3.4 Trump Plans to Destroy Chapter 14!!! (One less 7-pg outline)

"Donald Trump is preparing to make massive policy changes at the EPA"

1. How did the Obama Administration prepare for the Trump Administration's plans for the EPA?

It raced to finish many environmental regulations in order for Trump to not be able to freeze them. 

2. What does Trump have to do to policies that Obama enacted by Executive Order instead of Congressional action?

He has the power to cancel all of Obama's executive orders by issuing his own executive orders. 

3, What policies did Obama's Administration pass through the rule making process and what does Trump have to do to get rid of these?

He has to restart the rulemaking process from the beginning, which includes justifying new rules before courts. 

4. What history does Trump's pick for head of the EPA have with the agency?
His nominee is Scott Pruitt, who has sued Obama's administration over its EPA rules many times. 

5. What is the main way that Congress can limit the effectiveness of the EPA?

Congress can use the power allocated through the Congressional Review Act to kill Obama's rules after May 2016 by majority vote. 

6. How could Trump and Congress alter the future of all EPA rule making? (What would the REINS act do?)

Budget cuts will be the death of EPA capabilities to monitor and enforce its rules. The REINS Act would require every major new EPA rule to be subject to a yay/nay vote in Congress.

7. Based on what you know about environmental protection and Congress - what do you think the impact of this would be if it were to pass?

Both houses of Congress as they are now are both Republican-majority, who tend to favor limited federal government--keeping it out of strict regulation of private companies. Thus, if the act were to pass, Congress would certainly vote down more EPA rules than it would up to limit the scope of EPA's power. 

3.3 Senator Cory Booker and President Trump

"How Cory Booker went from Progress Hero to Traitor in Under 2 Days"

1. How does Paste Magazine characterize Cory Booker?

Booker appears to agree with popular stances on social issues to garner positive publicity regardless of his past stances, but then turn around and align with corporate interests among Democratic financial elites. 

2. Why did Cory Booker vote against an amendment that seems like it would help people?

His state of New Jersey is concentrated with pharmaceutical companies and he often aligns himself with corporate interests. 

3. How does Cory Booker justify his vote publicly?

He had concerns over the safety of drugs imported from Canada.

4. Where does Cory Booker get his campaign funding from?

He gets funding from pharmaceutical companies. 

5. What else, besides sources of campaign funding, may impact his vote?

He has allies on Wall Street and has to please his constituency which depends on the pharma industry for jobs and wealth. 

6. Why did Cory Booker testify against Jeff Sessions?

He did so to make him seem like a Progressive and make him more popular among the people. 

7. Why would this impact his "national ambitions"?

Having positive national attention can shift his presence from the scope of his state/constituency to a national scale. 

8. How do his ties to industry & special interest jeopardize those?

However, Booker alienates true progressives with his ties to his big business allies and loyalty to his state since it depends on the pharma industry. 

"Trump's Governing Strategy is Taking Shape-- and It Could be a Political Winner"

9. What will serve as Trump's "bully pulpit"?

Social media, especially his lovely, lovely, tweets that are always in all caps and end in an exclamation mark as if he never stops yelling when he talks, and through his own staged events. 

10. How are Trump's nominations serving to keep his party happy?

His appointments have all been far-right or highly conservative people who would doggedly defend the GOP agenda.

11. Why is it important that Trump gets more attention than the policies he is likely to enact?

He knows that the majority of the country disapprove or hate him, so his goal is to win over some favor of the people.

12. Why would Trump meet with high profile candidates like Al Gore, but chose someone else for the job?

It gives him good publicity and makes him seem like he is moderate and reasonable, which diminishes the deep dislike for him among the public. However, he'll just turn around and appoint hard-right people. 

13. In what ways might the role of the Cabinet change under a Trump presidency?

The power may be shifted back to the Cabinet whereas in the recent years under Obama, more power has been delegated to the WH staff. 

3.2 "Congress & Trump"

"The GOP's Quickly Learning that Governing is Difficult--As is Working with Donald Trump" 

1. How did the public deal with the attempt (from last week's blog) to shut down the Office of Congressional Ethics?

Public backlash included angry phone calls, tweets, and a reproachful tweet from Donald Trump. 

2. How did sharing control of the government with Democrats actually end up helping Republicans in Congress?

It protected the GOP from public scrutiny, but now that Republicans run the majority of Washington, people are more vigilant than ever. 

3. What does the professor from University of Miami mean when saying that the Republicans were more of a "protest party"?

For Obama's two terms, Republicans have been functioning as a reactionary force against Obama and the Democratic Party. Their proposals and actions have been more to thwart Obama than to actually benefit people's lives.

4. Why is Trump a potential problem for Republicans in Congress?

Trump has proven to be fickle and is not purely loyal to the party and its traditional policy priorities. 

5. In what situations will Trump be willing to oppose Republicans in Congress?

He is willing to betray the GOP for popular support, which GOP Congress won't dare to defy. For example, he has shown to be much more cautious about entirely repealing ObamaCare than Republicans, understanding the grave consequences of doing so.  

6. How are some Republicans, like the Freedom Caucus, adjusting their stances preparing for a Trump presidency?

They are changing their attitudes and posing as fervent Trump supporters to appeal to popular sentiment. 

7.  How will the public view Republicans differently now that they are in charge of lawmaking?

They are held at high expectations and responsibility, and their true beliefs will be put to test in the face of the new president. 

3.1 "The First Day of Congress"

New York Times: "With No Warning, House Republican Vote to Gut Independent Ethics Office" 

1. What types of policies is the new Congress going to pursue? Why is the Ethics office an obstacle to these?

The new Congress will likely repeal the ACA, reform health care and infrastructure. Thus, the Ethics office would frustrate the control of Republican-dominated Congress lawmakers and wealthy businesspeople in government.

2. What changes did the incoming Congress make to the Office of Congressional Ethics?

In place of the office, Republicans would create a new Office of Congressional Complaint Review that will report to House Ethics Committee. 

3. How does Republican leadership feel about these changes?

Speaker of the House and Republican Representative Goodlatte defend the decision, asserting that it would strengthen ethics oversight but also give the House protections against efforts of the Office of Congressional Ethics deemed as overzealous. 

4. Why do current Congressmen dislike the Office of Congressional Ethics?

The criticism is bipartisan, complaining that the Office is too aggressive in its investigations more than those by the House Ethics Committee. 

5. What was the role of the Office of Congressional Ethics?

The office staff conduct confidential interviews and collect documents based on complaints from the public or media, release any findings of possible violation of federal rules or laws, and votes on whether to refer the matter to the full House Ethics Committee.

6. Why do Congressmen want to be able to control the spokesperson for this office?

Even if the House Ethics Committee dismisses the Office's release of potential ethics violation, the Office spokesperson is required to release a report detailing the alleged wrongdoing, which deters the behavior at question. 

7. What are the likely outcomes of these changes?

The House Ethics Committee tends to be too lenient/overprotective of members of the majority party. So, it could shut down any independent investigation.