“The loss of life, it’s always tragic. But it’s been incredible. The results that we’ve had with respect to loss of life.”
— President Trump, quoted by CNN, on relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
Daily Archives
September 29, 2017
33 posts · Friday
Trump Kids’ Ski Vacation Cost Taxpayers $300K
“The annual Aspen ski vacation taken in March by President Trump’s children, Ivanka and Eric Trump, and their families, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, left taxpayers on the hook for security costs of at least $330,000,” CBS News reports.
Tom Price Resigns
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price “resigned under pressure on Friday after racking up at least $400,000 in travel bills for chartered flights and undermining President Trump’s promise to drain the swamp of a corrupt and entitled capital,” the New York Times reports.
“Already in trouble with Mr. Trump for months of unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s health care program, Mr. Price failed to defuse the president’s anger over his high-priced travel by agreeing to pay a portion of the cost and expressing ‘regret’ for his actions.”
Sam Baker: “Price might not have gotten ACA repeal over the finish line, but even in his short tenure, he was able to undermine the law significantly. Under his leadership, HHS waged a PR campaign against the ACA; slashed funding to help promote enrollment; and directed regional department officials not to assist state-based enrollment efforts.”
Fine Print in GOP Budget Would Help Rush a Tax Cut
“Buried in the fine print of the newly released Senate Republican budget: language making it much easier to rush a tax cut through Congress,” Bloomberg reports.
“The budget would erase a Senate rule requiring a full Congressional Budget Office estimate of the cost of the legislation at least 28 hours before a vote. It would get rid of a provision that required a Senate budget reconciliation bill to reduce the deficit by at least as much as a House reconciliation bill. That language caused headaches for Republicans during their failed Obamacare repeal effort.”
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Taxpayers Paid for Part of VA Chief’s Vacation
“Nearly three days into a trip to Europe this past July, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin had attended a Wimbledon championship tennis match, toured Westminster Abbey and taken a cruise on the Thames. The 10-day trip was not entirely a vacation. Shulkin was in Europe for meetings with Danish and British officials about veterans’ health issues,” the Washington Post reports.
“Yet he and his wife spent about half their time sightseeing, including shopping and touring historic sites, according to an itinerary obtained by the Washington Post and confirmed by a U.S. official familiar with their activities.”
“Shulkin’s six-person traveling party included his acting undersecretary of health and her husband, his chief of staff and another aide, the itinerary says. They were accompanied by a security detail of as many as six people.”
A Quarter of Households Would Get a Tax Increase
“The Republican tax plan would deliver a major benefit to the top 1 percent of Americans, according to a new analysis by a leading group of nonpartisan tax experts that challenges the White House’s portrayal of its effects,” the Washington Post reports.
“The plan would deliver far more modest tax cuts to most other households — an average cut of $1,700 for households in 2027… But the results would be unevenly spread, with 1 in 4 households paying more in taxes.”
“Despite repeated promises from Republican lawmakers that the plan is designed to provide relief to the middle class, nearly 30 percent of taxpayers with incomes between $50,000 and $150,000 would see a tax increase… The majority of households that made between $150,000 and $300,000 would see a tax increase.”
New York Times: Republican tax cut would benefit wealthy and corporations most.
Republicans Will Not Mix Tax Reform and Health Care
The Senate Budget Committee “laid the groundwork for a party-line overhaul of the tax code, but not another attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act,” Axios reports.
“Some conservatives had hoped to combine health care and tax reform. But many Republicans, especially in leadership, feared that would make it impossible to pass either one. The outline released this morning would delay another run at health care until the tax rewrite effort is finished.”
Washington Post: “The budget document is a key precursor for any tax bill, setting out procedures that will allow the legislation to pass with a simple 51-vote majority rather than the usual 60-vote supermajority. According to the draft released Friday, the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee will have until Nov. 13 to draft tax bills that cost no more than $1.5 trillion in lost revenue.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“It has to go down as the biggest cover-up in the history of the United States. Nobody wants to touch it.”
— Recently-pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio, quoted by the San Jose Mercury News, saying he plans on continuing a long-running investigation into Barack Obama’s birth certificate.
Moore Leads by 5 Points In Alabama
A new Opinion Savvy poll in Alabama finds Roy Moore (R) leading Doug Jones (D) in the U.S. Senate race by five points, 50% to 45%.
GOP Candidate Lists Porn as Campaign Expense
Jason Reese (R), who is running for the Oklahoma state House of Representatives, listed online pornography in his most recent campaign expense report, the Lost Ogle reports.
Reese later blamed the incident on “human error.”
Associated Press: “Oklahoma Republicans have been rocked by a series of sex-related scandals this year. Former state Sen. Bryce Marlatt resigned earlier this month after an Uber driver told police he grabbed her head and kissed her neck while she drove him to a bar in June. State Rep. Dan Kirby resigned in February after being accused of sexually harassing two former legislative assistants, and ex-state Sen. Ralph Shortey was indicted in federal court this month on charges of child sex trafficking and producing and transporting child.”
Can Mueller Prosecute Cover-Up Before Proving Crime?
Vanity Fair: “Of all the avenues in the sprawling Russia investigation, Robert Mueller appears to have advanced the furthest toward assembling an argument that Donald Trump obstructed justice. And in the coming weeks, the special counsel’s team will interview a former top White House aide who could verify key pieces of the puzzle. Then Mueller would confront the thorniest question yet: does he prosecute the cover-up or hold out to try to nail possible underlying crimes?”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I cannot point to a law that sets any qualifications to run for governor. So a dog has never tried to file — I don’t know what would happen if one tried to.”
— Kansas elections director Bryan Caskey, quoted by the Kansas City Star, on three teenagers filing to run for governor in 2018.
San Juan Mayor Slams Homeland Security Chief
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz lashed out at acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke’s comment that the Hurricane Maria relief efforts are a “good news story,” saying, that in reality, it’s a “people are dying story,” Politico reports.
Said Cruz: “Well, maybe from where she’s standing, it’s a good news story. When you’re drinking from a creek, it’s not a good news story. When you don’t have food for a baby, it’s not a good news story. When you have to pull people down from their buildings — I’m sorry, but that really upsets me and frustrates me. You know, I would ask her to come down here and visit the towns, and then make a statement like that, which frankly, it is an irresponsible statement.”
Grimm Will Announce Bid for Congress
“Seventeen months after being released from prison for tax fraud, Michael Grimm (R) will formally announce his campaign for Congress, challenging the man who filled his seat when he pleaded guilty, Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-NY),” the Staten Island Advance reports.
“Grimm served eight months in federal prison beginning in 2015 after pleading guilty to a single count of tax fraud related to a Manhattan health food restaurant he co-owned before taking office.”
Retirements Are Key to Control of House
Nate Cohn: “The Republican structural edge in the House is fully realized only with the added advantage of incumbency. The Democrats would be overwhelming favorites to retake the House in this political environment if no incumbents chose to run for re-election, even with all of the burdens of gerrymandering and geography.”
“So far, four Republicans have announced they will not seek re-election in highly competitive districts.”
“My colleagues Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns reported recently that Republicans fear a wave of additional retirements. And Roy Moore’s victory over the establishment-backed Luther Strange in the Alabama Republican Senate primary this week could further embolden primary challenges to G.O.P. House incumbents, increasing the chances that they step aside.”
“But without a string of retirements, the Democratic path to control of the House is challenging. Incumbents are just that hard to beat.”
U.S. Will Pull Most Staff from Embassy in Cuba
Two sources tell CBS News the U.S. is preparing to announce a major withdrawal of staff and family from the U.S. embassy in Cuba in response to attacks targeting diplomats.
“Diplomats have complained about symptoms ranging from hearing loss and nausea to headaches and balance issues after the State Department said ‘incidents’ began affecting them in late 2016. In total, the State Department says there are 21 medically confirmed cases. The attacks were directed at their homes, which the Cuban government provides. The last reported incident was in August.”
Quote of the Day
“It’s the difference between succeeding as a party and failing. It’s the difference between having a majority in 2018 or losing it. It’s the difference between one term and two.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by NBC News, on the need to pass the Republican tax reform package.
