MORNING MESSAGE
We Have Not Yet Begun to Fight Tom Price
Opponents
of Price’s confirmation shift gears must now mobilize to fight the extremist
policies he will pursue. But we should be mindful that the pre-Price status quo
hasn’t worked for most Americans. Take, for example, Price’s intention to
dismantle the Affordable Care Act. A recent study concluded that repealing the
ACA would lead to the deaths of 43,000 Americans per year. The ACA helped many
people, but it would be unwise to ignore the fact that it fell far short of its
intended goal.
TRAVEL BAN BANNED
Travel
ban restraining order remains in place after 3-0 9th Circuit ruling. NYT:
“The three-judge panel, suggesting that the ban did not advance national
security, said the administration had shown ‘no evidence’ that anyone from the
seven nations — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — had
committed terrorist acts in the United States … The administration … is likely
to file an emergency application to the Supreme Court in a day or two … A
decision next week, either to reinstate the ban or to continue to block it, is
possible.”
Politico
assess the “3 key Trump mistakes”: “…several legal experts are urging Trump
to withdraw his order altogether, so it can be redrafted in a way that might be
more likely to hold up to court review … White House failure to make clear from
the outset that the travel ban did not include U.S. permanent residents … The
claim that Trump’s action was unreviewable is a tough one for judges to
stomach.”
Appellate
judges woo SCOTUS. Bloomberg’s Noah Feldman: “…the most important recent
precedents the court cited were written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote
will be crucial if and when the case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
PRICE CONFIRMED, MNUCHIN NEXT, PUZDER IN TROUBLE
Price
confirmed. NYT: “By a vote of 52 to 47, the Senate confirmed Mr. Price … No
senators crossed party lines on the roll-call vote, which ended after 2 a.m. on
Friday.”
Mnuchin
vote Monday reports The Hill.
GOP
trying to save Puzder. CNN: “Puzder’s nomination has emerged of particular
interest to Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, who has a long-standing
relationship with the nominee … some top Republicans privately believe that the
battle over the Labor Department nominee could be the most intense of any of
President Donald Trump’s picks so far … several key Republicans on the committee
are withholding their support so far, including [Sen. Susan] Collins, Tim Scott
of South Carolina, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Lisa Murkowksi of Alaska …
McConnell and Sen. Lamar Alexander … plan to lean on roughly a dozen outside
groups on the right — including groups that represent home builders, retailers,
small businesses and restaurant associations — to launch a major public
relations offensive in support of Puzder.”
DEM DIVIDE EXPOSED
Ideological
tension at House Dem retreat. Politico: “…progressives privately vented
about being lectured to by a speaker from a moderate think tank. And several
lawmakers worried that the Democratic leadership would be too dependent on
consultants and data to chart a course forward, rather than focusing on a
clearer vision for the party.”
Pelosi
denies division.. Yahoo! News: “Asked by a reporter why some of her
progressive colleagues had reportedly walked out of a meeting hosted by the
centrist think tank Third Way at the retreat Wednesday, Pelosi answered, ‘I
didn’t notice that.’ ‘Members walk out for a variety of reasons, some of them
relate to personal hygiene,’ she joked.”
CONFUSING SIGNALS FROM TRUMP
Congressional
GOP unnerved by Trump’s tax plan. Politico: “President Trump’s proclamation
to airline CEOs yesterday that he would release a tax plan in the coming weeks
has raised alarm bells on Capitol Hill. Top aides and lawmakers were caught
completely off guard by the announcement, and hope Trump halts anything that
could complicate tax reform. Republicans want to get through Obamacare repeal
and replace before they move to tax reform, and would prefer Trump work behind
the scenes for now.”
Trump
reportedly open to restoring Ex-Im Bank, sent mixed signals on immigration.
Politico: “…Trump and several key senators privately discussed immigration …
one lawmaker recount[ed] that Trump said he was open to the bipartisan ‘Gang of
Eight’ overhaul the Senate passed in 2013 … A pair of Democrats also said Trump
was supportive of fully reviving the Export-Import Bank, which is loathed by
conservatives. The White House immediately pushed back on the characterization
of the immigration discussion…”
GOP
targets CFPB. NYT: “The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee
will move forward on legislation to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau and its power to crack down on predatory business practices, according to
a leaked memo that emerged on Thursday … The memo detailed plans to weaken the
leadership of the agency, allowing the president to replace the bureau’s
director at any time. Legislation in the works would limit the bureau’s
enforcement authority, reduce its ability to make rules and repeal its consumer
complaint system … advisers to Mr. Trump have signaled that the administration
is prepared to gut the agency.”
“Anger
erupts at Republican town halls” reports CNN: “… two Republican members of
Congress — Reps. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Diane Black of Tennessee — were each
confronted with impassioned constituents during simultaneous events … In
suburban Salt Lake City, local police estimated that some 1,000 people packed
into a high school auditorium to see Chaffetz as hundreds more waited outside …
in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Black was met with roughly 100
protesters …
Progressive
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