Brief #32---Environmental Policy Update June 5, 2018 On Thursday, May 31, the EPA formally submitted its proposal to repeal the climate change rules that would require auto makers to double fuel efficiency to an average of 50 miles per gallon by model year 2025....
In February 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced and passed H.R. 4924 which is known as the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act.
Update May 21, 2018
In late April, Scott Pruitt had a hearing on Capitol Hill regarding his various ethical controversies. Over the course of the two sessions, Pruitt did admit that he knew about the raises for two of his aides but little else, primarily placing blame on EPA aides and staff.
Earlier this month Pruitt announced another step in Trump’s “regulatory agenda” with the plan to lessen automotive regulations on emissions and fuel economy. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were revised in 2010 to require a minimum fuel efficiency of 54.5 miles to the gallon (double the current typical average) by model year 2025.
In letters sent to President Trump and the EPA Secretary Pruitt, the Oversight Committee of U.S. Congress requested documents from Secretary Pruitt as they investigate the myriad of controversies that have arisen around the EPA’s lead administrator. Pruitt is currently past the given deadline to produce the documents, and the deadline has been extended to April 25, 2018.
On March 28, 2018, a New York Times investigation reported that Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), had ordered the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Division at the federal agency to pause investigations into violations of federal fair housing laws.
On March 22nd, only a week after the replacement of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Trump announced the departure of national security adviser General H.R. McMaster. On April 9th, the seat will be filled- for the third time in fourteen months- by John Bolton.
In the past year, Trump and his administration have championed actions that threaten the right to adequate healthcare for women and LGBTQIA+ populations. The latest actions in the past month were found primarily in a report last week detailing the elimination of online resources for lesbian and bisexual health on the Department of Health and Human Services website.
Summary “The actions we are taking today are not a matter of choice; they are a matter of necessity for our security” declared President Trump last week, as part of his announcement on a new set of tariffs targeting the import of steel and aluminum. The announcement,...
On February 23rd, in the final minutes of an 80-minute speech, President Trump offhandedly mentioned a new set of sanctions against North Korea. What Trump called the “heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before” targeted 27 entities and 28 vessels in North Korea, China, and Singapore accused of helping the North…