Trump Report
Card-Midpoint Year 1
Donald Trump has been POTUS for half of his first year and
this article reviews what his cabinet has accomplished and the direct impacts on
you. President Trump’s opinions and omissions do create harmful
consequences as this report card illustrates.
What’s at Stake
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Cabinet Member
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Perspectives
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Analysis
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Your Health
The Secretary of Health and Human Services controls the
following agencies: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Food and Drug
Administration, administers the Affordable Care Act, and grants more money
for medical research than any other agency in the world.
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Tom Price, Republican from Georgia, He is an orthopedic
surgeon, and represents one of the healthcare sectors with expensive medical
devices and lucrative profit margins for health systems. Resentful of the 3%
medical device tax his industry pays to fund the Affordable Care Act for
low-income Americans.
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Wants to get rid of Obama Care and replace it with another
insurance based payment system. Questions the value of the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid innovation through Demonstration Projects. He wants to
reduce the footprint of government policymaking in healthcare. Though he wants
consumers to shoulder more responsibility for their health care, he questions
the value of performance assessment as a component of government funding and
oversight by government agencies. CMS’s Accountable Care Organization program
has been successful and 31% of 2015 participants received bonuses. There are
400 healthcare systems participating in this program.
Would he impinge on medical research by eliminating stem
cell research as his predecessor George Bush did?
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🔻Price has used HHS money to discredit the Affordable Care
Act. It is unclear what will be done to support the open enrollment period
which starts in 2 months. 🔻Trump may try to strangle the act by refusing to
pay the financial subsidies to insurers who participate in the exchanges,
thus causing them to drop out. This ploy would produce a result sought by
many Republicans-to kill the ACA. Millions could still end up without
healthcare and no public option. 🔻Other death knells may include cutting some
of the funding provisions for the act, such as the 3% medical device tax. 🔻The
agency may also stop enforcing proof of medical insurance requirements with
the IRS, thus gutting revenue from fines for companies and individuals who do
not comply.[1] 🔻The proposed federal budget seeks a 20% cut for Health and Human Services, which will hurt medical research and
is yet to be approved, but is next on the docket. 🔻
And finally, another legislative rollback-loosening the requirement
that religious organizations offer birth control under their medical
insurance.[2]
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Your Air and Water
The Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for air
& water quality, extracts fines from offenders, and litigates as required
for compliance with federal and state laws.
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Scott Pruitt, Republican, former Attorney General and former senator from Oklahoma, Secretary of Environmental Protection Agency
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The EPA was created by the Nixon Administration and is
responsible for improvements in air and water quality throughout the nation.
Pruitt wants to gut the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts signed by the Obama
Administration. Has pledged to dismantle the EPA and is in the back pocket of
the oil and gas industry. He has been vociferous in his lawsuits against
government regulations. Doesn’t think global warming is an issue. Wants to
get out of the Paris Climate Change Accords, which were signed by 95
countries.
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🔻U.S. dropped out of the Paris Accords, a nonbinding
commitment to cut greenhouse gases, the greatest contributor to global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps. Obama
Administration Clean Air Act forces power plants, especially coal powered
ones, to reduce particulate emissions. The act established standards for emissions
but allows flexibility for states to administer. 🔻The Trump administration has
provided a 90-day stay on implementation of the Clean Air mandate. Tough luck
for the asthmatics. The OMB’s budget will detail financial impacts of this act
and Department of Interior revenues.[3] 🔻The Keystone Pipeline is back to transport earth scorching arboreal forest decimating
Canadian tar sand oil to the U.S. for exportation. 🔻Congress also approved exportation of U.S. oil reserves because we are producing more than we need,
whereas in normal market economics, production would decline when there is a market surplus. This is a subsidy for the oil industry.
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Your Children’s
Education Department of Education sets national standards for education
(No Left Behind and Common Core), provides funding, and enforcement of
standards
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Betsy DeVos, former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican
Party, is from the Amway family of billionaires and has never attended a
public school, nor have her children. She attended Calvin College, a private
liberal arts college. She is the
sister of infamous military defense contractor, Eric Prince, founder of
private mercenary group, Blackwater.
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Wants to deconstruct the agency and give more
responsibilities to states, counties, and individual districts to set
curriculum. She is a huge supporter of charter schools, which are funded with
public funds but operate like private schools. She advocates a school voucher
system where the government would essentially provide support for private
schools. In Michigan, 80% of the schools are run by private companies. She is
does not believe in recognizing homosexuality.
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🔻Budget includes a 13% reduction in education funding.[4] 🔻This includes reducing college loans for low-income students under federal
loan programs. 🔻Other actions include reducing Title IX enforcement of sanctions
for campus sexual assaults. 🔻Relaxing federal standards to comply with Every
Student Succeeds Act, for which 12 states have already submitted plans.[5]
🔺Surprisingly she appeared to waffle on the lavatory
restriction for transgender folks, crossing AG Sessions.
She still needs to learn to spell.
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Your Money
The Department of the Treasury, oversees revenue
collection through the IRS, and sets standards for currency and financial management
for the nation
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Steve Mnunchin, former Goldman Saks executive and
Hollywood film financier, is a Wall Street banker insider, who graduated from
Yale.
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Wants to loosen the Dodd-Frank reserve standards for banks, created to prevent another financial meltdown due to hedge funders and bad bank decisions. The
landmark Dodd-Frank Act, stewarded by Senator Elisabeth Warren, created liquidity standards for banks to
prevent the financial collapse of the nation and the world. If the U.S.
government hadn’t bailed out AIG Insurance, General Motors, Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac, and a host of banks the depression would have been much more
severe.
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Trump and Mnunchin cannot agree on the budget. 🔻He has
identified methods to ease banking regulations without Congressional
approval, including bank solvency stress tests, passed after the 2007 banking
collapse.🔻 And most grievously, reducing the power of the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, which has been successful in reducing predatory behavior
by lenders.[6]
Funding for this agency is not subject to Congressional approval-Trump wants
to change this. CFPB has created lending standards for banks to verify income
before providing mortgages. Enforcment-27 million Americans have received
settlements from banks because of its actions.[7]
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Your Liberty
The Attorney General of the United States, oversees the administration
of federal laws, court system, and the enforcement of anti-trust and civil
rights laws.
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Jeff Sessions, Attorney General, is a former Republican
Senator from Alabama, and former Attorney General of Alabama. He was rejected
by the Reagan Administration for a federal judicial appointment because of
racist views.
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Has a reputation of being anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and
anti-gay (LBGTQ). One of the most conservative members of Congress often at
odds with his own party. Is a supporter of the stop and frisk ethos. Widely considered to have racist views.
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Sessions has been neutered by Trump and the investigation
into the Russian election coupe. 🔻The ill-conceived Muslim travel ban is
subject to lawsuits. 🔻He has instigated the war on drugs, wants to remove
judicial discretionary sentencing, and imprison more people. Think Opioid
abusers in jail not in treatment.🔻 Also revived a federal law allowing government
to seize property for those suspected of crimes.🔻 He dumped the National
Committee for Forensic Science, which aims to improve crime solving
techniques and accuracy.[8]
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Your National Parks
The Secretary of the Interior oversees the vaunted
National Parks system, national forests, and all public lands, including the
Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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Ryan Zinke is a Republican freshman senator from Whitefish,
Montana who is a former navy SEAL commander.
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One of his most alarming views is he considers climate
change to be unsettled. We don’t know anything about his governance
perspectives. He has friends in the coal and fossil fuel industries, which is
why the freshman senator with no regulatory experience was made a cabinet member.
Montana has many tribal lands, including the Flathead Indian Reservation,
near Whitefish.
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🔻Reduced the fees coal companies pay to strip coal from our
federal lands.[9]🔻Overturned Obama Administration ruling which stopped coal companies from
mining on federal lands.[10]
Coal is no longer an economical source of power, especially if the gov. makes
them pay fair market rate for leases. Coal is one of the greatest
contributors to particulates in air pollution. Much of the coal being gouged
out of the earth now goes to China, the largest polluter in the world. 🔻Next
up-looking to limit the rules which restrict the greenhouse methane gas
production from oil and gas sites on federal lands. In other words, it is back
to raping and pillaging public lands as usual.
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Your World
The Secretary of State is 4th in line to the
presidency and is chief negotiator of foreign policy on behalf of the nation,
also responsible for coordination and security of diplomatic posts.
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Rex Tillerson, former chief executive of Exxon, has
lucrative financial interests in countries which are considered enemies,
including Russia.
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Tillerson has a fifteen-year relationship with Putin, czar
of Russia and advocates loosening of economic sanctions. Unlike other Trump
nominees, he favors climate change action, including the carbon cap taxes on
emissions. He also favors supporting the 2015 Paris Accords for Climate
Change Action. He probably would favor the Keystone Pipeline completion.
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The far-flung oil and gas interests of Exon and his
personal wealth may be impacted by actions of the federal government. With
the Mueller subpoenas, no one is safe from the Russian scandal. It appears
Trump does not listen to the Secretary of State, preferring to decide foreign
policy with those whom were not subject to Congressional approval, the
informal Whitehouse advisers and of course, his children. Tillerson is a micromanager focusing on reorganizing the State Department.
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Transportation
The Secretary of Transportation
oversees highway safety and road construction projects.
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Elaine Chao is the former head of the Department of Labor
and married to Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell. In other words, the
ultimate insider.
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One of Trump’s centerpiece platforms is the rebuilding of
America, so Chao will be responsible for contract letting, management, and
other infrastructure requirements.
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Chao has not accomplished anything of note because the
federal budget is not yet approved nor is an infrastructure bill. She is
waiting in the wings.
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Keeping the Lights
On
The Secretary of Energy has oversight of the nation’s
nuclear arsenal, also sets policy on utilization of resources to develop and
maintain the nation’s energy grid.
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Rick Perry, is the former Texas Governor, failed
presidential candidate, and middling Dancing with the Stars Contestant. Of
note, he was once a Democrat.
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The only qualification Mr. Perry has for energy expertise,
is his support of wind power in his home state. He has no scientific
background and has suggested the Department of Energy could be eliminated.
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Perry is on the National Security Committee but he does
not appear to have done anything to enhance our security. He did slam the
Paris Accords. Important to note, two nuclear power projects were shut down
in July in South Carolina because they were not financially viable given
other less costly energy alternatives. A list of other nuclear power projects
which have been cancelled is included in the footnotes. [11]
[12]
[13]
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Progress
Women’s March✅ Science March✅ Defeating the
repeal of the Affordable Care Act✅ It is heartening to see the massive
efforts of citizens who are thwarting the Trump Administration regularly. Hopefully this article will provide some
ideas on other policy issues which require attention and action. Trump has proven himself to be the nightmare we all feared, a
global disrupter who does more harm than good. A thriving democracy is an essential
component of liberty and I am heartened by the participation of millennials in
many of the efforts to resist the Trump Administration’s selfish initiatives. For more information on efforts to curb disastrous environmental policies, read Geoff Dembicki's, "Are We Screwed-How A New Generation Is Fighting To Survive Climate Change," Bloomsbury Press. And this is the healthpolicymaven signing off and encouraging you to share this
article with all who value their democracy.
Roberta Winter is a freelance journalist who publishes under
the trademark healthpolicymaven, which has been in continuous use since 2007.
She is a public policy and healthcare book reviewer for the New York Journal of
Books, a technical writer, and author. Her consumer guidebook to the U.S.
healthcare system was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2013. https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-U-S-Health-Care-Personal/dp/1442222972
