The Federal Tap: Highlights from Trump’s East Asia tour

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November 10, 2017Issue No. 89

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Week in review
On tap next week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here's what happened in federal politics last week. To see what happened in state and local politics, click here.

Saturday, November 4

Pro-Trump group criticizes potential Arizona Senate candidate Martha McSally

  • Although U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R) has not yet declared a run for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, she has already become the target of a digital ad campaign criticizing her immigration policy. Great America Alliance, a nonprofit affiliated with the pro-Trump Great America PAC, released Amnesty Marthy last week—a website accusing McSally of supporting amnesty for individuals residing in the U.S. illegally. Anthony Barry, McSally's campaign manager, responded, "This group should know fake news when they see it. The real news is that Martha votes for the President’s agenda more than anyone else in Arizona. Fact, Martha is one of the strongest members on border security in Congress as the Chairwoman of the border security subcommittee." With incumbent Sen. Jeff Flake (R) retiring after this term, former state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) is the frontrunner in the Republican primary. She was endorsed by Great America PAC last month.

Sunday, November 5

Trump meets with service members at Yokota Air Base; golfs with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

  • After landing in Japan, President Donald Trump greeted American and Japanese service members and their families at Yokota Air Base in Tokoyo. During a speech, Trump also thanked members of the military for their service and reaffirmed the U.S.-Japan alliance. He said, “Japan is a treasured partner and crucial ally of the United States, and today we thank them for welcoming us and for decades of wonderful friendship between our two nations. Americans have deep respect for the people of Japan, their amazing culture, their strong spirit and their very proud history.” After leaving the air base, Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo. Trump and Abe signed hats that read, "Make Alliance Even Greater." The hats were a gift to Trump from the Japanese, according to a White House official. The two leaders then played golf with professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama. During the round, Trump and Abe discussed trade and North Korea

Monday, November 6

Trump and Abe reaffirm U.S.-Japan alliance; discuss North Korea and trade

  • On his second day in Japan, President Donald Trump spoke to U.S. and Japanese Business leaders and participated in meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During a press conference, Trump and Abe said that they are in agreement on how to handle North Korea’s aggression and pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
    • Abe said, “Japan consistently supports the position of President Trump when he says that all options are on the table. Through the talks over two days, I once again strongly reaffirmed that Japan and U.S. are 100 percent together. … There is no point in the dialogue for the sake of dialogue with North Korea. Now is the time not for dialogue but for applying maximum level of pressure on North Korea.”
    • Trump added, “The era of strategic patience [with North Korea] is over. Some people said that my rhetoric is very strong, but look what's happened with very weak rhetoric over the last 25 years. Look where we are right now."
    • Trump also discussed trade with Japan, saying, “America is also committed to improving our economic relationship with Japan. As President of the United States, I am committed to achieving a fair, free, and reciprocal trading relationship. We seek equal and reliable access for American exports to Japan's markets in order to eliminate our chronic trade imbalances and deficits with Japan. We're working on that -- something we've all been working on very hard from the very beginning of our meetings.” In January, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP), which included Japan, saying that he would seek bilateral trade deals instead of multinational deals.

Braun makes six-figure ad buy in Indiana Senate race

  • Mike Braun (R), who resigned his seat in the Indiana House of Representatives last week to focus on his U.S. Senate race, made a $324,000 ad buy. In his first television ad, Braun says, "Washington's inaction has cost our country trillions in debt and lost opportunity. I'm running for United States Senate to get Washington moving again." He is set to face off against U.S. Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita and four other Republicans in the primary next May.

Tuesday, November 7

Trump becomes first president to visit Republic of Korea in 25 years; discusses North Korea and trade with President Moon

  • President Donald Trump participated in a bilateral meeting and a joint press conference with President Moon Jae-in. The leaders discussed North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, bringing peace to the Korean peninsula, and trade. During the press conference, Moon thanked Trump for visiting the ROK and noted that it was the first state visit by the U.S. president to the ROK in 25 years. They then reaffirmed the U.S.-ROK alliance and called on North Korea to end its nuclear weapons and missile programs and discuss denuclearization. When asked if he thought his administration’s diplomatic strategy for handling North Korea was working, Trump said he thought that they were making progress. He added, “I really believe that it makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and to make a deal that's good for the people of North Korea and the people of the world.” Trump’s call for negotiations was a departure from his previous comments on North Korea. In October, Trump said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was “wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” a reference to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
    • Later in the day, while en route to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North Korea and the Republic of Korea, Trump had to abandon the secretly planned and unannounced visit because of bad weather. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “This did not work out as planned." She added that it was “something the president wanted to do.”
    • In the evening, Trump spoke to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (ROK). During his speech, Trump praised the ROK for its success and compared it to North Korea. He also issued a warning to North Korea if it continues to provoke the U.S. and its allies. He said, "America does not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will never run from it. History is filled with discarded regimes that have foolishly tested America’s resolve. Anyone who doubts the strength or determination of the United States should look to our past, and you will doubt it no longer. We will not permit America or our allies to be blackmailed or attacked. We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. We will not be intimidated. And we will not let the worst atrocities in history be repeated here, on this ground, we fought and died so hard to secure." Trump concluded his speech by calling on every nation to isolate North Korea.
    • See also: Donald Trump’s trip to Asia, November 2017

Provo City Mayor John Curtis wins special election in UT-03

Plurality of AZ voters undecided in Senate race; Sinema has 7-point lead over Ward

  • U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D) expanded her lead over former state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) in a hypothetical matchup for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona to 7 points, 34 percent to 27 percent, according to a new HighGround poll. A plurality of voters—39 percent—remain undecided in the race. “The numbers continue to show that Ward is a flawed General Election candidate, and her nomination would likely result in a loss of the seat for Republicans. With the apparent ceiling of support for Ward, there is clearly room for a different Republican candidate to emerge as a credible challenger with a path to victory, such as Congresswoman Martha McSally or Great Hearts founder Jay Heiler," said HighGround President Chuck Coughlin. Commenting on potential regional pitfalls for Sinema, Coughlin said, "We have yet to see the popularity she enjoys within the left leaning Congressional District 9 translate to rural areas such as Yuma and Yavapai counties—home to some of the larger cities outside Maricopa County, where she needs to be competitive.”

Wednesday, November 8

Moore maintains double-digit lead over Jones in AL Senate special election

Senate holds confirmation hearing for Kirstjen Nielsen, Trump’s pick for DHS secretary

  • The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a confirmation hearing for Kirstjen Nielsen to be the next secretary of homeland security. In her opening statement, Nielsen said that cyber attacks are one of the most significant threats facing the nation. When asked about the importance of building a border wall, she said, “There is no need for a wall from sea to shining sea. Technology, as you know, plays a key part and we can’t forget it. There’s a lot we can do with technology to secure our border.” She also discussed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, saying that they would not be targets for deportation. The Senate Homeland Security Committee will vote on her nomination before she gets a full Senate vote. She will need 51 votes for confirmation. If confirmed, she will be the first DHS secretary with previous experience working at the agency.

Thursday, November 9

Bartos exits Senate race in Pennsylvania

  • Real estate developer Jeff Bartos (R) announced that he was exiting the Senate race in Pennsylvania to run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with state Sen. Scott Wagner (R). With Bartos out of the race, retired energy executive Paul Addis (R), who self-funded 99 percent of the $962,000 he raised through the third quarter of 2017, is the only contender so far in the Republican primary with resources to challenge U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R). The Associated Press reported in May that Barletta had President Donald Trump's support, as he was encouraged to enter the Senate race by Trump.

Senate Homeland Security Committee delays vote on Nielsen for DHS secretary

  • The Senate Homeland Security Committee delayed a vote on Kirstjen Nielsen’s nomination to be secretary of homeland security because of 197 follow-up questions that she received from committee members. The committee was expected to vote on the nomination today, but Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) said that the vote would be delayed until at least Monday.
    • Johnson questioned the number of follow-up questions Nielsen received, saying, “To put things into perspective, about the only comparable secretary nomination mid-cycle was Jeh Johnson. He got 42 questions for the record after the nomination hearing. Kirstjen Nielsen got 197. Jeh Johnson’s nomination was moved out of committee within 23 days. We’re at the 24 day mark here. I just think it’s important for this department in particular to have leadership at the helm.” Jeh Johnson was the last secretary of homeland security under the Obama administration.
    • Ranking member Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) responded, saying, “I certainly agree that we want to do this as quickly as possible, but that delay was more about us waiting for information that we always get for nominees. Nobody was doing anything on our side to delay anything for this nomination."

Steyer spends additional $10 million on impeachment ads

  • California investor and philanthropist Tom Steyer announced he would spend an additional $10 million on advertisements calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. In October, Steyer made a $10 million ad purchase on Fox News calling for impeachment, but the ad was pulled after the network said it received viewer complaints. Trump himself criticized Steyer’s efforts, tweeting, “Wacky & totally unhinged Tom Steyer, who has been fighting me and my Make America Great Again agenda from beginning, never wins elections!”

Trump judicial nominees head towards final confirmation vote

  • The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance five of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. These nominees now head for a final confirmation vote in the Senate. Two of the nominees, Brett Talley and Holly Lou Teeter, were rated not qualified by a majority of the American Bar Association’s standing committee on the federal judiciary. The Washington Post reported that the committee’s nomination hearings on those nominees were conducted before the ABA ratings were released. Several senators have raised questions about the impartiality of the ABA’s ratings. In response to the committee’s not qualified rating of Eighth Circuit nominee Steven Grasz, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) gave a floor speech in which he stated that if the ABA didn’t recant its rating that “I think we should recognize that the fiction of the ABA as a serious organization that ought to be taken seriously as a neutral and partial arbiter of qualifications for the federal bench should be dispensed with and we in this body who've actually taken an oath to three separate but equal branches with differentiated roles of legislating, executing, and ultimately judging, would continue to affirm that distinction and that we should want judges who do not try to be super legislators but rather seek to attend themselves to the facts and the law as is indeed the calling of Article 3 branch judges.” Another Nebraska senator, Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), called the process of Grasz’s ABA evaluation biased and said the “tactics used by the ABA are not right. They show contempt for ideas that do not fit the interviewer’s personal beliefs and in no way portray an attempt to carefully consider whether or not Steve Grasz is capable of being a fair judge. This wasn’t an evaluation. It was a partisan, shameful attack. It was intended to further the political agenda of the two evaluators and damage Steve’s sterling legal reputation.” Pamela Bresnahan, chair of the ABA committee that rates federal judicial nominees, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week to answer senators’ questions about its ratings process. In addition to Talley and Teeter, the nominees who were reported on Thursday were Greg Katsas, Jeffrey Uhlman Beaverstock, and Emily Coody Marks. There are currently 19 nominees to life-term judicial positions under Article III of the U.S. Constitution who are awaiting a final confirmation vote in the Senate.

Trump calls for fair and reciprocal trade relationship with China; discusses North Korea, extremism in Afghanistan, and trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping

  • During a meeting with business leaders, President Donald Trump called for a fair and reciprocal trade relationship. He said that he did not blame China for the trade imbalance; instead, he blamed past administrations for the imbalance. Trump said, “Both the United States and China will have a more prosperous future if we can achieve a level economic playing field. Right now, unfortunately, it is a very one-sided and unfair one. But -- but I don't blame China. After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? I give China great credit. I do blame past administrations for allowing this out-of-control trade deficit to take place and to grow. We have to fix this because it just doesn't work for our great American companies, and it doesn't work for our great American workers. It is just not sustainable.”
    • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized Trump for his comments, saying, “The president may not blame China, but I do, and so do millions of Americans who voted for him and others who have lost their jobs at the hands of China’s rapacious trade policies. After campaigning like a lion against China’s trade practices, the president is governing like a lamb. Rather than treating China with kid gloves, the president should be much tougher with China — as he promised he would be on the campaign trail."
    • For more on Trump’s second day in China, click here.

Senate GOP releases tax bill

  • The Senate released its version of the tax bill, and it has some key differences from the House, including a delay in the corporate tax-rate cut, the number of individual tax brackets, and the tax rate for pass-through businesses, among other things. Lawmakers will have to work out these differences before voting on a final bill. The Senate Finance Committee will begin marking up the bill next week. A summary of the bill appears below.
    • Keeps the seven-bracket tax structure: 10, 12, 22.5, 32.5, 35, 38.5 percent. The top rate of 38.5 percent would start at $1 million for married couples and $500,000 for individuals.
    • Cuts the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. The cut would be delayed until 2019.
    • Increases standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples.
    • Expands the child tax credit from $1,000 to $1,650 and phases out for married couples making $1 million.
    • Eliminates the state and local tax deduction, including property taxes.
    • Keeps the 40 percent estate tax, but doubles the estate tax exemption to a maximum of $11 million per person.
    • Creates a 17.4 percent deduction for pass-through business income.
    • Keeps the adoption tax credit.
    • Keeps the charitable contribution deduction.
    • Keeps the mortgage interest deduction for homes up to $1 million.
    • Keeps the medical expense deduction.
    • Repeals the alternative minimum tax.
    • Doubles the exemption from the estate tax.

House approves tax bill with amendment

  • The House Ways and Means Committee voted 24-16, along party lines, to approve the final version of the GOP’s tax bill. The bill now heads to the House floor for a full vote, likely next week. An amendment offered by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was approved before final passage. It included the following, according to Brady and The Wall Street Journal:
    • Creation of “a new 9% tax rate for certain income received by small businesses.”
    • Requires “companies to spread their deductions for research expenses over five years in many cases and 15 years in other instances.”
    • Alters “a 20% excise tax on payments from U.S. companies to related foreign firms.
    • Alters “the rules for when charities can engage in political speech. Currently, they are prohibited from doing so or risk losing their tax exemptions. Under the proposal, they could engage in such speech in the course of their ordinary activities and as long as their expenses are minimal. That's broader than the previous version, which had applied only to religious organizations. The expanded version would expire after 2023.”
    • Preserves the adoption tax credit.

Responses to sexual abuse allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Moore

  • The Washington Post reported that a woman accused former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore of initiating sexual contact with her in 1979 when she was 14 years old and he was 32. Three other women alleged Moore pursued them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18. Moore denied the allegations in a statement, calling them a "desperate political attack.”
    • Several Republican members of Congress—including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sens. Richard Shelby (Ala.), Tim Scott (S.C.), and Rob Portman (Ohio)—said on Thursday afternoon that Moore should leave the Senate race if the allegations were true.
    • Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, “The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.”
    • Other Republicans, including state auditor Jim Ziegler and state Rep. Ed Henry, defended Moore. “There’s just nothing immoral or illegal here. Maybe just a little bit unusual,” said Ziegler. Henry said, "I don't believe [Moore’s accusers]. Maybe there is some legal prosecution for lying and interfering with a political process. But probably not. I would suspect there would be some type of litigation and lawsuits coming at some point. I don't believe them."
    • If the Republican Party wanted to remove Moore from the ballot, it could not do so, according to John Bennett, a spokesman for the Alabama secretary of state. If the party were to revoke his nomination or Moore withdraw from the race, then votes placed for him would not count, even if they were to surpass support for the Democratic candidate. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who was re-elected in 2010 through a write-in campaign, has reportedly spoken with incumbent Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) about the process.
    • See also: United States Senate special election in Alabama, 2017

Friday, November 10

Political aftermath of sexual abuse allegations against Moore

  • Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore (R) and former U.S. attorney Doug Jones (D) are tied at 46 percent in the special election for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, according to a new poll from Decision Desk HQ/Opinion Savvy. The survey was conducted following The Washington Post report where a woman alleged she had a sexual encounter with Moore when she was 14 and he was 32 in 1979. Moore denied the allegations.
    • One-third of respondents said that Moore should withdraw from the race. When the field was expanded to include incumbent Sen. Luther Strange (R) as a write-in candidate, Jones pulled 44 percent support, Moore 41 percent, and Strange 12 percent.
    • The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) ended its fundraising agreement with Moore. "The allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore are deeply troubling. If these allegations are found to be true, Roy Moore must drop out of the Alabama special Senate election," NRSC Chairman Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) said in a statement after the story was first published.
    • See also: United States Senate special election in Alabama, 2017

Trump and Xi offer contrasting views on global trade at APEC forum in Danang, Vietnam

  • During speeches at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Danang, Vietnam, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping offered contrasting views of global trade. While Xi focused on multilateralism and globalization, Trump focused on bilateral trade deals and what he described as unfair trade policies that have hurt the U.S. Trump said, "We seek robust trade relationships rooted in the principles of fairness and reciprocity. When the United States enters into a trading relationship with other countries or other peoples, we will, from now on, expect that our partners will faithfully follow the rules just like we do. We expect that markets will be open to an equal degree on both sides, and that private industry, not government planners, will direct investment. Unfortunately, for too long and in too many places, the opposite has happened. For many years, the United States systematically opened our economy with few conditions. We lowered or ended tariffs, reduced trade barriers, and allowed foreign goods to flow freely into our country. But while we lowered market barriers, other countries didn’t open their markets to us."
    • James W. Fatheree, acting vice president for Asia of the International Affairs Division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that the new approach to trade could deter other nations from entering into new trade agreements with the U.S. He said, “While he did say something today about seeking mutually beneficial agreements, until they can convince partners and illustrate and demonstrate there is a win-win, there won’t be a long line of countries lining up for bilaterals.”

Congress is in session

The Senate will be in session Monday through Friday. The House will be in session Monday through Thursday.

SCOTUS is NOT in session

The U.S. Supreme Court concluded its two-week argument session for November last week and will reconvene for its December sitting with arguments beginning on Monday, November 27. To date, the court has agreed to hear arguments in 46 cases; of those 46 cases, the court has heard arguments in 17 cases. Last week, the court heard arguments in two cases: Merit Management Group v. FTI Consulting and Patchak v. Zinke. The court also issued its first opinion in an argued case on Wednesday in Hamer v. Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago. To learn more about this term, read our overview.

Fact Checks

Did Trump cut flood-proofing regulations?

  • Following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, a video by media company ATTN: claimed that the United States "can learn a lot from how the Netherlands prevents floods." According to text in the video, "Regulations for flood-proof buildings [in the U.S.] have actually been cut." Is that accurate? Have regulations for flood-proof buildings in the U.S. been cut? No. President Donald Trump in August revoked proposed guidelines and standards for construction of federal projects near floodplains. Neither the guidelines nor the standards were issued as regulations by any government agency.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK

Here's what is happening in federal politics this week. To see what happened in state and local politics, click here.

Saturday, November 11

Trump visits Hanoi, Vietnam

  • President Donald Trump will travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, for an official visit and bilateral engagements with President Tran Dai Quang.

Pennsylvania GOP holds nominating convention for PA-18 special election

  • The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is holding its nominating convention for the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District to fill the seat vacated by Tim Murphy (R). The conferees will select a candidate to compete in the March 13, 2018, general election—George Karpacs, state Rep. Jason Ortitay, state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, state Rep. Rick Saccone or state Sen. Kim Ward—through a runoff-style election process. The Democrats hold their convention next week on Sunday, November 19. The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball both rate this race as Likely Republican.

Sunday, November 12

November 12: Trump visits Manila, Philippines

  • President Donald Trump will visit Manila, Philippines. He will participate in the Special Gala Celebration Dinner for the 50th Anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Monday, November 13

Trump participates in U.S.-ASEAN Summit

  • President Donald Trump will celebrate the 40th anniversary of U.S.-ASEAN relations at the U.S.-ASEAN Summit. He will also participate in bilateral meetings with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.

Tuesday, November 14

Sessions to testify in Russia probe

  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election.

Where was the president last week?

  • On Sunday, President Donald Trump met with service members at Yokota Air Base in Japan. He then played a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama.
  • On Monday, Trump met with U.S. and Japanese business leaders. He then continued his meetings with Abe, discussing trade, North Korea, and the U.S.-Japanese alliance.
  • On Tuesday, Trump had lunch with service members from the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) at Camp Humphreys near Anjeong-ri, ROK. Trump then participated in bilateral meetings and a press conference with President Moon Jae-In of the ROK. He also delivered a speech to the National Assembly of the ROK.
  • On Wednesday, Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China.
  • On Thursday, spoke to Chinese business leaders and participated in a joint press conference with President Xi Jinping.
  • On Friday, Trump spoke at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Federal Judiciary

  • 140 judicial vacancies in life-term, Article III judicial positions
  • 46 pending nominations to life-term, Article III judicial positions
  • 16 future vacancies to life-term, Article III judicial positions


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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

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