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You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - January 20, 2017
Trump Administration (first term)  Vice President Mike Pence Cabinet • White House staff • Transition team • Trump's second term |
Domestic affairs: Abortion • Crime and justice • Education • Energy and the environment • Federal courts • Firearms policy • First Amendment • Healthcare • Immigration • Infrastructure • LGBTQ issues • Marijuana • Puerto Rico • Social welfare programs • Veterans • Voting issues Economic affairs and regulations: Agriculture and food policy • Budget • Financial regulation • Jobs • Social Security • Taxes • Trade Foreign affairs and national security: Afghanistan • Arab states of the Persian Gulf • China • Cuba • Iran • Iran nuclear deal • Islamic State and terrorism • Israel and Palestine • Latin America • Military • NATO • North Korea • Puerto Rico • Russia • Syria • Syrian refugees • Technology, privacy, and cybersecurity |
| Polling indexes: Opinion polling during the Trump administration |
This is the January 20, 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.
Inauguration
Today at noon, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. According to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Trump took three initial actions after the inauguration. He signed the waiver bill passed by Congress to allow James Mattis to serve in the Department of Defense; he formally nominated his Cabinet picks to the Senate; and he issued a proclamation for a national day of patriotism.
Nominations and appointments
Sonny Perdue
Yesterday, Trump confirmed that he had nominated former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (R) to be secretary of agriculture. This nomination rounds out Trump’s Cabinet nominations.
To recap, here is what we wrote about the USDA and Trump’s positions on agriculture-related issues in our December 20 edition of You’re Hired.
What does the Department of Agriculture do?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, helps to shape U.S. policy on food, agriculture, farming, natural resources, rural development, and nutrition. It oversees assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) and federal agencies such as the Farm Service Agency, the Forest Service, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Agricultural Marketing Service, which helps develop international marketing opportunities for U.S. farmers. (Note: the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, falls under the Department of Health and Human Services.)
Though three well-known aspects of Trump’s campaign platform—opposition to environmental regulations, immigration, and international trade—could all have significant impacts on U.S. farmers, we don’t know much about his stances on issues related directly to the USDA’s areas of oversight and agricultural policy. Here’s what we know:
- Assistance programs: In his 2011 book Time to get Tough, Trump said that fraud is a major problem in food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC. Trump has also suggested that too many Americans rely on these programs.
- Regulations: In a speech from August 2016, he spoke about removing regulations that affect farmers. He said, “We are going to get rid of a lot of those regulations that don't mean anything except cost you a lot of money and a lot of time and, in many cases, you lose your farms over the regulations.” Trump, however, voiced support for the Renewable Fuel Standard, a government program that mandates that transportation fuels contain an annually increasing minimum amount of biofuel. Trump said, “We are going to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard.”
- Taxation: Also in his speech from August 2016, Trump said, “We are going to end this war on the American farmer. That includes our plan to lower the tax rate on family farms down to 15 percent, and to stop the double-taxation of family farms at death – helping to ensure that the family farm tradition in Iowa continues to thrive and flourish.”
- General agriculture and food policy: In November, Politico obtained a list of agriculture-related talking points from the Trump campaign, which said, “the Trump-Pence administration will use the best available science to determine appropriate regulations for the food and agriculture sector; agriculture will NOT be regulated based upon the latest trend on social media.”
- Immigration: That same list said, “Mr. Trump recognizes the unique labor challenges facing the American farm community and will include farmers and ranchers in the process of determining the best possible immigration policies.”
Perdue’s stances on agriculture
- Assistance programs and immigration: During his re-election campaign in 2006, Perdue called for stronger measures to ensure that those receiving any government assistance were citizens. Perdue signed into law the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, which restricted who could receive public services in the state. His campaign website said, “The new law requires citizenship verification for individuals receiving any public services to ensure they are legally eligible to receive those services. It also requires citizenship verification of state employees and employers with state contracts and subcontracts.”
- Food policy: In 2008 and 2009, a multistate outbreak of deadly Salmonella was caused by peanut butter made with Georgia peanuts. After state investigations concluded that the peanut butter company had shipped the product knowing it had Salmonella contamination, Perdue worked on legislation to strengthen food safety laws in the state. Act 98, which was passed in 2009, required food producers to notify the state within 24 hours if a product tests as tainted. Not notifying the state became a criminal act.
Yesterday’s hearings
Two more Senate confirmation hearings took place yesterday for Trump cabinet nominees. Just as we did for previous hearings, below we get into the details of the hearings with a focus on what we learned about the nominees’ policy stances and priorities.
Steven Mnuchin
Steven Mnuchin was chosen as Trump’s nominee for secretary of the treasury on November 29, 2016. Mnuchin manages his own capital investment firm, Dune Capital Partners, which he started after spending 17 years with Goldman Sachs. He has typically invested in real estate and in Hollywood film production. Mnuchin served as the Trump campaign’s finance director during the 2016 election.
He appeared before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) is the chair of the committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) is the highest ranking Democrat. The committee has 14 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Here is some of what we learned about Mnuchin’s policy stances and priorities from his hearing.
- In his opening statement, Mnuchin spoke to press reports of foreclosures conducted during his time as the head of OneWest. He said, “In the press it has been said that I ran a ‘foreclosure machine.’ This is not true. On the contrary, I was committed to loan modifications intended to stop foreclosures. I ran a ‘Loan Modification Machine.’ Whenever we could do loan modifications we did them, but many times, the FDIC, FNMA, FHLMC, and bank trustees imposed strict rules governing the processing of these loans.”
- On GDP growth. Mnuchin said that his top priority is to ensure growth, which he said he expects to be 3 to 4 percent annual GDP. He said, “Whatever issues we have as Republicans or Democrats, I think we can agree that with more growth it’s a lot easier to solve these issues, and we should all be focused on things that help grow the economy.”
- On the Volcker Rule. The Volcker Rule is part of the Dodd-Frank Act, the major financial regulation passed in 2010. The rule, named after former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, specifically prohibits banks or institutions that own banks from trading stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments with the bank's own money rather than that of depositors, or from owning or investing in hedge funds. Under these kinds of transactions, the trader was paid on the basis of the value of the transactions rather than the profit made for their client. On the rule, Mnuchin said, “I do support the Volcker Rule... The concept for proprietary trading doesn’t fit banks that are FDIC insured.” Previously, Mnuchin had vowed to strip back that rule.
Rick Perry
Rick Perry was chosen as Trump’s nominee for secretary of energy on December 13, 2016. Perry has a long history in Texas politics, and energy production has been an important part of his political identity. He served as governor from 2000 to 2015. Before that, he was the lieutenant governor from 1998 to 2000 under Gov. George W. Bush (R). He was the Texas agriculture commissioner from 1990 to 1998 and held a seat in the Texas House of Representatives from 1984 to 1990. As the governor of Texas, Perry was in charge of the top energy-producing state in the country, and during his tenure—the longest in the state’s history—oil and gas production in Texas increased 260 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
He appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources yesterday. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.) is the committee chair, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (Wash.) is the highest ranking Democrat. The committee has 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Here is some of what we learned about Perry’s policy stances and priorities from his hearing.
- In his opening statement, Perry addressed his call to abolish the department when he ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2012. Perry said, “My past statements made over five years ago about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking. In fact, after being briefed on so many of the vital functions of the Department of Energy, I regret recommending its elimination. If confirmed, I will enter this role excited and passionate about advancing the core missions of the DOE, and drawing greater attention to the vital role played by the agency and the hard working men and women who dedicate themselves in pursuit of these missions.”
- On nuclear storage at Yucca Mountain. Perry criticized the decision of the Obama administration to cut funding for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, a facility in southwestern Nevada that was designated to store high level radioactive waste (HLW) from around the country. The issue of Yucca Mountain has been a political football in both Nevada and DC for the past 30 years due to concerns over the project’s cost and impact on the environment and state tourism. When Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) asked Perry if he would consider alternative nuclear storage sites, Perry responded, “I am very aware that this is an issue this country has been flummoxed by for 30 years. We have spent billions of dollars on this issue. I’ll work closely with you and the members of this committee to find the answers to this issue.” He added later, “There are some other places in this country that are willing to have this conversation.”
Read on: Appointment confirmation process
Confirmation votes today
Confirmation votes are expected in the Senate today for James Mattis, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, and for John Kelly, the pick for secretary of homeland security.
Committee votes next week
After confirmation hearings in committee, nominees can be reported to the Senate favorably, unfavorably or without recommendation. Committees also have the option not to take action on the nominee. If action is taken, the committee notifies the executive clerk. The nomination is then given a number and added to the Executive Calendar of the Senate. Only one cabinet position since 1945 has been confirmed by the Senate after being reported as unfavorable by a committee. Henry A. Wallace was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 56-32 to become the secretary of commerce on March 1, 1945.
January 23
The Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote on Rex Tillerson’s nomination.
January 24
The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is expected to vote on Ben Carson’s nomination. The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Jeff Sessions’ nomination.
See also
- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition
- Donald Trump presidential transition team
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