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You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - April 19, 2017

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This is the April 19, 2017, edition of an email sent from November 2016 to September 2017 that covered Donald Trump's presidential transition, cabinet appointees, and the different policy positions of those individuals who may have had an effect on the new administration. Previous editions of "You're Hired" can be found here.

Next Saturday the 29th will be President Trump’s 100th day in office. As we near that date, You’re Hired will be looking both forward and backward in the next two weeks. Today, we will look to the upcoming efforts to continue funding the federal government as well as upcoming special elections Trump has been involved in. On Friday, we’ll look to the upcoming legislative priorities for the administration.

Next week, we will look back to the president’s 100 day plan to see how proposals have matched up with reality in these first months.

Note: We won’t abandon you after the first 100 days are up, but our publishing schedule will change. Our emails will arrive in your inbox just once a week, each Wednesday, to bring you an in-depth look at a current topic involving the Trump administration. We will also send special editions to add context to any unexpected events. If you have a topic you would like our team to shed some light on, please feel free to email us at editor@ballotpedia.org or tweet us @Ballotpedia

Looking forward: Funding the federal government

A federal spending bill is set to expire on Trump’s 100th day in office, and lawmakers are currently working on a stopgap spending bill that can keep the government running through September. The spending bill is the first early test for the funding plans for some of Trump’s stated priorities, and most reports show that both Democrats and Republicans are working together to keep the government funded.

This morning, Politico reported that when Congress reconvenes next week, they are “likely to pass a one-week stopgap government funding bill,” meaning talks about the compromise spending bill that would fund the government through September would have an additional week for negotiations.

Here are some of the major spending issues that the two sides are aiming to resolve by next Saturday.

  • Republican negotiators have stated that they are looking to avoid a government shutdown and are willing to negotiate on some spending issues in order to pass a spending package to keep the government running.
  • Democrats have insisted that a spending bill include funding for cost-sharing payments for low-income enrollees in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. These payments are critical for the law to remain in operation, as eliminating them could cause insurers to drop out of the market or premiums to increase dramatically.
  • Trump has asked for this spending bill to include funding for a proposed border wall with Mexico and for increased defense spending. The increase in defense spending is likely, but border wall funding is not, according to The Washington Post. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told the paper he would expect any discussions of spending on a wall to happen later in the year when Congress considers supplemental spending.
  • Trump’s budget director Mick Mulvaney has urged that the spending bill cut federal funds to sanctuary cities, those that have declared they will not enforce federal immigration policies. Like funding for a border wall, cutting off funds to sanctuary cities would likely mean a lack of bipartisan support for the spending bill.

Looking forward: Special elections

One special election—to replace Mike Pompeo (R) who accepted the position of CIA director—has already taken place in Kansas’ 4th Congressional District. The seat was won by Ron Estes (R), the state treasurer of Kansas. Six other special elections have already been announced or are expected. They are:

Launch our congressional special election coverage.

How has Trump influenced these elections?

  • In Georgia, anti-Trump sentiment led to unified Democratic support behind Jon Ossoff in an attempt to win over 50 percent of the primary vote and avoid a runoff election. Trump himself commented on the race on Twitter, saying, “Democrat Jon Ossoff would be a disaster in Congress. VERY weak on crime and illegal immigration, bad for jobs and wants higher taxes. Say NO”
  • In Kansas, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both recorded robo-calls in support of Ron Estes, the eventual winner. In the recording, Trump said, "Ron is a conservative leader who needs it badly. Ron is a conservative leader who’s going to work with me to make America great again. We’re going to do things really great for our country. Our country needs help, Ron is going to be helping us big league. But I need Republicans like Ron Estes to help me get the job done.”
  • In South Carolina, according to McClatchy DC, most of the major Republican candidates are aiming to align themselves with Trump in some way or another. In March, the site reported, “[T]he three candidates generally considered to be early front-runners have substantial political experience even as they emphasize their support for Trump’s nontraditional administration.”
  • In Alabama, Trump has not weighed in, but Strange—who was appointed to the seat by former Gov. Bentley and is planning on running in the election—has supported Trump on a number of issues, including Trump’s executive orders on immigration that have been held up in courts. Trump won Alabama by 28 percent in the 2016 elections, one of the largest margins of victory in the election for the president.

See also

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President Donald Trump's policies (first term)
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Domestic policy
Economic affairs and regulations
Foreign affairs and national security
Trump's second term overviews


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