Thread by @meighanstone

#LongCOVID Community: As been tagged into few Trump Admin health nominee discussions, I thought to share brief, non-partisan "state-of-play" backgrounder thread, with focus on *REALISTIC* advocacy openings, as so many of us have serious limits & don't want to waste precious🥄 1/x

Disclaimers first: Pre-COVID, did health & nonprofit advocacy 20+ years, grateful for dear colleagues both sides of aisle & my default: always try to work together but focus on REALISTIC openings if limited resources. As ever, you may be smarter or have better ideas, so YMMV 2/x

Trump health nominees TLDR: whether adore or abhor, my candid counsel is don't waste much effort thinking could change names. Why? Senate leaders will only QUIETLY, behind-the-scenes, be able to change or block a few of OVERALL admin nominees & sadly, health not top of list. 3/x

Mechanics: Sen. Thune (R-SD), when elected new Senate majority leader this week, told press he'd STRONGLY support Trump nominee slate BUT also wants to have traditional Senate confirmation hearings. This both communicated loyalty & created opening for back-room negotiations. 4/x

Is there still a chance President-elect Trump secures his preferred "recess appointments" (so no Senate hearings)? Sure. But Senate tradition is a "deliberative body" & Senate Rs elected Sen. Thune, not Sen. Scott, for a reason: they want a side of decorum with Trump mandate. 5/x

If Sen. Majority Leader Thune ensures nominee confirmation hearings, will be MASSIVE prep, including intel & other vetting processes. More conservative senators can then, privately, try to use that info to backchannel to Trump team to negotiate changing a couple nominees, MAX 6/x

Brass tacks if tracking health nominees: conservative Senate Republicans will prioritize defense, intel & law, so will likely try & use those VERY limited chits on Sec Def (Hegseth) AG (Gaetz) & Dir of Natl Intel (Gabbard). Very unlikely will horse-trade on health nominees. 7/x

With that realpolitik, where COULD community best advocate? If confirmation hearings happen, Senate HELP Committee has jurisdiction over *most* health nominees, but RFK Jr. nomination actually goes through FINANCE Committee. So we can engage Senate & nominees around hearings. 8/x