HOGAN BACKS ACA SUBSIDY PAYMENTS: Gov. Larry Hogan wants Congress to revive the Affordable Care Act subsidy payments cut by President Trump even though he did not sign a letter sent by 10 Republican and Democratic governors on Wednesday encouraging lawmakers to do it, Ovetta Wiggins reports in the Post. Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said the governor supports an effort by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to renew the payments, which are made to insurers to help lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for lower-income people.
Mayer said the governor did not sign the letter supporting specific legislation crafted by Alexander and Murray because the bill as written could change. But he emphasized that Hogan wants the federal government to renew the payments, which state analysts said total up to $8 million a month in Maryland, reports Erin Cox of the Sun.
HOGAN TOUTS HYPERLOOP: Gov. Larry Hogan – taking a cue from the big splash, low information PR strategy of Elon Musk – tweeted Thursday that Musk’s Boring Co. is going to build a Hyperloop tunnel from Baltimore to Washington. “So, get ready,” Hogan said in a rough video after adjusting his shades. Michael Laris of the Post reports that the Maryland Department of Transportation has given conditional approval to Musk’s firm to dig miles of tunnel under state roads to be used for the privately funded project….
