Thread by @ChrisLu44

THREAD: Trump official in charge of Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare spent millions to hire GOP-connected consultants to "polish her brand." Some observations on why this is so problematic and why oversight is needed (@adamcancryn @ddiamond) 1/8 politico.com/story/2019/03/…

Verma's agency spent millions on consultants who were paid $185 to $200 an hour - far more than what almost any federal employee is able to earn. She spent this money, even though her agency has a large communications shop, including two dozen people who deal with the press. 2/8

Verma paid outside consultants to do what federal employees already do: write speeches, plan events, arrange interviews. Was she trying to inject politics into a govt press operation? One consultant barred a reporter from a media call because the reporter had upset Verma. 3/8

Or was this just about making Verma look good? One consultant was in charge of "brokering conversations with media executives or lifestyle reporters, and shepherding Verma to after-hours networking events with prominent journalists"

This isn't how govt funds should be used. 4/8

Using consultants for govt functions also jeopardizes sensitive information. One expert says: “Outsourcing communications work to private contractors puts the agency's ability to protect ‘potentially market-moving’ information from premature disclosure at considerable risk.” 5/8

Verma also used this process to do an end run around WH. One of the consultants had written a column in 2016 saying Trump was “offensive and ignorant.” WH wouldn't allow Verma to hire the person as the agency's communications director, so Verma brought him on as a consultant. 6/8

While Verma spent millions to hire consultants to burnish her image, Trump Admin. cut back on marketing to encourage Americans to sign up for healthcare. ACA ad spending was cut by 90% from Obama levels. Verma said it was about being "cost effective." 7/8 vox.com/2017/8/31/1623…

In the end, if Verma really wanted to help her image, she could've focused on expanding healthcare and making it more affordable, instead of trying to strip it away from tens of millions of Americans through ACA repeal, Medicare budget cuts and Medicaid work requirements

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