What to watch during Donald Trump’s State of the Union address
President Donald Trump, a uniter? That’s the approach advisers say Trump will take in his first State of the Union address delivered under divided government. A president who’s mocked everyone from women to the U.S. intelligence community, foreign leaders and members of Congress is expected to speak Tuesday night of setting aside hard feelings and moving forward. For an idea of how that goes over, keep an eye on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, seated behind him and over his shoulder, and the record number of women and minorities who dot the audience after the November 2018 elections. And listen for how enthusiastically Republicans applaud Trump’s outreach. AMPED ATMOSPHERE Everything about the event, including the date, is framed by the longest government shutdown in history. Pelosi suggested Trump postpone the scheduled Jan. 29 speech until the government reopened. Trump, who commands the armed forces, then put off Pelosi’s trip overseas on a military plane. She then formally yanked the welcome mat by refusing to hold a vote to allow Trump to address a joint session of Congress. The tug of war ended Jan. 25, when Trump lifted the shutdown without getting new money for the wall he wants to build on the U.S.-Mexico border. Pelosi then re-invited Trump to deliver the address on Tuesday and he agreed. Trump has vowed to get his border wall and has threatened to declare a national emergency to pay for it without Congress’ approval. ___ TRUMP’S ENTRANCE The pomp begins the moment House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving yells from the back of the chamber, “Madam Speaker, the president of the United States!” Trump will then walk down the center aisle flanked by Republican leaders, shaking hands with many of the lawmakers who grabbed seats earlier in the day in hopes of making it into photos and video with the president. Republicans will burst into raucous hoots and applause. Not likely to extend a hand to Trump: The star of the Democratic freshmen, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. “But I’ll be there and I’ll be present to see and listen to what’s going on,” she told TMZ. ___ WHO’S IN THE ROOM It’s a rare moment when members of the three separate and co-equal branches of government meet under the same roof. The night’s key visual will be Pelosi sitting behind Trump along with Vice President Mike Pence. All 535 members of Congress are invited, along with members of Trump’s Cabinet and the justices of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts. The balcony tells its own story. To the left, Trump will nod to first lady Melania Trump and the administration’s guests. Seated elsewhere in the gallery will be lawmakers’ invited guests, many chosen to send messages reinforcing each party’s agenda. This year the guests include people who have suffered because of the shutdown and those pushing for tougher immigration laws. ___ DESIGNATED SURVIVOR It’s not just a television show. By tradition, one Cabinet secretary is closeted away at a secure, undisclosed location to ensure continuity of government in case disaster strikes while government leaders attend the speech. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was last year’s “designated survivor.” But Trump’s choice this year could be limited by the number of “acting” secretaries in the Cabinet. Only Senate-confirmed secretaries (and natural-born citizens) in the line of succession to the presidency can assume control of government in a crisis. That means Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao can’t fill the role of designated survivor. Chao is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Taiwan. ___ WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE AUDIENCE Look for women on the Democratic side of the aisle wearing white, the color favored by early 20th century suffragettes and now worn by those who want Trump to easily spot his new opponents. Listen for boos, hisses or silence from the newly empowered Democratic side when Trump speaks. Note whether Trump can raise everyone’s gaze and hit feel-good themes that inspire both sides to applaud. For instance, who’s against “unity?” Both Trump and Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who will deliver the rebuttal, have used that idea to preview their remarks. ___ DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT Nearly a dozen Democrats who dream of succeeding Trump serve in Congress. They will be sizing up the president and each other as well. Watch the body language among the would-be Democratic presidents: Who’s talking to whom, who gets or gives a hug or a kiss, whose heads are bowed in hushed conversation. Also watch their body language toward Trump. Cameras will be trolling the audience — and the presidential dreamers know it — to see if they can be caught responding with an eye roll or head shake. ___ ABRAMS AFTER WORDS Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer chose Abrams to deliver the rebuttal in a nod toward the black women who anchor the Democratic Party. Doing so elevates her among Democrats as the leaders woo Abrams to run for the Senate. Abrams also will provide a contrast with Trump, who has a history of making racially inflammatory remarks. Abrams is filling a role that for others has proven thankless and generated brutal reviews. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s lunge for a water bottle became a meme after he delivered his party’s response in 2013. Then-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, was panned for being dull in 2009. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, appearing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” said he twice turned down offers to deliver the rebuttal. Why? “Because it sucks,” he said. … Follow Kellman and Superville on Twitter at twitter.com/APLaurieKellman and twitter.com/DSupervilleAP Republished with permission from the Associated Press
FAA awards Alabama another $13.5 million in grants for airport improvements
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Thursday it will upgrade airports in Huntsville, Mobile, Dothan, Montgomery and 19 other Alabama cities, as well as locales across the nation. Alabama will benefit from more than $13.5 million FAA grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation for various airport improvements to support infrastructure construction, safety advances, and equipment acquisition. “These Airport Improvement Grants are investments in our country’s critical infrastructure,” Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said. The grants – which range from $2.64 million for the Huntsville International-Carl T. Jones Field Airport to $45,000 for the Bay Minette Municipal Airport – are funded through the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and federal appropriations. “I am proud our state is receiving more funding to advance airport infrastructure,” said Alabama U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. “These grants are important investments in the safety, security, and efficiency of local airports in Alabama. The improvements will help drive growth in local communities and directly impact the quality of life for residents and visitors.” The 24 FAA grants, totaling $13,510,593, will support the following airport projects in Alabama: Huntsville International-Carl T. Jones Field Airport, Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority – $2,642,920 for replacement of multiple terminal building passenger boarding bridges, and apron and taxiway rehabilitation Mobile Regional Airport, Mobile Airport Authority – $1,187,722 for friction measuring equipment acquisition, airport drainage improvements, and an update to the airport master plan study Dothan Regional Airport, Dothan-Houston County Airport Authority – $1,667,165 for apron and taxiway rehabilitation Montgomery Regional (Dannelly Field) Airport, Montgomery Airport Authority – $1,404,035 for installation of perimeter fencing and taxiway rehabilitation Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Birmingham Airport Authority – $1,375,000 for a Voluntary Airport Low-Emission project to reduce sources of airport ground emissions, improve airport air quality, and reduce the use of conventional fuels Huntsville Executive Airport Tom Sharp Jr. Field Airport, Madison County Executive Airport Authority – $1,234,700 for land acquisition Monroe County Aeroplex Airport, County of Monroe – $506,105 for runway rehabilitation Robbins Field Airport, City of Oneonta and County of Blount – $461,536 for land acquisition and runway rehabilitation Hartselle-Morgan County Regional Airport, City of Hartselle – $498,654 for apron, runway, and taxiway rehabilitation Ashland-Lineville Airport, County of Clay – $412,026 for apron and taxiway construction Brewton Municipal Airport, City of Brewton – $300,000 for runway lighting and airport beacon rehabilitation Foley Municipal Airport, City of Foley – $259,149 for taxiway construction Guntersville Municipal-Joe Starnes Field Airport, City of Guntersville – $235,858 for runway and taxiway construction and installation of perimeter fencing Isbell Field Airport, City of Fort Payne – $220,000 for installation of a runway guidance system and weather reporting equipment Evergreen Regional-Middleton Field Airport, City of Evergreen – $164,742 for runway obstruction removal Camden Municipal Airport, City of Camden – $156,298 for runway rehabilitation Jack Edwards National Airport, City of Gulf Shores – $150,000 for runway safety enhancements and taxiway rehabilitation Centre-Piedmont-Cherokee County Regional Airport, Centre-Piedmont-Cherokee County Regional Airport Authority – $150,000 for access road improvements Jeremiah Denton Airport, County of Mobile – $149,400 for installation of a runway guidance system and runway rehabilitation Craig Field Airport, Craig Field Airport & Industrial Authority – $88,245 for taxiway rehabilitation Bill Pugh Field Airport, City of Russellville – $74,598 for updates to the airport master plan study Atmore Municipal Airport, City of Atmore – $72,000 for construction of a pump fuel facility and an update to the airport master plan study Bay Minette Municipal Airport, City of Bay Minette – $55,440 for runway obstruction removal Bay Minette Municipal Airport, City of Bay Minette – $45,000 for an update to the airport master plan study In July, the FAA announced it was awarding 25 local airports throughout the Yellowhammer State will benefit from more than $25.5 million in FAA grants. This latest round of grants is in addition to the July amount.
Dems force delays in votes on Jeff Sessions, Steve Mnuchin, Tom Price
Democrats forced delays Tuesday in planned Senate committee votes on President Donald Trump‘s picks for Health and Treasury secretaries and attorney general, amid growing Democratic surliness over the administration’s aggressive early moves against refugees and an expected bitter battle over filling the Supreme Court vacancy. Democrats abruptly boycotted a Senate Finance Committee meeting called to vote on Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., the Health nominee and Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s Treasury selection, saying both had misled Congress about their financial backgrounds. The Democrats’ action prevented the Finance panel from acting because under committee rules, 13 of its members — including at least one Democrat — must be present for votes. It was unclear when the panel would reschedule to votes. At the Senate Judiciary Committee, a meeting considering Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., to be attorney general lasted so long — chiefly because of lengthy Democratic speeches — that Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the panel would meet again Wednesday. The meeting on Sessions’ nomination was coming with Democrats and demonstrators around the country in an uproar over Trump’s executive order temporarily blocking refugees. Even some Republicans were warning it could hinder anti-terrorism efforts. Not everything ground to a halt. The Senate education committee voted 12-11 to send Trump’s pick to head the Education Department, Betsy DeVos, to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee quickly approved former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as Energy secretary by 16-7, and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to head Interior by 16-6. And the full Senate easily confirmed Elaine Chao to become transportation secretary by a 93-6 vote. Chao was labor secretary under President George W. Bush, and is wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Just before the Finance committee was scheduled to vote on Price and Mnuchin, Democrats called a briefing for reporters and announced their plan to force a delay. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said Price and Mnuchin would hold positions “that directly affect peoples’ lives every day. The truth matters.” Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, accused Democrats of “a lack of desire to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities.” “They ought to stop posturing and acting like idiots,” he said. In 2013 when Democrats controlled the Senate, Republicans boycotted a committee vote on Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency, temporarily stalling it. Democrats cited one report in The Wall Street Journal that Price received a special, discounted offer to buy stock in a biomedical company, which contradicted his testimony to Congress. They said another report in The Columbus Dispatch showed documents revealing that Mnuchin had not been truthful with the Senate in the confirmation process in comments about how his bank OneWest had handled home foreclosures. Republicans have supported both men, and both have strongly defended their actions. Democrats have opposed Price, a seven-term congressional veteran, for his staunch backing of his party’s drive to scuttle Obama’s health care law and to reshape Medicare and Medicaid, which help older and low-income people afford medical care. They’ve also assailed Price for buying stocks of health care firms, accusing him of using insider information and conflicts of interest for backing legislation that could help his investments. Price says his trades were largely managed by brokers and that he’s followed congressional ethics rules. Democrats have criticized Mnuchin for not initially revealing nearly $100 million in assets, and were expected to vote against both nominees. They’ve also accused him of failing to protect homeowners from foreclosures and criticized him for not initially disclosing all his assets. DeVos, a wealthy GOP donor and conservative activist, has long supported charter schools and allowing school choice. That’s prompted opposition from Democrats and teachers’ unions who view her stance as a threat to federal dollars that support public education. Critics have also mocked her for suggesting that guns could be justified in schools to protect students from grizzly bears. Two prominent Republicans on the education committee, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said they remained uncertain if they will vote for her on the Senate floor. Murkowski said DeVos has yet to prove that she deeply cares about America’s struggling schools and its children. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Elaine Chao: Unleash private investors to boost transportation
The Trump administration is looking to “unleash the potential” of private investors to boost the national transportation networks that underpin the U.S. economy, transportation secretary-designate Elaine Chao plans to tell lawmakers at her confirmation hearing Wednesday. Economic gains are being jeopardized by infrastructure “in need of repair, the specter of rising highway fatalities, growing congestion, and by a failure to keep pace with emerging technologies,” according to prepared testimony Chao plans to deliver to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Chao, 63, is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate. She was labor secretary during George W. Bush’s administration, and deputy transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush, making her better known than some nominees. She is also the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and many senators have a personal relationship with her. But she hasn’t been immune from criticism. Unions say that as labor secretary she mostly sided with industry when enforcing labor and safety rules. In her testimony, Chao advocates using “innovative financing tools” that can “take full advantage of the estimated trillions in capital that equity firms, pension funds and endowments can invest.” She says private investment should be “incentivized with a bold, new vision.” She doesn’t detail those incentives, but a paper written by two economic advisers to President-elect Donald Trump recommends providing $137 billion in tax credits to infrastructure investors. His advisers predict that will generate about $1 trillion in investment over 10 years. But transportation experts note that investors are interested only in transportation projects that produce revenue, like toll roads, and there are relatively few large projects like that. They say states need help with a growing backlog of maintenance and repair projects for aging highways, bridges and transit systems. Providing tax incentives also runs the risk of providing a windfall to investors for projects that would have been built anyway. Trump repeatedly promised during the campaign to spend $1 trillion on roads, bridges, railways, airports and other types of infrastructure. It’s one of the principal ways he said he would create jobs. But he has said little about this since the election. Republican congressional leaders have said they’ll wait to see what Trump proposes before tackling an infrastructure bill. Trump has said he expects to be occupied early in his administration with cutting taxes and repealing President Barack Obama‘s health care overhaul. Infrastructure isn’t expected to be dealt with until late spring. As transportation secretary, Chao would be responsible for regulating auto, truck, train, transit, pipeline and aviation safety. The department frequently faces pressure from industry to relax safety rules and block new ones. Chao, who has been a fellow at conservative think tank, is likely to lend a sympathetic ear to industry pleas for less regulation. Republish with permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump urging GOP to talk up Jeff Sessions ‘strong’ civil rights record
Donald Trump’s transition team is encouraging GOP Senators to talk up Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions “strong civil rights record” and Justice Department experience during his confirmation hearings next year. The talking points, obtained by Politico, mention Sessions’ large role in Trump’s campaign and that the longtime Senator “is known for his deep respect and adherence to the rule of law, the cornerstone of American democracy.” The memo also highlights that Sessions filed “a host of desegregation lawsuits” during his time as a U.S. Attorney in Alabama, voted in favor of the 30-year extension of the Civil Rights Act, voted to confirm former Attorney General Eric Holder and his efforts to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. One of the marks on Sessions’ record is his failed confirmation to a federal judgeship due to allegations of racist comments, but the memo includes a talking point that individuals who voted against Sessions’ confirmation in 1986 “ultimately regretted it.” The memo includes a quote late Sen. Arlen Specter, who said his “vote against candidate Sessions for the federal court was a mistake because I have since found that Sen. Sessions is egalitarian.” The memo also includes talking points on other Trump appointees, such as former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin, who the administration emphasizes is a “world-class financier.” The talking points also highlight his Secretary of Commerce pick Wilbur Ross’ “extraordinary business career,” Secretary of Transportation pick Elaine Chao as “one of the most successful Cabinet officials in American history,” and Secretary of Health and Human Services pick Tom Price as a “renowned physician” and “tireless problem solver.”
