Tag: Trump agenda

Here are 6 ways Trump is using COVID-19 to usher in the ultimate success of his destructive agenda

AlterNet logoLast month, Donald Trump retweeted a doctored photo of himself playing the fiddle that was labeled “My next piece is called: nothing can stop what’s coming.” It was clearly an homage to the Emperor Nero who so infamously made music while Rome burned. To it, the president added this comment: “Who knows what this means, but it sounds good to me!”

Whether Trump is fiddling these days or not, one thing is certain: in a Nero-like fashion, he continues to be irresponsibly unresponsive to the crisis caused by Covid-19. One reason may be that, however inadvertently, the arrival of the pandemic has helped green-light plans and projects he’s held dear to his heart and that had, before the crisis, repeatedly encountered opposition.

Here are six examples of how the coronavirus, like a malign magic wand, has helped cast a disempowering spell over that opposition and so furthered Trump’s long-term goals. Continue reading.

Trump’s Agenda: CEO Pay Jumped To $19 Million And Real Wages For Workers Declined

Under Trump’s agenda, the gap between CEO and workers’ pay has increased to its highest point in about a decade. Average CEO compensation skyrocketed to $19 million last year, and thanks to Trump’s corporate tax breaks, CEOs and wealthy shareholders collected billions more in profits. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released numbers showing real wages for workers have declined over the past year.

Last year, the average annual compensation for CEOs jumped to $19 million. The pay gap between CEOs and workers became the largest it’s been in a decade.

Washington Post: “Top executives of America’s biggest companies saw their average annual pay surge to $18.9 million in 2017, according to a report released Thursday, fueling concerns about the gulf between the nation’s richest and everyone else.  The dramatic 18 percent jump in chief executive pay came as wages for American workers remained essentially flat, pushing the gap between executive compensation and employee pay to its highest point in about a decade.” Continue reading “Trump’s Agenda: CEO Pay Jumped To $19 Million And Real Wages For Workers Declined”

Paulsen votes in line with Trump

It’s the middle of the school year, and I’m reviewing my children’s report cards. It’s also the midpoint of the congressional session, so I thought it’s a good time to also look at my congressional representative’s performance.

A helpful rubric is found at fivethrityeight.com. “Tracking Congress in the Age of Trump” tracks and compares your congressional representative. It provides a score for how often the representative votes in line with Trump’s position. Continue reading “Paulsen votes in line with Trump”

Trump has big goals for 2018 and no way to get them done

The following article is from Navigating Trump’s America by Will Drabold in the Mic.com newsletter sent December 27, 2017:

In the quiet week before the new year, the Trump administration is laying out some big bipartisan legislative goals for the coming year.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump tweeted he hopes Democrats and Republicans will come together to fix the health care system after the Republican tax bill sabotaged the law. Meanwhile, other members of the administration, including Vice President Mike Pence, are touting big plans for a bipartisan infrastructure plan and a bill to reform the U.S. welfare state.

Taken together, you may think this makes up pieces of Trump’s legislative agenda for 2018. It’s also a pipedream, as all three objectives remain considerably out of reach for a divided Congress and an erratic president. Continue reading “Trump has big goals for 2018 and no way to get them done”

Trump’s Budget Jeopardizes Gains Expected in New Census Data

The following article by Rachel West and Katherine Gallagher Robbins was posted on the Center for American Progress website September 8, 2017:

A California Medicaid recipient pushes his cart of belongings along a street in Sacramento, February 11, 2015. Credit: AP/Rich Pedroncelli

Next week, the U.S. Census Bureau will release its annual estimates of income, poverty, and health insurance coverage for 2016. Experts expect that these data, which reflect the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency, will likely show that middle- and working-class families continued to make modest economic gains during 2016, with moderate reductions in poverty rates, increases in wages—particularly for low-wage workers—and health insurance coverage rates that remain historically high. The new data, which follow a year of historically strong improvements on all three measures during 2015, will demonstrate the critical importance of policy choices in improving economic security as well as underscore how much is at risk under President Donald Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ budgets.

As he has done in the past, President Trump may try to claim credit for progress that entirely preceded his presidency. But whether he does this or chooses to ignore the most important yearly benchmark of Americans’ economic well-being, one thing is clear: Under policies Trump has proposed—which he has largely failed to enact—struggling working families would have far fewer resources to make ends meet. Put simply, in the America President Trump wants, poverty would be much worse. Continue reading “Trump’s Budget Jeopardizes Gains Expected in New Census Data”

Trump’s border wall brinkmanship may leave Republicans in Congress holding the bag

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve was posted on the Washington Post website August 24, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: Donald Trump is doing more damage to the public image of congressional Republican leaders than any Democratic operative could in their wildest dreams.

The president’s threat to shut down the federal government if Congress does not pony up $1.6 billion for a border wall could further corrode his relationship with Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. It might also cause additional damage to the Senate majority leader and House speaker’s standing with the Republican base. Continue reading “Trump’s border wall brinkmanship may leave Republicans in Congress holding the bag”

Forecast of weak economic growth raises big questions about Trump’s populist agenda

The following article by Damian Paletta, Ana Swanson and Max Ehrenfreund was posted on the Washington Post website July 13, 2017:

Credit: (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

President Trump’s budget would not add to economic growth or eliminate the deficit in coming years, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Thursday, casting doubt on a plan the White House has touted as central to achieving the president’s domestic agenda.

The CBO projected that the economy would grow at only 1.9 percent under the White House’s plan — far below the 3 percent goal the administration continued to outline as recently as Thursday. It also warned that contrary to White House claims that deep cuts to the safety net in the budget would lead to a financial surplus in a decade, the deficit would actually be $720 billion. Continue reading “Forecast of weak economic growth raises big questions about Trump’s populist agenda”

Response to immigration ban was poorly implemented

The following letter to the Editor was posted on the Edina Sun-Current website February 12, 2017:

To the editor:

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen says Donald Trump’s immigration ban was “poorly implemented.” But it’s Paulsen’s response to Trump that’s poorly implemented.

Any manager, executive, or hockey mom could tell that Trump’s implementation of the ban was bad. Poor communication, unclear directives and questionable authority turned hard-working officers in airports into Keystone Kops, embarrassing them, the federal government and the country. There’s little dispute there. Continue reading “Response to immigration ban was poorly implemented”

Minnesota House Republicans Bringing “Trump Agenda” to Minnesota

Photo: Dominick, Reuter
Photo: Dominick, Reuter

House DFL representatives are calling out House Republicans for bringing Donald Trump’s extreme agenda to Minnesota. This session House Republicans have taken votes that put them squarely in line with the Republican Party’s presumptive Presidential nominee, including efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and restrict access to basic health care for women. And despite the economic challenges facing Minnesota families, they have blocked progress on things like paid family leave and efforts to reduce the cost of child care. 

“House Democrats have been working for two years to increase access for basic health care for women and to support Minnesota families who are being squeezed, but this House Republican Majority has shut us down and instead pushed a divisive agenda that puts women and Minnesota families at risk,” said House Deputy DFL Leader Erin Murphy. “House Republicans may want to distance themselves from Donald Trump, but the reality is they can’t distance themselves from the Trump agenda they are trying to force on Minnesotans.”

Donald Trump has laid out an extreme agenda that would take health care access away from women and make children and families less safe. He said, “Planned Parenthood should absolutely be de-funded.” Trump has refused to support paid family leave. Trump opposes universal background checks, even saying he will ban gun free zones at schools on his first day in office. And Trump’s tax plan includes massive tax breaks for the ultra-rich. On each of these issues, House Republicans have closely aligned with Donald Trump’s extreme and divisive agenda.  Continue reading “Minnesota House Republicans Bringing “Trump Agenda” to Minnesota”