Bradley Byrne: Early picks show priorities of Trump Administration
Over the last few weeks, reporters with television cameras have stood watch in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City to see who is coming and going from meetings with President-elect Donald Trump. Most of the visitors are there to talk to the President-elect about opportunities to serve in his administration, and based on the announcements so far, it is safe to say that President-elect Trump is putting together a great team. I have made clear my strong support for Alabama’s own Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General. It was one of the first announcements President-elect Trump made, and it shows that he is going to be serious about enforcing the rule of law and cracking down on illegal immigration. If you haven’t read about General James Mattis, you definitely should. Donald Trump made a fantastic choice in selecting him to lead the Department of Defense. He has a clear record of serving our nation with steadfast leadership, unwavering integrity, and selfless dedication. I know General Mattis will help lead the charge toward a stronger, more capable military. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and defeat radical Islamic terrorism. One of the first friends I made upon being elected to Congress was Tom Price, a congressman from Georgia. I was so thrilled to see him selected to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. As an orthopedic surgeon, he understands better than most how Obamacare is ruining our nation’s health care system. Dr. Price has served as chairman of the House Budget Committee for the last couple of years, so he also understands the need to pursue policies that help reduce federal spending and balance the budget. He will do a fantastic job overseeing the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. Elaine Chao, who served as Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, has been selected for Secretary of Transportation. We have numerous important transportation projects here in Southwest Alabama, and I look forward to working with Elaine Chao to improve all of our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Dr. Ben Carson is a good choice for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As someone who grew up in poverty, he has seen firsthand the challenges facing some of our communities. I specifically look forward to working with Dr. Carson to change the way our nation tackles poverty by putting a real emphasis on work and helping connect people with the skills they need to find a job. As a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I am also excited about Trump’s picks for Secretary of Education and Secretary of Labor. Betsy DeVos has dedicated her career to improving educational opportunities for students, and I expect that goal to continue. Andy Puzder, the pick to lead the Labor Department, is a businessman who has seen firsthand how the policies of the last eight years have thwarted economic growth and hurt working families. I am confident that under his leadership, we can swing the pendulum of power away from Big Labor bosses and back in favor of American workers. The selection of Wilbur Ross and Steven Mnuchin to lead the Departments of Commerce and Treasury show that President-elect Trump is serious about always putting American workers first and growing the economy here at home. Each of these cabinet nominees will have to go through the Senate confirmation process, but I am confident the Republican-controlled Senate will expeditiously confirm the nominees so they can get to work. If these picks are an indication of how Donald Trump plans to govern, I think we have much to be excited about in the coming years. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Donald Trump picks fast food executive Andrew Puzder for Labor
President-elect Donald Trump plans to add another wealthy business person and elite donor to his Cabinet, saying he would nominate fast-food executive Andrew Puzder as labor secretary. Puzder heads CKE Restaurants Holdings, the parent company of Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s and other chains. In 2010, he published a book called “Job Creation: How it Really Works and Why Government Doesn’t Understand It.” “Andy will fight to make American workers safer and more prosperous by enforcing fair occupational safety standards and ensuring workers receive the benefits they deserve, and he will save small businesses from the crushing burdens of unnecessary regulations that are stunting job growth and suppressing wages,” President-elect Trump said in a statement. Puzder, in the same statement, said he was honored “to help President-elect Trump restore America’s global economic leadership.” The Californian was one of Trump’s earliest campaign financiers, serving as a co-chairman of his California finance team and organizing fundraisers well before most major donors got on board with the eventual Republican nominee. Together with his wife, Puzder contributed $150,000 in late May to Trump’s campaign and Republican Party partners, fundraising records show. As one of Trump’s most outspoken defenders, Puzder frequently appeared on cable news and Twitter to talk up the benefits of having a business leader in the White House. A week after Trump’s election, Puzder said he agreed with Trump’s aim to ease business regulations. “We’ve reached the point where overregulation is doing meaningful damage to our businesses,” he said last month at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference in Las Vegas, citing high labor costs, increased health care costs and “political and social” policies as hindrances. Union leaders decried Puzder as a secretary who would look out for millionaires – but not workers. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement that Puzder’s “business record is defined by fighting against working people.” Incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said there’s reason to be skeptical about Puzder. “Turning the Labor Department over to someone who opposes an increase in the minimum wage, opposes the overtime rule that would raise middle class wages, and whose businesses have repeatedly violated labor laws might be the surest sign yet that the next cabinet will be looking out for the billionaires and special interests, instead of America’s working class,” Schumer said in a statement. Trump’s selection won praise from the National Retail Federation, however. “Andrew Puzder is someone with the real-world experience to understand workforce issues and how jobs are created,” said David French, NRF’s senior vice president for government relations. Trump’s recent appointments have reflected his desire to turn to business leaders – who also were campaign donors. Trump tapped former WWE chief executive and top campaign contributor Linda McMahon to lead the Small Business Administration. He also selected his campaign’s national finance chairman Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and hedge fund investor, as Treasury secretary. Puzder visited with Trump several times since the election, including a meeting Wednesday afternoon at Trump Tower. He has long been a reliable GOP donor. He was a major financier for 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney and has remained close to him. At Romney’s annual donor summit in June, Puzder was one of just a few attendees who aggressively promoted Trump to the dozens who were more squeamish about their party’s new star. He told The Associated Press at the Republican National Convention in late July that he enjoyed the challenge of raising money for Trump, saying he often sought common ground with reluctant GOP donors by talking up Trump’s children. “If he’s such an evil villain,” Puzder said he would tell would-be donors, “how do you explain the kids?” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
You’re Hired? Inside the interviews as Donald Trump picks Cabinet
When Robert Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, arrived to a recent meeting with Donald Trump, the president-elect greeted him with a blunt question. “Did you think I was going to win?” Trump asked. The entertainment mogul, who has known Trump socially for years, offered an honest and candid response: “No,” he said, drawing a smile from Trump. Johnson is one of dozens of people who have paraded into Trump’s properties in New York and New Jersey in recent weeks for job interviews and other consultations. Several described the meetings as serious, yet conversational, with the president-elect leading the discussion and asking questions extemporaneously, with few notes in front of him. Senior adviser Steve Bannon and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus sit in on most of the interviews, occasionally jumping in with their own questions. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, has also participated in some of the discussions. The meetings, which run up to an hour, are bare-bones affairs, with glasses of water the only refreshment offered. “It wasn’t a cookies and cream kind of deal,” said Sonny Perdue, the former Georgia governor who is in the mix for Trump’s Agriculture secretary. “It was a business meeting, with a CEO interviewing an applicant for a job.” In the month since his victory, Trump has announced picks for about half of the Cabinet, assembling an eclectic group of political insiders, wealthy financiers and campaign loyalists. He’s moving at a faster clip than President Barack Obama, who ran a more traditional and secretive selection process, assigning teams of lawyers to pour through potential nominees’ backgrounds and carefully guarding the names of those being interviewed. Trump, a one-time reality television star, is carrying out his process with a showman’s touch, at times even deliberating about his choices publicly. Interviewees walk past a gaggle of journalists assembled in the lobby of Manhattan’s Trump Tower or on the driveway of his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club before being whisked into their meetings. The Manhattan meetings take place in the president-elect’s business office, which features an expansive view of Central Park. Trump sits behind his desk, surrounded by memorabilia and stacks of reading material, the walls dotted with magazine covers and other photos of the real estate mogul. John Allison, the former chairman of BB&T Corp. who was invited to interview for Treasury secretary, said he was not asked to submit any personal or financial information to Trump’s team ahead of the interviews. Still, he said Trump and his senior team had “obviously researched my background.” Others who described their interview process to The Associated Press said they, too, were not asked by Trump’s team to provide vetting information, raising questions about how the candidates’ background and financial ties are being scrutinized. Trump advisers did not respond to inquiries about the extent of the vetting process. Perdue, who was also not asked to submit any personal information, said it appears Trump is interested in the public’s reaction to his potential picks and the issues that surface in the media after their meetings. “I think they kind of slowly let this stuff out to see what bubbles up,” Perdue said. “That’s part of the process.” Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is running Trump’s transition, has helped arrange some of the meetings, but is not sitting in on all of them. Those who are invited to meet Trump arrange their own transportation, including secretary of state candidate Mitt Romney, who was spotted waiting in a taxi line at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport. While most of Trump’s meetings have been held in Manhattan, Romney’s first meeting with the president-elect took place at the Bedminster golf club. Johnson, the BET founder, also met Trump there, huddling with his longtime acquaintance in a conference room on the property. Johnson said Trump quickly cut to the chase, asking if he would be interested in joining the Cabinet. Johnson said he didn’t have any interest in working in government but did want to offer his views on issues related to black voters. “It ended with me telling him, ‘I want to be helpful to you if I’ve got an open door to make my case that I think are in the best interests of African-Americans,’ Johnson said. Allison said his interview focused on economic policy, including taxes and regulation and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill, which Trump vowed to dismantle during the campaign. However, Allison said Trump now appears more focused on a major restructuring of the legislation during their hour-long discussions. “We agreed that while it would be good to repeal Dodd-Frank, it would be difficult politically,” Allison said. Following his meeting with Trump, Allison said he spent about 20 minutes with Steve Mnuchin, who ran the Trump campaign’s finance operations. Trump ultimately picked Mnuchin for the Treasury job, the one Allison had come in to discuss. Allison also learned he’d been passed over for the job from Mnuchin. He left him a message with the news. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump settles on Oklahoma’s AG Scott Pruitt to lead EPA
President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that he will nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a global warming skeptic, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, which he has repeatedly sued and derided for pursuing an “activist agenda.” “My administration strongly believes in environmental protection, and Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety and opportunity,” Trump said in an early morning statement. Trump said Pruitt, 48, will restore the EPA’s “essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe” while ensuring that the agency doesn’t spend tax money on an “out of control, anti-energy agenda.” Pruitt, in a statement released by Trump’s transition team, said Americans “are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses.” After word broke Wednesday of the expected pick, environmental groups took a strong stand against Pruitt, describing him as a puppet of polluters. The Sierra Club said it was like “putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires.” Representatives of mining and oil interests cheered Trump’s choice. “Scott Pruitt is a businessman and public servant and understands the impact regulation and legislation have in the business world,” said Jeffrey McDougall, an oilman who serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association. “His appointment will put rational and reasonable regulation at the forefront.” Though his academic degrees are in political science and law, Pruitt has been a vocal denier of the science showing that the planet is warming and that man-made carbon emissions are to blame. In an opinion article published this year by National Review, Pruitt suggested that the debate over global warming “is far from settled” and claimed “scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind.” According to NASA, 97 percent of the world’s climate scientists agree that the planet is getting hotter and that burning fossil fuels is the primary cause. Ten of the warmest years in history have occurred in the past 12, with 2016 on pace to be the hottest recorded. Studies show the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass, while the world’s oceans have risen on average nearly 7 inches in the last century. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, set to become the Senate Democratic leader, said his party plans to press Pruitt with “tough questions” in his confirmation hearing. “Attorney General Pruitt’s reluctance to accept the facts or science on climate change couldn’t make him any more out of touch with the American people – and with reality,” Schumer said. Schumer said Trump “promised to break the special interests’ grip on Washington, but his nomination of Mr. Pruitt – who has a troubling history of advocating on behalf of big oil at the expense of public health – only tightens it.” GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, who shares Pruitt’s skepticism of climate science, praised Pruitt’s record of fighting back “against unconstitutional and overzealous environmental regulations.” As attorney general since 2011, Pruitt has repeatedly sued the EPA. He joined with other Republican attorneys general in opposing the Clean Power Plan, which seeks to limit planet-warming carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. Pruitt has argued that curbing carbon emissions would trample the rights of states, drive up electricity rates, threaten the reliability of the nation’s power grid and “create economic havoc.” He filed court briefs in support of the Keystone XL pipeline, blocked by the Obama administration. The project runs through his state. Pruitt also sued the EPA over the agency’s recent expansion of water bodies regulated under the federal Clean Water Act, which has been opposed by industries that would be forced to clean up polluted wastewater. “Respect for private property rights have allowed our nation to thrive, but with the recently finalized rule, farmers, ranchers, developers, industry and individual property owners will now be subject to the unpredictable, unsound and often byzantine regulatory regime of the EPA,” Pruitt said last year. Though Pruitt ran unopposed for a second term in 2014, campaign finance reports show he raised more than $700,000, with many of his top donors hailing from the energy and utility industries. Among those who gave the maximum contribution of $5,000 to Pruitt’s campaign was Continental Resources Chairman and CEO Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma oil tycoon who has been advising Trump. Trump has called global warming a “hoax” and said he plans to abandon the U.S. commitment to reduce carbon emissions as part of the international agreement signed last year in Paris. During the campaign, the New York billionaire said he would like to abolish the EPA, or at least gut regulations he says impede corporate profits. Environmental groups say they are girding up to defend the Obama administration’s environmental legacy in court. “Scott Pruitt has built his political career by trying to undermine EPA’s mission of environmental protection,” said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund. “He is a deeply troubling choice to head the agency that protects the clean air all Americans breathe and the clean water we drink.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
