President Donald Trump now has an attorney general following the Senate’s confirmation Wednesday night of Jeff Sessions. The vote — coming after a confirmation process in which Sessions fended off accusations of racism — passed 52-47, largely along party lines.
ACTION PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK TODAY …
Speaking before prominent law enforcement officials Wednesday morning, Trump once again lashed out at the judiciary, saying “even a bad high school student” would rule in his favor.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW ON DAY 20 …
IMMIGRATION
The nation awaits a ruling in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but it will not come Wednesday. Here’s what happened at the hearing.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell silenced Sen. Elizabeth Warren from speaking on the Senate floor, sparking a wave of outrage from Democrats.
The Los Angeles Times has a profile of Sessions detailing the many challenges he’ll immediately face as Trump’s attorney general.
Trump gave an update on the wall, saying, “The wall is getting designed right now. Many people say Trump was only kidding with the wall. I wasn’t kidding. I don’t kid. I don’t kid … We will have a wall. It will be a great wall, and it will do a lot — it will be a big help.”
OBAMACARE
At Tuesday night’s CNN debate, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz sparred on the future of healthcare in America. CNN also did a reality check on the various claims made at the debate.
Get ready for another “R” word to describe the GOP’s Obamacare replacement plans: “Reconciliation Plus.”
Meanwhile, the House Freedom Caucus is set to introduce its own Obamacare repeal and replace bill as early as next week. It is being drafted with similar language to the 2015 bill that Congress passed but got vetoed by President Barack Obama.
Politico reported Republicans will take four of the plans out there and begin to come up with a unified plan at the end of February.
Buzzfeed reports that the pharmacy benefits managers lobbying group has issued a warning to its members that Trump is not “a conventional presidency” and is “rattling” health care industries.
Sen. Mike Lee attended a Heritage Foundation roundtable titled “Congress Must Repeal Obamacare Immediately,” which again showed conservatives getting nervous about the timeline for repeal.
ECONOMY
Despite stock markets reaching record highs, Wall Street is growing increasingly nervous about Trump’s policies and the honeymoon may be over.
Irene Rosenfeld, the CEO of the company that makes Oreo — one of Trump’s targets on the campaign trail — warned against a global rise in populism on her company’s earnings call Tuesday evening.
TAXES/INFRASTRUCTURE — House Transportation Chair Bill Shuster told Bloomberg he supported using repatriated money from corporations to help pay for Trump’s infrastructure plan.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The Senate EPW Committee held a hearing on modernizing infrastructure. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said public-private partnerships, “do not work for rural areas.”
The National Governor’s association sent a list of 428 “shovel-ready” projects to the White House. The NGA is not making the final list public.
Bloomberg has a helpful guide explaining public-private partnerships, which Trump has proposed as part of his infrastructure plan.
According to Reuters, US airline and cargo carrier executives will meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss rebuilding America’s aviation infrastructure.
ENVIRONMENT
In a column for the Wall Street Journal, establishment Republican luminaries James Baker and George Schultz proposed a “conservative answer to climate change,” which is to enact a carbon tax.
LOOKING AHEAD …
LATER THIS WEEK — OBAMACARE — Sen. John Cornyn said Monday that the Senate would vote on Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Price by the end of the week. However, Democrats have pledged to hold the floor on more cabinet votes, which may push Price to the weekend.
THURSDAY — INFRASTRUCTURE — Trump meets with airline CEOs and they are expected to discuss his infrastructure plans.
FRIDAY — TRADE — Trade, jobs and infrastructure will all be on the table as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits the White House.