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Beyond 100 Days, Trump Faces More Legislative Challenges


After more than three months in office without passing any major legislation, President Donald Trump faces a week with a deadline to avert a government shutdown and the possibility of progress on health care.

Trump has spent his first 100 days coming to terms with the slow grind of government even in a Republican-dominated capital, and watching some of his promises —from repealing the nation’s health care law to temporarily banning people from some Muslim nations — fizzle.

Last week lawmakers sent the president a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open through Friday. Lawmakers will continue negotiating this week on a $1 trillion package financing the government through Sept. 30, the end of the 2017 fiscal year.

Despite a renewed White House effort push, the House did not vote last week on a revised bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Health Care Act.

After the original effort failed to win enough support from conservatives and moderates, Republicans recast the bill. The latest version would let states escape a requirement under Obama’s 2010 law that insurers charge healthy and seriously ill customers the same rates. The overall legislation would cut the Medicaid program for the poor, eliminate fines for people who don’t buy insurance and provide generally skimpier subsidies. Critics have said the approach could reduce protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

But during an interview with “Face the Nation” on CBS aired Sunday, Trump said the measure has a “clause that guarantees” that people with pre-existing conditions will be covered.

Trump said: “Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I just watched another network than yours, and they were saying, ‘Pre-existing is not covered.’ Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I mandate it. I said, ‘Has to be.'”

Trump said during the interview that if he’s unable to renegotiate a long-standing free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, then he’ll terminate the pact.

He also spoke about tensions with North Korea. Asked about the failure of several North Korean missile tests recently, Trump said he’d “rather not discuss it. But perhaps they’re just not very good missiles. But eventually, he’ll have good missiles.”

Trump also said he is willing to use the trade issue as leverage to get China’s help with North Korea. “Trade is very important. But massive warfare with millions, potentially millions of people being killed? That, as we would say, trumps trade.”

And he acknowledged the presidency is “a tough job. But I’ve had a lot of tough jobs. I’ve had things that were tougher, although I’ll let you know that better at the end of eight years. Perhaps eight years. Hopefully, eight years.”

Also this week, the president will welcome Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House. And he’ll head to New York City on Thursday where he’ll visit the USS Intrepid to mark the 75th anniversary of a World War II naval battle.

On Sunday morning, Trump headed to Trump National Golf Club in Virginia. The White House did not immediately clarify whether he was holding meetings or golfing.

Trump marked his 100th day in office Saturday with a rally in Harrisburg, where he continued to pledge to cut taxes and get tough on trade deals.

“We are not going to let other countries take advantage of us anymore,” he said Saturday in Harrisburg at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. “From now on it’s going to be America first.”

Trump’s rally Saturday night in Harrisburg offered a familiar recapitulation of what he and aides have argued for days are administration successes, including the successful confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, his Cabinet choices and the approval of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

(AP)



4 Responses

  1. Under the constitution, the Congress is the “Board of Directors”, and has the ultimate power to make all laws and to raise and spend money. The President is the “CEO” who does what the Board tells him to. The arrangements are similar to most publicly traded corporations and are something those in the “corporate culture” live with. Trump never worked with a publicly traded corporation, but rather was always an entrepreneur working with partnerships and private corporations (in which he owned a controlling interest). It will take him time to adjust to corporate life and the need to work “with” his Board.

  2. More Fake News from AP Fakestream media.
    Despite Fakestream media LIES and despite the HISTORIC OBSTRUCTION by Senate Democrats and Liberal loonies who hindered and blocked every step of his way, President Trump MIRACULOUSLY and successfully passed more legislation in his first 100 days than any President since President Franklin D. Roosevelt – certainly more than what Obama had “done” in his 8 years! What siyatta Dishmaya!

    A complete list of his historic accomplishments and his resulting impact on the economy and world affairs in this very short period of time can be found all over the net.

  3. Akuperma may not be right, but if he/she is, what makes him/her think a 70-year-old man can learn a new trick? And not just any 70-year-old, but one with fake hair and skin, who spends most of his time watching TV.

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