You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - December 9, 2016
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This is the December 9, 2016, edition of a daily email sent from November 2016 to September 2017 that covered Donald Trump's presidential transition team, potential 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.
Possible Nominations and Appointments
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Donald Trump reportedly plans to nominate Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) as secretary of the Interior Department. First elected in 2004, McMorris Rodgers became the chair of the House Republican Conference in 2013, the fourth highest ranking post in House GOP leadership. News of her potential nomination has already led some Republicans to begin vying for the Conference chair position, which is responsible for presiding over all official meetings of House Republicans. Republicans have controlled McMorris’ seat in Washington’s 5th Congressional District since 1995, and its largest county, Spokane—where roughly two-thirds of the district’s population lives—hasn’t backed a Democrat for president since Bill Clinton in 1996. McMorris Rodgers sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee and gave the GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech in 2014. She endorsed Trump in May 2016.
What does the Interior Department do?
The Interior Department oversees public lands and water, wildlife management, natural resources, and programs related to Native Americans. Federal agencies such as the National Parks Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife fall under its aegis. The department has a $12 billion budget and 70,000 employees.
What does McMorris Rodgers’ nomination mean for the management of public lands and natural resources in the U.S.?
McMorris Rodgers has advocated for increased U.S. energy production, including fossil fuels, and has criticized the federal government’s ability to manage public lands. Trump too has called for increased energy production in the U.S., but he has voiced support for the federal management of public lands. In an interview with Field & Stream in January 2016, he was asked if he would support the transfer of public lands from the federal government to the states. Trump said, “I don’t like the idea because I want to keep the lands great, and you don’t know what the state is going to do. We have to be great stewards of this land. This is magnificent land.” In contrast, the 2016 GOP Platform calls for the federal government “to convey certain federally controlled public lands to states.” Below we break down what we know about where McMorris Rodgers has stood on a variety of issues and legislation related to the Interior Department’s jurisdiction.
- Forests and Federal Land Management: McMorris Rodgers has been critical of land and forest management practices under the Obama administration and has argued that removing lands from local control has had both a negative economic and environmental impact. In a speech in 2012, she said, “Our federal forests are sick and the communities that depend on them have struggled for decades due to inaction. When I look at our national forests - 200 million acres across the country - and learn that one out of three acres is bug infested, diseased, or dead, I find that unacceptable. In addition, it is no coincidence that many of the counties with the highest unemployment rates in the country are those which are surrounded by federal forests. By removing lands from private ownership — and thus, from the local municipal tax rolls — the government stifles locally-driven development and makes rural communities more dependent on Washington, DC. With job creation, economic growth, and federalism now more important than ever, it is imperative that Congress and the federal agencies undertake a comprehensive review of their land ownership policies.”
- Energy Projects on Native American Lands: The Native American Energy Act encourages energy and natural resource development projects on Native American lands by streamlining processes such as judicial review and public comment periods. The bill passed the House in October 2015 along party lines, 254-173, but died in the Senate. The White House opposed it on the grounds that it threatened to weaken environmental protections under the National Environmental Policy Act. McMorris Rodgers supported the bill, saying that it would allow tribes in Eastern Washington to more easily use biomass—excess forest products—as an energy resource. She said, “In my Eastern Washington district, it would provide the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation—who already play an active role in forest management—new tools at their disposal to maintain the health of the adjacent forests, develop energy, and most importantly protect their homeland.”
- Waters of the United States Rule: The Waters of the United States rule is an EPA rule that seeks to clarify federal jurisdiction over rivers, lakes, marshes, and streams throughout the country. In 2015, McMorris Rodgers co-sponsored a bill that would have blocked the rule’s implementation.
- U.S. Oil Exports: In 2015, Congress lifted a 40-year-old-ban on U.S. crude oil exports. Supporters of the ban—which was originally put it place to increase the U.S. domestic oil supply and keep prices low—said lifting it would have a negative environmental impact and would increase the use of fossil fuels throughout the world. Opponents of the ban said lifting it would create jobs and stimulate the economy. McMorris Rodgers supported lifting the ban and said, “Voting to lift the ban on crude oil exports encourages investment, innovation and job creation.”
- Keystone XL Pipeline: McMorris Rodgers has been a vocal supporter of the Keystone XL Pipeline. In January 2015, she said, “It has been 2,303 days since the Keystone XL Pipeline project was submitted. Americans are tired of waiting. At the same time people are struggling to find high-quality jobs, they are watching energy prices rise at home. The Keystone XL Pipeline Act is the solution America needs. … I urge the President to open his eyes to the innumerable benefits this project would create – including the creation of 42,000 good-paying jobs, lower energy costs for American families, and decreased dependency on foreign oil.”
- Hunting and Fishing on Public Lands: McMorris Rodgers supported the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, which passed the House in February 2016 but never made it out of the Senate. The bill sought to increase access to public lands for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. Opponents of the legislation said that it endangered wildlife and conservation efforts. Supporters argued the opposite, saying that it benefited wildlife and encouraged investment in conservation programs. McMorris Rodgers said, “hunting and fishing is a way of life for many, and for generations this has occurred on federal lands. But, too often, Federal Agencies and their regulations impede, or prevent outright, hunting, fishing, and recreation. Bureaucrats in D.C. shouldn’t be allowed to reshape American culture—preventing something so deeply engrained in our heritage.”
- Hydropower: In Congress, McMorris Rodgers has been an advocate for hydropower, which she has called “clean, safe, reliable, renewable, and affordable.” She has sponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at encouraging hydropower projects in the U.S. In 2015, she said, “Hydropower offers Eastern Washington and the nation significant benefits – including energy security, reliability, environmental protection, and recreation opportunities. … Tremendous potential exists for new hydropower development, including facilities at existing infrastructure such as nonpowered dams, new hydropower sites, and emerging technologies that improve the capture of energy along irrigation canals, municipal water supply conduits, and other infrastructure.”
Gary Cohn
Trump has reportedly offered Gary Cohn the position of director of the National Economic Council. Cohn is the president and COO of Goldman Sachs. Trump’s nominee to head the Treasury Department, Steven Mnuchin, also worked at Goldman Sachs, as did his chief strategist, Steve Bannon. The National Economic Council has been around since 1993 and was established by President Bill Clinton to advise the president on domestic and international economic policy and to help implement the president’s economic agenda. Senate confirmation is not required for the appointment. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cohn is a registered Democrat who “isn’t politically vocal.” He has donated to political candidates on both sides of the aisle.
Cohn’s views on several issues on which he would likely advise Trump—such as international trade, financial regulations, and corporate taxes—are not entirely known, though some of his views may be at odds with Trump’s. Cohn’s stance on federal financial regulations, for example, appears to be mixed. Last month, in an interview with CNBC, he said, “As central banks start to flood the market with liquidity, we need to be able to transmit that into main street — to entrepreneurs... to small and medium-sized companies. I do think that part of the regulation we've gone through has inhibited our ability to transmit that capital....On the other hand, remember U.S. banks today are the strongest banks in the world.... that's a huge competitive advantage for U.S. banks and I don't want to lose that.” Trump has been more critical of regulations on the financial sector, saying in October 2015, “the regulators are running the banks. The bankers are petrified of the regulators. And the problem is that the banks aren’t loaning money to people who will create jobs.”
See also
- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition
- Donald Trump presidential transition team
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