Republicans begin to acknowledge the President’s oversights in another busy day from the Trump White House
US President Donald Trump (2nd-L) holds a National Economic Council listening session with the CEOs of small and community banks, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 9, 2017. Trump was joined by Kenneth Burgess (L), Chairman of the First Capital Bank of Texas; Dorothy Savarese, CEO of Cape Cod Five Mutual Company (C); Gary Cohn, National Economic Council Director; and Leslie Anderson, CEO of Bank of Bennington. (Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Getty Images)
Washington state takes on travel ban
Washington state joined Hawaii on Thursday as the first two states to officially ask federal judges to block President Trump’s latest executive order for a travel ban. But if all goes Trump’s way, his new ban will go into effect March 16.
Repealing Obamacare
The path to repealing Obamacare cleared several hurdles on Thursday as both the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted in favour of the Republicans’ new proposal.
Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2017
But while Trump seems keen to dismantle Obamacare quickly, even Republican senators are now speaking up to urge all parties to act slowly and carefully to make sure the process gets things right.
1. House health-care bill can't pass Senate w/o major changes. To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don't get it fast.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 9, 2017
2. GOP shouldn't act like Dems did in O'care. No excuse to release bill Mon night, start voting Wed. With no budget estimate!
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 9, 2017
3. What matters in long run is better, more affordable health care for Americans, NOT House leaders' arbitrary legislative calendar.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 9, 2017
‘Uh, no.’
Trump has claimed—over and over again—that Mexico will pay for a border wall with the U.S., while Mexico has replied—over and over again—that it won’t. On Thursday, Politico asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell whether he thinks Trump will indeed get Mexico to pay. His reply? “Uh, no.”
Here come the cuts
Trump has made it very clear he’s going to bolster the U.S. military, but at what cost to everything else at home? The Washington Post reported Thursday that preliminary budget documents are looking at more than $6 billion worth of cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including community development grants and support for public housing.