Friday, September 7, 2018
Fifty-two "Major Wins" Claims and Facts - Part Two of Two
26. Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
Not gone yet. The individual mandate penalty was the least popular provision of the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare). Soon after the ACA passed into law, the National Federation of Independent Businesses challenged the constitutionality of the individual mandate. The US Supreme Court ruled that the mandate was constitutional in 2012. In December 2017 Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which eliminated the individual mandate penalty - effective as of 1 January 2019.
27. My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
True and false. The Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services have approved a wide variety of both association health care plans and short-term duration health care plans (that can be renewed for up to 36 months). There are quite a few options, and groups can form their own associations for coverage. BUT - while a lot of these plans may cost less than your "regular" employer health coverage, they don't have to cover the 10 "essential benefits" that insurers must cover under the ACA. That means that the health care plans could skip coverage on prescription drugs, maternity care, mental health services or substance abuse treatments. Before you sign on to any new health care plan be sure to see a summary of your benefits - review them carefully to see exactly what your chosen plan will cover and will not cover.
28. Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts, many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases. We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs - saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
True (although the date is off) - according to the Department of Health and Human Services Report on 100 Days of Action on the American Patient First Blueprint written by Dan Best, Senior Advisor (sic) to the Secretary for Drug Pricing Reform. In July of 2018, 126 generic drugs were approved for sale by the Federal Drug Administration.
29. Signed Right-To-Try Legislation.
True. On 30 May 2018, the President signed the Right To Try legislation. However, the Right To Try legislation grants no rights. It merely grants permission for a patient to try to get experimental medication from a pharmaceutical company. Patients would be allowed to try experimental drugs, but there is nothing in the bill to make it mandatory for companies to provide these medications. Access to these experimental drugs will likely be feasible only for wealthy Americans who can afford to pay for the treatment, as well as any consequences of any negative side effects out of their own pocket.
30. Secured $6 billion in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
Yes and no. In February 2018 the federal budget targeted $6 billion for a two-year period, fiscal 2018 and 2019. At the end of March 2018, Congress appropriated $3.6 billion of those monies for fiscal 2018, which will end on 30 September.
31. We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16% during my first year in office.
True, according to new data from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, which tracks medication use and spending; in particular, higher-dose prescriptions that were above 90 morphine milligram equivalents dropped 165 in 2017. - But, all opioid prescriptions were down by 12% between 2016 and 2017; so is this a continuing trend, or has the anti-opioid campaign (which I've never seen or heard of) working?
32. Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in clinics and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
True. The President signed an executive order extending the Veteran's Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act on 19 April 2017; on 23 June 2017, Congress approved the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. On 12 January 2018, Veterans' walk-in clinics, primary urgent care clinics, and mental health clinics were expanded; and on 11 May 2018 the "Anywhere to Anywhere" Telehealth Program was instituted.
33. Increased our coal exports by 60%; U. S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
True. US coal exports rose gradually, but steadily from 2006 through 2012; but then steadily declined through 2016. In 2017, however, US coal exports rose by 61%, due to soaring demand in Europe and Asia. In June 2018, US crude oil production reached a record high of 10.67 million barrels of oil per day.
34. United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
True. The US exported more natural gas than it imported in 2017, marking the first time since 1957 that the US has been a net natural gas exporter. Net exports averaged 0.4 billion cubic feet per day last year, flipping from inflows of 1.8 billion cfpd in 2016, according to the US Energy Information Administration. (But - can Trump take credit for this? It's been a growing business in the US for years.)
35. Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
True. On 4 August 2017, the United Nations was officially notified that the US would no longer be a supporting member of the Paris Climate Agreement. (Whether the Agreement was a "job-killer" is open to interpretation.)
36. Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
Yes and no. The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating global warming that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. It became law in 2015. On 10 October 2017, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the formal process to change EPA rules and repeal the plan. Near the end of November Pruitt signed a formal proposal that would end the Clean Power Plan. The standard regulatory procedures to implement or change a regulation will likely take up to two years. Potential legal challenges may cause delays to repeal the regulation. The 2018 Federal Budget completely defunded the Clean Power Act.
The EPA projects that the Clean Power Plan will save the average American family $85 per year in energy bills in 2030, and it will save enough energy to power 30 million homes and save consumers $155 billion from 2020 through 2030. The plan would create 30 percent more renewable energy generation in 2030 and will help lower the costs of renewable energy. It would also create hundreds of thousands of jobs, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
37. Secured record $700 billion in military funding; $716 billion next year.
True. The largest amounts of funding ever for our military.
38. NATO allies are spending $69 billion more on defense since 2016.
???? I honestly cannot figure out where this figure and description of "spending" is coming from...
39. Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the armed forces.
True. Because the President wants to be the one responsible for creating this 6th Branch of the US military. It is not included, by name, in the 2019 Congressional Budget, and Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that cost estimates have not been done yet. Shanahan personally wrote the mandated Congressional Report that lays out a plan for reorganizing the space components of the military. It sys the Depart of Defense will "marsha; space resources into a Space Force."
40. Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
True. The President had 12 circuit court judges approved during his first year in office. That is more than any president in his first year since circuit courts were created in 1891.
41. Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
True on both.
42. Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
True. On 8 May 2018, the President announced the US no longer supported the Iran nuclear deal, pitting him against our closest allies. He announced he would initiate new sanctions on Iran, crippling the touchstone agreement reached by his predecessor. During his remarks, the President frequently misrepresented the provisions of the international agreement.
43. Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
True and False. The new US Embassy celebrated it's opening in Jerusalem on 14 May 2018. But on 7 June 2018, the White House issued a short press release stating that the President had signed the waiver delaying the implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act by six months, due to national security concerns. - Because the Jerusalem Embassy Act was approved by Congress in 1995, and it states that the US must recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and move its embassy to the city, or else Congress will significantly hit State Department funding. However, the legislation had a waiver attached to it, allowing the president to delay the move every six months without facing consequences if he/she believed that implementing the law would hurt American national security interests. - Since 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama consistently signed the waiver. Now the 45th President is doing it, also.
44. Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
True (if you believe that terrorists are coming to get you). Presidential Proclamation 9645 was upheld by the US Supreme Court on 26 June 2018 by a 5 to 4 vote; it was the President's third executive order regarding his Travel Ban, which places a visiting ban on seven countries, all of which are predominantly Muslim in belief.
The President's stated reason for the issuing of the executive order was to prevent terrorism. An internal report compiled by the US Department of Homeland Security's Intelligence and Analysis Unit concluded that people from the seven nations affected by the travel ban pose no increased terror risk. The report found that "country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity" and that few individuals from the seven named countries access the US in any case, since the State Department grants such a small number of visas to citizens of those countries. The report found that of 82 people determined to have been inspired by a foreign terrorist organization "to carry out or try to carry out an attack in the United States, just over half of them were US citizens born in the United States," while the rest came from a group of 26 different countries, only two of which were among the seven nations included in the Travel Ban.
45. Issued executive order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
True. On 30 January 2018 the President signed an executive order to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open. "The United States may transport additional detainees to US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay when lawful and necessary to protect the Nation," the order stated. By one estimate, it costs US taxpayers over $10 million per year for each detainee at Guantanamo Bay, as compared with $78,000 per year to detain someone in a maximum security federal prison.
46. Concluded an historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
Sorta-kinda. A preliminary agreement has been reached with Mexico to replace NAFTA. The President wants to call it the U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal; and the reach a U.S.-Canada Trade Deal separately. Both Mexico and Canada want a three-sided agreement, like NAFTA - not just a one-on-one agreement like the President wants.
47. Reached a breakthrough agreement with the EU to increase U.S. exports.
True. An agreement was reached, but I'm not sure if it's a "breakthrough." The EU head agreed to purchase more liquified natural gas and non-GMO soybeans from the US, and to work on international standards for medical devices. Specifics regarding automotive and industrial tariffs are being worked on.
48. Imposed tariffs on foreign Steel & Aluminum to protect our national security.
True. The President did impose tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum that is imported from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union - our allies. He complained of "cheap steel and aluminum," but that is being imported by China; not the three countries hit with the tariffs. - But, how do tariffs for allies on steel and aluminum "protect our national security?"
49. Imposed tariffs on China in response to China's forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
True. The President decided to impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports from China as punishment for alleged theft of American intellectual property. Such violations, from counterfeiting famous brands and stealing trade secrets to pressuring companies to share technologies, have long angered China's overseas competitors. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer just completed a seven-month investigation into China and intellectual property at the President's direction. The $50 billion figure is based on US estimates of the lost corporate earnings caused by China's alleged IP theft or forced technology transfers. US officials were said to find strong evidence that China uses foreign-ownership restrictions to compel American companies to switch technology to local firms, and that China supports and conducts cyber attacks on US companies to access trade secrets.
50. Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion this year.
???? Could not find this in any statement or release on-line. However, according to the US National Trade Data (compiled by the Census Bureau) the Report for July 2018 Trade in Goods and Services , released 5 September 2018 states: " Deficit: $50.1 Billion; Exports: $211.1 Billion; Imports: $261.2 Billion"
51. Improved vetting & screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
True. True, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced additional security enhancements and recommendations to strengthen the integrity of the US Refugee Admissions Program. These new measures are part of the administration's ongoing efforts to intensify screening and vetting for all persons seeking to travel to the US, and they are designed to keep nefarious and fradulent people from exploiting the refugee program to enter the US. The recommendations include: (1) Additional screening for certain nationals of high-risk countries. (2) Administering the USRAP in a more risk-based manner when considering the overall refugee admissions ceiling, regional allocations, and the groups of applicants considered for resettlement. (3) A periodic review and update of the refugee high-risk country list and selection criteria.
And,yes, this administration has switched it's focus to overseas resettlement, by which, they mean not allowing refugees into the United States, and pointing them toward other countries. 1 April marked the halfway point in the federal government's fiscal year, and so far, the US has only admitted 10,548 refugees, placing it on track to fall far short of its already low admission ceiling of 45,000 individuals. Resettlement workers and refugee advocates say that this is further evidence of the 45th administration's deliberate efforts to sabotage the refugee resettlement system now and for years to come.
52. We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.
Sentence one: False. Sentence two: probably true. Sentence three: probably false. - There are projects underway to replace fencing along the border in San Diego and further east in Calexico. Those call for new and taller bollard-style barriers, which include a comb-like array of steel posts that border agents can see through, some of which were planned long before the President decided to run for office.
A recent appropriation by Congress of $1.6 billion allows for the replacement of old fencing, but not for the construction of any sort of concrete or see-through wall prototype as the President requested. "The one thing we don't fund is the one issue we all campaigned on - a border security wall - and that is not in the legislation," Republican Representative Jim Jodan, founder of the House Freedom Caucus, said of the omnibus bill.
In San Diego, the project underway will replace 14 miles of scrap metal fencing that is now 8-to 10 feet high with the bollard-style barrier. That replacement will be 18-to 30 feet in height and include an anti-climbing plate, according to a US Customs and Borer Protection news release, that announced the start of construction on 1 June 2018. The press release calls it the third "border wall construction project," which is misleading. That's because none of the projects that have already started will produce the solid, 30-foot high concrete barrier that the President promised during his 2016 campaign. More specifically, they won't include any of the eight border wall prototype designs ordered by the current administration.
Not gone yet. The individual mandate penalty was the least popular provision of the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare). Soon after the ACA passed into law, the National Federation of Independent Businesses challenged the constitutionality of the individual mandate. The US Supreme Court ruled that the mandate was constitutional in 2012. In December 2017 Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which eliminated the individual mandate penalty - effective as of 1 January 2019.
27. My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
True and false. The Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services have approved a wide variety of both association health care plans and short-term duration health care plans (that can be renewed for up to 36 months). There are quite a few options, and groups can form their own associations for coverage. BUT - while a lot of these plans may cost less than your "regular" employer health coverage, they don't have to cover the 10 "essential benefits" that insurers must cover under the ACA. That means that the health care plans could skip coverage on prescription drugs, maternity care, mental health services or substance abuse treatments. Before you sign on to any new health care plan be sure to see a summary of your benefits - review them carefully to see exactly what your chosen plan will cover and will not cover.
28. Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts, many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases. We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs - saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
True (although the date is off) - according to the Department of Health and Human Services Report on 100 Days of Action on the American Patient First Blueprint written by Dan Best, Senior Advisor (sic) to the Secretary for Drug Pricing Reform. In July of 2018, 126 generic drugs were approved for sale by the Federal Drug Administration.
29. Signed Right-To-Try Legislation.
True. On 30 May 2018, the President signed the Right To Try legislation. However, the Right To Try legislation grants no rights. It merely grants permission for a patient to try to get experimental medication from a pharmaceutical company. Patients would be allowed to try experimental drugs, but there is nothing in the bill to make it mandatory for companies to provide these medications. Access to these experimental drugs will likely be feasible only for wealthy Americans who can afford to pay for the treatment, as well as any consequences of any negative side effects out of their own pocket.
30. Secured $6 billion in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
Yes and no. In February 2018 the federal budget targeted $6 billion for a two-year period, fiscal 2018 and 2019. At the end of March 2018, Congress appropriated $3.6 billion of those monies for fiscal 2018, which will end on 30 September.
31. We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16% during my first year in office.
True, according to new data from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, which tracks medication use and spending; in particular, higher-dose prescriptions that were above 90 morphine milligram equivalents dropped 165 in 2017. - But, all opioid prescriptions were down by 12% between 2016 and 2017; so is this a continuing trend, or has the anti-opioid campaign (which I've never seen or heard of) working?
32. Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in clinics and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
True. The President signed an executive order extending the Veteran's Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act on 19 April 2017; on 23 June 2017, Congress approved the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. On 12 January 2018, Veterans' walk-in clinics, primary urgent care clinics, and mental health clinics were expanded; and on 11 May 2018 the "Anywhere to Anywhere" Telehealth Program was instituted.
33. Increased our coal exports by 60%; U. S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
True. US coal exports rose gradually, but steadily from 2006 through 2012; but then steadily declined through 2016. In 2017, however, US coal exports rose by 61%, due to soaring demand in Europe and Asia. In June 2018, US crude oil production reached a record high of 10.67 million barrels of oil per day.
34. United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
True. The US exported more natural gas than it imported in 2017, marking the first time since 1957 that the US has been a net natural gas exporter. Net exports averaged 0.4 billion cubic feet per day last year, flipping from inflows of 1.8 billion cfpd in 2016, according to the US Energy Information Administration. (But - can Trump take credit for this? It's been a growing business in the US for years.)
35. Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
True. On 4 August 2017, the United Nations was officially notified that the US would no longer be a supporting member of the Paris Climate Agreement. (Whether the Agreement was a "job-killer" is open to interpretation.)
36. Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
Yes and no. The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating global warming that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. It became law in 2015. On 10 October 2017, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the formal process to change EPA rules and repeal the plan. Near the end of November Pruitt signed a formal proposal that would end the Clean Power Plan. The standard regulatory procedures to implement or change a regulation will likely take up to two years. Potential legal challenges may cause delays to repeal the regulation. The 2018 Federal Budget completely defunded the Clean Power Act.
The EPA projects that the Clean Power Plan will save the average American family $85 per year in energy bills in 2030, and it will save enough energy to power 30 million homes and save consumers $155 billion from 2020 through 2030. The plan would create 30 percent more renewable energy generation in 2030 and will help lower the costs of renewable energy. It would also create hundreds of thousands of jobs, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
37. Secured record $700 billion in military funding; $716 billion next year.
True. The largest amounts of funding ever for our military.
38. NATO allies are spending $69 billion more on defense since 2016.
???? I honestly cannot figure out where this figure and description of "spending" is coming from...
39. Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the armed forces.
True. Because the President wants to be the one responsible for creating this 6th Branch of the US military. It is not included, by name, in the 2019 Congressional Budget, and Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that cost estimates have not been done yet. Shanahan personally wrote the mandated Congressional Report that lays out a plan for reorganizing the space components of the military. It sys the Depart of Defense will "marsha; space resources into a Space Force."
40. Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
True. The President had 12 circuit court judges approved during his first year in office. That is more than any president in his first year since circuit courts were created in 1891.
41. Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
True on both.
42. Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
True. On 8 May 2018, the President announced the US no longer supported the Iran nuclear deal, pitting him against our closest allies. He announced he would initiate new sanctions on Iran, crippling the touchstone agreement reached by his predecessor. During his remarks, the President frequently misrepresented the provisions of the international agreement.
43. Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
True and False. The new US Embassy celebrated it's opening in Jerusalem on 14 May 2018. But on 7 June 2018, the White House issued a short press release stating that the President had signed the waiver delaying the implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act by six months, due to national security concerns. - Because the Jerusalem Embassy Act was approved by Congress in 1995, and it states that the US must recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and move its embassy to the city, or else Congress will significantly hit State Department funding. However, the legislation had a waiver attached to it, allowing the president to delay the move every six months without facing consequences if he/she believed that implementing the law would hurt American national security interests. - Since 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama consistently signed the waiver. Now the 45th President is doing it, also.
44. Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
True (if you believe that terrorists are coming to get you). Presidential Proclamation 9645 was upheld by the US Supreme Court on 26 June 2018 by a 5 to 4 vote; it was the President's third executive order regarding his Travel Ban, which places a visiting ban on seven countries, all of which are predominantly Muslim in belief.
The President's stated reason for the issuing of the executive order was to prevent terrorism. An internal report compiled by the US Department of Homeland Security's Intelligence and Analysis Unit concluded that people from the seven nations affected by the travel ban pose no increased terror risk. The report found that "country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity" and that few individuals from the seven named countries access the US in any case, since the State Department grants such a small number of visas to citizens of those countries. The report found that of 82 people determined to have been inspired by a foreign terrorist organization "to carry out or try to carry out an attack in the United States, just over half of them were US citizens born in the United States," while the rest came from a group of 26 different countries, only two of which were among the seven nations included in the Travel Ban.
45. Issued executive order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
True. On 30 January 2018 the President signed an executive order to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open. "The United States may transport additional detainees to US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay when lawful and necessary to protect the Nation," the order stated. By one estimate, it costs US taxpayers over $10 million per year for each detainee at Guantanamo Bay, as compared with $78,000 per year to detain someone in a maximum security federal prison.
46. Concluded an historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
Sorta-kinda. A preliminary agreement has been reached with Mexico to replace NAFTA. The President wants to call it the U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal; and the reach a U.S.-Canada Trade Deal separately. Both Mexico and Canada want a three-sided agreement, like NAFTA - not just a one-on-one agreement like the President wants.
47. Reached a breakthrough agreement with the EU to increase U.S. exports.
True. An agreement was reached, but I'm not sure if it's a "breakthrough." The EU head agreed to purchase more liquified natural gas and non-GMO soybeans from the US, and to work on international standards for medical devices. Specifics regarding automotive and industrial tariffs are being worked on.
48. Imposed tariffs on foreign Steel & Aluminum to protect our national security.
True. The President did impose tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum that is imported from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union - our allies. He complained of "cheap steel and aluminum," but that is being imported by China; not the three countries hit with the tariffs. - But, how do tariffs for allies on steel and aluminum "protect our national security?"
49. Imposed tariffs on China in response to China's forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
True. The President decided to impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports from China as punishment for alleged theft of American intellectual property. Such violations, from counterfeiting famous brands and stealing trade secrets to pressuring companies to share technologies, have long angered China's overseas competitors. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer just completed a seven-month investigation into China and intellectual property at the President's direction. The $50 billion figure is based on US estimates of the lost corporate earnings caused by China's alleged IP theft or forced technology transfers. US officials were said to find strong evidence that China uses foreign-ownership restrictions to compel American companies to switch technology to local firms, and that China supports and conducts cyber attacks on US companies to access trade secrets.
50. Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion this year.
???? Could not find this in any statement or release on-line. However, according to the US National Trade Data (compiled by the Census Bureau) the Report for July 2018 Trade in Goods and Services , released 5 September 2018 states: " Deficit: $50.1 Billion; Exports: $211.1 Billion; Imports: $261.2 Billion"
51. Improved vetting & screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
True. True, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced additional security enhancements and recommendations to strengthen the integrity of the US Refugee Admissions Program. These new measures are part of the administration's ongoing efforts to intensify screening and vetting for all persons seeking to travel to the US, and they are designed to keep nefarious and fradulent people from exploiting the refugee program to enter the US. The recommendations include: (1) Additional screening for certain nationals of high-risk countries. (2) Administering the USRAP in a more risk-based manner when considering the overall refugee admissions ceiling, regional allocations, and the groups of applicants considered for resettlement. (3) A periodic review and update of the refugee high-risk country list and selection criteria.
And,yes, this administration has switched it's focus to overseas resettlement, by which, they mean not allowing refugees into the United States, and pointing them toward other countries. 1 April marked the halfway point in the federal government's fiscal year, and so far, the US has only admitted 10,548 refugees, placing it on track to fall far short of its already low admission ceiling of 45,000 individuals. Resettlement workers and refugee advocates say that this is further evidence of the 45th administration's deliberate efforts to sabotage the refugee resettlement system now and for years to come.
52. We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.
Sentence one: False. Sentence two: probably true. Sentence three: probably false. - There are projects underway to replace fencing along the border in San Diego and further east in Calexico. Those call for new and taller bollard-style barriers, which include a comb-like array of steel posts that border agents can see through, some of which were planned long before the President decided to run for office.
A recent appropriation by Congress of $1.6 billion allows for the replacement of old fencing, but not for the construction of any sort of concrete or see-through wall prototype as the President requested. "The one thing we don't fund is the one issue we all campaigned on - a border security wall - and that is not in the legislation," Republican Representative Jim Jodan, founder of the House Freedom Caucus, said of the omnibus bill.
In San Diego, the project underway will replace 14 miles of scrap metal fencing that is now 8-to 10 feet high with the bollard-style barrier. That replacement will be 18-to 30 feet in height and include an anti-climbing plate, according to a US Customs and Borer Protection news release, that announced the start of construction on 1 June 2018. The press release calls it the third "border wall construction project," which is misleading. That's because none of the projects that have already started will produce the solid, 30-foot high concrete barrier that the President promised during his 2016 campaign. More specifically, they won't include any of the eight border wall prototype designs ordered by the current administration.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Fifty-two "Major Wins" Claims and Facts - Part One of Two
1. Almost 4 million jobs created since election.
The number of jobs created by mid-August 2018 was 3.4 million. By itself, the number sounds impressive - but a closer look at the pace of US job growth shows it has slowed since the President was elected in November 2016. Job growth statistics in the US are measured from November through October. Under President Obama in 2014 and 2015, 2.8 million jobs per year were added, with 2.5 million in 2016. After the 2016 election, there was a 2.1 million job growth rate in 2017, and, so far, 1.3 million in 2018.
2. More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
This is true - but we also have the highest recorded population in history, more than 326 million people. Just think, unemployment records have been kept in the US since 1948; the US has averaged at 5.77 percent unemployment since that time, with an all time high unemployment rating of 10.8 %, and a low of 2.5 % in May 1953. We are currently at a 3.9% unemployment rate.
3. We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
Since the election, manufacturing jobs have increased by 373,000. However, the rate of increase in manufacturing jobs has been fairly stable since around 2010, regardless of who was sitting in the Oval Office. Manufacturing jobs hit rock bottom in February 2010, but had increased by 916,000 by the time the 45th President was sworn in.
4. Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
This was true via employment reports in July. From July 2017 through July 2018, US manufacturing added 327,000 jobs; the most of any 12-month period since April 1995, when 345,000 jobs were added.
5. Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
There was a 4.1 percent growth rate for gross domestic product in the second quarter of 2018. This is a strong showing in the context of recent history, and the highest since the third quarter of 2014. Quarterly increases of at least 4 percent are not unheard of. That level was reached four times under President Obama, with 4.6 percent twice,and 5.2 percent, as well as two 3.9 percent growths.
6. New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
True. On 1 March 2018, unemployment claims were at 202,000, the lowest since March of 1969; on 26 July 2018, unemployment claims were rising at were at 217,000.
7. Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
True. It has risen each year that it has been tracked, other than during the Great Depression.
8. African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
True. In May 2018, the African-American unemployment rate reached a record low at 5.9 percent; in June, however, it rose to 6.5 percent. That is a still low number, historically.
9. Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
True. The current 4.6 percent unemployment rate is an historic record.
10. Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
True. However this specific statistic has only been calculated since 2003; the rate is usually low, hanging around 3 percent. The President is probably referring to the 2.1 percent reported in May 2018, but in June 2018 the number was back at 3.2 percent.
11. Women's unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
False. The current reported level is 3.7 percent. That is low by historical standards; but it was as low, or lower, for most of the time between August 1999 and April 2001.
12. Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
True. In July 2018, the US youth unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent, down from 8.9 in June. From 1955 until 2018, the youth unemployment rate averaged at 12.2 percent; with a high of 19.5 percent in April 2010, and a record low of 7.8 percent in September 1956.
13. Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
True. In May 2018, the unemployment rate for workers 25 or older with less than a high school diploma was 5.4 percent, down from 6.2 in May 2017. For those without a high school diploma, unemployment rates touched a 25-year record low late last year, and has held below 6% in 2018, a sharp drop from 8.5 percent in September 2016.
14. Under my Administration, veterans' unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
True. In July 2018, the unemployment rate for Veterans fell to 3 percent, down from 3.7 in 2017. The high was in 2010, when the Veteran unemployment rate reached 8.7 percent.
15. Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
"Lifted off?" The use of food stamps, or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), has been waning for the past four years. Actually, 3.6 million Americans have gone off SNAP since the election in 2016, and 3.1 million since the inauguration. Part of the reason for the decline in numbers is the current economic growth, and better local welfare and food pantry programs. The number of people receiving SNAP benefits has previously fallen, between 1981 and 1988 and 1994 and 2000 (10.3 million fewer). Analysts say an improving economy contributed to the decreases in those periods, also.
16. The Pledge to America's Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL education.
On 19 July 2018 in the East Room of the White House, the President held an event he called "The Pledge to America's Workers." According to an Associated Press report, the White House said the program "would provide at least 3.8 million new career opportunities for students and workers over the next five years, including apprenticeships, work-based learning, and continuing education.
Some of the companies signing the pledge include Apple, Boeing, General Motors, FedEx, The Home Depot, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman and Walmart. Several trade associations also committed to the job training initiative."
When Ivanka Trump, who was present at the event, was asked about having the Trump Organization to sign the Pledge to "hire Americans," she said she would not do so. This is not surprising given the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida asked for permission to hire 78 foreign workers recently. While on the campaign trail, the current President promised to "hire American" and that hiring immigrants drove wages down for Americans. The Trump Organization would not return calls regarding the Pledge.
17. 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future - highest ever.
True. On 3 July 2018, the US House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means released the late June results of a survey taken by the National Association of Manufacturers, showing that their optimism has skyrocketed. Ninety-five percent said they are optimistic about the future, which is the highest response ever recorded by the survey.
18. Retail sales surged last month, up another 6% over last year.
Sort of... In May 2018, retail trade sales rose 0.8% from April, and made the yearly raise of 6 % from May of 2017, according to the US Commerce Department's census bureau.
19. Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion poured back in to the US in the first quarter alone.
False. 45's tax cut was exceeded by the 1981 tax cut in inflation-adjusted dollars; and as a percentage of the GDP, a half-dozen or more previous tax cuts were larger. - And the second sentence is partly true, but mostly false. The Department of Commerce reported data that showed US corporations' overseas operations returned more than $300 billion in retained profits to their US parents in the first quarter alone. And those multinational companies had reduced their overseas investments by more than $400 billion in that quarter, also. Unfortunately, the Commerce Department figures reflect a legal change in accounting methods, not a change in corporate behavior.
Now that these corporations have been forced by the tax law to pay the tax on their retained profits, they are free to do anything they'd like with them. And in a blow to the President's plans, they are not increasing their capital investments in their US operations very much. Mostly they are going to continue to buy back shares or buy up other companies. A few companies have announced some minor increases in US-based investments. Corporations may have brought back $351 billion in cash, but they've announced $503 billion in share buy-backs since the tax law was passed.
20. As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
True. The top marginal tax rate has been lowered to 25%, the lowest top rate since 1931. Most small businesses, however, currently pay an effective rate of less than 25 percent. Most small businesses in the US are organized as "pass-through" companies - sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations - that don't get taxed as the 35% corporate tax rate. According to a 2009 report from the Small Business Administration, the marginal tax rate for a small business is 19.8 percent.
21. Helped win US bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
True. On 31 July 2017, Politico wrote: "The International Olympic Committee also cited the role President Donald Trump played in the city's pursuit. 'Since his election, President Trump has been personally involved in helping to make L.A.'s bid a truly American bid and the White House Office of American Innovation and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have been true partners throughout,' the statement said. 'The USOC and Los Angeles bid team greatly appreciate their strong commitment to bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States.'"
22. Helped win US-Mexico-Canada's united bid for 2026 World Cup.
True. The President wrote three letters to the FIFA World Cup selection committee, and, thanks to his guarantees, North America will host the 2026 World Cup, even though he will not be President at that time. The President promised that some of his most restrictive immigration policies would be relaxed for players and fans attending the games. In a 2 May 2018 letter, he wrote " ... all eligible athletes, officials, and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States with discrimination." In another letter, written in March, he guaranteed the US would respect FIFA rules that required the playing of any country's national anthem, the display of its flag, and respect for human rights.
23. Opened ANWR & Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
True, true, and true. First, opening ANWR - the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - for oil and gas drilling. In April 2018, the US Department of the Interior launched the process of holding lease sales for oil and gas drilling in the 1.6 million acre coastal plain of ANWR. Despite decades of resistance from conservation groups and regular citizens, the Republicans were able to quietly include opening the Refuge to oil and gas drilling by tagging it onto the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. A notice published in the Federal Register stated the 60-day public scoping period to assist in the preparation of an environmental impact statement for the leasing program.
The sale targets the 1002 area on Prudhoe Bay in Northern Alaska, which has an estimated 12 billion barrels of recoverable crude. The same area is described by the Sierra Club as "the biological heart" of the Arctic Refuge - home to polar bears, caribou, migratory birds and other species - as well as vital lands and wildlife for the subsistence way of life of the Gwich'in Nation.
"I never appreciated ANWR so much," the President said during a speech at a Republican retreat in West Virginia. "A friend of mine called up who is in that world and in that business. He said, 'Is it true that you're thinking about ANWR?' I said, 'Yeah, I think we're going to get it but you know...' He said, 'Are you kidding? That's the biggest thing by itself. Ronald Regan and every president has wanted to get ANWR approved.' And after that I said, 'Oh, make sure that is in the bill. It was amazing how that had an impact."
Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines - The Keystone XL Pipeline is a 36-inch, 1,179 mile lone pipeline proposed to carry crude oil from the crude oil sands in Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, which will then connect with another pipeline to carry the oil down to Texas refineries. The project was proposed in 2008, and approved by the President in early 2017. But Keystone XL has been bogged down in legal suits. Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club, among others initiated a lawsuit in March 2017, claiming the President's approval was unlawful. After winning the case in the US District Court for the District of Montana, TransCanada Corporation has been seeking approval from the Nebraska Public Service Commission for the final step in the permitting process for Keystone XL. Permitting was approved by a 3 to 2 vote. Now TransCanada will assess the decision and it's impacts on construction cost and schedule before commenting further. Environmental and tribal representatives opposed to the pipeline have vowed to continue their fight against the installation. In November 2017, the Keystone pipeline ( a"sister" to Keystone XL) leaked 9,700 barrels of crude oil (or 407,400 gallons) into the land of Marshall County, South Dakota. ~~~~
The Dakota Access Pipeline (or Bakken pipeline) is a 30-inch diameter pipeline that runs 1,172 miles underground from the Bakken shale oil fields in northwest North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, to an oil tank farm near Patoka, Illinois. There it joins the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline and travels to Nederland, Texas, and it's known as the Bakken system.
The $3.78 billion project was announced to the public in June 2014, and informational hearings for landowners took place between August 2014 and January 2015. Construction of the pipeline began in June 2016. It was stopped by President Obama, but the next President signed an executive order to "jump start" the pipeline on 24 January 2017. It was completed April 2017, with first oil delivered on 14 May. It became commercially operational on 1 June 2017.
The pipeline has been controversial regarding its impact on the environment. A number of Native Americans in Iowa and the Dakotas have opposed the pipeline, including the Meskwaki and several Sioux tribal nations, under the assertion that the pipeline would threaten sacred burial grounds as well as the quality of water in the area. A protest at the site in North Dakota, near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, drew international attention. (And several of my friends were arrested there.)
In 9 months, from 3 March 2017 through 14 November 2017, there were 8 known leaks from the Dakota Access Pipeline. The leaks began even before the construction was "complete." On March 3 and 5, there were two oil leaks in North Dakota. On 4 April there was a leak in South Dakota. On 23 April there was a leak in Illinois. On June 12 there was a leak in Louisiana. On 19 June there was a 4,998 gallon leak in Tennessee. And there was a leak in Iowa on 14 November.
24. Record number of regulations eliminated.
It's a toss-up - both yes and no. In the previous two administrations, covering 16 years, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs saw George W. Bush implement 2,500 final regulations, while Barack Obama finalized 2,100 regulations. Since his inauguration, the current President has repealed less than 100 regulations, or about 2% of those passed by G W Bush and Obama. Only Ronald Reagan entered the White House with an avowal to remove regulations as 45 has. However, since the beginning of our government in 1776, changes in making and braking regulations have changed quite a bit. So one cannot definitely say true or false. - Simply put: There's a long, legal process for undoing a regulation these days, let alone issuing a new one. The current President has mostly halted regulations, dashed those that were left unfinished by Obama, and has reversed executive orders.
25. Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
True. On 24 May 2018, the President signed into law the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act ( also known as the 2018 Financial Reform Act). This Act rolls back certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, providing relief to all but the largest banking organizations in the United States.
The number of jobs created by mid-August 2018 was 3.4 million. By itself, the number sounds impressive - but a closer look at the pace of US job growth shows it has slowed since the President was elected in November 2016. Job growth statistics in the US are measured from November through October. Under President Obama in 2014 and 2015, 2.8 million jobs per year were added, with 2.5 million in 2016. After the 2016 election, there was a 2.1 million job growth rate in 2017, and, so far, 1.3 million in 2018.
2. More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
This is true - but we also have the highest recorded population in history, more than 326 million people. Just think, unemployment records have been kept in the US since 1948; the US has averaged at 5.77 percent unemployment since that time, with an all time high unemployment rating of 10.8 %, and a low of 2.5 % in May 1953. We are currently at a 3.9% unemployment rate.
3. We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
Since the election, manufacturing jobs have increased by 373,000. However, the rate of increase in manufacturing jobs has been fairly stable since around 2010, regardless of who was sitting in the Oval Office. Manufacturing jobs hit rock bottom in February 2010, but had increased by 916,000 by the time the 45th President was sworn in.
4. Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
This was true via employment reports in July. From July 2017 through July 2018, US manufacturing added 327,000 jobs; the most of any 12-month period since April 1995, when 345,000 jobs were added.
5. Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
There was a 4.1 percent growth rate for gross domestic product in the second quarter of 2018. This is a strong showing in the context of recent history, and the highest since the third quarter of 2014. Quarterly increases of at least 4 percent are not unheard of. That level was reached four times under President Obama, with 4.6 percent twice,and 5.2 percent, as well as two 3.9 percent growths.
6. New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
True. On 1 March 2018, unemployment claims were at 202,000, the lowest since March of 1969; on 26 July 2018, unemployment claims were rising at were at 217,000.
7. Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
True. It has risen each year that it has been tracked, other than during the Great Depression.
8. African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
True. In May 2018, the African-American unemployment rate reached a record low at 5.9 percent; in June, however, it rose to 6.5 percent. That is a still low number, historically.
9. Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
True. The current 4.6 percent unemployment rate is an historic record.
10. Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
True. However this specific statistic has only been calculated since 2003; the rate is usually low, hanging around 3 percent. The President is probably referring to the 2.1 percent reported in May 2018, but in June 2018 the number was back at 3.2 percent.
11. Women's unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
False. The current reported level is 3.7 percent. That is low by historical standards; but it was as low, or lower, for most of the time between August 1999 and April 2001.
12. Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
True. In July 2018, the US youth unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent, down from 8.9 in June. From 1955 until 2018, the youth unemployment rate averaged at 12.2 percent; with a high of 19.5 percent in April 2010, and a record low of 7.8 percent in September 1956.
13. Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
True. In May 2018, the unemployment rate for workers 25 or older with less than a high school diploma was 5.4 percent, down from 6.2 in May 2017. For those without a high school diploma, unemployment rates touched a 25-year record low late last year, and has held below 6% in 2018, a sharp drop from 8.5 percent in September 2016.
14. Under my Administration, veterans' unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
True. In July 2018, the unemployment rate for Veterans fell to 3 percent, down from 3.7 in 2017. The high was in 2010, when the Veteran unemployment rate reached 8.7 percent.
15. Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
"Lifted off?" The use of food stamps, or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), has been waning for the past four years. Actually, 3.6 million Americans have gone off SNAP since the election in 2016, and 3.1 million since the inauguration. Part of the reason for the decline in numbers is the current economic growth, and better local welfare and food pantry programs. The number of people receiving SNAP benefits has previously fallen, between 1981 and 1988 and 1994 and 2000 (10.3 million fewer). Analysts say an improving economy contributed to the decreases in those periods, also.
16. The Pledge to America's Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL education.
On 19 July 2018 in the East Room of the White House, the President held an event he called "The Pledge to America's Workers." According to an Associated Press report, the White House said the program "would provide at least 3.8 million new career opportunities for students and workers over the next five years, including apprenticeships, work-based learning, and continuing education.
Some of the companies signing the pledge include Apple, Boeing, General Motors, FedEx, The Home Depot, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman and Walmart. Several trade associations also committed to the job training initiative."
When Ivanka Trump, who was present at the event, was asked about having the Trump Organization to sign the Pledge to "hire Americans," she said she would not do so. This is not surprising given the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida asked for permission to hire 78 foreign workers recently. While on the campaign trail, the current President promised to "hire American" and that hiring immigrants drove wages down for Americans. The Trump Organization would not return calls regarding the Pledge.
17. 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future - highest ever.
True. On 3 July 2018, the US House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means released the late June results of a survey taken by the National Association of Manufacturers, showing that their optimism has skyrocketed. Ninety-five percent said they are optimistic about the future, which is the highest response ever recorded by the survey.
18. Retail sales surged last month, up another 6% over last year.
Sort of... In May 2018, retail trade sales rose 0.8% from April, and made the yearly raise of 6 % from May of 2017, according to the US Commerce Department's census bureau.
19. Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion poured back in to the US in the first quarter alone.
False. 45's tax cut was exceeded by the 1981 tax cut in inflation-adjusted dollars; and as a percentage of the GDP, a half-dozen or more previous tax cuts were larger. - And the second sentence is partly true, but mostly false. The Department of Commerce reported data that showed US corporations' overseas operations returned more than $300 billion in retained profits to their US parents in the first quarter alone. And those multinational companies had reduced their overseas investments by more than $400 billion in that quarter, also. Unfortunately, the Commerce Department figures reflect a legal change in accounting methods, not a change in corporate behavior.
Now that these corporations have been forced by the tax law to pay the tax on their retained profits, they are free to do anything they'd like with them. And in a blow to the President's plans, they are not increasing their capital investments in their US operations very much. Mostly they are going to continue to buy back shares or buy up other companies. A few companies have announced some minor increases in US-based investments. Corporations may have brought back $351 billion in cash, but they've announced $503 billion in share buy-backs since the tax law was passed.
20. As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
True. The top marginal tax rate has been lowered to 25%, the lowest top rate since 1931. Most small businesses, however, currently pay an effective rate of less than 25 percent. Most small businesses in the US are organized as "pass-through" companies - sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations - that don't get taxed as the 35% corporate tax rate. According to a 2009 report from the Small Business Administration, the marginal tax rate for a small business is 19.8 percent.
21. Helped win US bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
True. On 31 July 2017, Politico wrote: "The International Olympic Committee also cited the role President Donald Trump played in the city's pursuit. 'Since his election, President Trump has been personally involved in helping to make L.A.'s bid a truly American bid and the White House Office of American Innovation and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have been true partners throughout,' the statement said. 'The USOC and Los Angeles bid team greatly appreciate their strong commitment to bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States.'"
22. Helped win US-Mexico-Canada's united bid for 2026 World Cup.
True. The President wrote three letters to the FIFA World Cup selection committee, and, thanks to his guarantees, North America will host the 2026 World Cup, even though he will not be President at that time. The President promised that some of his most restrictive immigration policies would be relaxed for players and fans attending the games. In a 2 May 2018 letter, he wrote " ... all eligible athletes, officials, and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States with discrimination." In another letter, written in March, he guaranteed the US would respect FIFA rules that required the playing of any country's national anthem, the display of its flag, and respect for human rights.
23. Opened ANWR & Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
True, true, and true. First, opening ANWR - the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - for oil and gas drilling. In April 2018, the US Department of the Interior launched the process of holding lease sales for oil and gas drilling in the 1.6 million acre coastal plain of ANWR. Despite decades of resistance from conservation groups and regular citizens, the Republicans were able to quietly include opening the Refuge to oil and gas drilling by tagging it onto the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. A notice published in the Federal Register stated the 60-day public scoping period to assist in the preparation of an environmental impact statement for the leasing program.
The sale targets the 1002 area on Prudhoe Bay in Northern Alaska, which has an estimated 12 billion barrels of recoverable crude. The same area is described by the Sierra Club as "the biological heart" of the Arctic Refuge - home to polar bears, caribou, migratory birds and other species - as well as vital lands and wildlife for the subsistence way of life of the Gwich'in Nation.
"I never appreciated ANWR so much," the President said during a speech at a Republican retreat in West Virginia. "A friend of mine called up who is in that world and in that business. He said, 'Is it true that you're thinking about ANWR?' I said, 'Yeah, I think we're going to get it but you know...' He said, 'Are you kidding? That's the biggest thing by itself. Ronald Regan and every president has wanted to get ANWR approved.' And after that I said, 'Oh, make sure that is in the bill. It was amazing how that had an impact."
Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines - The Keystone XL Pipeline is a 36-inch, 1,179 mile lone pipeline proposed to carry crude oil from the crude oil sands in Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, which will then connect with another pipeline to carry the oil down to Texas refineries. The project was proposed in 2008, and approved by the President in early 2017. But Keystone XL has been bogged down in legal suits. Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club, among others initiated a lawsuit in March 2017, claiming the President's approval was unlawful. After winning the case in the US District Court for the District of Montana, TransCanada Corporation has been seeking approval from the Nebraska Public Service Commission for the final step in the permitting process for Keystone XL. Permitting was approved by a 3 to 2 vote. Now TransCanada will assess the decision and it's impacts on construction cost and schedule before commenting further. Environmental and tribal representatives opposed to the pipeline have vowed to continue their fight against the installation. In November 2017, the Keystone pipeline ( a"sister" to Keystone XL) leaked 9,700 barrels of crude oil (or 407,400 gallons) into the land of Marshall County, South Dakota. ~~~~
The Dakota Access Pipeline (or Bakken pipeline) is a 30-inch diameter pipeline that runs 1,172 miles underground from the Bakken shale oil fields in northwest North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, to an oil tank farm near Patoka, Illinois. There it joins the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline and travels to Nederland, Texas, and it's known as the Bakken system.
The $3.78 billion project was announced to the public in June 2014, and informational hearings for landowners took place between August 2014 and January 2015. Construction of the pipeline began in June 2016. It was stopped by President Obama, but the next President signed an executive order to "jump start" the pipeline on 24 January 2017. It was completed April 2017, with first oil delivered on 14 May. It became commercially operational on 1 June 2017.
The pipeline has been controversial regarding its impact on the environment. A number of Native Americans in Iowa and the Dakotas have opposed the pipeline, including the Meskwaki and several Sioux tribal nations, under the assertion that the pipeline would threaten sacred burial grounds as well as the quality of water in the area. A protest at the site in North Dakota, near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, drew international attention. (And several of my friends were arrested there.)
In 9 months, from 3 March 2017 through 14 November 2017, there were 8 known leaks from the Dakota Access Pipeline. The leaks began even before the construction was "complete." On March 3 and 5, there were two oil leaks in North Dakota. On 4 April there was a leak in South Dakota. On 23 April there was a leak in Illinois. On June 12 there was a leak in Louisiana. On 19 June there was a 4,998 gallon leak in Tennessee. And there was a leak in Iowa on 14 November.
24. Record number of regulations eliminated.
It's a toss-up - both yes and no. In the previous two administrations, covering 16 years, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs saw George W. Bush implement 2,500 final regulations, while Barack Obama finalized 2,100 regulations. Since his inauguration, the current President has repealed less than 100 regulations, or about 2% of those passed by G W Bush and Obama. Only Ronald Reagan entered the White House with an avowal to remove regulations as 45 has. However, since the beginning of our government in 1776, changes in making and braking regulations have changed quite a bit. So one cannot definitely say true or false. - Simply put: There's a long, legal process for undoing a regulation these days, let alone issuing a new one. The current President has mostly halted regulations, dashed those that were left unfinished by Obama, and has reversed executive orders.
25. Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
True. On 24 May 2018, the President signed into law the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act ( also known as the 2018 Financial Reform Act). This Act rolls back certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, providing relief to all but the largest banking organizations in the United States.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
White House Response to "Fear"
On 6 November 2018 - in 62 days - the United States mid-term elections will take place. The White House and the President are now pushing back on journalist Bob Woodward's new book, Fear, which will be released on 11 September, and which describes internal chaos inside the 45th administration. The White House released a list of "52 major wins," including the economy, an increase in jobs, the tax cut to companies, immigration policy, the fight against ISIS, regulation reductions, and the placement of conservative judges to top courts.
The list included a White House statement denouncing Woodward's new book; and the President is claiming that Woodward didn't try hard enough to interview him. Woodward contacted seven or eight members of the President's staff and three US Senators over a period of 10 weeks requesting an interview. During a telephone interview with Woodward, after the book was at the publisher's, the President said that he guessed it would be another negative book about him, but then touted his achievements, saying: "All I can say is the country is doing very well. We're doing better economically just about than at any time. We're doing better on unemployment maybe than ever. You know, I mean, if you look at the unemployment numbers, you've heard me say it. And we're doing better on unemployment than just about ever. We're having a lot of - a lot of companies are moving back into our country, which would've been unheard of two years ago. If the other administration or representatives of it had kept going, had kept - you know, if the other group had won, I will tell you, that you would have, I think you'd have a GDP of less than zero. I think we would've been going in the wrong direction. Because regulations are such a big part of what we've done, Bob." (This is me - I'm sorry, but, what the heck? What is he rambling on about?)
The President's list is below - (I will be examining his claims tomorrow)
(The capitalizations and wording are direct from the list)
* Almost 4 million jobs created since election.
* More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
* We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
* Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
* Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
* New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
* Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
* African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
* Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
* Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
* Women's unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
* Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
* Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
* Under my Administration, veterans' unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
* Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
* The Pledge to America's Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL education.
* 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future - highest ever.
* Retail sales surged last month, up another 6% over last year.
* Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion dollars (sic) poured back in to the U.S. in the first quarter alone.
* As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
* Helped to win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
* Helped to win U.S.-Mexico-Canada's united bid for 2026 World Cup.
* Opened ANWR & Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
* Record number of regulations eliminated.
* Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
* Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
* My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
* Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts,many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases. We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs - saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
* Signed Right-To-Try Legislation.
* Secured $6 billion dollars (sic) in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
* We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16% during my first year in office.
* Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
* Increased our coal exports by 60%; U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
* United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
* Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
* Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
* Secured record $700 billion dollars (sic) in military funding; $716 billion next year.
* NATO allies are spending $69 billion dollars (sic) more on defense since 2016.
* Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the armed forces.
* Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
* Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; Nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
* Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
* Moved U. S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
* Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
* Issued executive order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
* Concluded an historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
* Reached a breakthrough agreement with the EU to increase U.S. exports.
* Imposed tariffs on foreign Steel & Aluminum to protect our national security.
* Imposed tariffs on China in response to china's forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
* Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion dollars (sic) this year.
* Improved vetting & screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
* We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.
(This is me again - I can't believe that someone allowed this out with the dollar sign in front of the numbers and followed by the word dollars again.... That's the reason for the "sic" notations.)
The list included a White House statement denouncing Woodward's new book; and the President is claiming that Woodward didn't try hard enough to interview him. Woodward contacted seven or eight members of the President's staff and three US Senators over a period of 10 weeks requesting an interview. During a telephone interview with Woodward, after the book was at the publisher's, the President said that he guessed it would be another negative book about him, but then touted his achievements, saying: "All I can say is the country is doing very well. We're doing better economically just about than at any time. We're doing better on unemployment maybe than ever. You know, I mean, if you look at the unemployment numbers, you've heard me say it. And we're doing better on unemployment than just about ever. We're having a lot of - a lot of companies are moving back into our country, which would've been unheard of two years ago. If the other administration or representatives of it had kept going, had kept - you know, if the other group had won, I will tell you, that you would have, I think you'd have a GDP of less than zero. I think we would've been going in the wrong direction. Because regulations are such a big part of what we've done, Bob." (This is me - I'm sorry, but, what the heck? What is he rambling on about?)
The President's list is below - (I will be examining his claims tomorrow)
(The capitalizations and wording are direct from the list)
* Almost 4 million jobs created since election.
* More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
* We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
* Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
* Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
* New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
* Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
* African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
* Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
* Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
* Women's unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
* Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
* Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
* Under my Administration, veterans' unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
* Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
* The Pledge to America's Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL education.
* 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future - highest ever.
* Retail sales surged last month, up another 6% over last year.
* Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion dollars (sic) poured back in to the U.S. in the first quarter alone.
* As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
* Helped to win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
* Helped to win U.S.-Mexico-Canada's united bid for 2026 World Cup.
* Opened ANWR & Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
* Record number of regulations eliminated.
* Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
* Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
* My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
* Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts,many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases. We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs - saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
* Signed Right-To-Try Legislation.
* Secured $6 billion dollars (sic) in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
* We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16% during my first year in office.
* Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
* Increased our coal exports by 60%; U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
* United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
* Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
* Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
* Secured record $700 billion dollars (sic) in military funding; $716 billion next year.
* NATO allies are spending $69 billion dollars (sic) more on defense since 2016.
* Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the armed forces.
* Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
* Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; Nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
* Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
* Moved U. S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
* Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
* Issued executive order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
* Concluded an historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
* Reached a breakthrough agreement with the EU to increase U.S. exports.
* Imposed tariffs on foreign Steel & Aluminum to protect our national security.
* Imposed tariffs on China in response to china's forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
* Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion dollars (sic) this year.
* Improved vetting & screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
* We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.
(This is me again - I can't believe that someone allowed this out with the dollar sign in front of the numbers and followed by the word dollars again.... That's the reason for the "sic" notations.)
Andalusian Horses - Photos
The Andalusian horse originates from the rugged, hilly areas of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, and is one of the most ancient breeds of horse. They have a beautiful, almost magical, appearance with a balanced body, long and muscular neck, powerful but shapely legs, sensitive eyes, a free-flowing sweeping tail and a long majestic mane and forelock. They are registered as Pure Spanish Horses in Spain, or PRE - Pura Raza Español. These horses were used as the foundation stock of many of breeds, including the Lippizaner and the Friesian.
"Fear" - Bob Woodward's New Book
Author and reporter Robert (Bob) Woodward, journalist for The Washington Post, has won two Pulitzer Prizes, including one for his coverage (along with Carl Bernstein) of the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation. His reporting comes with the credibility of a long and storied history that separates his new book, Fear, from previous and more recent books written about the 45th President. Fear will be available to the public on Tuesday, 11 September, which is Patriot Day in the United States - a fact that I find delightful. I believe it is 446 pages long, and includes a lot of detail.
Woodward's book relies on hundreds of hours of taped interviews and dozens of sources in the President's inner circle, as well as documents, files, diaries, and memos, including a note handwritten by the President himself. Woodward explains that he talked with sources on "deep background," meaning he could use all the information given, but not say who provided it.
Fear offers a devastating portrait of a dysfunctional White House, detailing how senior aides - both current and former administration officials - grew exasperated with the President and increasingly worried about his erratic behavior, ignorance, and penchant for gross lies. Chief of Staff John Kelly describes the 45th President as an "idiot" and "unhinged," Woodward reports. Defense Secretary James Mattis decribes the President as having the understanding of "a fifth or sixth grader." And the President's former personal lawyer, John Dowd, describes the President as "a fucking liar," telling him he would end up in "an orange jumpsuit" if he testified before Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The President's closest advisers described him erupting in rage and profanity,and noted that he seemed to enjoy humiliating others. Regarding Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General, that he appointed he said, "This guy is mentally retarded." Then, feigning a southern accent, he said, "He's this dumb southerner." The President said of Reince Priebus: "He's like a little rat. He just scurries around." Priebus, who was blindsided when the President announced his firing on Twitter, referred to the Presidential bedroom as "the devil's workshop" and called the early morning hours and Sunday night - a time of many of the President's news-breaking Tweets - "the witching hour."
The President, however, sees himself as a Twitter wordsmith. When Twitter expanded it's character count to 280 (doubling from the original 140) characters, the President said, "It's a good thing, but it's a bit of a shame because I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters."
Yesterday, White House press secretary Sarah Suckabee Sanders said, "This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad. While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, the President has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people. Sometimes it is unconventional, but he always gets results."
Bob Woodward, however, said he stood by his reporting. He sums up the state of the 45th President's White House by writing that the President is an "emotionally overwrought, mercurial, and unpredictable leader." Referring to several instances noted in the book, where staffers removed papers and notes from the Presidential desk, Woodward writes that the staff's decision to circumvent the President was "a nervous breakdown of the executive power of the most powerful country in the world."
Woodward's book relies on hundreds of hours of taped interviews and dozens of sources in the President's inner circle, as well as documents, files, diaries, and memos, including a note handwritten by the President himself. Woodward explains that he talked with sources on "deep background," meaning he could use all the information given, but not say who provided it.
Fear offers a devastating portrait of a dysfunctional White House, detailing how senior aides - both current and former administration officials - grew exasperated with the President and increasingly worried about his erratic behavior, ignorance, and penchant for gross lies. Chief of Staff John Kelly describes the 45th President as an "idiot" and "unhinged," Woodward reports. Defense Secretary James Mattis decribes the President as having the understanding of "a fifth or sixth grader." And the President's former personal lawyer, John Dowd, describes the President as "a fucking liar," telling him he would end up in "an orange jumpsuit" if he testified before Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The President's closest advisers described him erupting in rage and profanity,and noted that he seemed to enjoy humiliating others. Regarding Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General, that he appointed he said, "This guy is mentally retarded." Then, feigning a southern accent, he said, "He's this dumb southerner." The President said of Reince Priebus: "He's like a little rat. He just scurries around." Priebus, who was blindsided when the President announced his firing on Twitter, referred to the Presidential bedroom as "the devil's workshop" and called the early morning hours and Sunday night - a time of many of the President's news-breaking Tweets - "the witching hour."
The President, however, sees himself as a Twitter wordsmith. When Twitter expanded it's character count to 280 (doubling from the original 140) characters, the President said, "It's a good thing, but it's a bit of a shame because I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters."
Yesterday, White House press secretary Sarah Suckabee Sanders said, "This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad. While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, the President has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people. Sometimes it is unconventional, but he always gets results."
Bob Woodward, however, said he stood by his reporting. He sums up the state of the 45th President's White House by writing that the President is an "emotionally overwrought, mercurial, and unpredictable leader." Referring to several instances noted in the book, where staffers removed papers and notes from the Presidential desk, Woodward writes that the staff's decision to circumvent the President was "a nervous breakdown of the executive power of the most powerful country in the world."
Monday, September 3, 2018
Labor Day History - And Child Labor Photos 1908-1912
Labor Day is celebrated today in the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks, ball games and other public gatherings and displays. For many Americans, it represents the end of summer and the beginning of the new public school year. However, Labor Day, in and of itself, is an annual celebration of workers and their achievements - and it began during one of the American labor history's most appalling chapters.
In the late 1880s the average American worked a 12-hour day year-round to barely eke out a living at the height of the Industrial Revolution. While a few states had restrictions, kids as young as 5 or 6, worked in mills, factories, and mines - earning a tiny fraction of an adult's wage. Folks of all ages faced extremely unsafe working conditions, without fresh air, without work breaks, and without bathrooms.
Labor unions began to appear as manufacturing increased and agricultural jobs began to disappear. The labor unions grew vocal and more prominent in cities. They began organizing rallies and strikes to protest these awful working conditions and to compel employers to renegotiate working hours and pay. Some of these events became violent, including the infamous Haymarket Riot in 1886, where several workers and Chicago policemen lost their lives.
Another event gave rise to our current Labor Day: On 5 September 1882, in New York City, 10,000 workers took an unpaid day off to march from City Hall to Union Square - and the first Labor Day parade in US history happened. The idea of a "workingmen's holiday," to be celebrated on the first Monday in September, took hold in other industrial and manufacturing cities across the nation, and several states passed legislation recognizing it.
However, the United States Congress would not legalize Labor Day as a holiday until 12 years later, when the employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives on 11 May 1894. On 26 June, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. This crippled railroad traffic across the entire nation. To break the strike the federal government sent troop to Chicago; this unleashed a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers.
In the wake of this huge unrest, and in an attempt to repair ties with everyday workers,Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, all states, and the territories. President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.
One hundred and twenty-four years later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified. Many credit Peter J McGuire, co-founder of the American federation of Labor; others say that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.
The Act set a work week of 40 hours, with a minimum wage of 40 cents per hour. It prohibited child labor under age 16, while allowing minors 16 and over to work in non-hazardous occupations. The Act set 18 as the minimum age for work in industries classified as hazardous. No minimum age was set for non-hazardous agricultural employment after school hours and during vacations. Children aged 14 and 15 could be employed in non-manufacturing, non-mining, and non-hazardous occupations outside of school hours and during vacations for limited hours.
In the late 1880s the average American worked a 12-hour day year-round to barely eke out a living at the height of the Industrial Revolution. While a few states had restrictions, kids as young as 5 or 6, worked in mills, factories, and mines - earning a tiny fraction of an adult's wage. Folks of all ages faced extremely unsafe working conditions, without fresh air, without work breaks, and without bathrooms.
Labor unions began to appear as manufacturing increased and agricultural jobs began to disappear. The labor unions grew vocal and more prominent in cities. They began organizing rallies and strikes to protest these awful working conditions and to compel employers to renegotiate working hours and pay. Some of these events became violent, including the infamous Haymarket Riot in 1886, where several workers and Chicago policemen lost their lives.
Another event gave rise to our current Labor Day: On 5 September 1882, in New York City, 10,000 workers took an unpaid day off to march from City Hall to Union Square - and the first Labor Day parade in US history happened. The idea of a "workingmen's holiday," to be celebrated on the first Monday in September, took hold in other industrial and manufacturing cities across the nation, and several states passed legislation recognizing it.
However, the United States Congress would not legalize Labor Day as a holiday until 12 years later, when the employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives on 11 May 1894. On 26 June, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. This crippled railroad traffic across the entire nation. To break the strike the federal government sent troop to Chicago; this unleashed a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers.
In the wake of this huge unrest, and in an attempt to repair ties with everyday workers,Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, all states, and the territories. President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.
One hundred and twenty-four years later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified. Many credit Peter J McGuire, co-founder of the American federation of Labor; others say that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following photographs, taken by Lewis Hine between 1908 and 1912 while working as an investigator for the National Child Labor Committee. Child labor was condemned publicly, but continued, even with acts of child labor reform laws. In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, better known as the Federal Wage and Hour Law. It was declared constitutional by the US Supreme Court in 1941, having faced several state court cases.The Act set a work week of 40 hours, with a minimum wage of 40 cents per hour. It prohibited child labor under age 16, while allowing minors 16 and over to work in non-hazardous occupations. The Act set 18 as the minimum age for work in industries classified as hazardous. No minimum age was set for non-hazardous agricultural employment after school hours and during vacations. Children aged 14 and 15 could be employed in non-manufacturing, non-mining, and non-hazardous occupations outside of school hours and during vacations for limited hours.
Boys at the Bibb Mill No.1 in Macon, Georgia
Coal "Breaker Boys" in Pittston, Pennsylvania
Cigar makers in Tampa, Florida - they all smoke
Furman Owens, aged 12, has worked 4 years in a cotton mill -
does not know the alphabet
Manuel, aged , shrimp picker in Biloxi, Mississippi -
does not speak or understand English
Michael McNelis, aged 8, a newsie, recovering from second
case of pneumonia in 4 months, working in rain
Norris Luvitt has been picking berries near Baltimore, Maryland
for 3 years
Warren Frakes, age 6, picking cotton in Comanche County, Oklahoma.
He picked 41 pounds of cotton the previous day.
A young girl (height 51 inches) runs 4 sides of machines in the mill
in Whitnel, North Carolina and earns 48 cents per day.
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