Black Caucus Questions Obama About Farmers

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is not happy about President Barack Obama’s recent move potentially to stem billions of dollars owed to Black farmers. The Caucus recently requested an audience with the president’s officials after learning of a Justice Department filing by Obama’s administration that would prevent farmers who suffered discrimination from collecting up to $4 billion. The court action would top possible compensation at $100 million because it contradicts legislation Obama pushed while he was a senator. “At a minimum, the CBC should meet with the Obama administration and clarify this filing,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). Read more.

The Congressional Black Caucus Monday praised the decision by the U.S. Senate to put Roland Burris in Barack Obama’s old seat. “The CBC is very pleased with the decision of Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate leadership to seat Roland Burris,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, chairwoman of the caucus. “Mr. Burris has long been a public servant for the people of Illinois. He will be a wonderful addition to our caucus and we look forward to working with him as we move forward with our agenda in Congress.” Read more here.

Black lawmakers split on cigarette bill

There’s a riff within the 43-member Congressional Black Caucus over the bill that would allow the FDA to regulate tobacco products, reports The New York Times. Some members of the caucus would like to place some restrictions on menthol while others say leave the bill alone. Seventy-five percent of Black smokers use mentholated tobacco products, which account for about 28 percent of the $70 billion U.S. cigarette market, the Times reports. Currently, the bill, which enjoys broad bi-partisan support, does not regulate menthol, but it does place restrictions on flavor additives such as clover. It is thought that menthol and other additives might mask the harshness of tobacco, which could “make it easier for teenagers to begin smoking,” a recent study report. Researchers also have questioned whether menthol might play a role in disproportionate rates of cancer related to smoking among Blacks. A recent study from Harvard University found that some cigarette makers intentionally “manipulated menthol levels to attract young people.” The caucus is “split,” Caucus Chair Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) told the Times. “We do want to see menthol regulated, but we’re convinced that eliminating or prohibiting menthol would be a killer for the bill.” According to Kilpatrick, the caucus is drafting an amendment to the bill that would potentially call for a study on menthol.Doctors are in the dark about sexual behavior.Don’t-ask, don’t-tell is a losing proposition when it comes to sexual behavior. But that seems to be the standard operating procedure, according to a new study. And it’s a losing strategy for slowing the spread of HIV. When health care providers know about their patients’ sexual behavior, they can help prevent infection through testing, counseling and other services. A new study from the New York Health Department suggests 39 percent of men who have sex with other men had not disclosed their sexual orientation to their doctors – a lapse that greatly reduced their odds of being tested for HIV. African-American, Hispanic, and Asian men who had sex with men were far less likely to disclose their sexual activities. The study, published this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, examined data from the 2004-2005 Centers for Disease Control National HIV Behavioral Survey, which examines risky behavior among men across the nation who have sex with other men. For the survey, men at gay bars and clubs were interviewed anonymously, tested for HIV, and offered medical and social services as needed. The study showed that men who disclose having sex with men were twice as likely as those who did not to have been tested for HIV (63 percent vs. 36 percent). The low rate of HIV testing among non-disclosers suggests that health care providers continue to practice risk-based HIV testing in New York City . This means that unless providers know that a patient has a risk factor for HIV, they are not offering the test. The current national guidelines, adopted in 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, call on health care providers to offer HIV tests to all patients between the ages of 13 and 64.