Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is reading this week.
Nominees – As Trump’s cabinet moves on through the Senate to be confirmed, it is confusing as to who has been confirmed when. Read about the status in The Washington Post.
Whither Funding? – The appropriations process this year will be a tough slog and there are many variables. There have been accounts of particular concern, like the EPA and NASA Earth Science. How will the House Appropriators handle some of these programs given the rhetoric coming from the Trump Administration? One senior Republican House Appropriator, Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), has committed support to NASA Earth Science. Read more in Science Policy.
No Mas Sanctuary – Cities refusing to help enforce US immigration law are already under pressure from the Trump Administration, which has threatened to pull federal funding. Now, some could lose state money as well. A Texas bill that would require local municipalities to comply with federal immigration authorities cleared a major hurdle Wednesday when it passed a final Senate vote on party lines…and this isn’t the only state legislature looking at bills like this. Read more in The Wall Street Journal.
Indivisible Rocking Republicans – Dubbed the liberal version of the Tea Party, the group called “Indivisible” is rocking Republicans through their highly organized tactics and efforts. The group is helping local protesters storm local Congressional offices through physical visits and clogging phone lines (both from constituents and out of state activists). Members are beefing up their physical protection from demonstrators. Founded by former Democratic staffers, who saw first-hand the impact of the Tea Party on the Obama agenda, they are organized, they are strategic, and they are getting Member’s attention. Read more in Politico.
Crashed – Following remarks by Trump Senior Advisor Kellyann Conway in support of Ivanka Trump’s clothing brand, the Government Ethics website was crashed and was down for several hours on Thursday after it reported a surge in contacts from members of the public. Read more in The Hill.
Republicans 4 Climate Change – A group of Republican elder statesmen are calling for a tax on carbon emissions to fight climate change. The group, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, with former Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Henry M. Paulson Jr., a former Secretary of the Treasury, says that taxing carbon pollution produced by burning fossil fuels is “a conservative climate solution” based on free-market principles. Mr. Baker is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with White House officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, Jared Kushner , the senior adviser to the president, and Gary D. Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, as well as Ivanka Trump. Read more in The New York Times.
Fissures and Cracks – Congressional Republicans are divided over how best to repeal and replace Obamacare, a discussion that highlighted the vast divisions among the GOP rank-in-file as pressure mounts to develop repeal and replacement strategies and mechanisms. Read more in Politico.
Farm Bust – Soon there will be fewer than two million farms in America for the first time since pioneers moved westward after the Louisiana Purchase. Across the heartland, a multiyear slump in prices for corn, wheat and other farm commodities brought on by a glut of grain world-wide is pushing many farmers further into debt. Some are shutting down, raising concerns that the next few years could bring the biggest wave of farm closures since the 1980s. Read more in The Wall Street Journal.
DeVos on Higher Ed – As Education Secretary Betsy DeVos began her first full day on the job Wednesday, college leaders and analysts were watching for signs of where the Trump administration stands on student debt, for-profit regulations and other higher education issues. DeVos, whom the Senate narrowly confirmed Tuesday, has been somewhat vague about her vision for higher ed, although that sector accounts for a significant share of the work of the Education Department. Read more from in The Washington Post.
GOP Gets Bolder – Congressional Republicans are becoming more critical of President Trump amid the shaky rollout of his executive order on immigration and the lack of clear progress on his legislative agenda. Read more in The Hill.