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Trump Scolds House Republicans for Weakening Ethics Panel Trump and Senate Move Quickly to Repeal Affordable Care Act
(about 3 hours later)
■ President-elect Donald J. Trump took a shot at his allies in the House, posting on Twitter that gutting an ethics panel should not have been a Republican priority. ■ President-elect Donald J. Trump and Senate Republicans moved quickly to begin dismantling the Affordable Care Act.
■ Mr. Trump, continuing to dismiss intelligence agencies’ conclusions that Russia tried to get him elected president, says he will divulge “things that other people don’t know” on Tuesday or Wednesday. ■ Mr. Trump implored President Obama not to release any more detainees from the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
■ Civil rights activists occupied Senator Jeff Sessions’ office in Mobile, Ala., demanding that he withdraw his name from consideration to be the next United States attorney general.
■ Mr. Trump picks a corporate lobbyist trained in prying open foreign markets for American corporations as the United States trade representative.■ Mr. Trump picks a corporate lobbyist trained in prying open foreign markets for American corporations as the United States trade representative.
House Republicans may be harboring the most ambitious conservative agenda, one ostensibly linked to the president-elect’s, but Republican leaders have long wondered whether Mr. Trump will be with them, against them or somewhere in between. That didn’t take long.
They got a taste of what is to come Tuesday morning, just after House Republicans voted to gut an outside ethics panel in the new rules that will govern the House for the next two years. Before the new members could even be sworn in, Senate Republicans revealed the parliamentary language that congressional Republicans will use to dismantle President Obama’s signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act, without fear of a filibuster by Democrats in the coming months.
That hashtag is “drain the swamp,” by the way. The instructions are simple and vague: the Senate Finance and the health committees, along with the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees, have until Jan. 27 to “report changes in laws” within their jurisdiction “to reduce the deficit by not less than $1,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2017 through 2026.”
He is also contradicting his senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, who took a far more cooperative tone. Translation: the Senate and House have barely more than three weeks to complete legislation that reduces the deficit slightly over the next decade and, in the process, guts the Affordable Care Act beyond repair.
What does Mr. Trump know about who hacked the presidential election, and how does he know it? Tuesday may be the day the world finds out — or not. (We still do not have his tax returns and are waiting for that news conference he promised on the future of his businesses.) Debate will begin on the Senate floor on Wednesday, bypassing the Senate Budget Committee to speed passage.
Mr. Trump, who has dismissed as “ridiculous” the intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia carried out cyberattacks in order to meddle in the election, told reporters on New Year’s Eve that he would divulge “things that other people don’t know” about the hacking, promising the revelations on Tuesday or Wednesday. President-elect Trump used his Twitter account on Tuesday to amplify the anti-Obamacare message.
He gave no clues about the kind of information he claims to have about the computer breaches, but he said last week that despite his desire to “move on” from the issue, he would have intelligence officials brief him on the attacks. Mr. Trump’s statement came after President Obama announced a sweeping set of retaliatory sanctions against Russia for the hacking. The rate increases, revealed in October, had long been predicted in Arizona, where many insurers had announced plans to drop out of the marketplace, and they affect a small fraction of residents. But they fit the Republican narrative that the law has made health care worse for Americans, despite the fact that it has provided coverage to tens of millions of previously uninsured people.
Before ringing in 2017 at his exclusive resort in Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump said that he wanted intelligence officials to be certain of their assessment of the hacking, which is “a very hard thing to prove,” and that the culprit “could be somebody else” other than the Russians. Left unsaid: What will happen to more than 20 million Americans now insured under the Affordable Care Act, or to the 27 percent of Americans with pre-existing medical conditions who, under the health care act, cannot be denied coverage by insurance companies?
Republicans on Capitol Hill, however, appear to have all the information they need to start a high-level examination of Russian cyberattacks, beginning this week. Senator John McCain of Arizona, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing of his panel on Thursday to investigate the matter. It’s been a busy day for the president-elect on Twitter, but he took the time to prepare his supporters for late flurry of transfers from Guantánamo Bay that President Obama plans in the coming days.
The New York Times reported last month that the Obama administration had deals to transfer about 18 of the remaining 59 detainees before Mr. Obama leaves office on Jan. 20. If all go as planned, most would go to three gulf nations — Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — and be placed in custodial rehabilitation programs. One would go to Italy.
All of the men set to leave the prison are on a list of those recommended for transfer, if security conditions can be met in the receiving country, by six United States security agencies. Most have been held for about 14 years in wartime detention without trial and are from unstable countries, like Yemen, which complicated efforts to find a place to send them.
While Mr. Obama failed to fulfill his vow to close the Guantánamo prison, he refused to place any new detainees there and has whittled its population from the 242 prisoners he inherited from the administration of President George W. Bush.
Mr. Trump has vowed to keep the prison open and “load it up with some bad dudes.”
The protest season is beginning even before the swearing in.
Officials of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the N.A.A.C.P.’s Alabama chapter occupied the office of Senator Jeff Sessions in Mobile, Ala., demanding that the senator withdraw his name from consideration to be the next attorney general.
Mr. Trump, whose campaign for the White House was centered on an anti-trade and anti-globalization message, on Tuesday selected Robert E. Lighthizer, an international trade lawyer who has argued in favor of protectionist policies in some cases, as his United States trade representative.Mr. Trump, whose campaign for the White House was centered on an anti-trade and anti-globalization message, on Tuesday selected Robert E. Lighthizer, an international trade lawyer who has argued in favor of protectionist policies in some cases, as his United States trade representative.
In Mr. Lighthizer, a top trade attorney representing multinational companies at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom who was a trade official for Ronald Reagan, Mr. Trump has selected a seasoned negotiator who is intimately familiar with the benefits of global agreements. But Mr. Lighthizer has also been outspoken in pointing out their potential harm to United States interests. It is not clear what role he will play in the Trump administration now that the president-elect has created a White House National Trade Council and placed Peter Navarro, an economist who is a leading critic of China, at its helm.In Mr. Lighthizer, a top trade attorney representing multinational companies at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom who was a trade official for Ronald Reagan, Mr. Trump has selected a seasoned negotiator who is intimately familiar with the benefits of global agreements. But Mr. Lighthizer has also been outspoken in pointing out their potential harm to United States interests. It is not clear what role he will play in the Trump administration now that the president-elect has created a White House National Trade Council and placed Peter Navarro, an economist who is a leading critic of China, at its helm.
Mr. Lighthizer has also been harshly critical of China, and in a 2010 Op-Ed article in The New York Times, he presaged some of Mr. Trump’s talk on trade.Mr. Lighthizer has also been harshly critical of China, and in a 2010 Op-Ed article in The New York Times, he presaged some of Mr. Trump’s talk on trade.
“Given the Tea Party’s desire to restore America’s greatness, it will push Washington to stand up to China and re-establish American pre-eminence, even at the cost of the country’s free-trade record,” Mr. Lighthizer wrote.“Given the Tea Party’s desire to restore America’s greatness, it will push Washington to stand up to China and re-establish American pre-eminence, even at the cost of the country’s free-trade record,” Mr. Lighthizer wrote.
At the same time, he has lobbied on behalf of major American corporations to pry open foreign markets.At the same time, he has lobbied on behalf of major American corporations to pry open foreign markets.
In response to the announcement, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and an ardent free-trade supporter, appears to have given up on the kinds of expansive multilateral trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that he once championed. What is left of the free-trade caucus now appears content with small deals with individual countries.In response to the announcement, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and an ardent free-trade supporter, appears to have given up on the kinds of expansive multilateral trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that he once championed. What is left of the free-trade caucus now appears content with small deals with individual countries.
“The incoming Trump administration has a unique opportunity to pursue new, bilateral trade pacts of the highest caliber that can be submitted to Congress for an up-or-down vote with no amendments,” Mr. Hatch wrote.“The incoming Trump administration has a unique opportunity to pursue new, bilateral trade pacts of the highest caliber that can be submitted to Congress for an up-or-down vote with no amendments,” Mr. Hatch wrote.
The president-elect, who targeted Boeing on its Air Force One upgrade, Lockheed on its advanced military fighter jet, and, of course, Carrier on its Indianapolis furnace plant, seems to have taken a shine to General Motors.The president-elect, who targeted Boeing on its Air Force One upgrade, Lockheed on its advanced military fighter jet, and, of course, Carrier on its Indianapolis furnace plant, seems to have taken a shine to General Motors.
In fact, it was President Obama who saved the Lordstown, Ohio, G.M. plant in 2009, with the auto bailout, visiting the factory that year to take a Chevrolet Cruze for a spin on the plant floor.In fact, it was President Obama who saved the Lordstown, Ohio, G.M. plant in 2009, with the auto bailout, visiting the factory that year to take a Chevrolet Cruze for a spin on the plant floor.
And G.M. has now responded:And G.M. has now responded:
G.M. imports hatchback versions of the Cruze from a factory in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, which was only a small percentage of the 172,000 Cruzes sold through November, spokesman Patrick Morrissey said.G.M. imports hatchback versions of the Cruze from a factory in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, which was only a small percentage of the 172,000 Cruzes sold through November, spokesman Patrick Morrissey said.
With less than three weeks left before he leaves office, Mr. Obama has a more immediate concern in Congress: how to prevent Mr. Trump and Republicans from rolling back his domestic accomplishments, especially the Affordable Care Act.With less than three weeks left before he leaves office, Mr. Obama has a more immediate concern in Congress: how to prevent Mr. Trump and Republicans from rolling back his domestic accomplishments, especially the Affordable Care Act.
Mr. Obama, who returned on Monday from a two-week vacation in Hawaii, plans to make a rare visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to huddle privately with House and Senate Democrats and discuss how to thwart the coming Republican assault on his legacy.Mr. Obama, who returned on Monday from a two-week vacation in Hawaii, plans to make a rare visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to huddle privately with House and Senate Democrats and discuss how to thwart the coming Republican assault on his legacy.
Democrats are strategizing about the best way to block the repeal of the health care law, as well as attempts to cut Medicare or Medicaid, and Mr. Obama has made it clear that he will use his remaining days in the White House to secure as many of his priorities as possible.Democrats are strategizing about the best way to block the repeal of the health care law, as well as attempts to cut Medicare or Medicaid, and Mr. Obama has made it clear that he will use his remaining days in the White House to secure as many of his priorities as possible.
Mr. Pence will make a return to the Capitol — where he served for many years as a House member from Indiana — on Wednesday. He will be there to “discuss next steps to repeal and replace #Obamacare,” Speaker Paul D. Ryan said on Monday on Twitter.Mr. Pence will make a return to the Capitol — where he served for many years as a House member from Indiana — on Wednesday. He will be there to “discuss next steps to repeal and replace #Obamacare,” Speaker Paul D. Ryan said on Monday on Twitter.
In his first speech as the newly installed Democratic leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York will put Mr. Trump on notice: “It is not our job to be a rubber stamp.”
Mr. Schumer, the only congressional leader who personally knew Mr. Trump before he was elected, has suggested that Democrats can work with him on some policy matters. But Tuesday’s speech will largely consist of warnings: “It is our job to do what’s best for the American people, the middle class and those struggling to get there,” he will say, according to prepared remarks. “If the president-elect proposes legislation that achieves that — on issues like infrastructure, trade and closing the carried interest loophole, for instance — we will work in good faith to perfect and, potentially, enact it. When he doesn’t, we will resist.”
Mr. Schumer also will cite the Constitution, noting: “The Senate has a rich, bipartisan tradition of being a constitutional check on presidents of both parties. Many in this body have long observed that in America, we are a nation of laws, not men. That sacred constitutional duty of holding the president accountable to the law must continue. Democrats will make sure of it.”
A handful of Republicans — including several former governors and members of Congress — have joined with liberal ethics activists in pressing Mr. Trump to sell his business assets to prevent White House conflicts that could be “seriously damaging” to the presidency.A handful of Republicans — including several former governors and members of Congress — have joined with liberal ethics activists in pressing Mr. Trump to sell his business assets to prevent White House conflicts that could be “seriously damaging” to the presidency.
The letter sent to Mr. Trump includes the signatures of two former Republican governors, five former Republican members of the House and a collection of prominent ethicists, including Peter Schweizer, the editor at large of Breitbart and the author of “Clinton Cash,” a book that criticized Hillary Clinton’s connections to the Clinton Foundation.The letter sent to Mr. Trump includes the signatures of two former Republican governors, five former Republican members of the House and a collection of prominent ethicists, including Peter Schweizer, the editor at large of Breitbart and the author of “Clinton Cash,” a book that criticized Hillary Clinton’s connections to the Clinton Foundation.
In a number of cases, the Republicans who signed the letter have been critics of Mr. Trump since before the election, such as former Representatives Peter Smith of Vermont and Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma. Some Republican signers, such as Arne Carlson, a former governor of Minnesota, and Christine Todd Whitman, a former governor of New Jersey, supported Mrs. Clinton for president.In a number of cases, the Republicans who signed the letter have been critics of Mr. Trump since before the election, such as former Representatives Peter Smith of Vermont and Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma. Some Republican signers, such as Arne Carlson, a former governor of Minnesota, and Christine Todd Whitman, a former governor of New Jersey, supported Mrs. Clinton for president.
But the letter suggests that Mr. Trump is beginning to face calls from a broadening universe of people to take more aggressive steps to eliminate potential conflicts, such as selling off his real estate holdings and businesses before taking office.But the letter suggests that Mr. Trump is beginning to face calls from a broadening universe of people to take more aggressive steps to eliminate potential conflicts, such as selling off his real estate holdings and businesses before taking office.
“The only way to solve the problems you face remains divesting into a blind trust managed by an independent trustee or the equivalent,” the letter says. “As long as you continue to maintain ownership of the Trump Organization, no other steps that you take will prevent the serious conflicts of interest.”“The only way to solve the problems you face remains divesting into a blind trust managed by an independent trustee or the equivalent,” the letter says. “As long as you continue to maintain ownership of the Trump Organization, no other steps that you take will prevent the serious conflicts of interest.”
The letter was organized by two former White House ethics lawyers — Richard W. Painter, who served under George W. Bush, and Norman Eisen, who served in the Obama administration — as well as Fred Wertheimer, the founder of an ethics in government group called Democracy 21.The letter was organized by two former White House ethics lawyers — Richard W. Painter, who served under George W. Bush, and Norman Eisen, who served in the Obama administration — as well as Fred Wertheimer, the founder of an ethics in government group called Democracy 21.