Day 5 was a big win for those who hope fewer regulations will spur economic growth. It was a significant setback for environmentalists. President Donald Trump claims he’ll strike a balance between the two over time. The controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, once stalled under President Barack Obama, may now one day begin flowing.
ACTION PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK TODAY…
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY/INFRASTRUCTURE — Trump signed executive actions that streamlined the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, upholding another key campaign promise. Leading environmental groups and progressives like Bernie Sanders blasted the move. A small protest at the White House is already underway.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW ON DAY 5 …
OBAMACARE — Tom Price faced his second Senate hearing Tuesday, this time before the Finance Committee, which will ultimately vote on him:
Price again defended both his stock picks, saying: “Everything I did was ethical, above board legal and transparent,” and other new potential red flags.
Price addressed Trump’s executive order on Obamacare for the first time, pledging that “no one will be worse off” because of Trump’s action.
Price had an awkward back-and-forth with Sen. Sherrod Brown over Trump’s statement that they were working together and almost ready with an Obamacare replacement plan.
Price also said: “I guarantee you that the individuals that lost coverage under the ACA, we will commit to making certain that they don’t lose coverage under whatever replacement plan comes forward.”
Price refused to say if he supports block granting Medicaid, which Kellyanne Conway raised over the weekend.
A Nebraska county that voted 93% for Trump has the highest percentage of Obamacare enrollees in America. And while man Nebraskans hate Obamacare now, they just might miss it when it’s gone.
Allowing insurers to sell across state lines has been a long-time Republican health care policy goal, but the plan may not get the results proponents expect.
On Monday, a judge blocked Aetna’s proposed merger with Humana, and in his ruling revealed Aetna manipulated the facts about why it pulled out of the Obamacare exchanges. Speaker Paul Ryan has often pointed to Aetna as proof Obamacare is collapsing, but this ruling casts doubt on that conclusion.
A study released Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine looked at the impact Obamacare had on Americans with a chronically illness.
IMMIGRATION
Gov. Jerry Brown delivered his State of the State Address today, pitting California against the Trump administration and pledging: “California is not turning back. Not now, not ever.”
In Trump’s high-profile August immigration speech in Phoenix, he pledged to “immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties.” In a piece for National Review, conservative immigration leader Mark Kirkorian questions why Trump has not followed through on this pledge. As Kirkorian wrote, USCIS is still accepting DACA applications.
Could Trump pursue some kind of middle ground? The BRIDGE Act would grant DACA beneficiaries a grace period.
ENVIRONMENT
Wilbur Ross, who was voted out of committee today, pledged to not intimidate climate scientists working for NOAA.
INFRASTRUCTURE — Leading Senate Democrats are trying to force Trump’s hand on infrastructure, by introducing their own $1 trillion bill. Two McClatchy newspapers have obtained a document showing a list of 50 infrastructure projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE/TRADE — Transportation nominee Elaine Chao and Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross were approved by the Commerce Committee, both on voice votes.
TRADE
Trump’s pulling the US out of TPP, which included 11 of the world’s largest economies, is already creating ripples in Asia.
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump’s Trade Rep. nominee, Robert Lighthizer, may have violated US law by representing the Brazilian government in the 1990s.
When the White House renegotiates NAFTA, could a US/Canada deal exclude Mexico?
TAXES — Trump OMB nominee Mick Mulvaney faced the Senate today. He was pressed on the issue of not paying taxes on his babysitter, calling it a “mistake.” GOP Sen. John McCain went after Mulvaney hard on what McCain feels is a pattern of Mulvaney wanting to cut defense budgets.
LOOKING AHEAD…
WEDNESDAY — EVERYTHING — Govs. Terry McAuliffe, D-Virginia, and Brian Sandoval, R-Nevada, speak in Washington in their capacity as chair and vice chair of the National Governors Association, focusing on “governors’ collective priorities … including state-federal priorities for the new administration and Congress,” per a release. The NGA holds its winter meeting one month from now in Washington, which is expected to include meetings with Trump and Cabinet officials.
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY — EVERYTHING — Senate Democrats hold their retreat (Weds/Thurs) in Sherpherdstown, West Virginia, while a combined House and Senate Republicans hold their retreat (Weds/Thurs/Fri) in Philadelphia with Trump expected to attend Thursday.
FRIDAY — TRADE — UK Prime Minister May is expected to discuss a post-Brexit US/UK deal with Trump at their White House meeting.