MEXICO/PROTESTS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald J. Trump in 2020 asked Mark T. Esper, his defense secretary, about the possibility of launching missiles into Mexico to ‘destroy the drug labs’ and wipe out the cartels, maintaining that the United States’ involvement in a strike against its southern neighbor could be kept secret, Mr. Esper recounts in his […]
Category: Cabinet
1/7/2021
CABINET: “U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned Thursday because of the mob attack on the Capitol fueled by President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, saying the riot had ‘deeply troubled’ her. Chao is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and is the first Trump Cabinet member to quit in connection with Wednesday’s chaos.” […]
12/20/2020
BIDEN PEOPLE/CABINET/JOE BIDEN/NATIONAL PARKS/NATIVE AMERICANS: “As the first Native American Cabinet Secretary in our nation’s history, Congresswoman [Debra] Haaland [D-NM] will be a true steward of our national parks, natural resources, and all of our lands.“ ––Joe Biden, Twitter.com, December 20, 2020 11:50 am […]
12/16/2020
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN/CABINET/TRANSPORTATION: “Over the past few weeks, Vice President-Elect Harris and I have been announcing nominees to our cabinet. They are people of the highest character, varied experiences and backgrounds who are going to help us beat this pandemic, keep us safe and secure, and build our economy back better than it ever was… We’ll […]
12/16/2020
BIDEN PEOPLE/CABINET/JOE BIDEN/KAMALA HARRIS: “.@KamalaHarris and I are building a historic Cabinet. A Cabinet that looks like America and taps into the best of this nation.“ ––Joe Biden, Twitter.com, December 16, 2020 1:11 pm […]
2/6/2020
CABINET/CAMPAIGN/ELECTION/IOWA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Dispatching Cabinet secretaries across the country to woo Iowa voters. Using private cash to finance an official made-for-TV moment. Delivering a State of the Union address that doubled as a campaign kickoff speech. Holding an impeachment acquittal victory rally in the White House East Room. President Donald Trump made clear this week […]
10/29/2019
CABINET/FOREIGN POLICY/RELIGION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Ralph Drollinger, who has spent much of the last three years teaching the Gospel to President Trump’s cabinet, dresses like a man of the world. One morning this summer, during a layover at Miami International Airport, he was the very picture of American business — a friendly-looking, dark-suited, jowly man […]
10/18/2019
CABINET/ENERGY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “….He is also my friend! At the same time, I am pleased to nominate Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette to be the new Secretary of Energy. Dan’s experience in the sector is unparalleled. A total professional, I have no doubt that Dan will do a great job!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 18, […]
10/18/2019
CABINET/ENERGY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “I want to thank Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for the outstanding job he has done. He will be leaving at the end of the year to pursue other interests. Rick was a great Governor of Texas and a great Secretary of Energy….” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 18, 2019 2:34 pm […]
10/18/2019
CABINET/ENERGY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/UKRAINE: “President Trump said on Friday [10-18-19] that he would nominate Dan Brouillette, the deputy secretary of energy, to succeed Rick Perry as energy secretary after the former Texas governor said he would resign amid scrutiny over his role in the Ukraine scandal. As Mr. Perry’s deputy, Mr. Brouillette has been in […]
10/18/2019
AUTO INDUSTRY/CABINET/ENERGY/LOBBYING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump likes to say that people in his political orbit come straight out of central casting, ‘tough hombres’ from far beyond the Capital Beltway ready to roil the swamp. Increasingly, though, his cabinet is full of lobbyists. On Friday [10-18-19] came the latest lobbyist elevation. Out went Energy Secretary […]
10/17/2019
CABINET/ENERGY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [10-17-19] confirmed that Energy Department Secretary Rick Perry would leave the administration by the end of this year…The news comes after POLITICO reported earlier this month that Perry planned to step down by the end of this year. He is facing a Friday deadline to comply […]
10/16/2019
CABINET/DEMS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Do Nothing Democrats, Pelosi and Schumer stormed out of the Cabinet Room! https://t.co/hmP4FNhemv” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 16, 2019 5:42 pm […]
7/9/2019
CABINET/LABOR/LEGAL/SEX ABUSE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump said Tuesday [7-9-19] that he feels ‘very badly’ for Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, as the embattled Cabinet official faces an onslaught of calls by Democratic lawmakers to resign for his role in brokering financier Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal on sex abuse charges…Last year, former press secretary […]
7/9/2019
CABINET/LABOR/LEGAL/SEX ABUSE/TRUMP PEOPLE “Labor Secretary R. Alexander Acosta on Tuesday [7-9-19] faced fresh calls to resign, and rising pressure from inside the Trump administration, over his role in brokering a lenient plea deal over sex crimes for the New York financier Jeffrey E. Epstein as a federal prosecutor in Miami more than a decade ago. […]
6/18/2019
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A little more than a year ago, moments after he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by tweet, President Donald Trump looked ahead optimistically to reshaping his Cabinet. Standing on the White House driveway, the president told reporters, ‘I’m really at a point where we’re getting very close to having the […]
5/20/2019
CABINET/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Access to a government jet 24 hours a day. An office in the West Wing, plus guaranteed weekends off for family time. And an assurance of being made secretary of homeland security by November. Those were among a list of 10 conditions that Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state, has given […]
4/4/2019
CABINET/TRUMP PEOPLE: “I am pleased to announce that Jovita Carranza will be nominated as the new @SBAgov Administrator. She will be replacing Linda McMahon, who has done an outstanding job. Jovita was a great Treasurer of the United States – and I look forward to her joining my Cabinet!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 4, 2019 […]
3/29/2019
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling executive turned government official, is leaving her post as administrator of the Small Business Administration. McMahon is leaving President Donald Trump’s administration to join his outside political group, America First, two sources familiar with the move confirmed to CNN. The President deemed McMahon a ‘superstar’ […]
3/29/2019
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Linda McMahon is stepping down as head of Small Business Administration to chair the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action, according to three people familiar with the move. Trump allies have spent weeks searching for someone to chair the super PAC, which officials view as a key plank in the president’s […]
3/1/2019
CABINET/TRUMP PEOPLE/SEX ABUSE: “Until recently, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta was probably one of President Donald Trump’s least controversial Cabinet members. But now he is facing rising pressure over his handling of a sex offender case involving a well-connected billionaire. On February 21, a federal judge ruled that Miami prosecutors, led by then-US Attorney Acosta, broke […]
2/4/2019
CABINET/INTERIOR/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday [2-4-19] that he will nominate acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to the job permanently, saying he has done ‘a fantastic job from the day he arrived.’ Bernhardt has been serving temporarily since Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke departed the Trump Cabinet nearly two months ago […]
1/2/2019
AFGHANISTAN/CABINET/DEFENSE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Patrick Shanahan was thrust into the spotlight during his debut as acting U.S. defense secretary on Wednesday [1-2-19], sitting next to President Donald Trump as he publicly disparaged Shanahan’s predecessor, lampooned the war in Afghanistan and called Syria a land of ‘sand’ and ‘death.’ The former deputy defense secretary officially took […]
12/6/2018
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump is still looking for a new United Nations ambassador. He has no deputy national security adviser. His attorney general and Environmental Protection Agency administrator are serving in acting capacities, and his constant badmouthing of his chief of staff and secretary of Homeland Security has undermined their authority. The […]
11/28/2018
CABINET/CIA/JAMES MATTIS/MEDIA/MIKE POMPEO/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two senior U.S. Cabinet members urged senators on Wednesday [11-28-18] not to downgrade ties with Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but lawmakers from both parties said they could not turn a blind eye to reports that the country’s de facto ruler was involved in last […]
11/23/2018
CABINET/MIKE PENCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “As President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence prepared to gather for their weekly lunch in August 2017, the President told his staff to add two more plates. Both men had just welcomed new chiefs of staff — retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly and Nick Ayers, a then-34-year-old […]
11/19/2018
CABINET/E-MAILS/IVANKA/TRUMP FAMILY: “Ivanka Trump last year used a personal email account to discuss or relay official White House business, according to emails released by a nonpartisan watchdog group. The Washington Post reported Monday [11-19-18] the White House conducted an investigation into Trump’s email usage and that she used her personal email address for much of […]
11/16/2018
CABINET/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Andrew Wheeler, a former congressional aide and lobbyist who has led the Environmental Protection Agency since his scandal-plagued predecessor resigned earlier this year, got President Donald Trump’s nod Friday for the permanent job. Wheeler’s promotion from acting to permanent EPA chief would keep him as a methodical and effective agent in Trump’s mission […]
11/13/2018
CABINET/DEMS/ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump is weighing an administration-wide shakeup as he looks to prepare his White House for divided government, but it is unclear who is going and who is staying. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was thought to be out as soon as this week, according to two people with knowledge […]
11/13/2018
CABINET/DHS/JOHN KELLY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump is moving toward major shuffles of his cabinet and his West Wing staff, as members of the Trump family are working to leave a mark on personnel decisions after a bruising midterm election cycle, several people familiar with the discussions said on Tuesday [11-13-18]. Mr. Trump is almost […]
11/13/2018
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Another round of upheaval engulfed President Donald Trump’s White House on Tuesday [11-13-18], with the future of several senior aides in doubt just a week after U.S. congressional elections. Three Trump cabinet members – Chief of Staff John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke – could […]
11/8/2018
AGRICULTURE/CABINET/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said today that he did not plan to step down from his Cabinet duties, amid reports that the president is getting ready to make several changes by the end of the year that could reshape the character of his administration..As many as six Cabinet members could leave by […]
11/8/2018
CABINET/INTERIOR/MEDIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has been exploring potential roles with Fox News, the energy industry or other businesses amid growing signs that he will leave President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as he faces investigations into his ethics, according to people knowledgeable about the discussions. The news comes just a day after Trump told reporters […]
11/7/2018
CABINET/ELECTION/JEFF SESSIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have been the first Trump Cabinet-level member purged in the wake of the midterm elections — but he is unlikely to be the last. Several Trump Cabinet officials and senior aides are on the ropes and could be pushed out by the end of the […]
11/5/2018
CABINET/ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “President Donald Trump said Monday [11-5-18] that it’s likely there will be a shakeup of his Cabinet after the midterm elections, though he declined to elaborate on any changes aside from filling the vacant U.N. ambassador post. Trump told reporters before he left Washington for his final campaign blitz that ‘administrations usually […]
10/17/2018
BUDGET/CABINET/DEFICIT/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump, faced with a budget deficit at a six-year high, on Wednesday [10-17-18] told his Cabinet to come up with proposals to cut spending by their agencies by 5 percent, but he suggested the military would be largely spared…The administration is beginning to pull together plans for the president’s […]
9/21/2018
CABINET/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump vowed Friday [9-21-18] night to eradicate a ‘lingering stench’ at the Justice Department, hours after it was reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed wearing a ‘wire’ to record conversations with Trump and recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from […]
9/21/2018
CABINET/FBI/INTELLIGENCE/JAMES COMEY/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, suggested last year that he secretly record President Trump in the White House to expose the chaos consuming the administration, and he discussed recruiting cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office for being unfit. Mr. Rosenstein […]
6/15/2018
CABINET/NOMINATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VA: “The last two secretaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs were private-sector outsiders intent on bringing expertise from beyond Washington’s Capital Beltway into the VA. But Robert Wilkie, President Donald Trump’s presumptive nominee to head the department, is the opposite—a long-serving public official steeped in federal bureaucracy. Mr. Wilkie has decades of […]
6/15/2018
CABINET/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump repeatedly singled out one person for helping put the historic meeting together: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Since the Senate confirmed Mr. Pompeo in April, the president has relied on his secretary of state—who backed the decision […]
4/19/2018
CABINET/DEMS/MIKE POMPEO/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo has been one of the few cabinet members to thrive in President Donald Trump’s administration. He recently had a successful meeting, by the White House’s accounting, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. His next task: winning over Senate Democrats to become secretary of state. […]
4/9/2018
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Great @Cabinet meeting at the @WhiteHouse this morning!” https://t.co/kzmfovwUeb https://t.co/7AgbwbFNuw -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 9, 2018 2:32 pm […]
4/4/2018
CABINET/GOP/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump may be relishing the chance to shake up his administration. But the Senate is threatening to upend his plans. After using Twitter to abruptly oust his secretaries of state and veterans affairs and promote his CIA chief, the president is counting on the Senate GOP’s slim majority to […]
4/3/2018
CABINET/ENERGY/RICK PERRY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Energy Secretary Rick Perry once called for abolishing the agency he now runs — though he forgot its name. His biggest policy initiative of the past year went down in resounding defeat. And he was photographed in a bear hug with a coal magnate seeking a special break from the White House. […]
4/2/2018
CABINET/DAVID SHULKIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VA: “Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has repeatedly insisted that the White House fired him from his job at the department. The White House says Shulkin resigned. Which of those two things actually happened could have sweeping implications that could throw an agency beset with challenges even further into turmoil. When […]
3/21/2018
CABINET/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A few weeks after he was elected president of the United States, Donald Trump had an idea. In between meetings with future Cabinet secretaries and well-wishers in his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York, the President-elect decided he would require his White House staff to sign non-disclosure […]
3/16/2018
CABINET/GOP/MIKE POMPEO/NOMINATIONS/RAND PAUL/REX TILLERSON/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House was hoping for a smooth 2018 on Capitol Hill. Instead, President Donald Trump is staring at two bitter confirmation fights — and the possibility emboldened Democrats could block his new Cabinet nominees. Trump’s decision to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson at the State […]
3/15/2018
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In his first full cabinet meeting last June, President Trump invited a chorus of gushing praise from his top aides by boasting that he had assembled a ‘phenomenal team of people, a great group of talent.’ But in the nine months since then, Mr. Trump has fired or forced out a […]
3/15/2018
CABINET/INFRASTRUCTURE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “RT @WhiteHouse: Yesterday, five @Cabinet Secretaries testified on the Hill on the need to rebuild our Nation’s crumbling infrastructure. President Trump’s plan will renew our country’s once-great infrastructure and help build a more prosperous future for all Americans.” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 15, 2018 12:47pm […]
3/14/2018
CABINET/INFRASTRUCTURE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Five of our incredible @Cabinet Secretaries are testifying on the Hill this morning on the need to rebuild our Nation’s crumbling infrastructure. We need to build FAST & we need to build for our FUTURE. Thank you @SenateCommerce for hosting this hearing! #InfrastructureInAmerica” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 14, 2018 08:54am […]
3/13/2018
CABINET/ETHICS/GOP/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “When Mick Mulvaney left Congress to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet in early 2017, he kept his re-election bank account alive and has spent more than $50,000 from it since, including donations to several Republican lawmakers the White House was lobbying. A watchdog group and a former Federal Election Commission official say […]
3/9/2018
CABINET/ETHICS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House held private meetings with four Cabinet-level officials last month to scold them for embarrassing stories about questionable ethical behavior at their respective agencies, sources familiar with the sessions tell CNN. Internal watchdogs have launched at least nine audits, reviews or investigations across several Cabinet agencies, and stories about first-class travel, […]
3/8/2018
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Great meeting with @Cabinet at the @WhiteHouse today! #MAGA https://t.co/InWj0QTosz” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 8, 2018 01:58pm […]
2/14/2018
CABINET/DEMS/GOP: “Today, I was honored to be joined by Republicans and Democrats from both the House and Senate, as well as members of my Cabinet – to discuss the urgent need to rebuild and restore America’s depleted infrastructure. https://t.co/8ByoQJsjTT https://t.co/BVBRDvHfcC” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 14, 2018 02:11pm […]
1/10/2018
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW https://t.co/yv6RALkQf3” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Jan. 10, 2018 03:08pm […]
1/7/2018
CABINET/DONALD ON DONALD/POLITICS: “Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Jan. 7, 2018 09:33am […]
12/20/2017
BEN CARSON/CABINET/RELIGION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In an unusual moment, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson led members of the Trump cabinet in prayer during a meeting on Tuesday [12-19-17], thanking God ‘for a President and for cabinet members who are courageous, who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide […]
11/1/2017
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Great mtg w/ @Cabinet today. Tomorrow, I will be announcing the new head of the Fed. I think you will be extremely impressed by this person! https://t.co/5ASJVLGAiG” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 1, 2017 10:21pm […]
9/29/2017
CABINET/TRUMP EXEC ORDERS: ” ‘Continuance of Certain Federal Advisory Committees’ The order extends certain federal advisory committees until September 30, 2019. Trump extended 32 federal advisory committees, including the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee, and the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Presidents routinely issue similar orders extending the lifetime […]
8/27/2017
CABINET/CRISIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Going to a Cabinet Meeting (tele-conference) at 11:00 A.M. on #Harvey. Even experts have said they’ve never seen one like this!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 27, 2017 09:31am […]
8/7/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The average temperature in the United States has risen rapidly and drastically since 1980, and recent decades have been the warmest of the past 1,500 years, according to a sweeping federal climate change report awaiting approval by the Trump administration. The draft report by scientists from 13 federal agencies, which has […]
6/28/2017
CABINET/HHS/TRUMP PEOPLE/TOM PRICE: “Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s appointment to be a cabinet secretary inadvertently saved him a big stock market loss, while as many as five members of congress may not have been so lucky. When Dr. Price was appointed to run HHS, he said he would sell 461,238 shares in an […]
6/26/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/EPA/LEGAL: “The Environmental Protection Agency’s chief of staff pressured the top scientist on the agency’s scientific review board to alter her congressional testimony and play down the dismissal of expert advisers, his emails show. Deborah Swackhamer, an environmental chemist who leads the E.P.A.’s Board of Scientific Counselors, was to testify on May 23 before […]
6/26/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Students who received publicly funded vouchers in Indiana and Louisiana appeared to lose significant academic ground in the first two years after switching to private schools but then caught up to their public-school counterparts in subsequent years, according to two studies made public Monday [6-26-17]. The studies do not show that vouchers […]
6/22/2017
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump offered an explanation Wednesday [6-21-17] for why he has one of the wealthiest Cabinets in history. ‘I love all people — rich or poor — but in those particular positions, I just don’t want a poor person,’ he said at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. ‘Does that […]
6/21/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said this week she plans to appoint Arthur Wayne Johnson, the chief executive of a private student loan company, to run the federal government’s trillion-dollar financial aid operations. The announcement Tuesday [6-21-17] did not mention Johnson’s role as founder and chief executive of Reunion Student Loan Finance Corporation, […]
6/20/2017
CABINET/NATIONAL DEBT/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVE MNUCHIN: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday [6-20-17] he isn’t concerned about U.S. tax receipts coming in lower than expected in recent months. If the trend continues, it could shorten the amount of time the government has before it runs out of cash to pay its bills unless Congress raises the federal […]
6/19/2017
CABINET/CIA/NATIONAL SECURITY: “CIA Director Mike Pompeo carves out three hours almost every weekday to drive from Langley, Virginia, to the White House with his team to give President Donald Trump his national security briefing in person. The CIA director’s treks to the West Wing reflect Trump’s insistence on frequent meetings with favored members of his […]
6/14/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “The Trump administration is delaying new rules that would erase the federal loan debt of student borrowers cheated by for-profit colleges. The announcement by the Education Department on Wednesday came just weeks before the rules, finalized during the Obama administration, were to take effect on July 1. The new rules stood to […]
6/13/2017
CAMPAIGN/FBI/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Last month’s appointment of Robert S. Mueller III as a special counsel to investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia enraged President Trump. Yet, at least initially, he holstered his Twitter finger and publicly said nothing. But behind the scenes, the president soon began entertaining the idea of firing […]
6/13/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday [6-13-17] that criticism of her position on discrimination in schools is ‘hurtful’ and ‘couldn’t be further from the truth.’ ‘I think discrimination in any form is wrong and I have said before and I’ll say again, the department is committed to ensuring that every child has […]
6/13/2017
BUDGET/CABINET/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will defend the Trump administration’s proposal to cut almost one third of the State Department budget in the face of tough questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday [6-14-17]. Mr. Tillerson’s congressional appearances, beginning Tuesday morning before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be the first time he […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday proposed significantly scaling back the borders of a national monument in southeastern Utah, in a legally unprecedented move that opponents say violates a century-old law signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Bears Ears National Monument is a 1.3-million-acre conservation area that was designated by President Barack Obama […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Finally held our first full @Cabinet meeting today. With this great team, we can restore American prosperity and br… https://t.co/b0roksHTFE” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 12, 2017 04:10pm […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke informed President Donald Trump on Monday [6-12-17] that he was delaying his decision on the controversial Bears Ears National Monument, putting off the final decision until later in 2017. In a memo to the President, Zinke says he has produced at ’45-day interim report’ on the national monument […]
6/6/2017
CABINET/DHS/INTELLIGENCE/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE/JOHN KELLY: “At least one top Trump Cabinet official is bucking administration policy when it comes to oversight requests from Congress. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told senators on Tuesday during congressional testimony that his department will respond to any inquiry from members of Congress, no matter who sends the request. A May 1 […]
6/6/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “What exactly would a federal school voucher program look like, and would it fund schools that discriminate against students based on their gender, religion, race or sexual orientation? That question was a major flash point — once again — on Tuesday as senators in an appropriations subcommittee questioned U.S. Secretary of Education […]
6/5/217
AMBASSADOR/CABINET/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump accused Democrats in the Senate of slowing the confirmation process for his appointees, including foreign ambassadors, even though Senate rules allow Republicans, the chamber’s majority party, to move appointees along without Democratic votes. ‘Dems are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors. They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want […]
6/5/2017
CABINET/HUD/TRUMP PEOPLE/BEN CARSON: “Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is standing by his controversial comment that poverty is a ‘state of mind,’ but he says that ‘how a person thinks’ is only one component that contributes to being poor. ‘What I said is that it is a factor. A part of poverty can be […]
6/2/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Since her confirmation as the education secretary, Betsy DeVos has been the Trump cabinet member liberals love to hate, denouncing her as an out-of-touch, evangelical billionaire without the desire or capacity to protect vulnerable poor, black, immigrant, gay or transgender students. But while Ms. DeVos has been reluctant to express sympathy for […]
6/2/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “The State Department is declining to say why Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not attend President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was pulling the US out of the Paris climate agreement. A senior State Department official told CNN Thursday Tillerson wasn’t planning on attending because he had other business at […]
5/25/2017
CABINET/HUD/TRUMP PEOPLE/BEN CARSON: “Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said in an interview Wednesday [5-23-17] that having ‘the wrong mindset’ contributes to poverty. ‘I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind,’ the retired neurosurgeon said during an interview with SiriusXM Radio released on Wednesday evening. ‘You take somebody that […]
5/24/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/LGBT/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos refused to say Wednesday [5-24-17] whether she would block private schools that discriminate against LGBT students from receiving federal dollars, explaining that she believes states should have the flexibility to design voucher programs and that parents should be able to choose schools that best fit their children’s needs. […]
5/24/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. warplanes dropped more weapons on Afghanistan in April than in any other single month since 2012, according to new statistics, as military officials press U.S. President Donald Trump to send thousands more troops to the country. The escalation in the use of American air power was partly due to an effort […]
5/22/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos promised Monday [5-22-17] evening that President Trump would propose ‘the most ambitious expansion of education choice in our nation’s history,’ but she offered no details about the administration’s plans. Speaking in Indianapolis before a friendly audience of school voucher proponents, she instead laid out a moral case to […]
5/23/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/MILITARY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Defense Secretary James Mattis was taken by surprise when the US Air Force dropped a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, also known as the ‘Mother of All Bombs,’ on Islamic State targets in Afghanistan in April, according to a recent report in The New Yorker. The decision to use the largest nonnuclear […]
5/19/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “The Department of Education said Friday [5-19-17] that it will select one company to collect student debt payments on its behalf, rather than the nine contractors that currently handle the federal government’s $1.2 trillion portfolio of education loans. The decision, which would take effect once the existing contracts expire in 2019, reverses […]
5/19/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday [5-19-17] the U.S.-led coalition was now encircling Islamic State fighters in their strongholds in a tactical shift before starting a military campaign to destroy them. Also speaking at the Pentagon on Friday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, said […]
5/18/2017
CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday [5-18-17] pledged to treat ‘very seriously’ any business dealings President Donald Trump or his family might have with foreign companies flagged by officials as national security risks. Mnuchin did not say any such cases existed. A senior Democrat pressed Mnuchin, in an appearance before senators, […]
5/18/2017
BANKING/CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “In 2008, as the financial crisis swirled, the federal government rushed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. The two giant mortgage-finance companies became wards of the state under a new regulator that would manage their affairs until they were healthy enough to stand on their own. Nearly nine years later, they’re […]
5/18/2017
CABINET/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will tell lawmakers Thursday [5-18-17] the administration’s goal of achieving sustainable economic growth of 3% or higher is reachable ‘if we make historic reforms to both taxes and regulation.’ In brief prepared testimony to be delivered to the Senate Banking Committee, Mr. Mnuchin also reiterated the Trump administration’s […]
5/14/2017
CABINET/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended himself Sunday [5-14-17] from criticism leveled at him by Sen. John McCain. The Republican senator wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month that Tillerson’s warning against ‘conditioning our foreign policy too heavily on values’ told oppressed people the world over that the US […]
5/11/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told representatives of Canada, Russia and other nations with Arctic territory that the U.S. needs time to develop its climate policy but is listening to other nations’ concerns. ‘We are appreciative that each of you has an important point of view, and you should know […]
5/11/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS/TURKEY: “U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis voiced strong support for Turkey’s fight against PKK militants after talks with Turkey’s prime minister on Thursday [5-11-17], as Ankara fumes over a U.S. decision to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria it equates to PKK allies. Mattis expressed optimism that Washington and Ankara would work through […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/NATO/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to the eastern edge of the NATO alliance on Wednesday [5-10-17] to pledge American solidarity with the Baltic nations, but he stopped short of giving his hosts in Lithuania what they wanted: a commitment to base Patriot missile-defense systems in the region. With Russia adopting an […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Four U.S. states have sued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, the Interior Department and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to block new leases of public lands for coal mining, according to papers filed on Tuesday in Montana federal court. State prosecutors for California, New Mexico, New York and Washington are arguing […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/PROTESTS/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “A week after President Donald Trump suggested his administration might cut $25 million in capital funding to historically black colleges and universities, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told Bethune-Cookman University’s class of 2017 that she ‘is fully committed to your success’ — a line that was met by deafening boos from the students […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/COMMERCE/CENSUS: “As work gears up for the 2020 Census, the bureau announced on Tuesday [5-9-17] that Director John Thompson will leave the agency next month instead of at the end of the year. ‘As I pursue opportunities in the private sector, please be assured that I will continue to be supportive of the administration’s priority […]
5/9/2017
CABINET/EDUCATION/PROTESTS/TRUMP PEOPLE/BETSY DEVOS: “A leading civil rights group on Monday [5-8-17] called for the resignation of top leaders at a historically black university where Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is set to deliver the commencement address. The NAACP Florida State Conference is urging the university president and board chairman of Bethume-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, […]
5/8/2017
CABINET/FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE/REX TILLERSON: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Washington on Wednesday [5-3-17] to discuss Ukraine, Syria and bilateral issues, the State Department announced Monday. ‘On Ukraine, the sides will discuss the need to stop the violence in eastern Ukraine and resolve the conflict through the […]