Category: Republican Reality

Inside the Financial Holdings of Billionaire Betsy DeVos

The following article by Ben Miller and Laura Jimenez was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 27, 2017:

AP/Carolyn Kaster
Secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos testifies at her confirmation hearing in Washington on January 17, 2017.

On Friday, January 20, 2017, the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, or OGE, released the paperwork and pledge for President Donald Trump’s secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos. The 108-page document is rife with private equity and hedge fund investments that are opaque to the public.

Overall, DeVos’ paperwork showcases an extensive web of investments, several of which raise eyebrows. She has investments in companies that hound students to pay their federal loan debts, as well as in psychiatric hospitals under federal investigation for Medicare fraud. She also has more than $1 million in an undisclosed venture related to education. And although her filings do not show any direct ownership stake in a private for-profit college, she has chosen to put some of her money into firms that are invested in that industry. Continue reading “Inside the Financial Holdings of Billionaire Betsy DeVos”

The leaks coming out of the Trump White House cast the president as a clueless child

The following column by Chris Cillizza was posted on the Washington Post website January 26, 2017:

All White Houses leak. Sometimes the leaks are big, sometimes small. But there are always people willing to talk to reporters about the “real” story or about why the chief executive made a mistake in regard to some decision he made.

That said, I’ve never seen so much leaking so quickly — and with such disdain for the president — as I have in the first six days of Donald Trump’s presidency. Continue reading “The leaks coming out of the Trump White House cast the president as a clueless child”

Behind closed doors, Republican lawmakers fret about how to repeal Obamacare

The following article by Mike DeBonis was posted on the Washington Post website January 27, 2017:

President Trump, accompanied by Vice President Pence, center, shakes hands with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday at a Republican congressional retreat. (Matt Rourke/AP)

PHILADELPHIA — Republican lawmakers aired sharp concerns about their party’s quick push to repeal the Affordable Care Act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, according to a recording of the session obtained by The Washington Post.

The recording reveals a GOP that appears to be filled with doubts about how to make good on a long-standing promise to get rid of Obamacare without explicit guidance from President Trump or his administration. The thorny issues lawmakers grapple with on the tape — including who may end up either losing coverage or paying more under a revamped system — highlight the financial and political challenges that flow from upending the current law. Continue reading “Behind closed doors, Republican lawmakers fret about how to repeal Obamacare”

The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy

The following article by Tom K. Wong was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 26, 2017:

AP/Gerald Herbert
The historic Treme section of New Orleans, October 2012.

Introduction and summary

As the Trump administration begins to implement its immigration policy agenda, the issue of local assistance with federal immigration enforcement officials is back in the spotlight. So-called sanctuary jurisdictions are one focus of that debate. Sanctuary counties—as defined by this report—are counties that do not assist federal immigration enforcement officials by holding people in custody beyond their release date.1 Using an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, dataset obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center,2 the analyses in this report provide new insights about how sanctuary counties perform across a range of social and economic indicators when compared to non-sanctuary counties. Continue reading “The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy”

President Trump Plans to Cut Health Coverage to Pay for Tax Cuts for Millionaires

The following article by Melissa Boteach and Rachel West was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 27, 2017:

AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais —
President Donald Trump speaks at the House and Senate GOP lawmakers’ annual policy retreat in Philadelphia, January 26, 2017.

President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; as late as this past week, he promised “insurance for everybody.” But days later, he reneged on that promise, coming out in support of a Medicaid block grant, which is code for massive cuts to Medicaid that would strip millions of seniors, children, people with disabilities, and working families of health care coverage while shifting the costs onto the states. In total, the Medicaid plan that President Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services championed as chair of the House Budget Committee is estimated to cut $1 trillion from Medicaid over 10 years and kick up to 20 million people off their health coverage. Continue reading “President Trump Plans to Cut Health Coverage to Pay for Tax Cuts for Millionaires”

Fresh cracks appear in Trump’s relationship with conservatives in Congress

The following article by Jame sHohmann and Breanne Deppisch was posted on the Washington Post website January 27, 2017:

John McCain and Lindsey Graham read the newspaper yesterday as they wait for President Trump to speak at the annual congressional GOP retreat in Philadelphia. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)</p>

John McCain and Lindsey Graham read the newspaper yesterday as they wait for President Trump to speak at the annual congressional GOP retreat in Philadelphia. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

THE BIG IDEA: Tensions emerged underneath the bonhomie at the Republican retreat in Philadelphia.

Will Donald Trump coopt conservatives on Capitol Hill, or will he be coopted? This tug of war will be one of the most important storylines of 2017, and after a week of caving to the new president, there were glimmers yesterday that at least some principled conservatives in Congress will assert themselves after all.

The differences appeared on two issues that are definitional to modern conservatism: spending and trade. Continue reading “Fresh cracks appear in Trump’s relationship with conservatives in Congress”

Mexican import tax would be dire for Minnesota industry, trade experts say

The following article by Jim Spencer and Tom Meersman was posted on the StarTribune website January 26, 2017:

Agriculture sector would feel the greatest sting.

If President Donald Trump follows through on a proposal to slap a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports, it could lead to severe consequences for Minnesota’s agriculture sector as well as some of its manufacturers. PHOTO: Bruce Bisping, StarTribune File

If President Donald Trump follows through on a proposal to slap a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports, it could lead to severe consequences for Minnesota’s agriculture sector and some of its manufacturers.

A trade war with Mexico could slow the flow of goods from Minnesota south of the border, a revenue stream that brought $2.4 billion to the state in 2015. Continue reading “Mexican import tax would be dire for Minnesota industry, trade experts say”

Republicans Move Forward with Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act – Without a Replacement

Republicans Move Forward with Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act – Without a Replacement 

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP 

Following his inauguration, President Trump signed a vague, yet potentially broad, executive order attacking the Affordable Care Act. As President Trump and Congressional Republicans continue to move forward with their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they still don’t have a real plan for replacing the law and ensuring millions of Americans aren’t kicked off of their health coverage. Republicans are now in charge of our health care system, and they are responsible for the chaos, loss of coverage, and premium increases that the American people will see as a result of their actions. Democrats will continue to fight against Republican attacks on our health care system and their efforts to Make America Sick Again. Continue reading “Republicans Move Forward with Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act – Without a Replacement”

Fact Checker: Here’s everything Donald Trump got factually wrong in his first week as president

The following article was is a newsletter from the Washington Post January 27, 2017:

Here’s everything Donald Trump got factually wrong in his first week as president.

It’s been a whirlwind of a week at The Fact Checker. As regular readers know, candidate Donald Trump had difficulty with facts — and we learned this week that President Trump does, too.

It started with Trump’s inauguration speech; we fact-checked eight errors and exaggerations. Then, every day in his first week, Trump either said or tweeted something that was factually inaccurate or exaggerated. We issued several Four-Pinocchio ratings this week to the new president. Continue reading “Fact Checker: Here’s everything Donald Trump got factually wrong in his first week as president”