MORNING MESSAGE
Trump Declares TPP Still Dead. So Now What?
President
Trump formally withdrew the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Though
TPP was killed by a long progressive fight that resulted in it not having the
votes to pass Congress, of course, he took credit for killing it himself ...
This rigged trade process and its results brought us Trump, and here we are. So
now that that’s over, how should our country trade with the world?
Trump TO Start Wall (BUT CAN HE FINISH?)
Executive
orders expected today. Politico: “One of the [executive] actions expected to
be taken will be an executive order to direct federal funds toward the
construction of the border wall … will specify a temporary ban on most refugees
and a suspension of visas for people from Syria and six other Middle East
countries … It’s not clear how such a wall will be financed, and Trump at times
has seemed opened to having parts being a fence and his allies at times have
spoken of a ‘virtual wall.'”
Right-wing
mad Trump flinching on DACA. Politico: “…NumbersUSA urged its 2 million-plus
members, as well as 6 million followers on Facebook, to tweet at Trump urging
him to rescind DACA, and even the Trump-friendly news outlet Breitbart ripped
the administration for its DACA inaction … Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) warned
Tuesday that Trump ‘absolutely’ faces a backlash from his political base if he
backtracks from his pledge to rescind DACA…”
TAX CUTS ... AND SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS?
Trump
considers tax cut without offsets. Politico: “A number of Trump advisers in
recent weeks have privately questioned whether tax reform needs to be ‘revenue
neutral,’ … But top Hill sources close to the high-stakes tax negotiations say
such a proposal will go nowhere for several reasons: For one, it would pose huge
practical complications, since any plan that increases the deficit would need
significant Democratic support to clear the Senate, a heavy lift for
Republicans.”
At
Senate hearing, OMB nom supports Medicare, Social Security cuts. The
Atlantic: “…his nominee for budget director, Representative Mick Mulvaney …
stood firmly behind his long-held views supporting an increase in the retirement
age and trimming Medicare benefits for wealthier recipients currently under age
55 … Mulvaney has backed Speaker Paul Ryan’s drive to partially privatize
Medicare…”
SCOTUS PICK NEXT THURSDAY
SCOTUS
pick coming next Thursday. USA Today: “Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that
he will make the pick next Thursday … Trump appears to be looking most seriously
at these three federal appeals court judges … [Neil] Gorsuch is the most natural
replacement among them for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. He is a strict
adherent of originalism … [William] Pryor … once criticized [Roe] as ‘the worst
abomination of constitutional law in our history.’ And he even has taken flack
from conservatives concerned about a ruling he joined in favor of transgender
rights … [Thomas] Hardiman’s career as a judge is marked by law and order…”
Dems
prepare. NYT: “Democrats and their allies remain furious that Senate
Republicans refused to even consider Judge Garland … That deep resentment is
certain to color their handling of Mr. Trump’s choice … they say they will
insist on what they consider to be a mainstream candidate capable of securing at
least the 60 votes needed to thwart any filibuster. Otherwise, they promise to
do whatever they can to block the nominee.”
OPAQUE ON OBAMACARE
HHS
nom Tom Price says little about Obamacare replacement. Yahoo! News:
“‘President Trump said that he’s working with you on a replacement plan for the
ACA, which is nearly finished and will be revealed after your confirmation. Is
that true?’ asked Sen. Sherrod Brown … ‘It’s true that he said that, yes,’ Price
replied, to laughter in the hearing room … he was evasive when asked if no one
would lose coverage after Obamacare is repealed, and he refused to flesh out the
president’s plan for the senators.”
Conservative
wonks worried about Obamacare repeal. Daily Beast’s Matt Lewis: “The more I
talk to conservative-leaning health care policy experts … the more convinced I
am that this could all go horribly wrong … Every conceivable scheme or solution
creates new problems … ‘It feels like Bush’s Social Security all over again,’
one senior industry official told me…”
CLIMATE WHITEWASH
EPA
to dump climate change page from website. Reuters: “The employees were
notified by EPA officials on Tuesday that the administration had instructed
EPA’s communications team to remove the website’s climate change page, which
contains links to scientific global warming research, as well as detailed data
on emissions. The page could go down as early as Wednesday, the sources said.
‘If the website goes dark, years of work we have done on climate change will
disappear,’ one of the EPA staffers told Reuters…”
“Federal
Workers Told To Halt External Communication In First Week Under Trump” reports
HuffPost: “Multiple federal agencies have told their employees to cease
communications with members of Congress and the press … it could abruptly upend
current operations and stifle work and discussions that routinely take place
between branches of government … It’s unclear how wide the freeze goes…”
GOP REJECTS INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
Republicans
snub Dem infrastructure proposal. The Hill: “‘…we don’t want to go down the
path of another $1 trillion stimulus,’ [said Sen. John Thune.] … Senate Minority
Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday that the new president
‘seems open to a bill this large.’ But Trump infrastructure adviser Richard
LeFrak said the price tag may end up being closer to $550 billion, predicting a
‘tug-of-war’ with conservatives over the spending issue.”
Trump
has unrealistic expectations for automakers, says Bloomberg: “Car sales have
gained for seven-straight years after the U.S. auto bailouts and the financial
crisis, a streak that’s close to running out of gas … New assembly plants cost
General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV about $1
billion — the sort of investment companies look to avoid making as a market
peaks … ‘This is the nightmare scenario for auto companies, which are being
asked to make huge capital investments right before a slowdown in sales,’ said
Dan Luria, an analyst who has advised the United Auto Workers union.”
The
US should invest in robots, argues NYT’s Farhad Manjoo: “…Trump can browbeat
manufacturers into staying in America [but] he can’t force them to hire many
people. Instead, companies will most likely invest in lots and lots of robots …
The robots won’t be made in America. They might be made in China … There’s a way
to address this problem, but it’s politically perilous: The United States should
invest in robots … huge government funding can help…”
Flint
still can’t drink the water. NYT: “The drinking water in Flint, Mich., is
now in compliance with federal regulations on lead and copper content, officials
said on Tuesday. But they cautioned that it could be a year or more before it is
safe for residents to drink from their faucets, because lead-tainted pipes need
to be replaced.”
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