SWA #3 Masani Francis

 

Foreign Policy Domestic Policy
US-China Trade Border Security
NATO Allies Tax Cuts
Crisis in Venezuela Cuts to Regulation
Eliminating ISIS Deregulation
Anti-Semitic Incidents Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Immigration Criminal Justice Reform (First Step Act)
Tariffs Strengthened Military
Building the wall Energy and Infrastructure
Health Care
Education
Funding for HIV and Childhood Cancer
Prescription Drug Pricing
Abortion Restrictions

 

The table above is of either legislation or specific issues that Donald Trump mentioned in his State of the Union Address.  He touched on some of these briefly and others he proposed and plans to follow up by signing legislation on the issue.  Several of these topics, he is absolutely correct in saying there is work to be done, even if his view does not necessarily reflect that of the entire country.  Some of the proposals he made in his SOTU (State of the Union) Address, can truly be passed.  Some of these include Health Care issues, such as funding for HIV and childhood cancer, which he spoke of in the address.  With this proposal, he is attempting to reach a goal of his administration’s, “eliminating HIV in the United States by 2030” (Vox.com Dylan Scott).  He states, “My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America”.  Here, he is specifically talking about both sides, Democrats and Republicans, working together in order to defeat HIV in America.  To persuade viewers and listeners of the good this would do, despite the sum of $500 million a year, he explains that the ten-year program would be funding “critical lifesaving research”.  Some issues he touched on would be quite difficult for him to pass, but it would not be too unlikely.  An example of this would be his huge infrastructure bill.  He says, “This is not an option.  This is a necessity”, and “many of the newly elected House Democrats from swing districts are (perhaps naively) optimistic about trying to get an infrastructure bill passed”, from the Vox article.  (Vox Scott).  Prescription drug pricing is also an area that Trump has stressed some importance, but it is an issue that even Democrats agree needs to be fixed.  The only issue is that “there is not yet a consensus within the party about the best way to tackle high drug costs” (Vox Scott).

Concerning Executive Power, Donald Trump certainly has a different view than other presidents have had.  A particular quote from the address had some people bothered.  He said, “If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation”.  Nancy Pelosi, a Representative from California, saw this statement as a threat.  She stated, “The president should not bring threats to the floor of the House,” Pelosi said. “He said he wasn’t going to cooperate unless we didn’t exercise our constitutional responsibility to oversight” (Roll Call Lindsey McPherson).  Trump stated a lot of things about having to cooperate and compromise for the common good, wanting bipartisan unity in the divided Congress, but his past actions and the ideals of the Democratic members prove it may be difficult to achieve that status.

The Democratic response to the address was given by former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, Stacey Abrams.  She stressed several things in her speech.  She especially emphasized issues with gender and race prevalent in the United States, but she also touched on topics such as voting rights and equality, compromise between parties, and education.  She spotlighted the fact that children should be educated from “cradle to career”.  Regarding voting rights, she stated, “This is the next battle for our democracy, one where all eligible citizens can have their say about the vision we want for our country. We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counter is a ‘power grab’”.  She also mentioned, “In this time of division and crisis, we must come together and stand for, and with, one another. America has stumbled time and again on its quest towards justice and equality; but with each generation, we have revisited our fundamental truths, and where we falter, we make amends”.

The legislative agenda outlined in the State of the Union Address had many similarities to the agenda outlined for my state legislature of Pennsylvania.  Some issues and topics that occurred in both were, education, health care, infrastructure, and voting reform.  Voting reform and education were more so talked about in the response to the Address, because Abrams stressed these things in her response, whereas Trump may have just touched on these issues briefly.  Issues and legislation on infrastructure and health care were talked about in Trump’s address, especially infrastructure, as he is pushing for legislation on this topic.  Some points outlined in my state legislature that were not talked about or barely talked about in Trump’s address were housing issues, criminal justice and gun violence, as well as energy and environment.

Atul Sonthalia SWA#1

STATE CHOSEN- NORTH CAROLINA
Governor – Roy Cooper
Secretary of State – Elaine Marshall
Speaker of The House – Timothy. K. Moore
The speaker of the house is from the republican party, while the Governor and the Secretary of state are from the Democratic party. The state is under divided government. In the house of representatives, North Carolina’s legislation is controlled by the republican party. It has a total of 120 members. 55 of these members are democrats and 65 are republicans. The state government is therefore divided in North Carolina. Since the governor is Democratic and most of the party Republican, there is a consistent state of conflict between his authority and the legislation therefore resulting in vetoes and multiple lawsuits thereby slowing down the legislation. The marginal difference between the two parties is just 10 members, furthermore the Governor is from the democratic party therefore it is safe to conclude that the republican party are not very likely to achieve all their legislative goals.
An analysis of the news from the close watchers of the government at North Carolina, more specifically from “The Charolette Observer” indicates that there are multiple issues regarding race discrimination in education institutions. There is a case against the University of North Carolina whereby there are under investigation due to the suspicion that the University is biased against black students. One of the goals of the state legislation could potentially be to curb or eradicate this bias if present. Additionally, there was found to be a glitch in NC Public school systems whereby there are errors in grading. Since there are so many issues regarding education one of the legislation’s main focus should be in improving the education systems and making them more just toward all students irrespective of race, gender, colour etc.
Another one of the legislations goals is the recovery of the state after the destruction caused by the hurricane Florence. The large-scale destruction requires the legislation to shift gears and focus on repairs to the state because repairs to infrastructure and buildings require a great deal of time and resources. Lastly, the Mecklenburg park in the Carolinas is ranked last nationally. The increasing population requires more green space, the local government is required to increase funding toward the development of this park to keep up with the increasing population.
Part 2 –
OHIO
State Senate Representative – Kristina Daley Roegner, Republican
State House Representative – Scott Wiggam
Jobs- the Senate representative Kristina Daley wants government involvement in the creation of jobs. She says that the government can create an attractive climate for businesses by changing the tax climate, regulatory environment, labour laws and workforce development. The state house Representative Scott Wiggam on the other hand wants the government to be uninvolved with the job market. He believes that the American dream is still achievable, and that government interference would only threaten the dream.
Taxation- Scott wants to decrease the tax burden in the economy by attempting to lower taxes. This is aimed toward the goal to attain a better economy and create jobs. He believes that tax cuts would increase the job opportunities and boost the economy. Kristina has a similar agenda with regards to taxation. She believes that money is better off in the pockets of the people who earned it rather than with the bureaucrats.
Both the representatives are pro-life and against abortions. Kristina does not have a specific agenda for gun control, Scott supports the second amendment and says that it is a god given right.
I believe that both the representatives miss a lot of points when making their agenda. For example, it is not sufficient to just cut taxes. The impact of taxation is greater on the lower income individuals than on the higher income individuals. They should support a fair taxation policy whereby citizens are taxed based on their revenue. Just simple tax reductions for everyone is not enough. While it will allow the citizens to have more disposable income, the government will have less income to support the lower sectors of the economy. I do not agree with the pro-life ideology either. I believe that the woman should have a choice in the matter. The individuals involved have to have the resources to be able to raise a child. If they do not it is unfair to themselves and the child to conceive the child. I also do not agree with their policy on the second amendment. This is because it simply does not make sense to give citizens the power to take another life. The purpose of a country is to protect its citizens and not make them threats to each other.

REFERENCES

Hurricane Florence Starts Flooding Parts of the Carolinas N.d.CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/13/us/hurricane-florence-south-east-coast-wxc/index.html, accessed January 25, 2019.

Issues N.d.Kristina Roegner. https://www.kristinaroegner.com/issues/, accessed January 25, 2019.

Mecklenburg, NC Parks Need Millions in Spending, Advocates Say | Charlotte Observer N.d. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article224630420.html, accessed January 25, 2019.

NC Gov. Cooper: Contact Governor Cooper N.d. https://governor.nc.gov/contact/contact-governor-cooper, accessed January 25, 2019.

North Carolina House of Representatives N.d.Ballotpedia. https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives, accessed January 25, 2019.

Second Amendment | Scott Wiggam N.d. https://www.scottwiggam.com/services/primary-care-physician, accessed January 25, 2019.

State House Speaker Invites Trump to Give His State of the Union in North Carolina N.d.Newsobserver. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article224775275.html, accessed January 25, 2019.

The Voter’s Self Defense System N.d.Vote Smart. http://votesmart.org, accessed January 25, 2019.

Who Represents Me? – Ballotpedia N.d. https://ballotpedia.org/Who_represents_me%3F#address=1189+Beall+avenue+44691, accessed January 25, 2019.

State of the Union Address

 

State of the Union Address analysis

Domestic proposals Foreign proposals
·         Trump nominees in the Senate to be confirmed/recognized

·         $500 billion (10 years) to help HIV and cancer patients

·         Upgrading infrastructure

·         Health Care/Pharmacy price transparency

·         Restrictions on abortion

·         First Step Act: allow cooperative inmates to re-enter society as law-abiding citizens: reform sentencing injustice

·         Border wall

·         Imposed tariffs (matching tariff price between countries on same goods)

 

Cross-branch power dynamics:

According to several news networks, specifically CNBC here, states in that President Trump is more than willing to work and compromise with the Speaker and her House majority. In his SOTUA Trump claims that his agenda is not associated with any party, that it is the agenda of the American people and it will be governed as a nation. The President and the House majority agree on many proposals, some of which attempted to pass under democrats before the shutdown. From what I can gather, it seems both parties are on the same side regarding domestic remedies. These domestic proposals, listed in the table above, represent the welfare of all American citizens and do not discriminate to any ascriptive group. The House majority and Trump may have a harder time agreeing on foreign/immigration issues. The only foreign/commerce proposal that may pass through the House is to impose tariffs to other countries. If a country pins an unfair or high tariff on an American import, the government would then have the authority to match that same tariff price on the same or similar goods when exporting to that country. Immigration policies may force a compromise soon, hopefully before another shutdown. Trump proposed a new funding bill for the wall that is still pending approval; slated hopefully for mid-February. However, the President might have to compromise more than the House on this issue considering the Speaker won the shutdown debate, forcing Trump to rethink his wall agenda.

Executive Power:

While reading through the SOTUA transcript, no language or phrases stuck out to me that suggested reference to Trump’s executive power. However, I did some reading on the subject from USA Today here about the current state of power in the oval office. The main pitch of this article is that Trump’s executive power is out-of-check, but the greater executive power today stems from the office not the President. Today’s extreme use of executive power is a product of past presidencies, according to USA Today. Starting with FDR all the way up to G.W. Bush, the American people have increased their demands of action towards any holder of the oval office. Yes, I agree that Trump is going beyond his position’s power. Increasingly troubling is his mentioning of congressional oversight towards misused executive power. His actions, however, are at least attempts to answer demands of many citizens.

 

Democratic Response:

I am a bit confused on Stacey Abram’s rebuttal (this may be because I’m not very political and still have a lot to learn). Essentially, in my opinion, her rebuttal was set on stating how she is disappointed in the current administration because it is lying to its people regarding the state of the nation. She gave examples, some about how jobs are being lost and more and more families are living by paycheck. She states that the government shutdown was unethical and that although parties share different perspectives, both wings share the desire to protect and support its citizens. I agree with this, some people liked the shutdown. I didn’t see the point of it, unwillingness of both parties to compromise equally. What I don’t understand why Abrams stated Trump’s administration is failing on issues that the President had just suggested proposals for that same night. Mainly on domestic issues (see table), the President seems very ready to compromise and resolve those issues. The only issues that are creating partisan politics and debate is with immigration policies.  Some of Trump’s statements about his proposals are more or less accurate. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been added since January and (from CNN transcript) almost 5 million people are now working and off food stamps. To me, that seems like the economy is growing stronger and unemployment rates are lower for all races. Despite Trump delivering one of his better speeches, he did choose to omit controversial details regarding the unnecessary shutdown of our government and who it affected (unpaid government employees).

Comparing National and State Legislature agendas

Generally, I believe most domestic proposals are in the interest of the people and are not partisan. The only two proposals that are similar (categorically) between Michigan’s agenda and our nation’s is reforming health care affordability/research and revitalization of infrastructure.

State of The Union Address SWA #3

The state of the union address primary purpose is to inform Congress and the American people the status of the country and the president’s goal for the upcoming legislative session. The address originally planned for January 29th was pushed back due to House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi after suggesting that the address is to be rescheduled. Speaker Pelosi cited the shutdown, which would’ve been on its 39th day at the time address, to be held after the government was reopened due to strain essential agencies would face preparing for the grandeur of the event.  The President then signed a bill re-opening the government for three weeks so a bi-partisan homeland security package to sign into law including funding for the wall on the southern border. Even with the cancellation and in fighting with Democrats, President Trump held the theme of unity in his address.

“We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans.” The beginning of the address sets the tone of collocation with Democrats as the divided government calls for compromise to achieve any substantial work. Trump went on to highlight the shared beliefs on promises that were campaigned on; defending American jobs, fair trade, revitalizing infrastructure, reducing the price of healthcare and prescription drugs and a safe, updated and secure immigration system. The reference to the campaign promises as “shared” further shows that even with the differences between the parties, common ground can be found. For example, on infrastructure, he says “I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill — and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment”.

On the other hand, the President made it known that if the House majority were not willing to compromise, he would get it done. When speaking of the funding of the southern border, “In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall –the proper wall never got built. I’ll get it built.” He later says that everyone should get together and compromise to get the package passed but he made it abundantly clear that the wall will get built and he’ll be the reason behind it. This very much could be alluding to the idea that the President has floated around in declaring a national emergency in order to secure funding for the wall, the ultimate executive power move. Following his view of executive power, the president brings up the investigation spearheaded by Robert into the Trump campaign and collusion with Russia during the 2016 Presidential Election. In his boasting of the economic growth the country has faced in his tenure with 304,000 jobs added in January, Trump states “The only things that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn’t work that way!” His view of congressional oversight is clear, he believes that the investigation which he refers to as a “witch hunt”, will hinder any further growth and ability to sustain our economy. That the investigation itself is a partisan ploy to undermine his efforts and the legitimacy of his presidency which shows obvious resentment and the feeling that he as president, should not be nuanced with these type of things as it interferes with their power.

The Democratic response of the address lead by the former candidate for Governor of Georgia Stacey Abrams, served as an opposition of the sentiments expressed the president. Abrams details the chronicles of her own family who fluctuated between the lower middle class and working class sharing the hardships her parents had to endure. Through these hardships, Abrams highlights that “while success is not guaranteed, we live in a nation where opportunity is possible. But we do not succeed alone.” Abrams major disagreements come to the partial government shutdown which left hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed many working without pay.  That the decision was not notable as it put the American people in hardship many not being able to pay rent and need assistance to secure food. Another area of disagreement comes from the defense of Roe v Wade a stark contrast to Trumps want to end late-term abortions. Abrams acknowledges that compromise can be met in securing the border but the displaced children must be addressed. Another area of compromise which is possible is on the fronts of agriculture, entrepreneurship and health care shared interests with President Trump.

Virginias state legislature shares similar issues in their agenda to those highlighted during the state of the union. The major legislative goal for this session is job creation, unemployment, farmland preservation, environmental justice, DACA recipients and tax policy. At the moment Virginia is contesting an abortion bill from Gov. Ralph Northam. The bill’s intention is to lift all restrictions on abortions in the state of Virginia which Republicans in the legislature have fought against in particular the provision to allow abortions in the third trimester. This aligns with Trump’s call for a bill to be signed to end late-term abortions be signed by Congress and Democrats calling for Roe v. Wade to be held up fully. However. they differ as environmental protections are seen as a bipartisan issue as Governor Norton signed an executive order establishing the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice and in a bipartisan win with legislative leaders, backed a coal ash clean-up bill enforcing Dominion Energy to clean up four coal ash ponds around the state with some dating back to the 1930s. In response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Donald Trump signed more than a year ago, the Senate Finance subcommittee is brainstorming options for helping Virginians who might pay higher state taxes this spring because of changes in federal law. The Virginia legislature is somewhat mirroring the state of Congress at the moment, compromising on issues which affect all people but staying true to those which are embedded in the values of the two parties respectively.

 

 

 

 

Domestic Policy Foreign Policy
Confirm nominees that are stuck in the Senate Prevention of war with North Korea; Attending second summit with Kim Jong Un
To end HIV in the US by 2030 Withdrawal from INF treaty
500 Million to end childhood cancer over the next 10 years Withdrawing troops from Syria
United States Reciprocal Trade Act:  if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the same tariff on what they sell to us

 

 $100 billion in defense spending from allies

 

Infrastructure investment Recognized Juan Guaidó as legitimate leader of Venezuela
Prescription drug pricing & Transparency New trade deal with Chinas is in talks
to prohibit the late-term abortion

 

Speaking with afghan leaders and the Taliban
Increased funding for personnel on the southern border and to build the wall Strong opposition towards Iran. Reaffirming the positive impact of Withdrawal from the nuclear deal
Replacing NAFTA with USMCA — the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that will re balance the trade relationship to benefit America

 

 

 

 

Maryland’s 8th District SWA #2

In my home state of Maryland, Jamie Raskin serves as my congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Raskin has represented the 8th congressional district since 2016 and had previously represented District 20 from 2007 to 2016 in the Maryland State Senate. Raskin won the eighth-house district securing over 55% of the votes in both the 2016 and 2018 election cycle solidifying his safe seat in the district named the 97th most Democratic nationally. The demographics of the Washington metropolitan area is 88.08% urban and 11.92 % rural. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 data, of the 747,185 it is approximately 48.8 % Male and 51.2? %. The racial makeup consists of 60.4 % white, 19.7% Black, 15.6% Asian, American Indian and 0.7 % Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and an ethnic population of 19.6% Hispanics. Congressman Raskin has set his agenda geared towards addressing the needs of the diverse population to which he serves.

The issues Rep. Raskin has decided to focus on this term are Social justice, environment, foreign affair & national security, health care, Immigration, seniors, veterans, voting rights & campaign finance, and workforce& job development. Raskin has shown his stance by securing 10.6 million dollars to assess the needs of Maryland’s children and he introduced a bipartisan bill to overturn Citizens United. Currently, Congressman Raskin serves on the House judiciary, oversight and reform, administration, steering and policy, and rules committees in the 116th congress. Rep. Raskin currently is a part of a whopping 89 caucuses including being the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Free Thought Caucus and the House Education Caucus.

Maryland is one of ten states which employ multi member districts in its legislature. Delegate Bonnie Cullison is one of three representatives of the 19th district serving in the 439th session of the General Assembly. Rep. Cullison lists her priorities as high-quality education, supporting small business, a safe and secure community, environment, economy and access to affordable health care. As a three-term incumbent, Cullison served on the health & Government Operations committee and has sponsored the Student Data Privacy Council to review practices and the implementation of the Student Data Privacy Act in 2015. Currently, she is the assistant Majority whip, an associate member of Maryland’s Legislative Latino Caucus and chair of the Insurance and Pharmaceuticals Subcommittee of the Health and Government Operations Committee. The 19th district a suburb of Washington D.C., is classified as urban with a population of 121,618 according to the 2010 census. The racial makeup consists 54.37% White, 19.34% Black, 12.33% Asian, 9.47% Other, 4.00% Two or More Races, 0.44% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.05% Pacific Islander. The district is diverse in race and in gender where 51.7% of the population is female and 48.3% are male.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virginia & Maryland’s 19th District SWA #1

The current state of government of Virginia is divided as not one political party currently holds power in both legislative chambers and the governor’s office simultaneously. Currently, the governor’s office is held by a Democrat and the house and senate are controlled by Republicans. In the 2019 legislative session, Republicans are currently the majority with Sen. Thomas Norment Jr. serving as Senate Majority leader and Rep. Todd Gilbert serving as House Majority leader accompanied by Kirk Cox as speaker. Sen. Dick Saslaw and Rep. David Toscano serve as Senate and House Minority leaders respectively, however, Democrats have maintained control of the governor’s office with the election of Ralph Norton and the president of the Senate Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax. In both chambers’ republicans hold a slim margin of three in both the House and the Senate which could pose some issues in accomplishing its legislative goals.

The major legislative goal for this session is job creation, unemployment, farmland preservation, environmental justice, DACA recipients and tax policy. Governor Norton signed an executive order establishing the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice and in a bipartisan win with legislative leaders, backed a coal ash clean-up bill enforcing Dominion Energy to clean up four coal ash ponds around the state with some dating back to the 1930s. In response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Donald Trump signed more than a year ago, the Senate Finance subcommittee is brainstorming options for helping Virginians who might pay higher state taxes this spring because of changes in federal law. The Senate Committee on Education and Health approved Bill 1640 that DACA recipients and others who applied for permeant U.S. residency would pay in-state triton rates at state schools. Lastly, Governor Norton announced Virginias Unemployment Rate is at 2.8% which is driving the fixation on job creation due to it being the lowest rate since April 2001. This legislative session in its short time frame has shown effective bipartisanship focused on ensuring the betterment of the state and its people.

I am from Maryland’s 19th district represented in the Senate by Democrat Benjamin Kramer and in the house by Democrats Charlotte Crutchfield, Bonnie Cullison and Vaughn Stewart under Republican Governor Larry Hogan. The issues Senator Kramer has focused on this legislative season are Seniors, Environmental Protection, Public Safety, Animal Welfare, and support for those with Special Needs. As a delegate, Sen. Kramer was instrumental in passing the states strongest drunk driving law “Noah’s Law” after an officer who was killed by a drunk driver while completing a traffic stop and now currently sits on the Finance Committee and working on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program monitoring data for possible misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Delegate Cullison prioritizes issues such as support for small business, high-quality education, safe and secure communities, environmental protection, the economy, and access to affordable healthcare. As a three-term incumbent, Cullison served on the health & Government Operations committee and has sponsored the Student Data Privacy Council to review practices and the implementation of the Student Data Privacy Act in 2015. Delegate Charlotte Crutchfileds who serves on the Judiciary Committee, prioritizes strong public schools, economy, public safety, and health. Freshman delegate Vaughn Stewart has set his agenda are healthcare, transportation, education, environment, gun sense, fiscal responsibility, Economy and honesty, and accountability. Stewart currently sits on the House Environment and Transportation Committee. As a first-time voter in the last election cycle, I am very optimistic in my representatives and the work they will do this legislative session.

Privacy Statement