Monday, October 16, 2017 by JD Heyes
trump.news
I knew that “the swamp” President Donald J. Trump promised to drain on the campaign trail last year would not go away quietly, but after Republicans maintained control of Congress and won the White House, I also believed that the president’s agenda would be much more easily enacted.
What I failed to calculate correctly was the level of #trumphate in Congress and throughout the federal bureaucracy. Here we are more than 10 months into Trump’s first year in office, and agenda items like repealing and replacing Obamacare, dramatic budget cuts and substantial tax reform still haven’t gotten done.
The congressional inaction has left Trump frustrated and has enraged his base, most of whom expected rapid implementation of an agenda both he and most Republican lawmakers campaigned on last year. As such, the president has been using executive powers to implement what he can on his own, and it’s beginning to have positive effects on the country.
As reported by Reuters, Trump has taken a flurry of actions aimed at keeping promises and moving forward on an agenda that helped him capture the GOP nomination from a field of 17 candidates and defeat a Democratic challenger most everyone believed would win last November:
After weeks of seeing his agenda imperiled by Republican divisions and infighting among his aides, Trump has been a whirl of activity this week, reasserting his campaign priorities and trying to deliver wins for his fervent but frustrated base of supporters.
Trump took steps to dramatically undercut the Obamacare health system, sent notice he was willing to scuttle the nuclear deal with Iran, moved to roll back coal-plant limits, and again demanded a wall along the Mexican border.
Rather than shy away from conflict, Trump has relished his disagreements and has even encouraged and widened debates on everything from Obamacare to NFL protests, most often via Twitter. He has taken on the Republican establishment, the news media, NFL owners and various members of Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
It’s been vintage Trump: Combative, assertive, off-the-cuff and impulsive, all of the qualities that attracted tens of millions of supporters and made his base unflappable.
In a week’s time, Trump moved to gut as much of Obamacare as possible. As reported by Trump.news, orders signed by the president last week began “the process of lifting some insurance rules and expand insurance options for the tens of millions of Americans who buy insurance on their own, not through an employer or via a collapsing Obamacare exchange.” In addition, the orders contained language instructing federal agencies involved in managing Obamacare to find ways to loosen regulations that could help lower premiums. Also, the rules permit insurers to issue plans Obamacare banned — plans that do not contain as much broad coverage required by Affordable Care Act, which has really added to their cost. Plus, analysts said Trump’s orders will reintroduce competition into the marketplace, which will also help lower rates. His order also ends taxpayer-funded Obamacare subsidies because they have been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge since Congress never appropriated funds for them. (Related: Reality check: Obamacare is KILLING people right now.)
“Trump knows he has to make good on several of his campaign promises,” Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, in an interview with Reuters. “The clock is ticking, Congress is useless and portions of his base are growing frustrated.”
Using his executive authority was not Trump’s first plan. He’s given the Republican majority monthsto enact an agenda they and he campaigned on, only to see progress thwarted time and again by RINO #nevertrumpers like Sen. John McCain of Arizona and GOP infighting.
“The president campaigned on a bold agenda, and Congress’s inaction won’t stop the administration’s tireless efforts to boost the economy, improve healthcare, and protect the American people,” added Raj Shah, the White House’s principal deputy press secretary.
Also, as reported by The National Sentinel, other Trump policies, particularly his efforts to cut federal red tape, are having a positive effect on the economy, the markets and consumer confidence.
J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.
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