers were injured in the January 6 riot on the Capitol.  This year’s game was played before an audience of 2,000 at Audi Field, while games in years past were played at Gallaudet University and the DC Armory.  The game raised over $600,000 this year.

Washington, DC is a historic city, and one of the ways that history manifests itself is though tales of ghosts and other unexplained phenomena.  With Halloween just around a corner, what better time to check in on all the federally owned buildings and well-known landmarks in the District of Columbia that have their own spooky histories?

The White House

One of the most well-known buildings in Washington, DC is also perhaps the most haunted.  Abraham Lincoln reportedly received visits from his son Willie, who passed away in the White House at age 11, while the former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln may have heard Thomas Jefferson playing the violin and Andrew Jackson swearing.  Following his assassination, President Lincoln himself purportedly became a ghost and allegedly appeared before British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Smithsonian Castle

The Smithsonian’s namesake is English chemist and mineralogist James Smithson, and his remains were reinterred in the Castle in 1904.  Despite Smithson never setting foot in the Smithsonian Castle when alive, his ghost has appeared in the building many times. The ghost of Spencer Baird, the Smithsonian’s first curator, has also been spotted.

US Capitol Building

The Capitol building served as a makeshift infirmary during the Civil War, which would explain why staffers have spotted the ghost of an unknown Union Army soldier in the Hall of Statues.  Other ghosts purportedly include Congressman William Preston Taulbee (D-KY), who was shot in the Capitol building by a journalist who was the subject of Taulbee’s bullying, and John Lenthall, a construction superintendent who died in an accident during the building’s construction.  However, the Capitol’s most famous supernatural specter may be a so-called “demon cat” who has appeared just days before tragic events such as the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Headquarters

The location of the FAA headquarters is at 600 Independence Avenue SW, which was once the site of a slave market on the property of Robey’s Tavern.  The property consisted of a large wall where slaves were auctioned as well as a two-story home that housed slaves in the basement.  Some people have allegedly heard the clinking of chains at night near the headquarters.

Lafayette Square Park

Located just across from the White House, Lafayette Square is the site where Philip Barton Key II, the son of Francis Scott Key, was shot to death after having an affair with a married woman.  Key’s ghost has since been spotted in the park.

Library of Congress

Shortly after the end of World War I, visitors to the Library of Congress began noticing a ghost in the library’s main reading room.  The ghost was suspected to be Cecil Barda, a young man who visited the room almost daily for several years before enlisting in the Army in 1917.  Barda later died in a training accident before he could be deployed to Europe.  Since the Library of Congress was modernized shortly after World War II, there has been no sighting of Barda’s ghost in the main reading room.

There’s been a lot of discussion about COVID-19 booster shots lately – so much so, that it’s hard to keep track of who can get booster shots and what kind of booster shots are available.  Here, we provide a lay of the land on booster shots.

Why are booster shots necessary?  Booster shots provide an extra “boost” to immunity through an additional dose that cues the immune system to produce a stronger antibody response.  While all three currently approved vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are highly effective in protecting against hospitalization and death, a growing number of studies show that vaccine efficacy gradually wanes over time. 

Who can get booster shots now?  Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine that is currently authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used as a booster dose.  The FDA formally amended the emergency authorization use (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine on September 22.  According to the amended EUA, the following people are eligible for booster shots at least six months after their initial series of shots:

• People over age 65.
• People ages 18 to 64 at high risk of severe COVID-19 due to chronic medical conditions or compromised immune systems.
• People with greater risk of workplace exposure, such as frontline medical workers, teachers, and emergency responders.

More booster shots are on the way.  The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted during an October 14-15 public meeting to recommend booster doses from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The panel recommended the Moderna booster be administered under the same criteria as Pfizer’s – six months after the second dose for people over 65, individuals at risk for serious complication from COVID-19, and essential workers.  However, the panel recommended broader criteria for the Johnson & Johnson booster – it said anyone who received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should be eligible to receive a second booster dose at least two months later.

• Why? Several studies have shown the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is less effective that other currently approved shots, particularly against new variants like Delta.

What happens next: The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet on October 20-21 to offer its recommendations on who should get the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots.  Its recommendations are subject to a final decision from the CDC director.  Afterwards, the FDA could officially authorize booster shots from both companies in the following days.

The conversation on booster shots hasn’t been without controversy.  Over the past few months, scientists, researchers, and public health officials within the federal government haven’t seen eye-to-eye on when booster shots should become available, and who should get them.

• For example, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky partially overruled ACIP last month when the panel initially declined to offer booster shots for essential workers under 65 who do not have chronic medical conditions.  Some ACIP members said that without additional data, they weren’t comfortable automatically allowing younger people to get boosters just because of their jobs.  While Walensky acknowledged the panel’s uncertainty, she said in a statement that CDC must use “imperfect data” to “take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good.”
• There are also ethical considerations as billions worldwide remain unvaccinated.  While many public health experts believe people with chronic health conditions should get additional shots, they feel extra doses should be allocated to countries with low vaccination rates first in order to prevent more dangerous variants from developing.

The administration’s internal disputes have been quite apparent to the public.  Back in August, President Biden announced a plan to start distributing booster shots to all eligible Americans as soon as September 20.  However, the health care agencies tasked with rolling out boosters have taken a more conservative approach, and one month later after Biden’s original deadline, only certain segments of the population have access to one vaccine booster.

With limited information and uncertainty about the future of the virus, administration officials are between a rock and a hard place.  On one hand, federal officials don’t have enough data to make definitive decisions on who needs a booster and how much a booster would improve efficacy.  On the other hand, the administration knows it can’t wait for definitive findings to become available, especially if case number surge once again in the next few months as colder temperatures drive more Americans indoors.

At the end of the day, COVID-19 is still a novel virus, and there are many unanswered questions on how long protection from vaccines last and how much that protection varies between different groups of people.  While new data on vaccines will continue to gradually become available, federal health officials will have to continue discussing and weighing the risks and benefits of authorizing vaccines in the US.