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JOBS

JOBS POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES

The Jobs and Infrastructure domain tracks and reports on policies that deal with job creation and employment, unemployment insurance and job retraining, and policies that support investments in infrastructure. This domain tracks policies emanating from the White House, the US Congress, the US Department of Labor, the US Department of Transportation, and state policies that respond to policies at the Federal level. Our Principal Analyst is Vaibhav Kumar who can be reached at vaibhav@usresistnews.org.

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The Effects of Trump’s Impeachment Acquittal Go Beyond US Borders

The Effects of Trump’s Impeachment Acquittal Go Beyond US Borders

After approximately a year, the impeachment of US President Donald Trump, who is the third US president to face an impeachment trial, came to an end not amazingly in an acquittal.

Trump, who was impeached in the month of December over his dealings with Ukraine, but acquitted in the GOP-controlled Senate in February, was acquitted after a remarkable trial before the United States Senate. The Senate trial focused on the impeachment charges of abuse of office following allegations that Trump forced Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden by withholding foreign aid funds that had been approved by Congress. Biden is a likely contender in this year’s presidential election that is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Countries outside of the United States sense that the failure to convict Trump on obvious charges, reflects a further weakening of US democratic norms and practice. Boosting other nations to be more democratic and liberalize their markets has been a staple belief of America’s foreign strategy for several years.

Therefore, now, when US envoys and representatives communicate with their foreign equivalents to be less unethical, stick to the directive of principle, and resolve prejudiced glitches and difficulties,  there’s a bigger probability that those discussion and debate topics won’t echo.  Sadly Trump’s acquittal on impeachment charges by the US Senate also has ominous implications for the future of democratic governance throughout the world.

And should Trump be re-elected in this year’s presidential election in spite of all this, it would push am unambiguous communication to overseas regimes that a leader can disrespect the law without fear of being removed from office.

 

Proposed Student Debt Overhaul Ignores Loan Servicer Mismanagement Policy

Proposed Student Debt Overhaul Ignores Loan Servicer Mismanagement Policy

Among the propositions in Donald Trump’s budget for the fiscal year of 2021 is slashing $5.6 billion dollars from the Education Department. This includes an overhaul of current student loan forgiveness programs.

The plan for doing this includes canceling Public Service Loan Forgiveness, established by Congress under the Bush administration in 2007, to reward federal student loan borrowers for entering a public service career by forgiving their debt after ten years of monthly payments, or 120 consecutive payments.

The justifications for this, according to Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is to save money that would be lost by forgiving these federal loans. Instead, the White House has proposed a simplified federal loan forgiveness program that, in theory, should allow student loan borrowers to pay them off five years sooner than the current income-based forgiveness program.

Analysis:

With this proposed rule change, the Trump administration is trying to distract from the mishandling of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program by Fed Loan Servicing, a branch of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).The handling of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness by FedLoan Servicing has come under scrutiny in recent years. According to NPR, 99% of applicants to the PSLF program were rejected.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) cited the reasons those with student debt are having issues with the program include  borrowers not having the right loans, unqualified employers, being enrolled in the wrong payment plan, not being eligible in the first place, or being “yet to make any qualifying loan payments.”

When the program was launched in 2007, initial instructions to loan servicers managing this program were vague at best. However, the repeated pattern of mismanagement by FedLoan Servicing indicates a deliberate pattern of misbehavior.

Given the government’s current relationship with  PHEAA, any accountability from the PHEAA seems unlikely. Trump’s former campaign manager for the state of Pennsylvania is a lobbyist for the PHEAA, so in exchange for helping Trump on the campaign trail, one is likely to expect tit for tat.

Also, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau does have the authority to provide oversight of Federal loans, it has abandoned that responsibility completely. This is largely thanks to the installation of the CFPB’s current ombudsman, Robert Cameron, the PHEAA’s former “deputy chief counsel and vice president of enterprise compliance.” Under Cameron, the CFPB’s responsibilities to oversee Federal Service Loans has been abandoned.

Given this context, it is likely that canceling the very program that the PHEAA has been recklessly mismanaging for years is just another way to protect its interests, instead of holding it accountable for extorting money from thousands of students.

RESISTANCE RESOURCES:

  • Democracy Forward: “In 2017, we founded Democracy Forward to help expose the rampant corruption in the Executive Branch and fight it in court on behalf of the people it hurts.”
  • Student Borrower Protection Center: “The Student Borrower Protection Center is a nonprofit organization solely focused on alleviating the burden of student debt for millions of Americans. The SBPC engages in advocacy, policymaking, and litigation strategy to rein in industry abuses, protect borrowers’ rights, and advance economic opportunity for the next generation of students.
  • Student Debt Crisis: “Student Debt Crisis is a non-profit (501c4) organization dedicated to fundamentally reforming student debt and higher education loan policies. Student Debt Crisis (SDC) takes a personal approach to member needs—working directly with borrowers to understand their challenges and fears, repayment obstacles and frustrations. SDC tackles the challenges of loan refinancing and consumer protection policies with media and legislators, as well as educating borrowers and higher education experts with lectures, webinars and special events.”
COVID-19, Corona virus, stock market, recession. Will a Pandemic Lead to a Recession?

COVID-19, Corona virus, stock market, recession. Will a Pandemic Lead to a Recession?

Policy:

There will inevitably be an economic downturn as a consequence of global responses to the Corona virus but whether or not it will lead to a full blown recession in the US is unclear.  Some US experts believe a recession to be inevitable, due to potential downturns in consumption; worker layoffs; the already low federal loan rate; and the lack of essential parts from overseas where factories have closed.  Other economists believe that the strong economy, especially with regard to employment and the housing market, will act as a cushion against the most dramatic impact of the disease’s spread.

On Tuesday (March 3, 2020) the Federal Reserve made an “emergency” decrease in the federal loan rate of .5% after 3 drops last year. However this seems to have made little impact on markets which continue to react in extreme ways.

The fallout from declining stocks, initially down by 10.5%, is debated by economics.  The stock market is reflective of the interests of multinational corporations and its impact on the average consumer is not readily correlated with market activity.  Major corporations such as Apple, United Airlines, Mastercard, Microsoft, Pfizer have already issued warnings regarding reduced profits.  The global economy is predicted to be slowed by anywhere from one half to one and a half percent for 2020.  It currently has a growth rate of 2%.  Baby boomers (currently in their 50s and 60s) own over half of the stock and can have concerns over their retirement savings but there is mixed evidence regarding the impact on other demographics because so far consumption is solid and employment is steady though it may be that the relevant data is not yet available.

Policy Analysis:

A recession can be avoided if the cycle leading to one is avoided.  Typically, the cycle results from worker layoff which leads to decreases in income, less spending, which spills over to more layoffs.  Maintenance of the economy depends on a thriving consumer class as consumption is 70% of the economy.  If that remains intact the recession can be avoided though there are signals that it will not be completely avoided.  Trump’s trade war with China already established downturns in some areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation.  Shutdowns in China, and other sectors globally have caused an interruption in the supply of parts and goods exported by those countries.  One fear is that if Trump is re-elected he would resume a more aggressive trade war, which would have a negative impact on the US economy.

To create a full blown US recession some economists believe that the impact of a pandemic on the economy will need to move beyond affecting the industries directly involved, such as tourism, air travel, and transportation and they do not believe this will be the case.  At least they are somewhat optimistic that it won’t spill over.   Economists think the housing market will be unaffected, or potentially positively impacted, due to the lower interest rates and the availability of more modest homes.

Since the federal reserve has little flexibility in controlling the markets, due to its already low interest rate, an alternative to bolster the economy would be for the president to create a temporary deficit financed tax cut paired with increased government spending such as Obama pushed through the Senate to address the great recession of the last decade but there is little chance that this president would move in that direction.  The economists, while agreeing that there is severe global fallout from the virus, disagree as to the extent of its impact on the American economy.  The “truth” seems to lie in the presence of some worrisome trends regarding reactions to the threat of the virus, the extent of which is really unknown at this time.

References:

 

Voting Rights Advocates Achieve A Win In Federal Appellate Court Decision On Florida Poll Tax Case

Voting Rights Advocates Achieve A Win In Federal Appellate Court Decision On Florida Poll Tax Case

Policy Summary
The Twenty – Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides in Section One:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

On November 6, 2018 voters in the State of Florida approved the ballot initiative known as Amendment 4. The initiative would permit Florida felons to be restored with the right to vote after they had completed all the terms of their sentence. Florida voters approved Amendment 4 overwhelmingly with 64.55% voting in favor while 35.45% voted against the measure. In 2019, due to Republican opposition to Amendment 4, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that added an additional requirement before the right to vote was restored. SB 7066 required that felons must also pay all fines and fees associated with their sentence.

The battle then moved to the court system. The Florida Supreme Court ruled that the law was constitutional. However, another suit was brought in federal district court in Florida, which ruled that the additional requirements of SB 7066 violated the U.S. Constitution and therefore issued an injunction blocking implementation of SB 7066. That ruling was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which just ruled to uphold the injunction of the law issued by the federal district court. So it appears that for now felons will be able to vote.      LEARN MORE

Policy Analysis
While this decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a win for voting rights advocates it is certainly not the end of the case. The injunction initially issued by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle was only an order to prevent the law from going into effect until the issue can be decided on the merits at a full trial. With the injunction upheld by the appeals court the law remains frozen pending the non – jury trial that had been scheduled, which will begin in April 2020.

Additionally, Governor De Santis’ has indicated that he was disappointed with the ruling and intends to appeal the decision. An appeal would likely take several months to be resolved and might not be resolved in time for the November 2020 elections. However, a number of academics have calculated that the number of felons who would have their voting rights restored is 1.4 million which can certainly sway an election or an initiative on the ballot. This explains why both parties are going to extreme lengths to fight for the future of this issue. Republicans had initially opposed Amendment 4 and suffered an unexpected defeat when voters overwhelmingly approved it. In turn, Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to oppose the popular will of voters by adding additional requirements that would blunt the move to add 1.4 million more voters to the state rolls. And if the case moves up through the appeals process and eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court that will also likely bring up the constitutional poll tax issue which was outlawed with the 24th Amendment in 1964. The stakes are certainly high and while many would have liked to have had this issue resolved in time for the November 2020 elections it seems up in the air whether 1.4 million former felons in Florida will have their voting rights restored by the end of the year. LEARN MORE, LEARN MORE, LEARN MORE

Engagement Resources:

This brief was compiled by Rod Maggay. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief, please contact Rod@USResistnews.org.

A Review of the Qualifications of Recent Trump Appointments

A Review of the Qualifications of Recent Trump Appointments

54 countries have reported cases of Corvid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. In the US total infections have remained low, 512 at the time of this writing. Officials at the Center for Disease Control have warned Americans of the risk of community spread, and stated that it is a question of ‘’when’’ and not ‘’if’’ the virus proliferates internally. The Trump administration has put in place restrictions that temporarily deny access to the country by foreign nationals who’ve visited China 14 days prior to their arrival. US citizens returning from Hubei province (the outbreak’s epicenter) or mainland China will be subject to quarantines and health screening as part of reentry. The administration’s point man on the efforts to contain the virus is Vice President Mike Pence.

Pence is not a man of medicine or science. He once stood before the House of Representatives and attempted to disprove evolution. He has taken the position that smoking doesn’t kill and condoms are ‘’very, very poor protection against sexually transmitted diseases.’’ More significantly, Pence has previous experience with a public health crisis that did not go smoothly. During his tenure as Governor of Indiana, the rural town of Austin saw a sharp uptick in the number of HIV cases. Shared needle usage for the liquid painkiller, Opana, was determined to be responsible for the outbreak. Public health officials advocated for the establishment of clean needle exchange programs, which reduce the risk of infection and often link people to treatment. Pence opposed such a program on ideological grounds despite the severity of the situation. He has proudly stated he is a ‘’Christian, conservative, and a Republican, in that order’’ overlooking that he was governor to at-risk constituents who were neither Christians or conservatives. He would eventually acquiesce after 235 cases of HIV were linked to the outbreak. Since becoming Trump’s running mate and eventual VP, Pence has been perhaps the president’s most reliable sycophant. That doesn’t bode well for the man suddenly tasked with overseeing a public health scare exponentially larger than the one he bungled in 2015. Or to anyone at heightened risk of infection. Sadly, this is hardly the first Trump appointee whose life’s work run counter to their stated mission.

The Department of Labor is responsible for workplace safety, standards and unemployment wages among other responsibilities. Eugene Scalia, son of former conservative Justice, Anton Scalia, is a curious choice given a career advocating against worker’s rights and consumer protections. Scalia has spent the last two decades at a prominent corporate law firm. He has represented the likes of Wal Mart, Boeing and Wall Street Banks in their fights against workers. In 2006, he helped Wal Mart and others win a lawsuit against Maryland that would have required them to pay 8% of their payroll tax to fund employee health care ofrcontribute to Medicare.

The Obama administration spent six years devising a rule to protect consumers from predatory financial advisers. It eventually settled on a rule that financial advisers must provide guidance in the best interest of their clients. Early in the Trump’s tenure, Scalia led a team that successfully challenged the rule in court. He has also argued SeaWorld was not responsible for the death of a trainer in the aftermath of a killer whale attack and dismissed science linking repetitive working conditions to workplace related injuries. Scalia spent an illustrious career in labor law, and almost always in opposition to the working class whose interests he is now charged with protecting.

Secretary of Education Betsy Devos was among Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees. Prior to holding the position she’d been neither an educator or education leader. Her most significant experience in the field is as a fierce advocacate of school vouchers which allow children in struggling school districts to attend private (often for-profit) schools with public funding. Critics of school vouchers argue they are a step towards privatizing American education. Devos  does however hail from one of Michigan’s wealthiest families, responsible for tens of millions of dollars in Republican campaign contributions. Devos and her family have spent a great deal of time and effort undermining traditional public education in this country. Her performance as Secretary of Education is a continuation of that behavior. After she was sworn in, she supported President Trump’s proposal to cut the Department of Education budget by 13.5%. She has taken aim at the rights of teacher unions to collectively bargain and weakened sexual assault on campus guidelines under Title IX. Mrs. Devos is entitled to her beliefs and to use her vast wealth to advocate for them. However someone so openly hostile towards public education is not credibly suitable to manage the federal department responsible for overseeing it.

The Bureau of Land Management is a subsection of the Department of the Interior which manages an eighth of the country’s land mass. Its head, William Pendley, was formerly president of a law firm which advocates selling off federal lands in the West and dismantling the agency. Trump’s first Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, was a former coal lobbyist and climate change denier. Last year Trump nominated Republican Congressmen John Ratcliffe to fill the void as Director of National Intelligence. Ratcliffe had no relevant experience to oversee the largest intelligence community on the planet. His enthusiastic nomination came on the heels of his pointed questioning of Trump nemesis, Robert Mueller on national television. The president withdrew his name from consideration amid public outcry, but has nominated him for the position again. This is a mercifully abridged list of Trump appointees with dubious qualifications of contradicting interests.

Appealing to voters sick of gridlock in Washington, Trump promised to drain the swamp in 2016. Not only has he failed, but he actively invited in persons acting counter to the interests of the American public. The swamp is murkier than ever and full of creatures serving special interest rather than US citizens.

Mike Pence’s appointment as coronavirus czar is merely the sad extension of a pattern that began in early 2017. Previous experience and credentials are largely irrelevant. The true litmus test for political appointees in the Trump administration is fealty to the president. Pence has had his bite at the public health crisis apple. He handled the chance poorly and the result was a rash of easily avoidable instances of HIV. The threat of Corvid-19 is nebulous, but real. It’s scope is far larger than the previous crisis bungled by the VP. There’s little reason to believe Pence is better equipped to handle a potential pandemic than he was an HIV outbreak in a tiny midwestern town. Or that he might take any action that would contradict the president. On the campaign trail Trump said he’d only hire the best people. One is left to wonder about what constitutes a “best person” in the President’s head..

Learn More

 

Russia and the 2020 Elections

Russia and the 2020 Elections

Policy Summary

US intelligence officials have determined that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election. Additionally, they have deduced that Russia views Trump as a leader they can work with. Last week’s Intelligence  briefing of Congress about Russia’s interference  was spearheaded by election security official Shelby Pierson. The briefing, first reported by The New York Times, discussed details of Russia’s plan, which included “hacking, weaponizing social media and attacks on election infrastructure”, one of the sources said. The officials confirmed that Russia is partial to Trump. However, Russia’s activity showed they had a larger agenda, “designed to raise questions about the integrity of the elections process.”

Witnesses claim that when Trump heard about the briefing, he began to comment on the possibility of Democrats using it against him. The President became angry in a “meeting with outgoing acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire for allowing the information about Russia’s meddling efforts to be included in the briefing,”, according to a White House source.

President Barack Obama’s former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, commented that it is “quite predictable” of Russia to attempt to meddle in the United State’s upcoming election o during an interview with Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room”. Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election  was targeted at assisting Trump’s candidacy while damaging the candidacy of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. The possibility of further interference impacting the 2020 election will challenge US ability to stand up against international obstruction with our elections. This is an issue whose importance Trump has repeatedly minimized.

Policy Analysis

President Trump’s response to and retaliation against the claims of Russian election interference has been nothing if not predictable. On February 13th, he quickly removed the then-acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, upon hearing that Shelby Pierson, a high-ranking U.S. intelligence official, had alerted the House Intelligence Committee of Russian, pro-Trump interference in the 2020 election. According to testimony given to the committee, the Kremlin is supportive of Trump’s re-election, and is planning on and has begun efforts to interfere in the election process.

Trump’s response, as per usual, has been a “circle the wagons” approach. Calling Maguire into a meeting in the Oval Office on February 14th, Trump apparently upbraided him for his subordinate’s report and challenged his allegiance to the president. The next week, Trump made public that he would be replacing Maguire, who then resigned. U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, was announced as the new acting interim Director of National Intelligence, with the ambassador apparently keeping his position in Germany as well. Acting director is a position that Grenell can hold until March without Congressional approval. Grenell has been noted by many as an ardent Trump supporter and has little experience in national intelligence. He has worked as a Republican political advisor, spokesperson to the U.N. under the Bush administration, and media consultant. Facing criticism over the move and accusations of Trump cleaning house, the administration has pointed out that Maguire was set to be replaced in the near future due to federal law around term limits and claimed that the timing of his dismissal with the breaking of news about Russian interference is only chance. Trump has also taken to Twitter with accusations that the account of Russian interference in support of his re-election is propaganda spread by Democrats to oust him from power. Russia has denied the report, saying that it is based in paranoia and utterly false.

This is not the first time Russia has been accused of interference in a U.S. election in favor of Trump. Most can recall the 2016 elections and how Russia conducted social media promotions, spread false news, and hacked into and disseminated Democratic emails. Although evidence that Russia did in fact interfere surfaced and was brought to light by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, insufficient evidence of criminal conspiracy was found between the Kremlin or the Trump campaign. It was a story that made headlines, raised many an eyebrow, and called into question the legitimacy of Trump’s victory for some on the left, however. It would appear that Trump is once again rightly concerned about allegations and the implication that a rival power is interested in his successful re-election.

Trump’s reaction to the report by U.S. intelligence is hardly unexpected at this point. Looking back to Maguire’s predecessor, Dan Coats, one can almost discern a pattern. Coats was dismissed from his position three days after the now-infamous phone call between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Trump attempted to replace Coats with John Ratcliffe, a Republican congressman with negligible national intelligence experience but who had been a fierce defender of the president. Ratcliffe would be rejected due to exaggerating his previous experience in intelligence (although as we go to press Trump has announced that he is going to re-nominate Ratcliffe to  serve as permanent DNI)

Anyone else noticing the parallel? A report that reflects poorly upon the president emerges from the intelligence community, the Director is dismissed (or resigns), and Trump attempts (unsuccessfully and successfully) to replace the intelligence professional with a loyalist. This should be extremely worrying to those on both the left and right. Trump does not appear to care about experience in his Cabinet or the facts. What matters is their personal loyalty to him and his brand. Does Trump have the power and right to choose those in his Cabinet? Yes, but this does not mean that the truth should be obscured or ignored. A Cabinet is not meant to be a board of lackeys that rubber-stamp whatever the president says and quash unwanted information. A foreign power interfering in a U.S. election is a national security issue and should be brought to public attention. It should not be brushed under the carpet because it damages a president’s possible re-election, no matter who the president is.

Engagement Resources:

  • FairVote is a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms that give voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a representative democracy that works for all Americans.
  • The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) advances good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance to election officials, empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process, and applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle.
  • Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people.
  • International Republic Institute strengthens citizen voices and helps make their leaders more accountable and responsive. We help women and youth to be heard. We keep citizens and their government connected, and develop awareness of voter priorities.
  • HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. We reach young people and music fans where they already are – at concerts and online – to inform and empower.

This brief was compiled by Erin Mayer. This brief was compiled by Erin Mayer. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief, please contact ErinMayer@USResistnews.org

The Coronavirus and an Inevitable Global Pandemic

The Coronavirus and an Inevitable Global Pandemic

What is Coronavirus?

International panic has ensued as a result of an outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus (CoV). The virus was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and has now spread internationally to all continents except Antarctica.

The specific virus is named “SARS-CoV-2” and the respiratory disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (“COVID-19”). As previously mentioned, the origin of the virus is Wuhan City, likely from a live animal market, where multiple people became infected through contact with the animals. Transmission then occurred via person to person contact, spreading throughout China and internationally.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are flu-like, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear from two to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. There is still some uncertainty on how exactly the virus spreads.

With a growing 80,067 confirmed cases and 2,764 deaths COVID-19 is becoming a global pandemic with little confidence of a near end in sight. The infection percentage has been fatal in 2-4% of cases in Wuhan, but less than 1% across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. Currently, there no cure for COVID-19.

The Chinese authoritarian regime’s use of censorship has been blamed for its rapid spread during Chinese Lunar New Year. The lack of information shared with citizens and the rest of the globe likely was to portray the Chinese government as in control of the virus and to mitigate panic. However, by attempting to reduce its severity, COVID-19 spread unabated. One of the Chinese doctors who attempted to warn the public of the impeding epidemic reportedly died on February 6, 2020. He was threatened by police in the early stages of this outbreak, and later contracted the virus. Other outspoken citizens who tried to warn others were also silenced.

The Policy

Recent policies that have been enacted by the US have been directed at preventing the spread of COVID-19:

  • January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern external icon” (PHEIC).
  • On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19.

Analysis:

Is the US Prepared

Being the global power that the US is, it can be assumed COVID-19 is certainly managible. In tandem with the Health and Human Services’ announcement of a public emergency concerning, the recent steps hospitals have taken in preparing for an outbreak, and the preventative measures taken with infected Americans trying to get back into the US, the US seems to be on the right path. However, the Health and Human Services Department has dissolved the Pandemic Preparedness Office, leaving no point person managing the American crisis. Additionally, significant funding cuts for the Center for Disease Control occurred during the Trump Administration resulting in a lack of resources for preparedness. Analysts and officials have made statements pointing towards the inevitability the US experiences a pandemic and that the US is simply not prepared to take on the onslaught of COVID-19, while government officials have contradicted scientists’ findings and predictions.

Is the rest of the world prepared?

China appears to be getting the virus under control, with daily confirmed cases on the decline, but infections are spreading rapidly in South Korea, Iran and Italy.  The world is not prepared for a major outbreak, World Health Organization officials said on Monday. As a result, it is imperative for nations to have sufficient educational programs informing citizens of the risks and ways to mitigate the spreading of COVID-19. While the likelihood of a global pandemic is high, the largest looming concern is what happens once it reaches Sub Saharan Africa? With Algeria and Egypt reporting the first cases on the continent, it is apparent that containment efforts have failed and the risk of a catastrophic outbreak on African soil could be on the horizon. Overall, it can be said that the globe is not prepared for COVID-19, but nations are learning from the Chinese response to the virus, which received praise by both the CDC and WHO.

What does this epidemic mean for the global economy and trade?

Markets have plunged as fears of an imminent pandemic are becoming more apparent. The Dow has lost more than 1,400 points in the last three trading days, eliminating all gains for the year so far. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also fell, and Asian markets have been suffering due to the virus. Fears of a wider economic downturn loom as the virus spreadas across the globe and affects other markets. Due to widespread infections, quarantines, and preventions of mass gatherings, manufacturing companies in China have had to halt production. As one of the top manufacturing countries, this has delayed or even halted production in other countries like the US, who depends on China for providing parts for electronic devices and cars. Tourism and travel sectors have suffered as well, as fears of being confined to a space with someone infected has been exemplified with the quarantining of the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan.

Additional outcomes of this outbreak

  • Widespread panic and fears
  • Increase in racism and xenophobia towards those of Asian decent
  • Decrease in international travel
  • Delayed key political meetings
  • Dips in stock markets and global economy
  • Concerns over large gathering for sporting events, like FIFA and Olympics

Engagement Resources:

Nation Confirmed Cases Deaths
Globally 80,067 2,764
Afghanistan 1 0
Algeria 1 0
Australia 23 0
Austria 2 0
Bahrain 33 0
Belgium 1 0
Brazil 1 0
Cambodia 1 0
Canada 11 0
China (mainland) 77,658 2,744
Croatia 3 0
Denmark 1 0
Egypt 1 0
Estonia 1 0
Finland 2 0
France 18 2
Germany 27 0
Greece 1 0
Georgia 1 0
Hong Kong 92 2
India 3 0
Iran 245 26
Iraq 6 0
Israel 2 0
Italy 453 12
Japan 894 3
Kuwait 26 0
Lebanon 2 0
Macau 10 0

 

Malaysia 22 0
Nepal 1 0
Norway 1 0
Oman 4 0
Pakistan 2 0
Philippines 3 0
Romania 1 0
Russia 2 0
Sri Lanka 1 0
Singapore 93 0
Spain 13 0
Sweden 2 0
Switzerland 4 0
Taiwan 32 1
Thailand 40 0
The Republic of Korea 1,766 13
United Arab Emirates 13 0
United Kingdom 15 0
United States 60 0
Vietnam 16 0

 

Trump and the Chaos of 5G Network Policy

Trump and the Chaos of 5G Network Policy

Policy Summary

The adoption of 5G as the mobile telecommunications standard in the US has been painfully slow. The Federal leadership for this technological leap is provided by a conflicting set of agencies; the Federal Communications Commission, Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. All have overlapping responsibilities and mandates in this technological space.

The agency most closely charged with overseeing 5G—the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) , part of the Commerce Department – has been leaderless since May 2019, with no director even nominated. David Redl, assistant secretary for communications and information abruptly resigned, days after criticizing US 5G policy in a public statement,

In addition worldwide adoption of 5G has been disrupted by President Trump’s frequent denunciation of the Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE warning that employment of these company’s equipment could cause the US to limit data sharing with those countries where the equipment is in use.

Analysis

Mobile providers tout the speed of 5G vs.4G networks with data transfer rates of up to 10 times faster.While these numbers are impressive and speak to the appetite of mobile users to watch movies in higher resolutions and transfer data that much more quickly, it only tells part of the story. The real improvement will be increased capacity and diversity of devices. The long promised Internet of Things (IoT) will connect an ever increasing array of wirelessly connected devices that can be controlled and programmed remotely.

What makes 5G different from its predecessor technologies is its reliance on radio frequencies in the extremely high frequency 30 GHz to 300 GHz range. 4G networks use frequencies below 6 GHz. This is where the FCC, NASA and NOAA get involved. These frequencies had been reserved for NASA and weather forecasting and it is up to the FCC to allocate those frequencies which it has been slow to do. 5G also uses different cell towers which must get local approval in communities concerned about how safe 5G radio waves are.

In January, Congressman Gregg Walden (R-OR) and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ.) asked the GAO to probe these same issues. Walden and Pallone found “inefficient management and chaotic processes.”

The President has sought, unsuccessfully, to influence world leaders to eschew the Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE. He has cited concerns that these provider’s close ties to the government make their products suspect of having “back doors” which could allow Chinese government surveillance. Where this may be a concern there has been no evidence to back up this claim. Many in the UK and EU discount the risk and have embraced the proven ability of these companies products.

President Donald Trump has said that he wants America to win the race to the fast new wireless future. He took it seriously enough to sign a presidential memorandum setting a deadline of July 2019 for a new national strategy on allocating the airwaves. That deadline came and went with no strategy in sight. With no leadership at NTIA a coherent strategy seems far off.

Resistance Resources

  1. Benton Institute for Broadband and Society has a goal to bring open, affordable, high-capacity broadband to all people in the U.S. to ensure a thriving democracy.
  2. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance is a unified voice for home broadband access, public broadband access, personal devices and local technology training and support programs
  3. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has a collection of articles on 5G technology and policy.
  4. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University provided a discussion of how 5G will work for the public interest.
Democrats Unite

Democrats Unite

Democrats, please don’t mess things up; please don’t blow your party’s chances to defeat President Trump. Doing so will bring us four more years of despotic chaotic governance and the inevitable end to our democracy and rule of law.

You are all politicians and well versed in the art of the deal; so the time is now to draw on

the political skills that got you here. I know that you have labored long and hard to capture your party’s nomination; and one of you is going to be successful; but whoever this person is, she or he must have the wherewithal to bring everyone else into the campaign fight; to construct a tent that  big enough for coastal liberals, mid-western moderates and well meaning conservatives ,disgusted by this president’s conduct, to join hands.

The goal of the democratic presidential campaign—to defeat President Trump—is much bigger than any of the many well-crafted policies  and plans each of you has put together; it is much bigger than the investment of pride that you have put into your campaigns; much bigger than the group of followers that you have amassed.

The time has come for you to coalesce; to join forces to honor the pledges that each of you made at the beginning of this campaign; to support whoever wins; and whoever wins must honor the same pledge; not begrudgingly; not without softening their stand ever so slightly so that others can feel good about it.

The real test of the ability of any one of you to lead our country is your ability to bring our party together.  To fail to do this will destroy the party as an effective opposition and present President Trump with a mandate to further destroy our democracy.

Trump’s Department of Energy Sits on Congressionally Approved Renewable Energy Funds

Trump’s Department of Energy Sits on Congressionally Approved Renewable Energy Funds

Policy
In 2019, the United States Congress approved $823 million in funding to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). $823 million represents over ⅓ of the EERE’s total budget. The EERE office, under supervision of the Trump administration has still not spent that money. That budget is designated for the funding of grants and other projects that support the research and development of electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency improving technology. Not only has this budget not yet been spent, but the EERE has also already canceled a $46 million program created to fund solar research and development.

Some Republican committee members, such as Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina say that it is “business as usual” to have such funds unspent and carry over into the next year (Noor). This response has left many committee members on the other side of the isle frustrated, because it is not typical for such a large amount, 1/3 of an office’s budget, to be withheld as “carryover.” And because of this, many assume that the withholding of these funds is a politically motivated strategy to undermine the effectiveness of the EERE office, which saw successful expansion under the Obama administration.

It should be noted that the Trump administration has aimed to cut the EERE’s budget since it came into office. Last year, the administration’s budget proposal attempted to cut funding to the EERE office by 86%. However, Congress largely ignored the request and actually increased the office’s budget.

Despite the misgivings of many Democrats on the committee, the EERE’s Assistant Secretary Daniel Simmons says, the department “fully intends to utilize its appropriated research funding,” and in a manner “consistent with both congressional guidance and administration priorities” (Natter; Noor). Again, it should be noted that Assistant Secretary Simmons, who was appointed by Trump to his role in 2017, has been an outspoken critic of renewable energy research and implementation. The Trump administration to date, has rolled back clean energy legislation, allowing coal plants to stay open longer, removed emission standards for power plants, as well as rolled back many auto emissions standards.

Analysis
Many believe the nonspending of funds appropriated to the EERE office is simply a political scheme to undermine the effectiveness of a program which grew under the Obama administration and has been largely successful. The EERE office has financed research into electric vehicles, ocean-generated energy technologies, as well as reducing the costs of LED lighting and finding ways to make the cost of wind power competitive with coal. Many Democrats share the sentiment of Representative Bill Foster of Illinois, when he says “When Congress passes a budget, we expect that budget to be followed,” and “it’s unclear to many of us if there has been a completely good-faith effort” (Natter).

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has described the withholding as “ideologically driven efforts that thwart action to combat climate change” (Natter). Arjun Krishnaswami, analyst with the NRDC’s Climate and Clean Energy Program, says “The agency is flouting congressional intent” (Natter). Krishnaswami explains that “The magnitude of carryover funds is an indication of whether DOE is following congressional guidance and spending appropriated funds in a timely manner.” And, “more carryover funds mean less money from prior years is getting to clean energy innovators to do their work” (Noor). Just as the hearing to address these withholdings (which Krishnaswami gave his testimony at) began, the Department of Energy announced the funding of $126 million for solar technologies. Assistant Secretary Simmons pointed to this timely announcement, and stated that, “This has been a very good faith effort,” and “We are trying to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars” (Noor).

Resistance Resources

Learn More

Natter, Ari. “Trump Withholding $823 Million for Clean Energy, Democrats Say.” Bloomberg Green, Bloomberg.com, 5 Feb. 2020, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-05/trump-withholding-823-million-for-clean-energy-democrats-say.

Noor, Dharna. “The Trump Administration Is Withholding Almost $1 Billion in Renewable Energy Funding.” Earther, Gizmodo.com, 5 Feb. 2020, www.earther.gizmodo.com/the-trump-administration-is-withholding-almost-1-billi-1841475959.

 

 

 

 

 

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