Trump and the GOP are taking advantage of their control over the Executive and Legislative branches to reshape our government in their image, one that works on behalf of corporations and the wealthiest, rather than The People.
While Trump campaigned to "drain the swamp," in practice he's done the opposite, filling his administration with people who hate the existence of the department they run. They are the swamp.
Republicans have managed to make the word "regulation" into a dirty one. Regulations are rules meant to protect us, in some cases the most vulnerable of us. They are made by a government that we elect to work FOR US. Yet Trump's swamp is working, mostly in quiet, to eliminate as many rules as possible at the behest of their corporate overlords.
While Trump has achieved few legislative victories, his administration is succeeding in broadly decimating federal regulation. After 16 years of efforts, our government’s portable-generator rule to prevent deaths was nearly finalized — and now a Trump-appointee will ensure that never happens.
BE SMART ABOUT is our unfortunate series highlighting examples of those in power who you need to stay informed about so you can share this knowledge and together we can Be Smart and Actively Dissent.
Today we discuss Steve Gardner, Trump’s choice to head a federal coal mine regulator. Like most of his nominees, Gardner is a vocal critic of the very agency he’s being asked to lead!
We are overwhelmed during the past week with the tax scam bill, Alabama Senate election, CHIP defunding, and Trump's Muslim Ban being upheld temporarily.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress begin work last week to gut and rewrite of the laws that govern our nation's higher education system. It is now known as "Promoting Real Opportunity, Success and Prosperity Through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act."
ACTION: Sign this ACLU petition
Ajit Pai, the FCC Chairman who is owned by the telecom and cable industry, followed through on their orders Thursday.
The Trump Administration is really good at overturning consumer protection rules. Why protect the American people who elect them when corporations need their help instead?
While in Utah on last Monday, Trump announced his administration, at the recommendation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, will dramatically shrink the size of the state's two national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Trump's orders mark the largest reversal of national monument protections in U.S. history.
Another person who fundamentally hates the mission of the department they are picked to lead is about to be chosen by Trump. In this case it's Thomas Brunell, a Texas professor with no government experience likely to lead the Census Bureau.
Brunell, a political science professor, has testified more than half a dozen times on behalf of Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts, and is the author of a 2008 book titled “Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections Are Bad for America.”
It can be a struggle in daily conversations to explain the impacts this election has every day on the decisions being made to govern our society. Trump's handlers are putting individuals in positions of real, tangible power who are spending every hour of every day implementing policies in an efficient, destructive manner. They are doing the exact things their prior words, actions, and lobbyist bosses should have made obvious.