Tag: congress

Week Three in Trump

Posted on February 13, 2017 in Politics, Trump

Here’s the recap from last week. I thought it was a slow week, but… wait, actually this is a slow week in Trumpland.

  1. Missed from last week’s recap: The House introduces bill to banish the EPA.
  2. Trump drafts a plan to cut off food stamps for immigrants, both legal and illegal, which could cause some US citizens to go hungry (especially as it also affects their children even if born here).
  3. Polls show that a majority of Americans (albeit a small majority) views the travel ban as a Muslim ban and a majority is opposed to it. Trump says the negative polls are fake news.
  4. Federal appeals case for the travel ban is set for Tuesday.
  5. Trump vilifies lawyers and judges who are impeding the travel ban. Gorsuch says Trump’s remarks are demoralizing and disheartening, according to Senator Richard Blumenthal and Gorsuch’s communications lead.
  6. We learn that Trump signed the order placing Bannon on the National Security Council without understanding what he was signing.
  7. Trump tells a military group at MacDill Air Force Base that the media doesn’t report on all terrorist attacks across the world because “…the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it.” He appears to have gotten this information from Alex Jones. The press office later releases a list of 78 “uncovered” attacks, most of which were covered as various news outlets proved by producing links to their stories. Missing from that list were any attacks in Israel, where such attacks are common, and in sub-Saharan Africa, where most such attacks occur.
  8. Trump says that they might not have an ACA replacement until the end of this year of next year.
  9. The Senate confirms Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, with the tightest margin in recent history and possibly making her the least qualified cabinet member in history. Democratic senators spoke through the night to try and bring one more Republican over to vote against her, but in the end, only two Republicans came over and Vice-President Mike Pence had to cast the deciding vote.
  10. On the same day, Representative Thomas Massie introduces H.R. 899, a one-page bill to banish the Department of Education by the end of 2018.
  11. A website explaining the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was removed from the Department of Education website. This was set up under President George W. Bush so educators, advocates and parents could get a “one-stop” explanation of the act and learn what their rights are under the disability law.
  12. Trump threatens to defund California over possible statewide sanctuary cities. “We give tremendous amounts of money to California. California in many ways is out of control, as you know.” Um, except for the fact that per capita, California only gets back 75 cents on their federal tax dollar. Most states receive more than they put in, some getting over $4.00 back for each dollar put in.
  13. Trump tells the National Sheriffs’ Association that the country’s murder rate is at the highest it’s been in 47 years. In actuality, it’s near its lowest point in that period according to the FBI, which gathers statistics from police departments nationwide.
  14. Senate Republicans vote to ban Senator Warren from speaking further in the Sessions hearing because she was “impugning” him by bringing up Coretta Scott King’s letter from his 1986 hearing (yes, there is an obscure and rarely used rule in the Senate that a senator can’t impugn another Senator – Senate Rule 19). #LetLizSpeak trends.
  15. Sessions is subsequently confirmed 52-47.
  16. Louisiana is hit by a reported 9 tornadoes. Trump approves disaster declaration for the area.
  17. Yemen announces they will end US military operations in Yemen.
  18. Nordstrom drops the Ivanka Trump line due to sagging sales, generating a backlash from Trump himself. Kellyanne Conway finds herself “counseled” when she tells people to go out and buy Ivanka’s stuff. Neumann Marcus also drops her line, followed by a few more retailers who say the line isn’t selling.
  19. In trying to denigrate the judges and lawyers who question the constitutionality of the travel ban as written, Trump said “I was a very good student. I comprehend very well. Better than, I think, almost anybody.” Too bad he didn’t go to law school.
  20. Ninth circuit court of appeals upholds the suspension of the travel ban and the ban is stayed indefinitely. Judges in this case have been receiving threats.
  21. Trump announces he will not appeal this decision immediately. They are looking at possibly rewriting the order and reissuing it.
  22. As part of a nationwide operation, ICE raids in LA pick up around 100 illegal immigrants, not all of whom had criminal records and some of whom have been here for decades. The push behind the raids seems to be Trump’s expanded definition of criminal alien.
  23. Latest reports are that the wall would cost $21.6 billion.
  24. Trump signs an executive order to reduce crime and restore public safety by creating a new task force on the issue under Sessions, focusing on illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime.
  25. Trump signs an executive order to increase intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies to help combat international drug cartels.
  26. Trump signs an executive order to prosecute crimes against law enforcement officers using existing federal law. Amnesty International claims that this doesn’t address the underlying problem and will result in people being over-prosecuted for smaller offenses.
  27. A Texas court struck down the US Chamber of Commerce’s attempt to overturn a new Labor Department rule requiring retirement fund advisers to put their customers’ interests first.
  28. A state judge panel placed on hold a law that would have required North Carolina Governor’s (Roy Cooper) nominees for state cabinet heads to undergo confirmation hearings by the state legislature. If you remember, once the Democratic governor was elected, the GOP legislators moved to curtail the governor’s power.
  29. Tom Price is confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  30. Officials have corroborated some of the information in the leaked Steele Dossier on Trump, confirming that some of the conversations described in the dossier took place between the same individuals on the same days and from the same locations as detailed in the dossier. This gives US intelligence higher confidence in the credibility of certain parts of the dossier as they continue to investigate. No content has been confirmed.
  31. As part of the Steele Dossier corroboration, officials claim National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had discussions with the Russian ambassador to Washington prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration. The discussions were inappropriate and possibly illegal, especially if they were about easing sanctions. The content of the conversations has not been released, though.
  32. Senator David Perdue introduces S.J.Res.19. As part of this legislation, there would be no more limits on the overdraft fees that banks can charge, among other things
  33. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Public Citizen sued Trump over the 1-in-2-out executive order, which states that federal agencies needs to remove 2 regulations for each new regulation they create.
  34. Sr. Policy Advisor Stephen Miller makes the talk show rounds on Sunday morning, doubling down on claims of voter fraud and also saying that the judges in the travel ban case overstepped their power. He also claimed that the power of the president to protect the country will not be questioned. This is a guy to watch.
  35. Korea executes a missile test, causing Trump and Japan Prime Minister Abe to scramble to put out a joint statement during the weekend at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. They basically held a national security meeting at a public table in the dining room.

Week Two in Trump

Posted on February 6, 2017 in Politics, Trump

I apologize for the long post – this week’s recap is really long!

First, here are a few things I missed from the previous week’s recap:

  1. Trump says he will not release his tax returns because “He won and no one cares but media.” Polls reveal that over 60% of Americans want to see his tax returns.
  2. Trump did not put his company in a blind trust and in fact still retains full ownership in it, putting him in violation of the “Emoluments Clause” in the constitution.
  3. The entire senior staff at the State Department “quit”.
  4. Despite insistence that the travel ban is not a Muslim ban, this page was part of Trump’s campaign and remains on his site: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/…/donald-j.-trump-statement-on…
  5. Along with the above, Giuliani said in an interview that Trump asked him to write a Muslim ban and so he pulled a commission together to come up with a way to do it legally. Giuliani justified this by saying they focused on danger instead of religion.
  6. The ACLU brings in $24 million in funding over the weekend.

And now here’s what happened last week. As always, let me know if I missed anything or if I got anything wrong:

  1. Spicer uses the Quebec mosque shooting to defend the travel ban and “certain” news agencies run with the story that the shooter was Muslim. The perpetrator was an alt-right Trump supporter, but these stories are not walked back until the Canadian Prime Minister insists on it.
  2. Trump retains the protections given to LGBQT federal employees under Obama, apparently thanks to Ivanka and Jared Kushner.
  3. Betsy DeVos is found to have plagiarized her answers to senators’ written questions.
  4. Information comes out that indicates Mnuchin and Price lied in their confirmation hearings.
  5. A third wave of threats hits Jewish centers around the country, prompting evacuations. The first was 1/9, the second 1/18, and today’s brings the total to over 60 centers evacuated.
  6. Trump postpones signing an executive order on cybersecurity and another to the Justice Department to investigate his allegations of voter fraud, both signs that he is starting to hit roadblocks after a flurry of executive orders.
  7. Harley Davidson cancels meeting with Trump on fear of protests.
  8. Trump’s first military excursion results in the death of a navy seal, a 14-year-old American girl, and many Yemeni citizens. Leaks from officials indicate that the operation was undertaken without sufficient intelligence or support. The Trump administration tries to blame the Obama administration, but sources say the Obama administration delayed saying they didn’t want to push the new administration into an escalated situation with Yemen.
  9. Trump’s national security team, led by Mike Flynn, wants give more power to lower-level officials in order to speed up the decision-making process for operations such as the above.
  10. Democrats boycott the nomination hearings for Mnuchin and Price because of perceived lies during the hearings. Republicans change the rules and pass the nominees through to the Senate. This is all symbolic on both sides.
  11. Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court appointment. He would be a pretty even replacement for Scalia, though he has tended to favor religious freedom over civil rights. Democrats debate whether to give payback for last year’s treatment of Garland Merrick or to save that fight for another battle.
  12. Mitch McConnell derides Democrats for the possibility that they might block Gorsuch, presumably forgetting the name Merrick Garland.
  13. Rex Tillerson is confirmed as Secretary of State. Approval for James Mattis (Defense), Elaine Chao (Transportation) and John Kelly (Homeland Security) follows.
  14. House passes a resolution to end the Stream Protection Act, which protects our waters from coal pollution.
  15. Leaked info from Trump’s call with Mexico reveals that he threatened to send US troops there.
  16. Iran tests a missile, eliciting a stern response from the Trump administration along with some new sanctions.
  17. Troop movement and fighting resumes between Russia and the Ukraine with no immediate response from the administration.
  18. On a call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump slams the refu­gee agreement and brags about how much he won the electoral college. Trump ends the call after 25 minutes even though it was scheduled for an hour. Later explanations are that Trump was tired, and Senator John McCain smooths things over.
  19. At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump vows to get rid of the Johnson amendment, which would allow tax-exempt churches and their pastors to be politically involved and outspoken (thus breaking the rule separating church and state). The Baptist Joint Committee responds: “To change the law would hinder the church’s prophetic witness, threatening to turn pulpit prophets into political puppets.”
  20. A bill is filed in the House that would remove Steve Bannon from the security council.
  21. Over 50 lawsuits arise against the administration, mostly regarding the travel ban and the sanctuary city order.
  22. After Trump, Conway, and Spicer all called the travel ban a ban, they claimed it’s not a ban.
  23. Government releases numbers revealing that over 100,000 visas have been revoked as a result of the travel ban.
  24. Multiple judges put stays on the travel ban, citing unconstitutionality. Trump issues clarifications on the ban.
  25. The first visa holder who was denied entry and sent on a flight back home arrives back at LAX to be reunited with his family (after about 60 total flight hours over 6 days).
  26. A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocks the travel ban from being enforced nationwide, and the Department of Homeland Security announces that it is ceasing all operations associated with the ban. This opens us back up to visa holders, though the administration vows to fight it.
  27. The Ninth Circuit Court denies an emergency motion to reverse the above decision and allow enforcement of the travel ban again.
  28. House votes to repeal regulations aimed at curbing bribery and graft in the oil industry, which restricts paying bribes to foreign officials. Senate passes the same and the bill heads to Trump for approval.
  29. Uber CEO, Travis Kalanick, quits Trump’s advisory council. I’m torn about this, because sometimes you can work more change from within.
  30. The House reverses the Obama administration rule preventing gun sales to people with severe mental disabilities, going back on their previous statements where they said the problem is not guns, but is instead mental health.
  31. Trump appoints Jerry Falwell Jr. to head a task force on higher education.
  32. Kellyanne Conway repeats the debunked lie that the Obama administration put a ban on Iraqi visas and made up a massacre, the Bowling Green Massacre, to support it.
  33. CNN reports that Republican are saying more and more that there are parts of Obamacare that they will keep and that there is no mega-bill in the works to replace it. They are now talking about fixing it piece-by-piece.
  34. Betsy DeVos has donated $10s of thousands to Republican senators. The same senators who will be voting on her confirmation. Teachers start crowdfunding sites to make enough money to give to those Senators to see if they can be bought back.
  35. Trump orders a rollback of Wall Street regulations, including Dodd Frank.
  36. The last jobs report of the Obama administration shows 227,000 jobs created. Naturally, Spicer tries to give all the credit to Trump, even though the report’s data was from prior to the inauguration.
  37. Trump takes his first vacation to Mir-a-Lago for the weekend.
  38. Congressmen report that their phones, and the main Capital Hill switchboard, are so jammed from constituents calling in, they can’t keep up. Rumors are that the main switchboard was down for three days because of it. So keep those calls and emails up!
  39. A bipartisan bill is in the works to prevent Trump from being able to roll back sanctions against Russia without congressional approval.
  40. Senators Graham and Whitehouse say the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will investigate Russia’s influence in both our elections and EU nations’ elections.
  41. The administration sends out Bureau of Indian Affairs agents to remove DAPL protesters from the protest camps.
  42. Trump has the highest disapproval rating of any newly elected president.
  43. McConnell says we shouldn’t spend federal money on an investigation into Trump’s claims of voter fraud.
  44. Ten states draft laws that either would criminalize peaceful protests or could cause physical harm to protesters.
  45. Trump appears to back off on his previous promise to reopen offshore black sites.
  46. Ajit Pai, the new FCC chair, begins reversing Obama administration rules, including a program that expands high-speed internet to poor communities.
  47. The administration is looking at changing the program, “Countering Violent Extremism,” to “Countering Islamic Extremism” or “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism.” The program has targeted all extremists in the past, but now might not target groups like white supremacists, the same groups that carry out most of the bombings and shootings in the US.
  48. Some in Congress appear to be backing off of the idea that America can go it alone, as they scramble to meet with and reassure various heads of state.
  49. In keeping with the tone of the Obama administration, Trump demands that Russia withdraw from Crimea, that Israel stop constructing new settlements, and that Iran receives additional sanctions based on their recent missile test.

Week One in Trump

Posted on January 30, 2017 in Politics, Trump

Here’s a recap of the last 10 days or so. A lot happened, so let me know if I got anything wrong or missed anything. Also, not all of these are set in stone; congress has to pass legislation for some of these.

  1. Trump delivers his American Carnage speech at his inauguration, and he begins with a flurry of directives and orders.
  2. Millions of people around the world participate in women’s marches. Though there were clearly more marchers than inauguration attendees, Sean Spicer flat-out lies about crowd sizes and yells at the press in his first press conference. Trump doesn’t like Spicer’s suit.
  3. Trump speaks to CIA officers, using a loaded crowd and offending the memorial by bragging about his inauguration crowd size.
  4. Kellyanne Conway tells Chuck Todd that Spicer didn’t lie, he presented alternative facts, adding a new phrase to our lexicon.
  5. Orwell’s 1984 hits the best sellers list again.
  6. Trump pulls out of the TPP and orders a renegotiation of NAFTA. He also announces a federal hiring freeze.
  7. Trump voids an executive action that would have reduced the cost of home mortgages and make it easier to buy a home.
  8. Trump signs an order directing the repeal and replacement of the ACA. Republicans in congress are overheard talking about their lack of a replacement and the difficulties in coming up with one.
  9. Trump re-enacts and expands the Mexico rule, preventing any NGOs that mention abortion options from receiving US money regardless of what the money is used for.
  10. Sean Spicer redeems himself after his first press conference.
  11. Trump claims that 3-5 million people voted against him illegally, based on a story told to him by a German golfer.
  12. After hearing a report from Bill O’Reilly, Trump threatens Chicago with martial law.
  13. Trump approves the DAPL and Keystone pipeline, and mandates that they be manufactured from American-made products. Also promises to reduce EPA regulations, prompting a Twitter response from the park association that led to…
  14. Trump implements a clamp down on public correspondence by federal agencies that led to…
  15. Federal agencies develop rogue accounts to keep the public informed.
  16. Additionally, leaks from the White House staff point to fear and discord in the administration.
  17. Trump authorizes an investigation into voter fraud allegations. He might want to start with his own family and staff, several of whom were found to be registered in multiple states.
  18. Trump authorizes the construction of the Mexico wall (funding to be approved by Congress). Suggests he will tax Mexican imports 20% to pay for it, putting the bill in consumers’ hands.
  19. Trump bans federal funding to sanctuary cities and pledges to keep a list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in said cities. Note that the federal government does not control how states allocate funds to cities, so it is unknown how this will play out.
  20. Trump re-opens the door to black sites and torture.
  21. Trump continues to tweet from an unsecured phone, and his staff continues to use private email servers.
  22. Trump makes it a policy that scientific studies be reviewed based on their potential political importance rather than their scientific importance.
  23. Scientists plan a march. And teachers. And also LGBQT activists.
  24. Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway both attack the press, with Bannon calling it the opposition party and Kellyanne Conway saying reporters who disagree with the administration should be fired.
  25. Trump signs a ban on travel from 7 countries – Syria, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan. Inadvertently or not this results in many green card and visa holders being detained or turned away, and protests erupt at airports across the country. After much confusion and heartbreak, Trump said things went smoothly at the airports this weekend.
  26. And the coup de grace, Trump removes the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the National Security Council and replaces them with Steve Bannon.
  27. Immigrants plan a march.
  28. Trump fires the acting attorney general for not defending the travel ban after 5 law suits were filed.
  29. Trump fires the acting director of immigration enforcement without explanation.

The First 10 Days

Posted on January 11, 2017 in Politics, Trump

I copied this entry from a facebook post, factchecked it, and made some edits. Sorry I can’t give props to the original author since I don’t know who it was. But here it is. The first 10 days of 2017.

 

Just so you can keep it all organized, here’s the first week in review:

  1. Trump orders home all Ambassadors and Special Envoys without exception, ordering them out by inauguration day.
  2. House brings back the Holman rule allowing them to reduce an individual civil service, SES positions, or political appointee’s salary to $1, effectively firing them by amendment to any piece of legislation. We now know why they wanted names and positions of people in Energy and State.
  3. Senate schedules 6 simultaneous hearings on cabinet nominees and triple-books those hearings with Trump’s first press conference in months and an ACA budget vote, effectively preventing any concentrated coverage or protest.
  4. In the House Rules doc, the House GOP expressly forbids the Congressional Budget Office from reporting or tracking any costs related to the repeal of the ACA (though the CBO has issued a few reports on this already).
  5. Despite the growing mountain of evidence that the Russians deliberately interfered in our election, Trump continues to deny the intelligence community’s findings and instead favors Vladimir Putin and Julian Assange.
  6. Trump asks Congress (in other words, the taxpayers) to pay for the wall, not Mexico.
  7. Trump threatens Toyota over a new plant that was never coming to the US nor will take jobs out of the US.
  8. House passes the REINS act, giving them veto power over any rules enacted by any federal agency or department–for example, if the FDA or EPA bans a drug or pesticide, Congress can overrule regardless of the science behind it. Don’t like that endangered species designation? Congress can kill it.