Introduction to U.S. National Politics

Turner Horn

SWA #3

Foreign Policy	Domestic Policy
Pull out of Afghanistan and Syria	Prison Reform
Immigration Reform	The Wall
Trade Reform	Lowering the Cost of Healthcare
Replace NAFTA (USMCA)	Eliminate HIV/AIDS
	End Childhood Cancer
	Prohibit late-term abortions
	Paid Family Leave
	Reinforce National Defense

It is no secret that the United States is divided into two ideologies: Republican and Democrat. Neither two want to back down on any issues or compromise to collaborate on an issue. It is proven in President Trump’s unwillingness to end the shutdown without Democratic approval, and in Speaker Pelosi’s unwillingness to work with Republicans to pay those working during the shutdown.[1]President Trump made it clear to emphasize this issue in his State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019. He said early on, that Americans hope Congress will “govern not as two parties but as on Nation,” and that his agenda is “not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people.”[2]President Trump went on to say that Democrats and Republicans today can be the first ones in decades to work together to solve problems, instead of trying to make their parties stronger.[3]This type of language is not just present in his general introduction, but it can also be heard in multiple addresses of single issues. He uses this “teamwork” rhetoric on issues like immigration reform, lowering the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, eliminating HIV/AIDS and childhood cancer in the US, and abortion policy reform.[4]

President Trump also made it clear through context clues that the United States cannot be governed by a single party or chamber. In many cases, he explained that Congress needs to compromise in order to progress. On issues such as abortion President Trump used the words “I am asking Congress to pass legislation,” meaning he cannot pass it by himself, or he does not want to pass it illegally.[5]Trump knows that he cannot pass any sort of meaningful legislation on his own (at least legally). This is why he uses this rhetoric. President Trump wants to show that he actually is in favor of legal legislation. Along with this, Trump uses these words to seem more compassionate toward compromise, probably to get more votes in his favor for things like the wall. Conversely, he does state in many cases about how, under the Trump Administration, America has made tremendous strides in multiple areas. For example, President Trump explained that he brought on an “unprecedented economic boom,” when talking about his tax cut and the millions of jobs created in the past two years.[6]This was not a push to say that he could get legislation done. Rather, it was using persuasion to prove to doubters that capitalism works.

The Democratic Response to the State of the Union was given by Stacey Abrams. Abrams seemed a lot less likely to negotiate on many issues. Some of the words she used were that the “ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable.” Abrams went on to disagree with the tax bill that President Trump put forth, the wall, the request to change immigration policy, the repeal of Obamacare, and repeal of abortion laws.[7]It seemed that she wanted to put blame on the Trump administration for racism, sexism, homophobic discrimination, and voter suppression. Abrams and the Democratic Party seemed to disagree with and be non-negotiable on most of the points President Trump brought up in the State of the Union.

The State of the Union brought up many points that are similar to what the state of Ohio holds true. Some issues that appeared in both accounts are the issue of healthcare and making it more affordable and available, job creation, and working to make (late-term, in Trump’s case) abortion illegal. Ohio is mostly a Republican state and holds many of the same stances on these issues. What appeared in the State of the Union that did not show up in the issues faced in Ohio mainly have to do with immigration. Obviously, Ohio is not close to the southern border, so these issues are not in the immediate attention of Ohioans.

[1]Bob Gibbs, “Gibbs Introduces Bill to Pay Federal Essential Workers During Shutdown,” Office of Bob Gibbs, January 8, 2019, https://gibbs.house.gov

[2]Donald Trump, “2019 State of the Union,” February 5, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-2019-transcript/index.html

[3]Ibid.

[4]Donald Trump, “2019 State of the Union,” February 5, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-2019-transcript/index.html

[5]Ibid.

[6]Ibid.

[7]Tara Law, “Stacey Abrams’ Rebuttal,” Time, February 5, 2019, http://time.com/5521939/state-of-the-union-democratic-response-transcript/

Domestic Policy

Foreign Policy

·      Strengthened border security (“wall funding” bill) ·      Reduced taxation to continue economic growth ·      Tax reductions for blue-collar families ·      Economy-side legislation? (certain groups succeeding in higher numbers than in the past) ·      Deregulation ·      Eliminate the “death tax;” Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ·      Nationwide paid family leave ·      Intentions to nominate individuals to courts ·      First Step Act (signed) ·      Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act & other abortion regulations ·      U.S. is succeeding in oil and natural gas, implying legislation supporting this development ·      “Cutting-edge” infrastructure ·      Reducing the price of prescription drugs ·      School choice (nationwide) ·      Paid family leave

·      U.S.-China Trade Deal (or significant renegotiation) ·      Increase defense budget ·      Ensure full participation (monetarily) of NATO members ·      Venezuela (action possible?) ·      Defeat ISIS but withdraw troops from Syria ·      Stop anti-Semitism (support Israel?)

 

In his State of the Union address, President Trump openly expressed a willingness to work in a bipartisan capacity to address rising prescription drug prices, improve infrastructure, and fight diseases like HIV/AIDS and cancer. He also implied a willingness to work towards further criminal justice reform when he pointed out Matthew Charles, a black man who was freed from prison because of the bipartisan First Step Act. In a notably bipartisan declaration, Trump informed Congress and the American people that he would include in his budget plan an act delineating paid family leave, an unprecedented act if it were passed that would no doubt have appeal across the aisle. The fine print of this inclusion is that it would also require the budget to provide funds for the construction of the controversial southern border wall, which makes this seem like more of an enticement crafted to appease Democrats in Congress than a bona fide act of bipartisanship. Although not necessarily indicating a direct involvement in the future, he also applauded the increase in job creation and congressional participation for women. With the exception of these key issues, however, Donald Trump did not signal any real openness to compromising with the House’s Democratic majority. Although some may claim that his discussion on border security constitutes compromise, it is still largely on his terms.

Most of Trump’s stances on executive versus congressional power were made evident in his discussion of border security and immigration. Although he says that “now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration,” which acknowledges Congress’ prerogative, he declares that their will ought to be aligned with his vision of immigration security. As the recent government shutdown (and potential future shutdown) indicates, this is simply untrue. He sees that “Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our Government,” but only if their bill includes his urgently-demanded funding for constructing a border wall. Using his Executive powers, he “ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border” to provide additional security. He therefore sees his most pressing issues as requiring the full exercise of these powers, even if it grinds against the check provided by Congress and their Constitutional responsibility to ultimately pass and enact legislation. He also praises the work of the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which falls under the Executive branch, in apprehending illegal immigrants. Because they fall more centrally under his command, he is more apt to laud them for their accomplishments, which are reflective of his priorities as President and head of the Executive branch.

Stacey Abrams responded succinctly to President Trump’s speech, addressing several key Democratic counterpoints. Although he glaringly failed to mention it in his speech, she decries the plight of furloughed federal employees as a result of the government shutdown, for which Democrats overwhelmingly believe the President is responsible. She echoes his sentiments on coming together as people and as Americans first, rather than allowing political parties to determine our sense of identity. Nonetheless, she states that the Republican administration is responsible for failing to cooperate, reacting “timidly” to gun violence, and creating taxation and economic burdens that fall unfairly on the shoulders of the middle and lower class. Furthermore, she lambasts the administration for “[choosing] to cage children and tear families apart” and reacting negatively to immigrants. She then lists off three core Democratic issues; the Affordable Care Act, climate change legislation, and LGBT defense; as three areas where the government has not acted justifiably. Interestingly, much of her rhetoric uses the pro-America, pro-unity flair that Trump used in his own speech. She also discusses criminal justice reform, which the President himself praised with the aforementioned reference to Charles and the FSA. However, given the shorter time allotted to her rebuttal, she is much more apt to speak to specific policies and issues that she feels are being neglected than Donald Trump, who used pathos-laden clichés on America’s greatness and how people should come together instead of being torn apart by their differences. A number of these issues were scarcely mentioned by Trump in his actual speech, which makes this so-called ‘rebuttal’ seem more anthemic than reactionary in some respects.

As President Trump fleetingly mentioned, the elimination of the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act leaves states to decide how they will react with a reduced pool of funding for upholding affordable healthcare. Maryland must contend with these changes in the General Assembly. The issue of mandatory paid leave also came up in Trump’s State of the Union. Although he was speaking of supporting paid leave for childbirth, this issue is relevant to Maryland’s state legislative agenda because there is currently a stalemate between Governor Larry Hogan and Democratic members over passing a bill requiring paid sick leave. President Trump did not bring up the issue of legalizing medical marijuana, an issue that is of great import at the state level. His recent statements outside of the speech have indicated that he would favor sweeping legalization.

 

Jacob Price

Dr. Alvaro Corral

Intro to U.S. Natl Politics

11 February 2019

State of the Union Assignment

The 116th Congress offers new challenges for the President. For the first two years of his presidency, both the Senate and the House of Representatives were controlled by the Republican majority. Now, Democrats hold a majority in the House of Representatives by 36 seats (Ballotpedia). Nancy Pelosi occupies the position of Speaker of the House for the second time in her congressional career. The 116th congress is also the most diverse congress in U.S. history. It comprises more women, minorities, and members who openly identify as LGBT than any other congress. The State of the Union was generally presented by the media as a show of Democratic dissent. Although, rhetoric was centered around bipartisan efforts the Democratic Party response was generally unwilling or untrusting of the President’s remarks.  The House of Representatives now acts as a check against presidential power. From the attitudes shown during the State of the Union, it is apparent the House of Representatives, will act as an opposing force to the President’s executive authority.

The President made many claims that showed his belief in the excellence he places in his accomplishments as President. Most of all, President Trump hailed the recent economic boom as his accomplishment from the many tax cuts he instituted in 2018. From this, the president claimed that his actions are what brought about the low recent low percentages of unemployment. When in fact these areas of growth are thanks in part to President Trump’s continuation of  Obama’s economic policy. This area of growth has been continuing for the past 6 years (NBC Fact Check). Most surprisingly, President Trump claimed that without his leadership the United States would have entered into a war with North Korea. During the State of the Union, President Trump also sought to discredit the Mueller investigation. Concerning this issue, Trump credited the investigation as no more than partisan politics on behalf of the Democrats. These actions seemed to discredit the President’s perceived willingness to work with any members of the opposing party, especially those in congress. Currently, in the Trump administration, executive power is strong, and the president continues to guide the legislative attitudes of his fellow Republicans.

The Democratic response made by Stacey Abrams, showed the plight and need for representation for working class americans. Her speech affirmed the common good that all americans strive for. She voiced the progressive ideals that she embodies, and she directly countered the partisan actions of the president. She called for unity and Americans to work together. The Spanish Language response made by Xavier Becerra heavily contrasted the President’s rhetoric. He sought to establish the harsh realities of President Trump’s government. Becerra voiced the opinions of the many Americans that he believed were ignored by the Republican administration. Both of these speeches were written to appeal to middle class progresives. They called for a cease to the standstill within our government, and they attributed the shutdown to the presidents folly of leadership over a wall that our country did not want. Both of these speeches make very populist appeals to many americans. Both of these speeches did not focus on accomplishments. They sought to point out shortcomings of the Trump Administration. They called for members of both parties to work together to counter this current policy.  However, with the current polarized climate, this seems unlikely.

A main focus for the state of Ohio was dealing with the opioid epidemic. Policy around this issue included everything from prevention substance control and addiction treatment. In the President’s state of the union he addressed the problem of illegal drugs entering this country but he focused very little on other alternatives to deal with the opioid crisis. However many Ohioans look favorably on Trump’s plans to build a wall on our southern border. He echoed many conservative talking points prevalent in Ohio politics such as the second amendment as well as anti abortion legislation. However, issues important to a largely agricultural state were not addressed at length in the state of the Union. Most major conservative issues are shared by both the Government of the State of Ohio and the Executive Branch of the United States.

 

Domestic Policy      Foreign Policy

Border Wall Funding for Border Wall End Illegal Immigration Protect U.S. from Cartels and drugs entering the Country	Trade Deals and Economy Continuation of re-nagotion of trade agreements especially those concerning China. Continue efforts to bring back jobs that were globally outsourced
Immigration Protect the path to citizenship for those who enter this country Legally	Eliminate the HIV Epidemic Extend treatment both at home and abroad to eliminate HIV
End of Partisanship Claimed the Muller investigation is a partisan distraction from legislative goals	North Korea Extend Peace Talks With Chairman Kim
Pharmaceuticals End the massive inflation of drug prices	ISIS Continue programs of assistance toward the destruction of the already defeated Islamic State
Abortion Pass anti- abortion legislation for late term abortions	Iran Elimination of the Iran Deal Continuation of Policy inhibiting Iran from reaching nuclear Capabilities
Anti-Socialism Ensure protections for a free and democratic government
Jobs Continue to legislate policy that will create more jobs Incentivize the growth of industry

 

Works Cited

“116th United States Congress.” Ballotpedia, ballotpedia.org/116th_United_States_Congress.

Bialik, Kristen, and Kristen Bialik. “State of the Union 2019: How Americans See Major National Issues.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 4 Feb. 2019, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/04/state-of-the-union-2019-how-americans-see-major-national-issues/

“Fact-Check: How Some of Trump’s State of the Union Claims Stand-up to Reality.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2018-state-of-the-union-address/fact-check-how-some-trump-s-state-union-claims-stand-n843066.

Untitled document (2)

1. Two-column table

President Trump mentioned specific legislative items that he wishes to sign during his address to the American people. These legislative items can be divided into two different categories: foreign and domestic policy.

 

 Foreign Policy      Domestic Policy

United States Reciprocal Trade Act	Infrastructure Bill
Reducing presence in Afghanistan	Prescription Drug Pricing Bill
NAFTA replaced by USMCA	Border Wall Funding
Border Wall Funding	Funding for HIV and childhood cancer
	New abortion restrictions
	Lowering cost of healthcare

 

1. Discuss Power Dynamics

Due to a “divided government”, President Trump is faced with a new challenge in terms of the Democrats now controlling the House. Trump mentioned working with the Democrats several times throughout his address. “Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis.” A statement made by the President referring to the “border crisis” that he believes requires immediate attention. Trump’s solution for this crisis is a Wall in which congress will not stand for. Surprisingly I detected language that hinted towards a willingness from Trump to compromise on this issue. With congress only having 10 days left at the time of the address to pass a bill for funding, Trump seemed a little more lenient than usual. “So let’s work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe.” A statement made by the President concluding his proposal.

It is said that each President adopts a particular view of the powers of their office. I believe that President Trump used language in his speech that offers clues into is view’s of the executive branch. He stated, “If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed.” He also stated “When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.” These two statements obviously serve as evidence that President Trump believes that his executive branch gets the job done despite speculation from Congressional oversight.

Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic Response this year. There were some major points of disagreement within the speech. The first point of disagreement dealt with the topic of immigration. Abrams pointed out that “We know bipartisanship could craft a 21st century immigration plan, but this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart. Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders.” Another point of disagreement falls into the topic of healthcare with Stacey Abrams directly calling out the republican party, “Rather than suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Republican Attorneys General have, our leaders must protect the progress we’ve made and commit to expanding health care and lowering costs for everyone.” To be completely honest, I didn’t catch any issues that were up for compromise for the Democrats. Although it is important to add a particular statement Abrams made towards the end of her speech, “So even as I am very disappointed by the president’s approach to our problems – I still don’t want him to fail.” This is an important statement especially following the President’s very long government shutdown because it continues to support the image of the Democratic Party. The image that they are indeed “for the people” whether it be the American people, or the President.

III. Comparison to Your State Legislature

Trump’s State of the Union Address mentioned many legislative goals that can be compared and also contrasted with those of my state legislature. There are some issues that appeared on both agendas. One of those issues pertain to the ending of the Opioid epidemic which is obviously affecting all parts of America in the worst ways. Another issue on both agendas is the aim towards the improvement of economic development state and nation wide. Although some points on both agendas align, Trump failed to mention the improvement of  education and the closing of the gap between education and skills. This is a very important goal of my states legislature.