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You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - January 27, 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 27, 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.
Trump’s executive actions on immigration
Sanctuary cities
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on immigration on Wednesday afternoon.
The first, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” will introduce penalties against sanctuary cities—which limit the enforcement and prosecution of federal immigration laws—including making them ineligible for federal grants. A November 2016 study by Ballotpedia found that 21 of the largest 100 cities by population in the United States either self-identified or were identified by others as sanctuary cities.
Deportation programs
This executive order also prioritizes the deportation of individuals who “pose a risk to public safety or national security.” This applies not only to non-citizens found guilty of a criminal offense, but also those who have been charged with but not convicted of a crime.
“Secure Communities,” a deportation program discontinued under the Obama administration which uses local law enforcement arrest data to identify individuals residing in the U.S. without legal permission, has also been reinstituted as a result of this executive order.
Border security
Trump’s second order on immigration, “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,” calls for the construction of a wall along the United States’ southern border, a key component of Trump’s platform as a presidential candidate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) estimated on Thursday that the wall would cost between $12 billion and $15 billion. “We intend to address the wall issue ourselves, and the president can deal with his relations with other countries on that issue and others,” McConnell said, indicating Congress would handle funding the project. Other estimates for the wall’s price tag skew higher than McConnell’s numbers. Bernstein Research, a Wall Street research firm, placed it between $15 billion and $25 billion, while the MIT Technology Review projected the wall will cost between $27 billion and $40 billion.
Under this executive order, additional detention facilities will also be built near the border to house individuals residing in or entering the U.S. without legal permission.
Paying for the wall
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Thursday that Trump is considering applying a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for the construction of the wall. Spicer’s announcement came several hours after Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto canceled an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with Trump to discuss NAFTA.
Read more about the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Congress reacts to Trump’s executive orders on immigration
- House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) released the following statement in support of Trump’s executive orders on Wednesday: “This is about keeping Americans safe. We are committed to working with the administration to stop the influx of illegal immigration along the southern border, protect our homeland, and uphold the rule of law. I applaud President Trump for keeping his promise to make this a national priority.”
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement, “Today, President Trump took action that will launch the process of securing our southern border and effectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws. These are policies on which Americans have waited far too long for action, and I stand ready to work with my colleagues to support these measures with any additional Congressional action that may be necessary to ensure they are timely and effectively implemented.”
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a statement opposing the orders. “With today’s sweeping and constitutionally suspect executive actions, the President is turning his back on both our history and our values as a proud nation of immigrants. Wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on a border wall Mexico will never pay for, and punishing cities that do not want their local police forces forced to serve as President Trump’s deportation dragnet does nothing to fix our immigration system or keep Americans safe. Law-abiding, hard-working immigrant families deserve better than the Trump Administration’s radical xenophobia. … In San Francisco and across the nation, we will fight for the right of any community to choose humane and effective law enforcement strategies that work to protect and serve, not deport and intimidate,” she said.
Local and state officials challenge Trump’s orders
- Attorney General of New York Eric Schneiderman (D) said in a statement, “The President lacks the constitutional authority to cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families—as described in the legal guidance my office issued last week. Local governments seeking to protect their immigrant communities from federal overreach have every right to do so.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly said Trump’s orders would be “susceptible to legal challenges.”
- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) issued the following statement, in part, “Executive orders do not change existing law. Executive orders cannot contradict existing law. And Executive orders can be challenged for violating constitutional and legal standards in their enforcement. … California is prepared to work with our federal government to enhance the safety and well-being of all our people. We will work with our sister states to achieve mutual goals of respect and cooperation with the federal government. And we will remain ready to advance and defend California's policies wherever and whenever necessary."
Read more about sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States.
Two additional executive orders coming this weekend
President Trump is expected to sign two additional executive orders on Friday or Saturday that will establish a temporary ban on Syrian refugees entering the United States and launch an investigation into voter fraud.
- A draft of Trump’s executive order on refugees indicates that he will temporarily end the resettlement of Syrian refugees and apply an ideology test for visa applicants. Immigrants from countries with largely Muslim populations—including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—will be banned from entering the country for 30 days as the U.S. adjusts its screening process.
Read more about the Trump administration's position on Syrian refugees.
- This week, Trump said that that some individuals residing in the U.S. illegally and voters registered in more than one state perpetrated massive voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election. In total, Trump asserted, 3 to 5 million ballots were illegally cast and none benefited him. “Those were Hillary [Clinton] votes. And if you look at it they all voted for Hillary. … They didn't vote for me. I don't believe I got one,” he said. Trump’s executive order is likely to establish an investigation into improperly purged voter rolls and other instances of electoral misconduct and fraud.
Potential Supreme Court nominee
Trump is expected to announce his pick for the next Supreme Court justice on Thursday, February 2.
Ballotpedia has been tracking the potential nominees since Trump released his first list of candidates in May 2016. In September, Trump released a second list of individuals expanding on the previous list. Trump indicated that he would select a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia from this list, saying, "I will choose only from it in picking future Justices of the United States Supreme Court."
Various reports indicate a consensus of three names on Trump’s short list: Judges Neil Gorsuch, Thomas Hardiman, and William Pryor. Bloomberg also reported that Judge Raymond Kethledge was also in consideration, while CNN identified Judge Diane Sykes as Trump’s fourth contender, along with Gorsuch, Hardiman, and Pryor.
Upcoming confirmation hearings
David Shulkin
The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will hold a confirmation hearing for David Shulkin on Wednesday, February 1. Shulkin, who was first appointed by President Barack Obama, serves as the undersecretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs. If confirmed, Shulkin would become the first secretary of veterans affairs without a record of military service. You can read more about Shulkin’s experience in our January 11 edition.
Andrew Puzder
Secretary of Labor nominee Andrew Puzder will appear before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday, February 2. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) called Puzder “a respected Tennessee business leader who understands how excessive regulation can destroy jobs and make it harder for family incomes to rise” in a press release last week. We covered Puzder’s position on key labor issues in our December 8 edition.
Sonny Perdue
The only remaining Cabinet nominee without a hearing date is former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Trump’s nominee for secretary of agriculture. Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the hearing would happen “within a couple of weeks.” Last week, we wrote about Perdue’s stances on agricultural issues.
Upcoming committee votes
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is scheduled to vote on the nominations of former Gov. Rick Perry (R) for secretary of energy and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) for secretary of the interior on Tuesday, January 31.
On the same day, the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) for attorney general will be voted on by the Judiciary Committee.
Click here for an overview of the confirmation process for all of Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
See also
- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition
- Donald Trump presidential transition team
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