Trump DOJ Warns WI Elections Regulator To Stop Breaking The Law
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon advised the state Elections Commission it could lose federal funding.Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon advised the state Elections Commission it could lose federal funding.Trump prioritizes trip to state 'abandoned by the Democrats': North Carolina
President Donald Trump plans to visit various disaster-struck parts of the nation but will start Friday with North Carolina, as its people suffered for months and have been "treated so badly."
The American government has in recent decades eagerly doled out hundreds of billions of dollars for foreign aid and engaged in fruitless nation-building projects abroad. Former President Joe Biden, for instance, blew $230 million on a useless floating pier off Gaza that was dismantled after 20 days. Recent disasters — in Hawaii, North Carolina, and California, for example — have left some Americans wondering whether their government felt similarly compelled to apply such zeal in domestic relief efforts.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene — which killed over 100 Americans and reportedly damaged at least 6,000 miles of road and over 160 water and sewer systems, over 1,000 bridges and culverts, and at least 73,000 homes — Trump seized upon the perceived difference between the Biden administration's responses to foreign and domestic crises.
'We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people.'
"They're offering them $750, to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of," President Donald Trump said at an Oct. 5 rally, referring to the one-time $750-per-household payment to eligible disaster survivors through FEMA's "Serious Needs Assistance." "Think of it: We give foreign countries hundreds of billions of dollars and we're handing North Carolina $750."
Trump hammered this point home in his inaugural address, stating:
We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina — who have been treated so badly — and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago or, more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.
A Dec. 13 damage and needs assessment in North Carolina estimated that the cost of damages and needs was over $59.6 billion, "including $44.4 billion of direct damage, $9.4 billion of indirect or induced damage, and $5.8 billion of potential investments for strengthening and mitigation."
'We're going to get that thing straightened out.'
While federal funds trickled into the Tar Heel State since the storm along with piecemeal relief efforts — despite the apparent aversion of some within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to render aid to potential Trump supporters — the sense of abandonment remains strong.
Residents of Swannanoa, North Carolina, for instance, told WXII-TV this week that they have received very little help from the federal government and expressed hope that things will change under the new leadership.
Ian Monley, a worker with Valley Strong Disaster Relief, said, "We've seen people living in condemned trailers where they have raw sewage under their trailers. We've seen people living in tents. We've seen people living in cars. Normally, you see FEMA trailers rolling in and things to get people housing. And we haven't seen any of that."
Trump, who suspended all foreign development assistance programs for 90 days on Monday, said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity Tuesday evening, "On Friday, I'm stopping in North Carolina — first stop because those people were treated very badly by Democrats."
"We're going to get that thing straightened out because they're still suffering from a hurricane months ago," added Trump.
Josh Stein, the state's new Democratic governor, confirmed Trump's visit during a Tuesday briefing, noting, "I think that's very good news for the people of Western North Carolina that this issue is front of mind of the new administration."
While uncertain of his schedule, Stein said he hopes "to be able to see" Trump.
After visiting North Carolina, Trump is headed to Los Angeles then Nevada.
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President Trump sends COVID-19 spending package back to Congress, calling it a 'disgrace.' He wants more for Americans, small businesses
President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted the COVID-19 relief package that was rushed through Congress the night before, calling it a "disgrace" and saying he wants to see more money going to individuals and small businesses impacted by the virus and less in "wasteful spending."
He also suggested he may not sign it.
The $900 billion coronavirus relief was rolled in as part of a catch-all spending package totaling $2.3 trillion that covered lawmakers' unfinished business — but exposed priorities of Congress that caught the eye of the American public.
What are the details?
In an address to the nation, the president decried the Democrats' refusal to agree to larger deals on COVID-19 relief that would have delivered more direct assistance to Americans than what was passed following the general election.
"It really is a disgrace," Trump said of the package that overwhelmingly passed in the Democrat-led House and Republican-controlled Senate. "For example, among the more than 5,000 pages in this bill — which nobody in Congress has read because of its length and complexity — it's called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID."
The president went on to name a long list of what was included in the omnibus bill that added another $1 trillion to the national debt, such as "$25 million for democracy and gender programs in Afghanistan," and "$40 million to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which is not even open for business."
Trump went to say, "Despite all of this wasteful spending and much more, the $900 billion package provides hardworking taxpayers with only $600 each in relief payments, and not enough money is given to small businesses and, in particular, restaurants — whose owners have suffered so grievously — they were only given a deduction for others to use."
"Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists, and special interests, while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it," he continued. "It wasn't their fault. It was China's fault. Not their fault."
"I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple," the president said. "I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package — and maybe that administration will be me. And we will get it done."
https://t.co/v9Rdjz6DNu— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1608682531.0
Bipartisan group of lawmakers present $908 billion coronavirus relief bill
A group of bipartisan legislators including members from both the House and Senate unveiled a $908 billion coronavirus relief bill on Tuesday in hopes of ending the months-long gridlock between Democratic and Republican leadership in reaching a deal the White House would also sign off on.
What are the details?
NBC News reported that the proposal "is designed to include elements that will satisfy both parties," but "it doesn't include some popular provisions, like another round of direct payments to families." It does include $180 to renew unemployment benefits, and $288 billion in support for small businesses.
But it also includes $160 million for state and local governments, which President Donald Trump has rejected in the past as a bail-out for blue states and cities that carried huge deficits prior to the crisis. In a nod to Republicans, the legislation would provide liability protections for businesses against COVID-19-related lawsuits in the "short-term," which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has cited as a priority.
The Democrats in the group include Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Mark Warner (Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), and Maggie Hassan (N.H.), along with Reps. Abigail Spanberger (Va.), Dean Phillips (Minn.), and Josh Gottheimer (N.J.).
The Republicans involved are Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Bill Cassidy (La.), and Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Fred Upton (Mich.), Dusty Johnson (S.D.), and Tom Reed (N.Y.). The proposal is being presented in the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been in negotiations for months to reach a deal between Democrats and the White House, and the two spoke again on Tuesday. While all parties agree that relief is urgently needed, Democrats and Republicans have been far apart on priorities and price tags.
Senate Democrats have twice shot down a $500 billion COVID-19 relief bill offered by McConnell, and House Democrats have passed a $2.2 trillion package that is seen as a non-starter in the GOP-led upper chamber.
Also on Tuesday, McConnell offered a new proposal of his own, telling reporters at his weekly presser that he had spoken with Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on presenting a bill palatable to President Trump, according to the Hill.
The Senate majority leader did not directly address the $908 billion bill presented by the bipartisan coalition, but explained, "We just don't have time to waste time. We have a couple weeks left here. Obviously, it does require bipartisan support to get out of Congress, but it requires a presidential signature."
Sen. Romney, who has often been publicly at odds with the president, said Tuesday that the bipartisan group has been in contact with Mnuchin about their plan, but noted, "I don't have any prediction on how the White House would react." He added, "Covid has created a crisis. And in crisis the people expect Congress to act."
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