Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the vast majority of President Trump’s executive orders. They also groan at the news President Obama defied Congress to send $221 million to the Palestinian Authority on his final morning as president. And they shake their heads as two-thirds of Senate Democrats even oppose Mike Pompeo to lead the CIA.
While the White House press corps pores focuses on how many people showed up on Inauguration Day, President Trump’s first executive order is already weakening Obamacare in preparation for the repeal and replace effort in Congress in the coming weeks.
The order instructs all relevant agencies, primarily the Department of Health and Human Services, to “ease the burden” of Obamacare. If that sounds vague, that’s exactly how it was intended.
Health care policy expert Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says the lack of specifics means a lot of actions can be taken to protect patients.
“Departments and agencies with control over Obamacare under the Affordable Care Act ‘shall exercise all discretion and authority available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions or delay the implementation of any provision in the act,'” said Matthews.
“They can also relieve the states of cost, fee, tax, penalty or regulatory burdens on individuals, families, health care providers, health insurers, patients, recipients and so forth and so on,” said Matthews.
So what does all that mean?
“It’s a very broad statement, which says those people who are in charge, basically the secretaries – primarily of Health and Human Services but perhaps also the IRS and maybe a few other agencies, have the freedom under this executive order to try to step in and say, ‘We’re going to try to reduce the burden of Obamacare with respect to mandates, penalties and taxes,” said Matthews.
And despite Obamacare being passed by Congress, Matthews says the way it was written allows the Trump administration to take the teeth out of the law even before Congress acts.
“There was nearly 3,000 references to the word secretary in the Affordable Care Act. Nearly all of those apply to the secretary of Health and Human Services. The language was, ‘The secretary shall determine,’ ‘the secretary shall decide,’ ‘the secretary shall set penalties’ and so forth. The law itself gave the secretary of Health and Human Services a lot of discretion to carry this out,” said Matthews.
“I would argue that the ability to provide all that power to the secretary to implement the law also provides a lot of power to the secretary to un-implement the law,” said Matthews.
Matthews says Trump is exercising “transitional authority,” a power that Obama claimed when changing or delaying certain components of the law. It’s something Matthews says Obama became quite brazen about.
“President Obama had moved the situation to the point where he said in a speech, ‘I’m going to do what I feel like needs to be done out there. If Republicans don’t like it, sue me,'” said Matthews.
Republicans cried foul at the time, but Matthews says this usage is only undoing what Obama shouldn’t have been able to do in the first place.
“Once they set the precedent, it’s hard to be too critical of it. Conservatives felt like that was overreaching. But if [Obama] overreached, I’m not sure it’s bad overreaching to pull it back and say, ‘You never had the authority to do that.’ We’re in essence bringing it back to the status quo ante,” said Matthews.
Matthews also points out that this will take place in a very brief window before Congress acts to repeal and replace the law.
“This is very temporary and it’s meant to begin relaxing these burdens while Congress takes action to actually repeal and replace the legislation,” said Matthews.
In addition to easing the burden of the law before Congress gets to work, the executive order stands as a message to Congress. Matthews says Trump is asking lawmakers to follow his lead.
“The executive order that Donald Trump released in essence says, ‘Here’s the flag. I’m showing you where I’m going on this. You have my permission to begin to scroll this thing back as far as you can within the limits of the law,” said Matthews.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America scratch their heads over White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s special briefing to scold the media over coverage of crowd size at the inauguration and the location of the Martin Luther King bust in the Oval Office. They also shake their heads as the huge “women’s march” is really nothing more than an anti-Trump movement that likely turned off more potential allies than it attracted with all the vulgar speech and costuming. And they discuss Sen. Marco Rubio’s decision to support Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State just two weeks after blasting him during Tillerson’s confirmation hearings.
President Donald Trump’s inaugural address sends a clear signal that business in Washington is about to change and his vow of action has an eager Congress ready to work, according to Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.
Yoho, who gained headlines two years ago by challenging sitting Republican House Speaker John Boehner, says the shift from President Obama to President Trump is huge and needed.
“It is a new day in America and I think Donald Trump did a good job just talking about making America great again at the end of his speech. It’s goodbye to the old and hello to the new,” said Yoho.
Trump began his inaugural address by proclaiming his presidency served as the moment the power in the United States returned to its rightful owners.
“Today’s ceremony, however, has a very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people,” said Trump.
What does that look like? Yoho says it means a government who remembers who it works for.
“The way I took that is you’re going to see a government that’s much more responsive to the people,” he said.
In his speech, Trump also slammed the business as usual approach of Washington.
“In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving. We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it,” said Trump. “The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action.”
Yoho says that’s the message the American people have been sending for years.
“If you look at the progression of the tea party from 2009 forward, the people being elected now – me being one of them – are from people who were fed up with the status quo and they wanted people outside of the Beltway. Donald Trump is the epitome of that,” said Yoho.
But one message emerged strongest of all from the Trump speech.
“From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families,” said Trump.
Trump’s “America First” approach to the presidency is drawing a wide variety of reactions. Yoho is encouraged by it.
“Whatever we do from government, we need to do what’s best for America. If we do that, that’s bringing power back to the people. Let’s treat this country first and foremost,” said Yoho.
One of Yoho’s greatest frustrations is how important legislation, such as appropriations bills, are often derailed or delayed by unrelated issues. He expects that to stop now that the GOP has the power in Washington.
“Two years ago we got that whole process stopped on the confederate flag issue. This last year, in 2016, it got stopped over the LGBT issue. I’m not saying they’re not important issues, but they should not be a distraction to getting our legislative work done,” said Yoho.
Trump has made it clear to Congress he expects them to be very productive in the early days of this administration. Yoho says Vice President Mike Pence put lawmakers on notice.
“Mike Pence came into our conference twice now and he goes, ‘I hope you guys are holding on because Mr. Trump is ready to get going. He has boundless energy and he doesn’t accept failure. He’ll be pushing the cart rather than waiting for somebody else to lead. He’s going to lead,” said Yoho.
And Yoho says Republicans on Capitol Hill are eager to get to work on much of the Trump agenda.
“The optimism that we see, not just in America but up here in the legislative body, there’s just a whole new atmosphere up here and it’s all positive,” said Yoho.
The top of the legislative agenda is clear.
“In the first 100 days, I think you’re going to see a push for the replacement of Obamacare. Following that you’ll see a push for tax reform. We’ve already got a good product teed up for tax reform,” said Yoho.
While Trump assumed the presidency Friday, scores of protesters were arrested for violence ranging from vandalism to arson. Yoho says the demonstrators fail to appreciate the source of their right to protest.
“The American dream comes from opportunity. The opportunity comes from our founding principles, our core values that’s held together and protected by the Constitution. Those ideas are neither Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal, white or black. Those are American ideologies,” said Yoho.
“Even these lackluster protesters should have the common sense to say, ‘We have something bigger than a party or a political belief. We better all work together to preserve what made this country great,” said Yoho.
While Yoho hopes the protesters eventually realize the unique opportunities they have in America, he says America itself has some excellent opportunities in the coming days.
“Seems like we were always running away from President Obama or trying to undo what he’s done. We’ve got a president now in the White House who will be leading the charge and I think it’ll be a lot easier to get things done in a positive direction for this country,” said Yoho.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Ian Tuttle of National Review react to President Donald Trump’s inaugural address. They discuss his proclamation that the American people are in charge of their country again, offer analysis on his description of “American carnage” and applaud his efforts to unify the nation.
One of Donald Trump’s earliest supporters says man about to become the nation’s forty-fifth president is tailor made for this moment in American history, but says Trump will approach the job differently than his predecessors.
Theodore Roosevelt Malloch is a former Yale University professor and senior fellow at Oxford University. He is author of the brand new book, “Hired: An Insider’s Look at the Trump Victory.”
Malloch, who is a descendant of President Theodore Roosevelt, was on board with the Trump campaign from it’s earliest days. He says Trump is entering this job with the right motivations.
“What makes him tick, frankly, is his love of country. Donald Trump is a patriot,” said Malloch, suggesting Trump could easily have skipped the campaign and focused on business and golf.
“When he says he wants to make America great again, and take it into this 21st century, I said very early on it’s much like Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of the 20th century and American nationalism. I think Trump actually sees the potential of America, does not believe she is in decline, does not believe she’s on her last legs, but believes American greatness can prevail,” said Malloch.
He expects Trump to get a lot done in the early days of this administration, but one area is of top concern.
“I think in the economy in particular, you’ll see a very active president in these first 100 days,” said Malloch.
And Malloch says that record will be judged by voters in less than two years.
“I think he defines success as bringing back American economic growth,” said Malloch. “He will be judged by the American public and he is willing to be judged by how he restores the American dream, but particularly American economic growth.”
Malloch also offers a very different view of Trump’s personal side than the public has come to see. He says Trump is not a bully and a narcissist, although he does see why many have reached that impression over the past couple of years.
“Certainly those are characteristics that have been lodged against him and in some ways he has brought some of those upon himself with his demeanor during the campaign, which was over the top,” said Malloch.
But he says the Trump he’s dealt with is very different.
“He’s actually a very thoughtful and very reflective , excellent listening person who takes advice and is able to analyze a situation. Donald Trump is the kind of chess player who is playing two or three moves ahead of you on the chess board. He’s that strategic,” said Malloch.
As a result, Malloch says we can expect Trump to approach the presidency differently than anyone else who has held the office.
“Don’t forget that Donald Trump is an outsider. He is a maverick and he’s going to do things his way, whether that means using Twitter or going directly to the American public or that means carving out a new tag line to describe his policies. He’s going to be a unique American president,” said Malloch.
While Trump may not have the finely honed conservative vision of Ronald Reagan, Malloch sees important similarities.
“I do think that he has a good bit in common with Ronald Reagan in terms of his common sense mentality, his pragmatism and also the notion of transactional leadership,” said Malloch.
“If you read ‘The Art of the Deal,’ you can really come to understand how Donald Trump lives, thinks and will negotiate America’s place, both economically and in terms of its relations with foreign powers,” said Malloch.
When it comes to the foreign stage, Malloch expects some clear priorities from Trump.
“We all know about his attitudes toward Russia, which frankly is more in the direction of detente than it is towards a new Cold War. I think that his relationship with (British Prime Minister) Theresa May after Brexit and any other country that moves in the same direction will be interesting to watch. I would particularly invest in, and I believe he will, the U.S.-U.K special relationship as a signal,” said Malloch.
Malloch spent years rubbing shoulders with the world leaders who gather each year at events like World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. He says Trump has little use for their ideology.
“Donald Trump will likely never find himself in that Davos global elite, moving towards one-world government, moving towards all the environmental nonsense and moving toward a statist regulatory apparatus that is the antithesis of much of what he campaigned on,” said Malloch.
In the final podcast of the Obama presidency, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer Donald Trump’s goal of aggressively reducing the size of government but acknowledge it will not be easy. They also react to Bernie Sanders saying America is not compassionate because our government does not do as much for people as more liberal governments do. And they scratch their heads as Rep. Tulsi Gabbard embarks on a mysterious trip to Syria.
Congressional Republicans began the process to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last week and Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., says the party needs to keep moving with urgency towards fulfilling the GOP’s top campaign promise.
“We have a once in a century opportunity for real to get this right. Medicare and Social Security are insolvent in 15 years if we don’t get this right. The kids will be left with nothing,” said Brat, a former college economics professor. “I taught those kids for 20 years at the college level. That’s why I got into this business, to make sure we get this right.”
“We promised the American people this repeal and replace. It’s our number one promise since 2010,” said Brat.
Brat says some people are mistaken in believing that the votes Congress took last week already repealed the law.
“All we did last week was have the budget resolution vote. You have to have a budget to move forward on what’s called reconciliation,” said Brat. “Reconciliation is what allowed Obamacare to be passed in the first place with just 51 votes in the Senate.”
“Now Republicans are going to use the same reconciliation process to repeal and replace,” said Brat.
Much of the talk on the GOP side centers on whether to have the repeal take effect in two or three years. Brat hopes it’s much sooner than that.
“Some folks are getting a little wobbly. The problem with the two-year is that will occur as our re-election occurs. So politics is going to get mixed in with policy and that’s never a good model to do what’s in the best interest of the country,” said Brat.
He says waiting three years to trigger he repeal is an even worse idea since the 2020 presidential race will already be underway.
Brat says some congressional Republicans are getting skittish about moving so quickly and passing a repeal without a formal replacement attached.
“The details of that have not been worked out to put it mildly, so there’s a little angst from all sides on that. What’s the repeal going to look like? What’s the time frame? Is it going to be done in two years or three years and what’s the replacement?” said Brat.
Brat dismisses claims by Democrats that repealing Obamacare will take coverage away from up to 30 million Americans, calling it “nonsense.”
“People are nervous about being left in the lurch. They shouldn’t be. There’s all sorts of plans out there that show we’re actually going to end up with a better product,” said Brat.
What is unsustainable, says Brat, is the soaring cost of health care for Americans right now. He says the typical family pays $17,000 in premiums a year for coverage while still confronting much higher deductibles. He is working with Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., on expanding Health Savings Accounts. Brat says allowing people to choose simple catastrophic plans while building up their Health Savings Accounts would provide peace of mind while also showing people the exorbitant cost of health care.
Brat also says ideas like allowing people to pool together can bring down costs.
As Republicans throw out different ideas, Democrats often allege that seven years after Obamacare was passed, Republicans still don’t have an alternative.
“The Democrats say we don’t have a plan. That’s true. We have nine of them,” said Brat, who doesn’t expect the GOP to take long in compiling a replacement.
He says it’s the Democrats who have their heads in the sand.
“The entitlements, Medicare and Social Security, are going insolvent and not a word from the Democrats’ side on these major issues, when the kids will end up with no systems whatsoever in 50 years. Not a word, just crickets,” said Brat.
But the start of the repeal and replace effort also has Republican critics. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and other Republican fiscal hawks are pointing out the budget used to trigger the reconciliation process blows a $9.7 trillion hole in the budget and adds greatly to an already out of control national debt.
Brat, who voted for the resolution, says Paul and his allies are technically correct.
“They’re right. We chose the current CBO baseline and it blows huge holes in the budget. I think that was done to offer the Senate a little bit of latitude to get the vote right here,” said Brat.
But Brat, a member of the House Budget Committee, says GOP budgets will fix that in the coming months.
“We’re going to do another budget in four months and that one will get back to normal balancing in ten years, maybe sooner than that,” said Brat. “That’s the hope of some of us.”
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America get the popcorn ready as the Hillary and Sanders Democrats feud over the future of the party. They also rip the media for overblowing Donald Trump’s statement on NATO being obsolete but also scold Trump for stoking some of the confusion. And they unload on the radical leftists Project Veritas caught trying to ruin an inaugural ball with stink bombs and triggering the sprinklers.
President Obama’s thawing of relations with Cuba has already drawn plenty of criticism, but a prominent Castro critic says Obama’s actions in his final week will only serve to increase repression in Cuba while enriching the coffers of the Castro regime.
On Friday, the Obama administration announced it would no longer accept Cubans into the country if they arrive in the U.S. without a visa. For years, the American policy had been to accept refugees who reached our shores but turn back those encountered off the Florida coast.
For critics of Obama’s earlier overtures, this latest move is another major slap in the face.
“It is very significant. It is another cave-in by Obama to Castro,” said Humberto Fontova, a prominent author and journalist who fled Cuba as a boy while his father was imprisoned.
However, he says it’s not the so-called “wet foot, dry foot” policy shift that enrages him the most.
“Folks, this is a smokescreen. This is cover. This is camouflage for the real issue here,” said Fontova. “What Obama did along with this is he abrogated the doctor asylum program. Read the fine print, folks.”
At issue is the Cuban policy of “Doctor Diplomacy,” which Fontova describes as Cuba sending doctors to many friendly or third-world nations in exchange for large sums of money pumped into the Cuban treasury. He says the doctors get less than 10 percent of the money and their families are “held hostage” while they’re abroad.
In 2006, President George W. Bush instituted the aforementioned asylum program, allowing those Cuban doctors to defect to the U.S. by strolling into any one of our embassies around the world.
“That was costing the Castro regime dearly because what the host country would have paid for these quack doctors was being lost. It’s estimated this was bringing in about eight billion to the Castro regime,” said Fontova.
He says that money will flow more freely again now that Obama has reversed the Bush policy.
Fontova also points out that Obama is not clamping down on all Cuban entering the U.S. Those with visas are welcome, and he says how those visas are distributed is a scandal in itself.
“Here’s the kicker. The issuance of those visas is outsourced by Obama to the Castro regime. The U.S. embassy in Havana leaves it up to Castro to decide who is going to get these visas,” said Fontova.
He says the visa recipients are chosen specifically to fleece the American welfare system for the benefit of Cuba, a strategy that Obama helped make easier by easing the U.S. remittance policy toward Cuba early in his administration.
“They sprint off the plane, run straight to the welfare offices, apply for the U.S. welfare benefits, which can total $1,200 a month, and almost immediately start wiring that money back to Cuba,” said Fontova.
“It’s estimated that last year four billion dollars flowed from the U.S. to Cuba, thanks to Obama opening that lifeline and thanks to those so-called refugees that the Castro regime chooses,” said Fontova.
In his farewell address, President Obama took credit for opening “a new chapter with the Cuban people.” Fontova says that new chapter means even more suffering for the Cuban people.
“The real horror of this is that repression in Cuba is at a 20-year high. The last two years, in other words coinciding exactly with Obama’s opening, have coincided with a wave of terror against Cuban dissidents,” said Fontova, who says the Cuban government feels emboldened to persecute dissenters since it know there will be no negative reactions from the U.S.
And thanks to Obama refusing to accept refugees who make it to U.S. shores, those dissidents have no way of escape.
“The Cubans who Castro didn’t want to come to the U.S., genuine refugees, folks who jump on two pieces of styrofoam tied together. Those people will be prevented from coming, but the Cubans who Castro wants to come over here because they’re a cash cow for him will continue coming,” said Fontova.
He says the Cuban dissidents point the finger of blame at Obama.
“Do you know that Cuban dissidents have been protesting in Cuba wearing Obama masks? They’re saying it’s his fault. Naturally, that hasn’t been reported in the mainstream media, but it is all Obama’s fault, Cuban dissidents keep telling us,” said Fontova.
