Tag Archives: President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump Accomplishments

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order on education as he participates in a federalism event with Governors at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. April 26, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

By Kami Klein

When President Donald Trump was elected, those that voted for him expected results.  It has been 3 years since Donald Trump took his Presidential oath and despite consistent political turmoil he has set about working towards keeping his promises to the American people.

The following is a list of accomplishments that can be found in the Washington Post as well as from the White House website. The list is extraordinary and quite long.  If you wish to see more facts and achievements broken down by year please visit the Promises Kept website. 

President Trump has taken unprecedented steps to protect the health and safety of Americans during the COVID-19 crisis. This pandemic came suddenly, reaching around the globe.  The President continued to stay on top of constantly changing facts, attempting to keep Americans informed.  Please click here for a list of actions taken by President Trump during this crisis.   

The President has not accomplished these monumental tasks alone.  We ask that you continue to keep him, our  Lawmakers, Senators, World Leaders, as well as community leaders in your prayers.  

May God’s blessings be upon this Nation! 

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

  • Since President Trump’s election, more than 7 million jobs have been added to the economy.
  • For the first time on record, there are more job openings than unemployed Americans.
    • There are more than 7 million job openings, outnumbering job seekers by more than 1 million.
    • Nearly two-thirds of Americans rate now as a good time to find a quality job, empowering more Americans with rewarding careers.
  • This year, the unemployment rate reached its lowest level in half a century.
    • The unemployment rate has remained at or below 4 percent for the past 21 months.
    • The unemployment rate for women reached its lowest rate in 65 years under President Trump.
  • Under President Trump, jobless claims hit their lowest level in half a century.
  • The number of people claiming unemployment insurance as a share of the population is the lowest on record.
  • American workers of all backgrounds are thriving
    • The unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those without a high school diploma have all reached record lows under President Trump.
  • The booming economy is putting more money in Americans’ pockets.
    • Wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decade, with year-over-year wage gains exceeding 3 percent for the first time since 2009.
    • November 2019 marked the 16th consecutive month that wages rose at an annual rate of at or over 3 percent.
    • Median household income surpassed $63,000 in 2018 – the highest level on record.
  • President Trump’s policies are helping forgotten Americans across the country prosper, driving down income inequality.
    • Wages are rising fastest for low-income workers.
    • Middle-class and low-income workers are enjoying faster wage growth than high-earners.
    • When measured as the share of income earned by the top 20 percent, income inequality fell in 2018 by the largest amount in over a decade.
  • Americans are being lifted out of poverty as a result of today’s booming economy.
    • Since President Trump took office, over 2.4 million Americans have been lifted out of poverty.
    • Poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans have reached record lows.
    • Since President Trump’s election, nearly 7 million Americans have been lifted off of food stamps.
  • Americans are coming off the sidelines and back into the workforce.
    • The prime-age labor force has grown by 2.1 million under President Trump.
    • In the third quarter of 2019, 73.7 percent of workers entering employment came from out of the labor force rather than from unemployment, the highest share since the series began in 1990.
  • President Trump’s pro-growth policies are helping businesses of all sizes thrive like never before.
    • Small business optimism broke a 35-year old record in 2018 and remains historically high.
    • The DOW, S&P 500, and NASDAQ have all repeatedly notched record highs under President Trump.
  • President Trump is following through on his promise to revitalize American manufacturing, with more than a half-million manufacturing jobs added since the election.
  • President Trump has prioritized workforce development to ensure American workers are prepared to fill high-quality jobs.
    • The President has worked to expand apprenticeship programs, helping Americans gain hands-on training and experience with no student debt.
    • Since President Trump took office, over 660,000 apprentices have been hired across the country.
    • President Trump established the National Council for the American Worker, tasked with developing a workforce strategy for the jobs of the future.
    • Over 370 companies have signed the President’s “Pledge to America’s Workers,” pledging to provide more than 14.4 million employment and training opportunities.
    • President Trump signed an Executive Order prioritizing Cyber Workforce Development to ensure that we have the most skilled cyber workforce of the 21st century.
  • President Trump signed the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act in 2017 – the largest tax reform package in history.
    • More than 6 million American workers received wage increases, bonuses, and increased benefits thanks to the tax cuts.
    • $1 trillion has poured back into the country from overseas since the President’s tax cuts.
  • President Trump is revitalizing distressed communities through Opportunity Zones, which encourage investment and growth in underserved communities.
    • More than 8,760 communities in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 5 Territories have been designated as Opportunity Zones.
    • The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council has taken more than 175 actions to encourage investment and promote growth within Opportunity Zones.
    • The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council is engaging all levels of government to identify best practices and assist leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs in using the Opportunity Zone incentive to revitalize low-income communities.
  • The President is ensuring that America is prepared to lead the world in the industries of the future, by promoting American leadership in emerging technologies like 5G and AI.
    • The Administration named artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and 5G, among other emerging technologies, as national research and development priorities.
    • President Trump launched the American AI Initiative to invest in AI research, unleash innovation, and build the American workforce of the future.
    • President Trump signed an Executive Order that established a new advisory committee of industry and academic leaders to advise the government on its quantum activities.
  • President Trump has made supporting working families a priority of his Administration.
    • President Trump signed legislation securing historic levels of funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, helping low-income families access child care.
    • During his Joint Address to Congress and each State of the Union Address, the President called on Congress to pass a nationwide paid family leave plan.
    • The President signed into law 12-weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers.
    • President Trump’s tax reforms provided a new tax credit to incentivize businesses to offer paid family leave to their employees.
    • The President’s historic tax reforms doubled the child tax credit, benefitting nearly 40 million American families with an average of over $2,200 dollars in 2019.

LIFTING THE BURDEN OF OVER REGULATION: President Trump’s historic deregulation efforts are driving economic growth, cutting unnecessary costs, and increasing transparency.

  • President Trump has delivered on, and far exceeded, his promise to slash two existing regulations for every new regulation.
    • Since taking office, President Trump has rolled back nearly 8 regulations for every new significant one.
  • The Trump Administration’s deregulatory efforts have slashed regulatory costs by more than $50 billion.
  • In the coming years, the average American household is projected to see an income gain of $3,100 per year thanks to President Trump’s historic regulatory reform.
  • Once fully in effect, 20 major deregulatory actions undertaken by the Administration are expected to save American consumers and businesses over $220 billion per year.
  • President Trump signed 16 pieces of deregulatory legislation that are expected to result in a $40 billion increase in annual real incomes.
  • President Trump established the Governors Initiative on Regulatory Innovation.
    • This initiative is working to reduce outdated regulations at the State, local, and tribal levels, advance occupational licensing reform, and align Federal and State regulation.
  • The President signed legislation eliminating regulatory barriers that made offering retirement benefits difficult for small businesses.
  • The President took action to increase transparency in Federal agencies and protect Americans from administrative abuse.
    • This year, President Trump signed two Executive Orders to guard against secretive or unlawful interpretations of rules and prevent Americans from being hit with unfair and unexpected penalties.
  • President Trump has followed through on his promise to repeal the Obama-era Waters of the United States Rule, lifting a burden off American farmers.
  • President Trump ended the previous Administration’s war on coal.
    • President Trump signed legislation repealing the harmful Obama-era Stream Protection Rule.
    • President Trump replaced the overreaching Obama-era Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which respects States’ rights and promotes economic growth while lowering power-sector CO2 emissions.
  • In 2017, the President announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, which would have killed millions of American jobs.
  • The Administration has worked to undo the Obama-era fuel economy regulations by proposing the SAFE Vehicles Rule to lower the cost of new and safer cars.
  • President Trump helped community banks by signing legislation that rolled back costly provisions of Dodd-Frank.
  • President Trump established the White House Council on Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing Development to bring down the costs of housing across the country.
  • The President’s deregulatory actions are removing government barriers to personal freedom and consumer choice in healthcare.
  • In 2017, President Trump corrected Obama Administration overreach by right-sizing Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

FIGHTING FOR FAIRER TRADE: President Trump is negotiating better trade deals for the American people after years of our country being taken advantage of.

  • President Trump negotiated the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) to replace the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
    • USMCA includes tremendous wins for American workers, farmers, and manufacturers, generating over $68 billion in economic activity and creating 176,000 new jobs.
  • President Trump negotiated two tremendous deals with Japan to boost America’s agricultural and digital trade with the world’s third largest economy.
    • Thanks to President Trump’s efforts, Japan will open its market to approximately $7 billion in American agricultural exports.
    • The President’s negotiations will boost the already approximately $40 billion worth of digital trade between our two countries.
  • President Trump fulfilled his promise to renegotiate the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, providing a boost to American auto exports.
    • These efforts doubled the number of American autos that can be exported to South Korea using United States safety standards.
  • President Trump reached a historic phase one trade agreement with China that will begin rebalancing our two countries’ trade relationship.
  • As a result of President Trump’s leadership, China has agreed to structural reforms in areas of intellectual property, technology transfer, agriculture, financial services, and currency and foreign exchange.
  • China will be making substantial purchases of American agricultural products, marking a monumental win for American farmers.
  • President Trump fulfilled his promise to withdraw from the disastrous Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
  • President Trump achieved a mutual agreement with the European Union to work together towards zero tariffs, non-tariff barriers, and subsidies on certain goods.
  • President Trump has worked to prepare for post-Brexit trade and made Congress aware of his intent to negotiate a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom (UK).
  • President Trump imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum to protect our vital industries and support our national security.
  • President Trump imposed tariffs to protect American-made washing machines and solar products that were hurt by import surges.
  • The United States scored a historic victory by overhauling the Universal Postal Union (UPU), whose outdated policies were undermining American interests and workers.
  • President Trump has expanded markets for American farmers to export their goods worldwide, for example:
    • The European Union has opened up to more American beef and increased imports of American soybeans.
    • China lifted its ban on American poultry and opened up to American beef.
    • South Korea lifted its ban on American poultry and eggs and agreed to provide market access for the greatest, guaranteed volume of American rice.
  • The Trump Administration has authorized a total of $28 billion in aid for farmers who have been subjected to unfair trade practices.

SECURING THE BORDER: President Trump has taken historic steps to confront the crisis on our Nation’s borders and protect American communities.

  • President Trump is following through on his promise to build a wall on our southern border.
    • The Administration expects to have approximately 450 miles of new border wall by the end of 2020.
  • The President struck new agreements with Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to help stop the flood of illegal immigration.
    • The President worked with Mexico to ensure they would improve their border security.
    • The United States is working with Mexico and others in the region to dismantle human smuggling networks that profit from human misery and fuel the border crisis by exploiting vulnerable populations.
    • The Administration negotiated agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to stem the surge of aliens arriving at our border.
    • President Trump negotiated the Migrant Protection Protocols, requiring certain migrants to wait in Mexico during their immigration proceedings instead of allowing them to disappear into our country.
  • Thanks to the President’s swift action, border apprehensions fell by more than 70 percent from May – the peak of the crisis – to November.
  • The Trump Administration is stopping deadly drugs and violent criminals from flowing across our borders and into our communities.
    • Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than 163,000 pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl at the southern border in FY 2019.
    • The United States Coast Guard seized more than 458,000 pounds of cocaine at sea in FY 2019 and referred nearly 400 suspected drug smugglers for prosecution.
    •  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized over 1.4 million pounds of narcotics and made more than 12,000 narcotic-related arrests in FY 2019.
    • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized over 50,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 2,700 kilograms of fentanyl in FY 2019.
    • CBP apprehended 976 alien gang members in FY 2019, including 464 aliens affiliated with MS-13.
    • ICE HSI made over 4,000 arrests of gang members in FY 2019, including over 450 arrests of MS-13 members.

RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW: President Trump is upholding the rule of law, restoring integrity to our asylum system, and promoting immigrant self-sufficiency.

  • President Trump released an immigration plan to fully secure our border, modernize our laws, and promote an immigration system based on merit.
  • President Trump is working to combat the abuse of our asylum system that drives illegal immigration.
    • The Administration took action to close the Flores Settlement Agreement loophole and ensure alien families can be kept together through their proceedings.
    • The President released an order that makes aliens ineligible for asylum if they passed through another country in transit to our border and did not apply for asylum in that country first.
  • Since taking office, President Trump has stepped up enforcement to ensure there are consequences for breaking our laws.
    • In FY 2019, the Department of Justice prosecuted a record-breaking number of immigration-related crimes.
    • ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 143,099 aliens in FY 2019, 86 percent of whom had criminal records.
    • ICE ERO removed more than 267,000 illegal aliens from the United States in FY 2019.
  • The Trump Administration is cracking down on sanctuary cities and increasing cooperation at the local level on immigration enforcement.
    • The Administration has more than doubled the number of jurisdictions participating in the 287(g) program, enhancing local cooperation on immigration enforcement.
  • The Administration took action to protect taxpayers by ensuring that aliens wishing to enter or remain in our country are able to support themselves and not rely on public benefits.
  • The President issued a proclamation to ensure immigrants admitted to America do not burden our healthcare system.
  • The President has taken action to reduce nonimmigrant visa overstays, a problem that undermines the rule of law, impacts public safety, and strains resources needed for the border.
  • President Trump made our country safer by ordering the enhanced vetting of individuals attempting to come to America from countries that do not meet our security standards.
  • The President is taking a responsible approach to refugee admissions, prioritizing refugee resettlement in jurisdictions where both State and local governments consent to receive them.
    • This order is designed to ensure that refugees are placed in an environment where they will have the best opportunity to succeed in their new homes.

CREATING SAFER COMMUNITIES: President Trump’s policies are supporting our brave law enforcement officers and making America’s communities safer.

  • Violent crime fell in 2017 and 2018, after rising during each of the two years prior to President Trump taking office.
    • Since 2016, the violent crime rate in America has fallen nearly 5 percent and the murder rate has decreased by over 7 percent.
  • President Trump signed the First Step Act into law, making our criminal justice system fairer for all while making our communities safer.
  • President Trump has promoted second-chance hiring to give former inmates the opportunity to live crime-free lives and find meaningful employment, all while making our communities safer.
    • The Department of Education is expanding an initiative that allows individuals in Federal and State prisons to receive Pell Grants to better prepare themselves for the workforce.
    • The Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons launched a new “Ready to Work” Initiative to help connect employers directly with former prisoners.
    • The Department of Labor awarded $2.2 million to states to expand the use of fidelity bonds, which underwrite companies that hire former prisoners.
  • President Trump has revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods, bringing together Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to develop solutions to violent crime.
  • The President is standing up for our Nation’s law enforcement officers, ensuring they have the support they need to keep our communities safe.
    • The President established a new commission to evaluate best practices for recruiting, training, and supporting law enforcement officers.
    • The Administration has made available hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement.
    • President Trump has signed an Executive Order to help prevent violence against law enforcement officers.
    • The President also signed legislation permanently funding the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, aiding our Nation’s brave first responders.
  • The President has taken action to combat the scourge of hate crimes and anti-Semitism rising in America.
    • President Trump signed an Executive Order making it clear that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to discrimination rooted in anti-Semitism.
    • The Administration launched a centralized website to educate the public about hate crimes and encourage reporting.
    • Since January 2017, the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ has obtained 14 convictions in cases involving attacks or threats against places of worship.
  • The President signed the Fix NICS Act to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.
  • President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act and created a Commission on School Safety to examine ways to make our schools safer.
  • The Trump Administration is fighting to end the egregious crime of human trafficking.
    • In FY 2019, ICE HSI arrested 2,197 criminals associated with human trafficking and identified 428 victims.
    • The President signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which tightened criteria for whether countries are meeting standards for eliminating trafficking.
  • President Trump established a task force to help combat the tragedy of missing or murdered Native American women and girls.

ADVANCING AMERICA’S INTERESTS ABROAD: President Trump is putting America first and advancing our interests across the world.

  • President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is countering Iran’s influence and pressuring the corrupt regime to abandon its malign activities.
    • The President removed the United States from the horrible, one-sided Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed all sanctions that were lifted by the deal.
    • In response to Iran’s aggression and gross human rights violations, the President authorized crippling sanctions on the regime’s leadership, including the Supreme Leader.
    • President Trump is working to vigorously enforce all sanctions to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero and deny the regime its principal source of revenue.
  • President Trump has held two historic summits with North Korea and earlier this year became the first President to cross the DMZ into North Korea.
    • The Administration has maintained tough sanctions on North Korea while negotiations have taken place.
  • Since taking office, President Trump has taken historic steps to support and defend our cherished ally Israel.
    • This year, President Trump acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not inconsistent with international law.
    • The President made good on his promise to recognize Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel and move the United States Embassy there.
    • The President removed the United States from the United Nations (U.N.) Human Rights Council due to the group’s blatant anti-Israel bias.
  • President Trump has successfully urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members to increase their defense spending and to focus on modern priorities.
    • NATO Allies will increase defense spending by $130 billion by the end of next year.
  • The Administration has worked to reform and streamline the U.N., cutting spending and making the organization more efficient.
  • Earlier this year, the President took action to protect our Second Amendment rights by announcing the United States will not join the misguided Arms Trade Treaty.
  • President Trump has promoted democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere and imposed heavy sanctions on the regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
  • The President reversed the previous Administration’s disastrous Cuba policy.
    • President Trump has enacted a new policy aimed at stopping any revenues from reaching the Cuban military or intelligence services, imposed stricter travel restrictions, and reaffirmed the focus ensuring the Cuban regime does not profit from U.S. dollars.
    • Earlier this year, the Trump Administration put a cap on remittances to Cuba.
    • President Trump is enabling Americans to file lawsuits against persons and entities that traffic in property confiscated by the Cuban regime, the first time that these kinds of claims have been available for Americans under the Helms-Burton Act.
  • President Trump has stood with the democratically elected National Assembly and the Venezuelan people and worked to cut off the financial resources of the Maduro regime.
    • President Trump recognized Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela and rallied an international coalition of 58 countries to support him.
    • Earlier this year, President Trump blocked all property of the Venezuelan Government in the jurisdiction of the United States.
    • President Trump has sanctioned key sectors of the Venezuelan economy exploited by the regime, including the oil and gold sectors.
    • The Administration sanctioned Maduro’s key financial lifelines, including the Venezuelan Central Bank, the Venezuelan Development Bank, and Petroleos de Venezuela.
  • The Trump Administration has secured the release of Americans unjustly imprisoned abroad, including Kevin King, Xiyue Wang, Danny Burch, and more.
  • The President and his Administration have worked to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region, promoting new investments and expanding American partnerships.
  • The President negotiated the return from Finland of approximately 600 tribal ancestral remains and other sacred objects for the American Indian and Pueblo communities from which they came.
  • The Trump Administration released an economic plan to empower the Palestinian people and enhance Palestinian governance through private investment.
  • The President created the first-ever whole-of-government approach to women’s economic empowerment through his Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.
  • In June of 2019, the President released the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, which focuses on increasing women’s participation to prevent and resolve conflicts.

REBUILDING OUR NATION’S DEFENSE: President Trump is investing in our military and ensuring our forces are able to defend against any and all threats.

  • President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2020, authorizing a historic $738 billion in defense spending.
    • President Trump continued to invest in rebuilding our military, after signing legislation to provide for $700 billion in defense spending in FY18 and $716 billion in FY19.
  • President Trump signed a 3.1% pay raise for our troops, the largest increase in a decade.
  • The President signed legislation establishing the Space Force as a new branch of the Armed Forces, the first new branch since 1947.
  • The United States Space Command was relaunched in August 2019.
  • The President is modernizing and recapitalizing our nuclear forces and missile defenses to ensure they continue to serve as a strong deterrent.
  • The President upgraded our cyber defenses by elevating the Cyber Command into a major warfighting command and reducing burdensome procedural restrictions on cyber operations.
  • President Trump is protecting America’s defense-industrial base, directing the first whole-of-government assessment of our manufacturing and defense supply chains since the 1950s.
  • Under the President’s leadership, the United States is taking the fight to terrorists all around the globe.
    • ISIS’ territorial caliphate has been defeated and all territory recaptured in Iraq and Syria.
    • The United States has brought Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of ISIS, to justice.
  • The President has taken decisive military action to punish the Assad regime in Syria for the barbaric use of chemical weapons on its own people.
    • The President also authorized sanctions against those tied to Syria’s chemical weapons program.

HONORING OUR VETERANS: President Trump is standing up for America’s veterans by ensuring they receive the proper care and support they deserve.

  • President Trump signed the VA MISSION Act, revolutionizing the VA system, increasing choice, and providing quality care for our veterans.
    • This legislation reformed and expanded many of the existing programs to give veterans improved access to healthcare providers and offered entirely new options such as allowing veterans to get urgent care in their local communities.
    • The VA MISSION Act put veterans at the center of their healthcare decisions, not bureaucracy.
  • The Trump Administration has expanded veterans’ ability to access telehealth services, including through the “Anywhere to Anywhere” VA health care initiative.
  • President Trump has brought accountability to the VA, as promised.
    • President Trump signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to ensure VA employees are held responsible for poor performance.
    • Over 8,000 VA employees have been relieved of their duties at the VA since the beginning of the Administration.
  • Veterans are seeing an improvement in the quality of care under President Trump.
    • In the last year, the VA saw its highest patient experience ratings in history.
    • The Veterans of Foreign Wars found in its annual survey that more than 90 percent of respondents would recommend VA care to other veterans.
  • President Trump signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 to expedite the veteran appeals process.
  • The Administration is working to seamlessly align the VA and DoD’s electronic health records.
    • This new electronic health record system is on pace to launch next year in select areas.
  • Under President Trump, the VA launched a new tool that provides veterans with online access to average wait times and quality-of-care data.
  • Just as he promised, President Trump opened up a 24/7 White House VA Hotline to provide veterans access to help at all times.
  • President Trump has committed his Administration to addressing the horrible tragedy of veteran suicide.
    • President Trump signed the PREVENTS Initiative, which created a task force to develop a revolutionary roadmap to tackle the problem of veteran suicide.
    • President Trump signed an executive order to improve access to suicide prevention resources for veterans.
  • President Trump is expanding educational resources, promoting economic opportunity, and making sure our veterans have the support they need when they return home.
    • This year, the veteran unemployment rate reached its lowest level since 2000.
    • President Trump signed an executive order that paves the way for veterans to more easily join the Merchant Marine, providing quality job opportunities.
    • President Trump signed the Forever GI Bill, allowing veterans to use their educational benefits at any point in their lives.
    • President Trump expedited the process of discharging Federal student loan debt for our Nation’s totally and permanently disabled veterans.
    • President Trump signed the HAVEN Act to ensure that veterans who’ve declared bankruptcy don’t lose their disability payments.
  • President Trump signed legislation providing a pathway for Alaska Natives who served in Vietnam to receive the land allotments to which they are legally entitled.

COMBATING THE OPIOID CRISIS: President Trump has made battling the opioid crisis a top priority for his Administration, and the results couldn’t be clearer.

  • President Trump brought attention to the opioid crisis by declaring it a nationwide public health emergency.
  • To address the many factors fueling the drug crisis, President Trump launched an Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand.
  • Thanks to the President’s efforts, landmark new Federal funding and resources have been dedicated to help end this crisis.
  • President Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, the largest and most comprehensive piece of legislation to combat the opioid crisis in history.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded nearly $9 billion over 2016 to 2019 in grants to address the opioid crisis and improve access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services in partnership with State and local officials.
  • Nearly $1 billion in grants were recently awarded for the HEAL Initiative to support the development of scientific solutions to help prevent and treat addiction.
  • President Trump announced a Safer Prescriber Plan that seeks to decrease the amount of opioids prescription fills by one third within three years.
    • From January 2017 to September 2019, the total amount of opioids prescriptions filled in America dropped by 31%.
  • This year, the President launched FindTreatment.gov, a newly designed website that makes it easier to find substance abuse treatment locations.
  • The President implemented new efforts to educate Americans about the dangers of opioid misuse.
    • These efforts include an ad campaign on youth opioid abuse that reached 58 percent of young adults in America.
  • President Trump and his Administration aggressively worked to cut off the flow of deadly drugs into our communities.
    • In FY 2019, ICE HSI seized 12,466 pounds of opioids including 3,688 pounds of fentanyl, an increase of 35% from FY 2018.
    • The Administration shut down the country’s biggest Darknet distributor of drugs, seizing enough fentanyl to kill 105,000 Americans in the process.
    • Under President Trump, a DOJ strike force charged more than 65 defendants collectively responsible for distributing over 45 million opioid pills.
    • The Administration has brought kingpin designations against traffickers operating in China, India, Mexico and more who have played a role in the epidemic in America.
    • The Administration secured the first-ever indictments against Chinese fentanyl traffickers.
    • This year, President Trump convinced China to enact strict regulations to control the production and sale of all types of fentanyl.
  • Evidence suggests that President Trump’s efforts are making a real difference across the Nation.
    • Preliminary data shows overdose deaths fell nationwide in 2018 for the first time in decades.
    • Many of the hardest hit states – including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia – saw drug overdose deaths drop in 2018.
    • Since 2016, there has been a nearly 40 percent increase in the number of Americans receiving medication-assisted treatment.

PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is working hard to give Americans better quality care at a lower cost.

  • The Administration is delivering quality healthcare and promoting innovative treatment options for American patients.
    • Earlier this year, President Trump signed an order to protect and improve Medicare for our seniors, encouraging even more competition and promoting innovative benefits.
    • President Trump signed and implemented the Right to Try Act, which has expanded treatment options for terminally ill patients.
    • The President has taken action to combat childhood cancer, initiating an effort to provide $500 million over the next decade to improve pediatric cancer research.
    • The President signed legislation providing an additional $1 billion in Alzheimer’s disease research funding.
    • The Administration launched a plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in America in the next decade.
    • President Trump took action to increase the availability of organs for patients in need of transplants and provide more treatment options and improve care for patients suffering from kidney disease.
    • The President signed an order to modernize the influenza vaccine.
  • The Administration is making healthcare more affordable and transparent.
    • The Administration is requiring hospitals to make their prices negotiated with insurers publicly and easily available online.
    • The President is working to expand Association Health Plans, which would make it easier for employers to join together and offer more affordable health coverage to their employees.
    • President Trump extended access to short-term, limited-duration health plans, giving Americans more flexibility to choose plans that suit their needs.
    • The Administration expanded the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). Now, HRAs allow employers to help their employees pay for the cost of insurance that they select in the individual market.
    • The Administration has successfully worked to reduce Medicare Advantage and Part D premiums to their lowest in years.
    • The Administration has improved access to health savings accounts for individuals with chronic conditions.
    • The President has worked to reduce the burden felt by Americans due to Obamacare and eliminated Obamacare’s individual mandate penalty.
    • President Trump released legislative principles to end surprise medical billing and is working with Congress to give patients the control they deserve.
  • President Trump is following through on his pledge to combat high drug prices.
    • President Trump released a blueprint to reduce drug prices and expand affordability for American patients.
    • The Administration’s efforts to lower drug prices led to the largest year-over-year decrease in drug prices ever recorded.
    • The President has advanced efforts to import prescription drugs from Canada in partnership with several states, including Florida and Colorado.
    • The President launched an initiative to stop global freeloading in the drug market, proposing a new way for Medicare to pay for certain drugs based on prices other developed nations pay.
    • The President signed legislation to end pharmacy gag clauses, which prevented pharmacists from letting patients know when it would be cheaper to buy drugs without their insurance.

SAFEGUARDING LIFE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: President Trump has made it a priority of his Administration to uphold the sanctity of life and safeguard religious liberty for all.

  • President Trump is unequivocally committed to protecting the sanctity of every human life.
    • The Administration issued a rule preventing Title X family planning funds from supporting the abortion industry.
    • President Trump has called on Congress to end late-term abortions.
    • The Trump Administration cut all funding to the U.N. population fund, due to the fund’s support for coercive abortion and forced sterilization.
    • HHS rescinded an Obama-era guidance that prevented states from taking certain actions against abortion providers.
    • President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy in 2017, ensuring that taxpayer money is not used to fund abortion globally.
    • The President has taken action to end federal research using fetal tissue from abortions.
  • President Trump is protecting healthcare entities and individuals’ conscience rights—ensuring that no medical professional is forced to participate in an abortion in violation of their beliefs.
  • The Administration provided relief to American employers like Little Sisters of the Poor, protecting them from being forced to provide coverage that violates their conscience.
  • President Trump has taken unprecedented action to support the fundamental right to religious freedom.
    • In 2018, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
    • In 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order upholding religious liberty and the right to engage in religious speech.
    • The Department of Justice created a Religious Liberty Task Force in 2018.
    • The Trump Administration continues to vigorously defend religious liberty in the courts at every opportunity.
    • President Trump reversed the Obama-era policy that prevented the government from providing disaster relief to religious organizations.
    • The Administration is preserving a space for faith-based adoption and foster care providers to continue to serve their communities consistent with their beliefs.
    • The Administration reduced burdensome barriers to Native Americans being able to keep spiritually and culturally significant eagle feathers found on their tribal lands.
    • The Administration has allowed greater flexibility for Federal employees to take time off work for religious reasons.
  • The Trump Administration has stood up for religious liberty around the world.
    • The Administration has partnered with local and faith-based organizations to provide assistance to religious minorities persecuted in Iraq.
    • President Trump hosted the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom at the 2019 U.N. General Assembly, calling on global and business leaders to bring an end to religious persecution and stop crimes against people of faith.
    • The Administration dedicated $25 million to protect religious freedom, religious sites and relics.
    • The State Department has hosted two Religious Freedom Ministerials, with the 2019 Ministerial becoming the largest religious freedom event of its kind in the world.
    • In 2019, the Administration imposed restrictions on certain Chinese officials, internal security units, and companies for their complicity in the persecution of Uighur Muslims and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

TRANSFORMING THE COURTS: President Trump is transforming the Federal judiciary by appointing a historic number of Federal judges who will interpret the Constitution as written.

  • Working with the Senate, President Trump has now had 187 judicial nominees confirmed to the Federal bench.
    • President Trump’s remaking of the judiciary is only accelerating with 103 Federal judges confirmed in 2019, more than 2017 and 2018 combined.
  • The President named Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, fulfilling his promise to appoint justices who will uphold the constitution as written.
  • President Trump has appointed 50 Circuit Court judges – more than any other President at this point in their Administrations.
    • More than a quarter of all active Circuit Court judges were appointed by President Trump.
    • The average age of Trump-appointed circuit judges is less than 50 years old, ensuring that these qualified jurists will continue to have an impact for decades to come.
  • President Trump has flipped the Second, Third, and Eleventh Circuits from Democrat-appointed majorities to Republican-appointed majorities.

USHERING IN AN ERA OF ENERGY DOMINANCE: President Trump’s policies are ushering in a new era of American energy dominance.

  • President Trump has rolled back the burdensome regulations of the past Administration and implemented policies that are unleashing American energy.
  • The United States is the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world.
  • American oil production reached its highest level in history in 2019.
    • The United States became a net exporter of crude oil and petroleum products in September 2019, the first time this has occurred since records began in 1973.
  • Natural gas production is projected to set a record high in 2019, marking the third consecutive year of record production.
  • President Trump is opening up more access to our country’s abundant natural resources in order to promote energy independence.
    • Department of the Interior energy revenues soared in fiscal year FY 2019, nearly doubling since FY 2016 to $12 billion.
    • Applications to drill on public lands have increased by 300 percent since FY 2016, and the time it takes to complete these permits has dropped by half.
    • President Trump signed legislation to open up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration.
  • President Trump is promoting energy infrastructure to ensure American energy producers can deliver their products to the market.
    • This year, President Trump signed two Executive Orders to streamline processes holding back the construction of new energy infrastructure, like pipelines.
    • In 2017, the Administration took action to approve the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline.
    • The Administration issued permits for the New Burgos Pipeline that will export American petroleum products to Mexico.
    • The Administration has streamlined Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal permitting.
    • In 2019, the Department of Energy granted 11 new long-term LNG export approvals.
  • American energy exports have reached historic highs.
    • LNG exports have increased by 247% since 2017, hitting record highs in 2019 and are projected to continue increasing next year.
    • In 2017, the United States became a net natural gas exporter for the first time in 60 years.
    • The United States has exported LNG to five continents and 37 countries, marking 19 additional countries from the beginning of the Trump Administration.
  • President Trump strengthened America’s domestic energy production and supported our Nation’s farmers by approving year-round E-15.
  • President Trump worked to ensure greater transparency and certainty in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
  • President Trump has promoted domestic energy production and economic growth while working to ensure Americans have access to safe drinking water and a clean environment.
    • The United States environmental record is one of the strongest in the world and America continues to make environmental progress in clean air and clean water.
    • Under President Trump’s leadership, the EPA took action to protect vulnerable Americans from lead exposure by proposing changes to the Lead and Copper rule.
    • Under President Trump’s leadership, in FY 2019 the EPA completed cleanup on the most superfund sites on the National Priority List in 18 years.
    • Emissions of all criteria pollutants dropped between 2016 and 2018.

PROMOTING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY: President Trump is working to ensure all Americans have access to quality education.

  • President Trump signed into law a modernization of our country’s career and technical education system to ensure more Americans have access to high-quality vocational education.
  • This year, the Administration proposed Education Freedom Scholarships to expand education options for students of all economic backgrounds.
    • This plan will invest up to $5 billion in students through a tax credit for donations for state-based, locally-controlled scholarships.
  • President Trump is expanding education and training opportunities for incarcerated individuals to learn how to make a living before their release.
  • The President signed legislation reauthorizing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program.
  • Thanks to President Trump’s historic tax reform, parents can now withdraw up to $10,000 tax-free per year from 529 education savings plans to cover K-12 tuition costs.
  • President Trump has made supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) a priority of his Administration.
    • President Trump signed the Farm Bill that included more than $100 million dollars for scholarships, research, and centers of excellence at HBCU land-grant institutions.
    • The Administration has enabled faith-based HBCUs to enjoy equal access to Federal support.
    • President Trump signed legislation providing $255 million dollars of permanent annual funding for HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions.

 

White House rejects bipartisan Senate immigration plan

Activists and DACA recipients march up Broadway during the start of their 'Walk to Stay Home,' a five-day 250-mile walk from New York to Washington D.C., to demand that Congress pass a Clean Dream Act, in Manhattan, New York, U.S., February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House stuck to its hard-line immigration approach on Thursday and said advisers would recommend that President Donald Trump veto a bipartisan U.S. Senate proposal to protect young “Dreamer” immigrants and tighten border security.

The plan, which would protect from deportation 1.8 million young adults who were brought to the United States illegally as children, would weaken border security and undercut existing immigration law, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

“Preventing enforcement with respect to people who entered our country illegally before a date that is in the future would produce a flood of new illegal immigration in the coming months,” she said.

The proposal, which had been considered perhaps the most likely to succeed in the Senate, also includes a $25 billion fund to strengthen border security and possibly even build segments of Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico.

White House opposition to the bipartisan plan appeared to focus on a provision that would direct the Department of Homeland Security to focus enforcement efforts on undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of crimes, are a threat to national security or arrived in the United States after June 30, 2018.

The Senate is debating at least four immigration measures as lawmakers race to resolve the status of Dreamers, who were protected under an Obama-era program. Trump has ordered that program to end by March 5, telling Congress it should come up with an alternative plan by then.

The Department of Homeland Security also opposed the bipartisan plan led by Republican Senator Susan Collins, saying it would prevent DHS officers from being able to remove millions of undocumented immigrants from the country, and “is an egregious violation of the four compromise pillars laid out by the President’s immigration reform framework.”

Trump has said any immigration bill must include funds to build the border wall, end the visa lottery program, impose curbs on visas for the families of legal immigrants and protect Dreamers.

The Republican president has backed a measure by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley that embraces his wish list but is unlikely to win support from enough Democrats in the closely divided chamber.

A narrower third bill focusing just on Dreamers and border security, by Republican John McCain and Democrat Chris Coons, has been dismissed by Trump. A fourth measure, which is not expected to pass, focuses on punishing “sanctuary cities” that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said votes on the four measures would be held possibly on Thursday or at least Friday morning, ahead of a self-imposed Senate deadline of the end of the week.

‘BITTER PILLS’

The bipartisan Collins bill got a slight boost earlier on Thursday when an influential group that advocates for immigrants, America’s Voice, gave its reluctant support to the measure.

The group opposes provisions allowing the construction of a border wall and moves to limit legal immigration, but said in a statement, “We believe the chance to provide a permanent solution for Dreamers calls us to swallow these bitter pills.”

Despite backing from several Republicans for the Collins-led plan, it was unclear whether it would muster the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate, controlled 51-49 by Republicans.

A senior Senate Republican aide said the White House veto threat would “scuttle” some Republican support for the bipartisan bill. The prospect of all bills failing could even discourage some Republicans from voting for the Trump-backed plan, the aide said.

Trump is anxious to start on the border wall, which he made a central part of his 2016 election campaign and which Democrats have long opposed. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the wall would be “an enormous waste of money,” but both parties had to bend.

“We have to rise above our differences, admit that no one will get everything they want and accept painful compromises,” Schumer said.

In September, Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to protect Dreamers from deportation and offer them work permits. Although the protections are due to start expiring on March 5, federal judges have blocked that from taking effect amid ongoing litigation.

Even if one of the Senate measures passes, it must still win over the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a larger majority and are pushing a more conservative proposal that is more closely in line with Trump’s framework.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Makini Brice; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Frances Kerry)

Trump Jr.’s wife hospitalized after suspicious powder scare: police

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa speak with Jared Kushner during inauguration ceremonies for the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

By Jonathan Allen and Peter Szekely

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Vanessa Trump was taken to a New York hospital on Monday after she opened a piece of mail containing an unidentified white powder that was later determined to be non-hazardous, officials said.

Vanessa Trump, the wife of the president’s eldest son Donald Jr., was hospitalized after she complained of nausea following her exposure, New York officials said. Two other people who were present were also taken to the hospital.

“The substance had arrived by mail and it was addressed to Donald Trump Jr.,” said New York Police Department spokesman Carlos Nieves.

U.S. authorities have been on alert for mail containing white powder since 2001, when envelopes laced with anthrax were sent to media outlets and U.S. lawmakers, killing five people.

Three patients from the household were transported to the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center for further evaluation, said Fire Department spokeswoman Sophia Kim.

The three included Vanessa Trump’s mother, although she had not complained of symptoms, the police spokesman said.

The package had a Boston postmark, ABC News and the New York Post reported, citing unnamed law enforcement sources. NYPD officials declined to comment on that detail.

“Thankful that Vanessa and my children are safe and unharmed after the incredibly scary situation that occurred this morning,” Trump Jr. said on Twitter. “Truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior.”

The U.S. Secret Service, which is charged with protecting members of the president’s family, confirmed it was involved in the investigation, said spokesman Jeffrey Adams.

Trump Jr. in September briefly gave up his Secret Service protection, normally provided to the immediate families of all sitting presidents, the New York Times reported at the time, citing unnamed administration officials. His protective detail was restored after about a week, CNN reported, also citing unnamed sources.

Trump Jr. has been in the public eye for his role in a 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian attorney and others after the Trump campaign was offered potentially damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Congress has held probes into that meeting and whether it was part of a Russian campaign to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Russia denies trying to influence the election. Trump dismisses any talk of collusion.

In 2016, white powder, which also proved harmless, was sent to the home of Eric Trump, Trump Jr.’s brother.

(Reporting by Peter Szekely and Jonathan Allen; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Peter Cooney, Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)

Trump tells Putin more steps needed to scrap North Korea nuclear program

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump, who complained last month that Moscow was “not helping us at all with North Korea,” told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that more needs to be done to scrap Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the White House said.

“President Trump reiterated the importance of taking further steps to ensure the denuclearization of North Korea,” the White House said in a statement about the call with Putin.

In an interview with Reuters last month, Trump accused Russia of helping North Korea evade international sanctions meant to punish Pyongyang for its pursuit of a nuclear-armed missile capable of reaching the United States.

“Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea,” Trump told Reuters.

Moscow denies it has failed to uphold U.N. sanctions.

Trump and Putin spoke after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview with the Washington Post, raised the prospect of talks with North Korea.

But Pence, who traveled to South Korea for the Winter Olympics, also said Washington would intensify its “maximum pressure campaign” against Pyongyang until it takes a “meaningful step toward denuclearization.”

Last year, North Korea conducted dozens of missile launches and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of U.N. resolutions.

Russia signed on to the latest rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea imposed last year, including a ban on coal exports, which are an important source of the foreign currency Pyongyang needs to fund its nuclear program.

But North Korea shipped coal to Russia at least three times last year after the ban was put in place on Aug. 5, three Western European intelligence sources told Reuters.

The North Korean coal was shipped to the Russian ports of Nakhodka and Kholmsk, where it was unloaded at docks and reloaded onto ships that took it to South Korea or Japan, the sources said.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Eric Walsh and Peter Cooney)

Trump budget plan to seek funds for border wall, infrastructure, opioid treatment

Copies of the President Trump's FY 2019 budget proposal are delivered to the U.S. House Budget Committee offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 12, 2018.

By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will unveil his second budget on Monday, seeking to make good on his promise to bolster military spending and requesting funds for infrastructure, construction of a wall along the border with Mexico and opioid treatment programs.

The budget plan, which is viewed largely as suggestions by Congress, which has the constitutional authority to decide spending levels, will likely draw criticism from conservatives who worry that Republicans are embracing deficit spending.

The proposal will include $200 billion for infrastructure spending and more than $23 billion for border security and immigration enforcement, Mick Mulvaney, who heads the administration’s budget office, said in a statement on Sunday night.

It will also provide “for a robust and rebuilt national defense,” he said.

But the statement added that the proposal would recommend cuts that would lower the deficit by $3 trillion over 10 years.

“The budget does bend the trajectory down,” Mulvaney told the “Fox News Sunday” program earlier on Sunday. “It does move us back towards balance. It does get us away from trillion-dollar deficits.”

The budget request will be delivered to Congress only days after Trump signed off on a bipartisan spending agreement hammered out by lawmakers that will increase domestic spending by $300 billion over two years – including $165 billion in defense spending and $131 billion in non-military domestic spending.

The White House plans to amend its request to take into account the higher spending levels in the agreement that passed on Friday, a senior official in the Office of Management and Budget said.

Mulvaney said on Sunday all that money did not need to be spent.

“These are spending caps,” Mulvaney said. “They are not spending floors. You don’t have to spend all that.”

The spending deal will add to the annual budget deficit, which will now exceed $1 trillion in 2019, said the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget watchdog group.

Trump’s previous budget was criticized for recommending cuts to spending to achieve deficit reduction that ultimately even members of his own Republican Party thought were untenable.

“I hope the budget that we see is workable and recognizes the landscape we’re in,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican member of the Appropriations Committee. “A lot of times, what you have is a budget that even the Cabinet secretaries can’t defend.”

DEFICIT DEBATE

“The president’s budget is always a list of pretty good suggestions. It’s not ‘the’ budget,” said Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi.

This year’s budget is likely to stoke debates about deficits that began when Congress passed a tax overhaul in December. The tax cuts in the legislation contained no corresponding reductions in spending and instead relied on arguments that the lower rates would stoke economic growth.

Trump’s budget will include a number of economic forecasts and is expected to rely on estimates that the economy will keep growing at a rapid pace for the foreseeable future.

Such forecasts could obscure the level of deficit spending, said Robert Greenstein, president of the progressive Center for Budget Policy and Priorities.

“It’ll essentially be another budget gimmick, alongside rosy economic assumptions, to make the deficit smaller than it will actually be,” Greenstein said.

The budget proposal will include two key elements – $18 billion over two years for Trump’s long-promised border wall and $200 billion in federal funds to spur $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments over the next 10 years with state, local and private partners, Mulvaney’s statement said.

Trump promised during the 2016 campaign that Mexico would pay for the border wall, which the Mexican government has insisted it will not do.

Democrats oppose the wall, which Trump has said is aimed at keeping out illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

The budget will also seek some $13 billion in new funding over the next two years to combat the opioid epidemic.

In addition, it will request $85.5 billion for veterans’ health, the administration said.

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Additional reporting by David Morgan and Katanga Johnson; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Peter Cooney)

Trump tells Israel peace means compromise; U.S. envoy under fire

An Israeli flag is seen near the Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem's Old City on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount December 6, 2017.

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump told Israel on Friday that it too would need to make “significant compromises” for peace with the Palestinians, even as they accused one of his Middle East envoys of bogging down diplomacy with what they see as pro-Israel bias.

The Palestinians were outraged by Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move overturning decades of U.S. reticence on the city’s status, and say they are looking at additional world powers as potential mediators.

In an interview with an Israeli newspaper that was excerpted ahead of its full publication on Sunday, Trump described his Jerusalem move as a “high point” of his first year in office.

The language of Trump’s announcement did not rule out a presence in Jerusalem for the Palestinians, who want the eastern part of the city – captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally – as their own capital.

“I wanted to make clear that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Regarding specific borders, I will grant my support to what the two sides agree between themselves,” he told the conservative Israel Hayom daily, in remarks published in Hebrew.

“I think that both sides will have to make significant compromises in order for achieving a peace deal to be possible,” Trump added, without elaborating.

The interview coincided with fresh strains between the Palestinians and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, following the killing by a Palestinian of a Jewish settler.

After the settler was stabbed to death on Monday, Friedman tweeted that he had previously donated an ambulance to the slain man’s community and that he was praying for the next-of-kin, adding: “Palestinian ‘leaders’ have praised the killer.”

That drew a rebuke from the Palestinian administration.

“The American ambassador’s statements make us wonder about his relationship with the occupation,” Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement. “Is he representing America or Israel?”

“Friedman’s recommendations and advice, which do not aim to achieve a just peace on the basis of international legitimacy, are what led to this crisis in American-Palestinian relations,” Abu Rdainah said.

Friedman, among the top Trump advisers who promoted the Jerusalem move, is a former contributor to settler causes.

In addition to East Jerusalem, Palestinians want the occupied West Bank for a future state and see Israel’s Jewish settlements there as a major obstacle. Israel disputes this.

Most world powers deem the settlements illegal, but the Trump administration has taken a softer tack.

A liberal Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, published a column criticizing Friedman’s stance and dubbing the settlement he had supported as “a mountain of curses” – a play on its Hebrew name, Har Bracha, which means “Mount Blessing”.

The ambassador took the unusual step of firing back at the daily in another tweet on Friday: “Four young children are sitting shiva (Jewish mourning rite) for their murdered father …. Have they (Haaretz) no decency?”

Haaretz’s publisher, Amos Shocken, responded over the platform with a critique that echoed Palestinian complaints.

“As long as the policy of Israel that your Government and yourself support is obstructing (the) peace process … there will be more Shivas,” Shocken tweeted.

(Writing by Dan Williams, Editing by William Maclean)

Congress expected to vote on budget to avert government shutdown

People walk by the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., February 8, 2018.

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were expected to vote on a proposed budget deal on Thursday that would avert another government shutdown but that has angered fiscal conservatives who complain it would lead to a $1 trillion deficit.

The plan to keep the government operating and to increase spending over the next two years faced resistance from conservatives in the Republican Party, who favor less spending on domestic government programs. At the same time, many liberal Democrats wanted to withhold their support as leverage to win concessions on immigration policy.

That meant the bill’s passage was not assured in the House and would need some Democratic support. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican who has backed the agreement, said on Thursday he believed the chamber will pass the budget deal.

“I think we will,” Ryan told radio host Hugh Hewitt. “This is a bipartisan bill. It’s going to need bipartisan support. We are going to deliver our share of support.”

Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, called the deal “eye-popping and eyebrow-raising.”

“We took an official position last night to say we can’t support this,” he told CNN on Thursday.

Republicans control both chambers of Congress.

The rare bipartisan deal reached by Senate leaders on Wednesday raises spending on military and domestic programs by almost $300 billion over the next two years.

It would allow for $165 billion in extra defense spending and $131 billion more for non-military programs, including health, infrastructure, disaster relief and efforts to tackle an opioid crisis in the country.

It would stave off a government shutdown before a Thursday night deadline and extend the federal government’s debt ceiling until March 2019, putting off for more than a year the risk of a debt default by the United States.

CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION

The agreement, backed by Republican President Donald Trump, disappointed conservative House Republicans and outside groups.

“It’s not like Republicans aren’t concerned about disaster relief, or Republicans aren’t concerned about funding community health centers or dealing with the opioid crisis,” U.S. Representative Warren Davidson, a Republican, said in an interview with National Public Radio.

“But when you add them all up, it adds to an awful lot of spending. … It’s not compassionate to bankrupt America.”

Liberal Democrats meanwhile opposed the deal because it does not include an agreement to protect from deportation hundreds of thousands of “Dreamers,” young people brought illegally to the United States as children.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday staged an eight-hour speech on the House floor in support of immigration legislation, including reading letters from Dreamers pleading to be allowed to stay in the United States.

A number of lawmakers who supported the bill acknowledged the deal was not perfect. “It’s not pretty,” Republican U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger said on CNN.

Democratic Senator Jon Tester said he hoped House Democrats would back the measure. “We don’t want the perfect to get in the road of the good,” he told the cable network.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said many lawmakers believe the defense spending in the bill was essential. “We’re going to get it through because most people will support it,” he told Fox News.

Senate Republicans planned a procedural vote on a stand-alone bill to increase military funding for the rest of the year to demonstrate support for Trump’s promised defense build-up.

Democrats will not support it because it does not contain similar spending increases for non-military programs. But the Senate’s failure to advance the bill will not damage the budget legislation, which is due for a vote later in the day.

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News the agreement provides long-term certainty in the budget and funding for Trump priorities including infrastructure and military funding.

Failure to agree on spending led to a partial three-day shutdown of government agencies last month.

(Reporting by Makini Brice, Katanga Johnson, Doina Chiacu; Editing by Frances Kerry and Alistair Bell)

A look at Washington’s battle of the Russia classified memos

A copy of the formerly top secret classified memo written by House Intelligence Committee Republican staff and declassified for release by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen shortly after it was released by the committee in Washington, February 2, 2018.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House must decide this week whether to clear the release of a classified memo written by Democrats. The document aims to rebut a Republican memo alleging FBI and Justice Department bias against President Donald Trump in a federal probe into potential collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

The following explains what is in play in a partisan dispute roiling Washington.

WHAT IS THE REPUBLICAN MEMO?

The four-page document was commissioned by Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, and released on Feb. 2.

It accused senior Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department officials of not revealing that portions of a dossier of alleged Trump-Russia contacts used in seeking a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant to eavesdrop on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page were partly paid for by Democrats.

It also portrayed former British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the dossier, as biased, saying he “was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president.”

WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATIC MEMO?

In late January, House Intelligence Committee Democrats said they had drafted their own classified 10-page memo about the investigation of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election. They said their document would counteract what they criticized as “highly misleading” assertions in the Republican memo.

While Republicans on the intelligence panel initially blocked Democrats’ effort to release their memo, they joined Democrats on Feb. 5 and allowed the Democratic document to be sent to the White House for Trump to decide whether to release it.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Democrats say the Republican memo could be used by Republicans to try to undermine the credibility of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s federal investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia to help him win the election.

Mueller’s investigation also is examining whether Trump has committed obstruction of justice by trying to thwart the Russia probe, which has cast a cloud over his year-old presidency.

Democrats say Trump’s allies hope to use the memo to protect Trump. They believe it could give the president, who fired FBI Director James Comey in May, an excuse to fire Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who hired Mueller, or even to dismiss Mueller himself.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign using hacking and propaganda, an effort that eventually included attempting to tilt the race in Trump’s favor.

Moscow has denied meddling and Trump has denied collusion or any obstruction of justice. He has called the investigation a witch hunt.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF THE MEMOS?

The release of the Republican memo widened the divide between Democrats and Republicans, possibly diminishing the credibility of any findings by congressional panels that are also investigating the Russia matter.

Its release also threatened to weaken long-standing cooperation between lawmakers and intelligence agencies, which have shared classified information with Congress with the understanding that it would never be made public.

If Trump declines to declassify and release the Democrats’ memo, it could set up a dispute that would pit the White House and many of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress against Democrats, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

WHAT ROLE DOES THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE PLAY?

The House Intelligence Committee is one of three congressional panels investigating the Russia issue even as Mueller pursues his criminal probe. The dispute over the memo has deepened a partisan divide on the panel, whose Democratic members accuse Republicans of seeking to focus on the Steele dossier and Page surveillance to protect Trump. Republicans say they merely want to publicize wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Peter Cooney and Frances Kerry)

Trump escalates fight over Russia probe, approves release of secret memo

A copy of the formerly top secret classified memo written by House Intelligence Committee Republican staff and declassified for release by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen shortly after it was released by the committee in Washington, February 2, 2018

By Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday approved the release of a classified Republican memo that alleges bias against him at the FBI and Justice Department, in an extraordinary showdown with law enforcement agencies over the probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Ignoring the urgings of the FBI earlier this week, Trump declassified the four-page memo and sent it to Congress, where Republicans on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee immediately released it to the public.

The Republican president told reporters that the contents of the document tell a disgraceful story of bias against him and that “a lot of people should be ashamed.”

The document has become a flashpoint in a battle between Republicans and Democrats over Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal probe into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election. Mueller is also believed to be investigating any attempts to impede his probe.

Trump has repeatedly complained about Mueller’s investigation, which has cast a shadow over his first year in office, calling it a witch hunt and denying any collusion or obstruction of justice. Moscow has denied any election meddling.

The memo, criticized by the FBI as incomplete and slammed by Democrats as an attempt to undermine Mueller’s probe, purports to show that the investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia was driven by political bias.

The document, commissioned by the Republican chairman of the House intelligence panel, Devin Nunes, uses the case of investigations into a Trump campaign aide, Carter Page, saying the FBI used a biased source to justify surveillance on him.

It alleges that a dossier of Trump-Russia contacts compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, and funded in part by U.S. Democrats, formed an “essential part” of requests for electronic surveillance on Page that began in October, 2016.

It says the initial application and subsequent renewal applications did not mention the link between Steele and the Democrats. It also portrays Steele as biased, saying he “was passionate about him (Trump) not being president.”

Democrats said the memo cherry picks information.

“The selective release and politicization of classified information sets a terrible precedent and will do long-term damage to the Intelligence Community and our law enforcement agencies,” Democrats on the House intelligence panel said in a statement on Friday.

The Democrats said they hoped to release their own memo responding to the allegations on Feb. 5.

The entire file that the Justice Department used to apply to a special court for permission to eavesdrop on Page remains highly classified, making it hard to evaluate the memo’s contents.

FBI ANGER OVER MEMO

Two days ago, in a rare public rebuke of the president and Republicans in Congress who were pushing to release the memo, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had “grave concerns about material omissions of fact” in the document and it should not be made public.

On Friday, FBI agents defended their work and said they “have not, and will not, allow partisan politics to distract” from their mission.

“The American people should know that they continue to be well-served by the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency,”

FBI Agents Association President Thomas O’Connor said in a statement after the memo’s release.

Earlier on Friday, Trump accused top U.S. law enforcement officers – some of whom he appointed himself – of politicizing investigations.

“The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” Trump wrote on Twitter. The president praised “rank and file” FBI employees.

His latest salvo was sure to worsen the president’s frayed relations with agencies that are supposed to be politically independent.

James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence under Democratic President Barack Obama, said Trump’s attack on the FBI and Justice Department was the “pot calling the kettle black.”

Seeking to defuse the conflict over the memo, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan backed the release of a Democratic counterpoint document. His office said he backed making the Democrats’ rebuttal public if it does not reveal intelligence gathering sources or methods.

Democrats say their counter-memo restores context and information left out of the Republican version. Republicans have resisted releasing that document,

The former head of Trump’s presidential campaign, Paul Manafort, and the Trump administration’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, have been charged in the Russia probe, along with others.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu and David Alexander; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Frances Kerry)

You can click here for the entire memo that has just been released.    Intelligence committee memo 

Ending North Korea oil supplies would be seen as act of war, says Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance at the Pyongyang Pharmaceutical Factory, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang January 25, 2018.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The delivery of oil and oil products to North Korea should not be reduced, Moscow’s ambassador to Pyongyang was cited as saying by RIA news agency on Wednesday, adding that a total end to deliveries would be interpreted by North Korea as an act of war.

The U.N. and United States have introduced a wave of sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons, including by seeking to reduce its access to crude oil and refined petroleum products.

“We can’t lower deliveries any further,” Russia’s envoy to Pyongyang, Alexander Matzegora, was quoted by RIA as saying in an interview.

Quotas set by the U.N. allow for around 540,000 tonnes of crude oil a year to be delivered to North Korea from China, and over 60,000 tonnes of oil products from Russia, China and other countries, he was quoted as saying.

“[This] is a drop in the ocean for a country of 25 million people,” Matzegora said.

Shortages would lead to serious humanitarian problems, he said, adding: “Official representatives of Pyongyang have made it clear that a blockade would be interpreted by North Korea as a declaration of war, with all the subsequent consequences.”

Last week, the United States imposed further sanctions on North Korea, including on its crude oil ministry.

In his first annual State of the Union speech to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump vowed to keep up the pressure on North Korea it from developing missiles which could threaten the United States.

North Korea on Saturday condemned the latest U.S. sanctions. and Russian deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov said Russia had no obligation to carry out sanctions produced by the U.S.

The ambassador also denied charges by Washington that Moscow, in contravention of U.N. sanctions, was allowing Pyongyang to use Russian ports for transporting coal.

“We double-checked [U.S.] evidence. We found that the ships mentioned did not enter our ports, or if they did, then they were carrying cargo that had nothing to do with North Korea,” he is cited as saying.

Reuters reported earlier that North Korea had shipped coal to Russia last year which was then delivered to South Korea and Japan in a likely violation of U.N. sanctions.

(Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Richard Balmforth)