U.S. Supreme Court

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30th Anniversary Edition ~ Sovereign’s Handbook by Johnny Liberty Now Available! | Liberty International

If you have ever heard talk or been to a seminar about “sovereignty”, then very likely those conversations were influenced by the foundational research of the author and educator.

His research and educational journey reaching millions of people worldwide began in 1992 and culminated in 2022 with the 3-Volume book release – his final word on the subject.

At the turn of the millennium his books and audio courses facilitated in part –  a sovereignty and tax-honesty movement that involved millions of Americans.

This 3 Volume series comprises the life’s work of Johnny Liberty filled with comprehensive insights into the last few hundred years of history, law, economics, money, citizenship and governance. 

These books show how it is supposed to be done in a constitutional Republic. 

How did We the People get to where we are today? 

What can we do to reclaim our inherent sovereignty and natural rights? 

Many of the answers may be found within these revolutionary pages. Available as a paperback, E-Book (PDF) or an Amazon Kindle format. Thank you for supporting the author. 

Sincerely, 

With Freedom For All, 
~ Johnny Liberty

Sovereign’s Handbook by Johnny Liberty (30th Anniversary Edition)

  • A three-volume, 750 page tome with an extensive update of the renowned underground classic ~ the Global Sovereign’s Handbook.
  • Still after all these years, it is the most comprehensive book on sovereignty, economics, law, power structures and history ever written.
  • Served as the primary research behind the best-selling Global One Audio Course.
  • ORDER NOW!
  • $99.99 ~ THREE VOLUME PRINT SERIES
  • $33.33 ~ THREE VOLUME E-BOOK

The 3 Volume Sovereign’s Handbook by Johnny Liberty is textbook material for everyone including educators/teachers, homeschoolers, historians, activists, leaders/politicians, attorneys/judges/law schools, police officers, and state Citizens/Nationals. 

Order Additional Books, Audios & Videos from The Freedom Catalog: LibertyInternationalBooks.com 
Sovereign’s Handbook (Website): http://SovereignsHandbook.com 
Dawning of the Corona Age (Website): DawningoftheCoronaAge.com 
Liberty International News: http://LibertyInternational.news 

ORDER YOUR LIBERTY BOOKS TODAY!

Sovereign’s Handbook by Johnny Liberty 
(30th Anniversary Edition)
(3-Volume Printed, Bound Book or PDF)

A three-volume, 750+ page tome with an extensive update of the renowned underground classic ~ the Global Sovereign’s Handbook. Still after all these years, this is the most comprehensive book on sovereignty, economics, law, power structures and history ever written. Served as the primary research behind the best-selling Global One Audio Course. Available Now!

$99.95 ~ THREE-VOLUME PRINT SERIES
$33.33 ~ THREE-VOLUME EBOOK

Dawning of the Corona Age: Navigating the Pandemic by Johnny Freedom 
(3rd Edition)
(Printed, Bound Book or PDF)

This comprehensive book, goes far beyond the immediate impact of the “pandemic”, but, along with the reader, imagines how our human world may be altered, both positively and negatively, long into an uncertain future. Available Now!

$25.00 ~ PRINT BOOK
$10.00 ~ EBOOK

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How SCOTUS Rained On The Left’s Anti-Religious Legal Parade And Reclaimed The First Amendment | The Federalist

By Rachel Chiu

The Supreme Court’s latest momentous term delivered major victories for religious freedom. 

The ability to freely exercise one’s religious beliefs is one of the most essential rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution by our Founding Fathers. It distinguishes America as a free nation. Yet many governmental institutions — from schools to cities and states — have curtailed this constitutionally-protected right by misrepresenting the First Amendment. 

The rulings in three cases this term, Carson v. Makin, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, and Shurtleff v. Boston, corrected decades of misinterpretation and applied the First Amendment as originally intended. Predictably, some progressive legal scholars referred to the rulings as “hypocrisy” and “regressive decision-making” spurred by the “religious right.” But such hyperbolic characterizations minimize the problems that pervaded religious liberty jurisprudence. The decisions in these cases are indeed consequential, but only as a remedy proportionate to the issues they resolved. 

The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Otherwise known as the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses, these words were meant to protect the expression of faith but have, ironically, been used as a basis for religious discrimination.

This paradox was clearly evident in Carson v. Makin. In this case, the justices evaluated Maine’s Town Tuitioning Program, which provided state aid to students living in towns without public schools. The program supported education at secular schools only; faith-based institutions and their students were prohibited from receiving funding. This unmistakably biased policy adversely affected specific groups of students and needlessly deprived them of a values-aligned education. While the state attempted to distinguish between discrimination based on religious status and identity, both prevent students from freely exercising their faith. Discriminating against schools with religious instruction is simply discrimination against religion. 

It was not surprising that the justices agreed with this view since they reached a similar judgment in analogous cases. Referring back to Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer and Espinoza v. Montana, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, plainly indicated that the “Free Exercise Clause forbids discrimination on the basis of religious status.” Roberts concluded that “there is nothing neutral about Maine’s program. The State pays tuition for certain students at private schools — so long as the schools are not religious. That is discrimination against religion.” 

But this wasn’t the only triumph for religious liberty this term. In Shurtleff v. Boston, the justices unanimously decided that the City of Boston’s refusal to fly Camp Constitution’s “Christian flag” was a violation of the First Amendment. Boston denied the request because it believed flying a religious flag at City Hall could violate the Establishment Clause, a claim that the justices rejected. In his concurrence, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that although the city got the Establishment Clause “so wrong … some of the blame belongs here and traces back to Lemon v. Kurtzman” since “[it] sought to devise a one-size-fits-all test.” The “Lemon test” was a judge-created standard used to determine if a law or government activity constituted entanglement with religion. This standard persisted for decades, even though it failed to provide a reliable metric by which judges could evaluate Establishment Clause cases.

A month after the ruling in Shurtleff, the court retired the Lemon test in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. This case was centered around Joseph Kennedy, a football coach who regularly prayed in the middle of the field after games. The district claimed that a “reasonable observer” could misconstrue his actions as the school sponsoring religion and subsequently put him on paid leave and allowed his contract to expire. 

Like the other cases, the justices were not persuaded, recognizing that the school’s actions betrayed an erroneous understanding of the First Amendment. Echoing his sentiments in Shurtleff, Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion that the court “long ago abandoned Lemon” and that, in its place, judges would now interpret the Establishment Clause with “reference to historical practices and understandings.” This means that courts are no longer encumbered by the Lemon test, a significant stumbling block that prevented courts from adjudicating Establishment Clause cases fairly and consistently under the law.

The government ought not to show preference for any faith, but it should also not disadvantage individuals based on religious identity. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened: The government warped the First Amendment so severely that it turned what was intended to be the protection of a fundamental right into a license to discriminate. To that end, this trio of rulings, far from “regressive decision-making,” promoted equality by liberating the First Amendment’s religious liberty protections. This is good for everyone.

Source: The Federalist

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“They Can’t Arrest All of Us”: Rand Paul Makes Rallying Cry For New Potential Lockdowns in Viral Rant | Trending Politics

“It’s time for us to resist,” U.S. Senator Ron Paul asserted to his fellow Americans.

“They can’t arrest all of us. They can’t keep all of your kids home from school. They can’t keep every government building closed – although I’ve got a long list of ones they might keep closed or might ought to keep closed,” Paul said. “We don’t have to accept the mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats. We can simply say no, not again.”

“Nancy Pelosi — you will not arrest or stop me or anyone on my staff from doing our jobs. We have either had COVID, had the vaccine, or been offered the vaccine,” Paul added. “We will make our own health choices. We will not show you a passport, we will not wear a mask, we will not be forced into random screenings and testings so you can continue your drunk-with-power rein over the Capitol.”

Paul went on to say that that Americans should not accept “anti-science” positions from the Biden administration, adding that he will “stop every bill coming through the Senate with an amendment to cut their funding if they don’t come to work in person.”

Paul also mention the importance of getting children back to school, stating that “every adult who works in schools has either had the vaccine or had their chance to get vaccinated.”

“Children are falling behind in school, and are being harmed physically and psychologically by the tactics that you have used to keep them from the classroom during the last year. We won’t allow it again,” Paul said. “If a school system attempts to keep the children from full-time, in-person school, I will hold up every bill with two amendments. One to defund them, and another to allow parents the choice of where the money goes for their child’s education.”

“Do I sound fed up to you? That’s because I am. I’m not a career politician. I practiced medicine for 33 years. I graduated from Duke Medical School, I’ve worked in emergency rooms, I’ve studied immunology and virology, and I ultimately chose to become an eye surgeon,” Paul added.

Paul also unleashed on Dr. Anthony Fauci.

“I’m not the only one who is fed up,” Paul continued. “I can’t go anywhere these days without people coming up and thanking me for standing up for them. Whether I’m at work, or at events in Kentucky, at airports, in restaurants, or in stores, people thank me for taking a stand. They thank me for standing up for actual science. For standing up for freedom. For standing against mandates, lockdowns, and bureaucratic power grabs.”

“I think the tide is turning as more and more people are willing to stand up. I see stories from across the country of parents standing up to the unions and school boards,” Paul said. “I see brave moms standing up and saying, ‘My kids need to go back to school in-person.’ I see members of Congress refusing to comply with Petty Tyrant Pelosi. We are at a moment of truth and a crossroads. Will we allow these people to use fear and propaganda to do further harm to our society, economy, and children? Or will we stand together and say, absolutely not? Not this time. I choose freedom.”

Source: Trending Politics

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THRIVE II: This is What it Takes

After watching the film “THRIVE II: This Is What It Takes” twice and taking copious notes throughout, Happy and I have concluded that this is one of the most profound and important documentaries for ushering in a truly sustainable future for life on Earth.

Besides claiming individual sovereignty as the context for taking back ones power from external authority, an enlightened and technologically advanced civilization based on connected resonance with the unified field is not only possible, but absolutely essential for continuing the diversity and health of all life on Earth.

Kudos to Foster and Kimberly Gamble for having the courage and foresight to bring these discoveries to light and sharing them with the rest of us. This film is a must watch for every conscious human being.

Source: ThriveOn.com

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“This Country’s Fabric Is Being Torn Apart” | Exclusive Interview With L. Lin Wood | Crossroads

Attorney L. Lin Wood sits down for an exclusive interview with Joshua Philipp on the 2020 US presidential elections, the possibility of martial law, the Georgia Senate runoff, China’s infiltration of America, and why he fights for the truth.

Source: YouTube

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Ohio Stands Up! files lawsuit to remove DeWine’s COVID-19 emergency order | Richland Source

An Ohio citizens group has filed a lawsuit in federal court to remove Gov. Mike DeWine’s emergency health order, which was signed on March 9 and remains in place today.

Ohio Stands Up! describes itself as a grassroots organization composed of Ohio citizens focused on restoring the rights of Ohio’s 11.69 million residents and educating the public about the realities of COVID-19 data. Download PDF

Ohio Stands Up! said it has filed suit in the Northern District of Ohio Federal Court in Toledo to remove DeWine’s emergency order. The group is represented by attorneys Thomas Renz of Fremont and Robert Gargasz of Lorain.

DeWine was asked about the lawsuit during a press conference Tuesday.

“I’ve been sued many times. [The Ohio Department of] Health has been sued many many times. They have been in many different counties,” he said.

“We’re doing what we know will make a difference. We’ve been very thoughtful of what we’ve done,” he said. “None of these decisions are made in a vacuum…I just have to stay focused on what we need to do in Ohio.”

According to the Ohio Department of Health website on Tuesday, there have been 124,610 positive COVID-19 tests since the pandemic began with 4,165 deaths.

Organizers said the lawsuit is solely funded by donations from Ohio citizens. As of Aug. 30, donations reached $34,055. For more information, visit www.ohiostandsup.org.

“We believe that the response to COVID-19 has been the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the American public,” Renz said in an email press release.

“The objective of this legal action is to force the state to honor the Constitution and to stop the lies, manipulation and fear-mongering intentionally being promoted by public health officials and elected officials.”

The attorneys said they are determined to “restore the Constitutional rights that have been stripped away by the State of Ohio’s unjustified actions regarding COVID-19.”

Renz and Gargasz said they will release the extensive evidence that chronicles the case to the public to offer transparency and insight.

“The State of Ohio has consistently lied to and manipulated its citizens from the earliest stages of this pandemic,” Gargasz explained. “We insist that this nonsense end, our rights be restored, and that the actual truth be shared.”

Recently, the CDC confirmed that 94 percent of the deaths attributed to the coronavirus were from people who had as many as two to three other serious illnesses. The majority of those deaths are individuals 75 and older. Six percent of the deaths are directly from COVID-19, according to the CDC.

“The entire U.S. economy was shut down based on fraudulent models that predicted 2.2 million American deaths,” Renz said. “The State of Ohio violated the U.S. Constitution with an emergency declaration that ignores the fundamental rights of all Ohioans. As a result, millions of Ohioans are suffering financially, physically, and mentally.”

Renz and Gargasz stated that:

 Hundreds of thousands of businesses are struggling, and many will never re-open.

 Drug overdoses and suicides have increased as have domestic violence and child abuse cases – directly as a result of the unconstitutional emergency order.

 Many Ohioans were unable to get treatment for conditions not related to COVID-19 because hospitals were closed to accommodate the rush of COVID-19 patients who never arrived.

 Children are struggling emotionally as many are forced into the continued isolation of remote learning while two income households must find solutions to manage young children at home.

 Masks are dangerous, prevent proper breathing, and provide no real protection against this virus, according to multiple studies.

 Families have been barred from seeing their loved ones in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and residents in long-term care facilities have suffered because of the lack of inperson communication from their loved one.https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

 People living alone, of all ages, have been forced into solitary confinement and are dying at tremendously increased rates due to loneliness and lack of self-care.

Gargasz said a rapidly growing number of Ohioans recognize this and understand that, if they don’t stand up and speak out, it could be too late because a precedent has been set.

“There is zero basis for a state of emergency,” Renz said. “Based on what we know about the consequences the emergency order has caused to the physical, financial, and mental well-being of Ohioans, and the vitality of Ohio communities, this is truly a crime against humanity, and it must not be allowed to continue.”

Source: Richland Source

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Four Years in the White House: Trump Accomplishments | PromisesKept.com & MAGAPill.com

bitmapEditor’s Note: Those who hate Trump relentlessly attack anyone who might point out some of the good things he has has done in the last four years. But these haters refuse to look, thus are comfortable in their foregone conclusion that only bad things have happened in the last four years. I don’t agree with everything Trump does or says. Nonetheless, here’s a short list of some of the good things, in my opinion, that Trump has done. 

ECONOMY & JOBS

Under President Trump’s leadership, Congress passed historic tax cuts and relief for hard-working Americans. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:

  • Is the first major tax reform signed in 30 years. These are the lowest tax rates since WWII.
  • Provided tax relief for 82% of middle-class families.
  • Doubled the Child Tax Credit proving an additional $1,000 per child in tax relief for working parents.
  • Nearly doubled the standard deduction, a change that simplified the tax filing process for millions of Americans.
  • Cut taxes for small business by 20%, providing $415 billion in tax relief for small business owners.
  • Alleviated the tax burden on over 500 companies. who used those savings to fund bonuses, wage increases for 4.8 million workers.
  • Spurred new investments into the American economy, after it was passed businesses invested $482 billion into new American projects.
  • Repealed Obamacare’s burdensome individual mandate for health insurance.
  • Made U.S. companies competitive on the world stage, lowering the corporate tax rate from one of the highest in the industrialized world (35%) to 21%.

U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has soared under President Trump, topping 3% in 4 quarters under his administration.

  • 2018 annual GDP growth was 2.9%
  • In the first quarter of 2019 GDP growth was 3.1%

President Trump is unleashing economic growth and jobs. Since his election, the Trump administration’s pro-growth policies have generated 6 million new jobs, the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point in 50 years, and wages have grown at more than 3% for 10 months in a row.

  • The manufacturing industry created nearly half a million new jobs.
  • 625,000 new construction jobs have been created since President Trump took office.
  • Hispanic, Asian and African American unemployment rates have all reached record lows under President Trump.
  • There are more than a million more job openings than unemployed persons in the U.S.

President Trump signed an executive order that expanded federally funded apprenticeship programs and on-the-job training, to provide an alternative for those looking to gain in demand skills that lack the resources to attend four year universities.

  • The executive order set in motion a new process that makes it easier for businesses to create and scale apprenticeship programs, providing many more Americans access to an affordable education that leads to a well-paying job.
  • The Workforce Development Advisory Council established by President Trump’s executive order has already created on-the-job training opportunities for 6.5 million Americans.

The Trump administration prioritized the economic empowerment of women at home and across the globe.

  • The Trump Administration launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, the first-ever whole-of-government approach focused on advancing women’s full and free participation in the global economy and allocated $50 million for the fund.

IMMIGRATION

Upon entering office, President Trump called on Congress to fully fund a wall along the Southern border, to close legal loopholes that enable illegal immigration, to end chain migration, and to eliminate the visa lottery program.

President Trump pulled the United States out of negotiations for a “Global Compact on Migration,” a plan for global governance of immigration and a refugee policy that may have compromised U.S. sovereignty.

Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security took action to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in an orderly fashion, following the assessment of the Department of Justice (DOJ) that DACA lacks legal authorization.

  • This action gives Congress the opportunity to consider appropriate legislative solutions, as required by our Constitution.

The Trump Administration rescinded the unlawful Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program.

President Trump declared a national emergency allowing him to access specialized powers to enforce security on the border.

The Department of Homeland Security launched the office of Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE).

From President Trump’s inauguration through FY 2019 to date, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made 269,419 arrests of illegal aliens.

In his first days in office, President Trump signed an executive order disqualifying sanctuary city from receiving federal grants.

President Trump signed three Executive Orders aimed at cracking down on international criminal organizations.

In June 2017, The Trump Administration announced the creation of the new National Public Safety Partnership, a cooperative initiative with cities to reduce violent crime.

The President released his immigration reform proposal which calls for the transition to a merit-based immigration plan.

Following pressure by the Trump Administration, Mexico has agreed to deploy 6,000 national guard troops throughout the country and on its Southern border to stop the immigration crisis, dismantle human-smuggling networks, and work more closely with the U.S. to share information about migrants.

BORDER SECURITY

The Trump Administration has secured funding for approximately 445 miles of the total 722 miles of border wall requested.

President Trump ordered the hiring of 10,000 new ICE agents and 5,000 additional border patrol agents.

The Department of Justice announced more than $98 million in grant funding to hire 802 additional full-time law enforcement officers.

  • President Trump signed an Executive Order to restore state and local law enforcement’s access to surplus Defense Department equipment through the 1033 program, including safety equipment.

President Trump signed a memorandum deploying National Guard troops to the Southwest border.

The Trump Administration has prioritized targeting gang members including members of MS-13.

  • In September 2017, the DOJ worked with Central American partners to arrest and charge about 4,000 MS-13 members.
  • The Department of Homeland Security arrested 796 MS-13 gang members and associates in FY 2017, an 83 percent increase from the previous year.
  • In FY2018, DHS arrested more than 10,000 gang members including more than 2,000 members of MS-13.
  • U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations have seized a combined nearly 3 million pounds of drugs since 2017.

The Trump Administration has worked to partner with local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws.

  • As of May 2019, 80 counties in 21 states are participating in the 287(g) program, which gives state and local law enforcement entities delegated authority by ICE to enforce immigration in their jurisdiction.

The Trump Administration has made removals of illegal immigrants a priority.

  • In FY 2017, ICE conducted 226,119 removals. The proportion of removals resulting from ICE arrests increased from 65,332, or 27 percent of total removals in FY 2016 to 81,603, or 36 percent of total removals, in FY 2017.
  • In FY2018, ICE conducted 256,085 removals, an increase of 13% over FY2017, with 57% of the removals in FY2018 being convicted criminals.

FOREIGN POLICY

PROMOTING FAIR AND EQUAL TRADE:
President Trump has kept his promise to crack down on trade cheaters and to promote fairer and equal trade for all Americans.

In his first year in office, President Trump took action to protect America’s critical steel and aluminum industries, which were harmed by unfair trade practices and global excess capacity.

  • After an investigation, the Trump Administration found that global dumping of steel and aluminum had critically weakened the United States capacity to produce steel and aluminum in times with national security implications.
  • The President exercised his authority to impose a 25 percent global tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent global tariff on aluminum imports in order to protect our national security.
  • The tariffs on steel and aluminum will reduce imports to levels needed for domestic industries to achieve long-term viability.
  • In turn, the strengthening of our domestic steel and aluminum industries reduces our reliance on foreign producers.
  • As a result, these industries will be able to re-open closed mills, sustain a skilled workforce, and maintain or increase production.

Upon entering office, the Trump Administration began renegotiations of trade agreements that contribute to the U.S. trade deficit and harmed American workers.

  • One of President Trump’s first actions was to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, advancing his agenda to protect American workers.

The President kept his promise to roll back the Obama Administration’s bad deal on Cuba that benefited the Cuban regime at the expense of the Cuban people.

  • The Treasury Department and State Department placed sanction on Cuba to channel economic activity away from the Cuban government, particularly the military, and towards the people of Cuba

With the completion of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, the 

Trump Administration successfully fulfilled President Trump’s promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

  • The USMCA is a modern trade agreement that opens new markets for U.S. farmers and manufacturers, will encourage increased manufacturing in the U.S., and allow workers and small businesses to flourish.
  • Canada’s parliament approved the USMCA deal, making Canada the final country needed to make the trade deal official, fulfilling the President’s promise to enact freer and fairer trade deals.
  • President Trump signed the USMCA trade agreement, fulfilling his promise to enact freer and fairer trade deals for the American people.

The Trump Administration made enforcement of U.S. trade laws a top priority and has continually exercised its ability to block harmful trade practices and exchanges.

  • To defend U.S. national security interests, President Trump blocked a foreign company from acquiring a U.S. business for only the fourth time in history.
  • Since President Trump was sworn into office, the Department of Commerce has initiated 79 antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) investigations.
  • The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) self-initiated a Section 301 investigation into whether Chinese policies, acts, and practices related to technology transfer, licensing, and intellectual property are unreasonable or discriminatory.This is the first use of Section 301 since 2001.
  • The Administration blocked the state backed Chinese phone company Huawei from operating in the U.S.

The President’s Administration conducted 82 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations in 2017.

  • This was a 58 percent increase in investigations over 2016.

In January 2017, the President announced new safeguard tariffs on imported large residential washing machines and solar cells.

The Trump Administration successfully litigated WTO disputes targeting unfair trade practices and protected our right to enact fair trade laws.

  • In February 2018, USTR won a WTO compliance challenge against China’s unfair antidumping and countervailing duties on U.S. poultry exports, and China announced the termination of those duties.
  • In November 2017, the United States won a WTO dispute regarding Indonesia’s unfair import licensing regime restricting U.S. agricultural exports.
  • In October 2017, a WTO compliance panel found that U.S. tuna labeling rules designed to inform consumers about safe fishing practices were consistent with WTO standards.
  • In September 2017, the WTO rejected allegations by the European Union that Boeing was receiving prohibited subsidies.
  • In June 2017, a WTO compliance panel rejected almost all claims by the European Union that alleged U.S. subsidies to Boeing were causing serious prejudice to Airbus, instead finding that 28 of 29 challenged programs were consistent with WTO rules.

CRACKING DOWN ON CHINA’S TRADE CHEATING

The President directed his Administration to consider a range of actions to respond to China’s acts, policies, and practices involving the unfair and harmful acquisition of U.S. technology.

In August, the Trump Administration launched an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into Chinese acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation.

  • This was the first Section 301 investigation since 2013.
  • The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) confronted China’s discriminatory technology licensing practices through a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute proceeding.
  • USTR led an extensive investigation based on a thorough analysis of evidence and comments received from academics, think tanks, law firms, trade associations, and American companies and workers.

The investigation concluded that China forces U.S. companies seeking to license technologies to Chinese entities to do so on non-market based terms.

  • China imposes contractual restrictions on the licensing of intellectual property and foreign technology into their country but does not put the same restrictions on contracts between two Chinese enterprises.

The investigation concluded that China directs and unfairly facilitates investments and acquisitions to generate large-scale technology transfers from U.S. companies to Chinese entities.

  • A Chinese government-backed fund helped Apex Technologies Co., a Chinese investment consortium, acquire a U.S. computer-printer maker which had previously sued Apex over patent infringement.

The investigation concluded that China conducts and supports cyber intrusions into U.S. companies to access their sensitive commercial information, such as trade secrets.

  • In 2014, the U.S charged five Chinese military hackers for cyber-espionage committed against U.S. corporations and a labor organization for commercial advantage.
  • An interagency analysis estimated that China’s unfair acts, policies, and practices caused tens of billions in dollars in damages to the United States each year.

In response to China’s rampant trade cheating, the Trump Administration has placed 25 percent tariffs on approximately $250 billion worth of products that are supported by China’s unfair industrial policies

RESTORING AMERICA FIRST FOREIGN POLICY

President Trump went on a historic 12-day tour through Asia, including visits to five countries and attended three regional summits to promote America’s interests.

  • South Korea and Japan pledged to build closer defense collaboration with the United States, and the President underscored the commitment of the United States to providing advanced military equipment.
  • Cooperation was boosted between the Quad countries (the United States, Japan, India and Australia) on the sidelines of ASEAN in Manila.
  • President Trump reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to promote prosperity and security in the region by modernizing America’s development finance institutions and increasing their coordination with Japanese counterparts.

President Trump traveled to the Middle East and Europe to solidify relations with our allies in both regions and to push for greater commitments and cooperation.

  • President Trump visited Mecca, Jerusalem, and Rome, three of the world’s holiest places.
  • In Saudi Arabia, President Trump pushed for a coalition of nations to confront Iran and attended the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
  • President Trump persuaded allies to develop national plans to boost defense spending up to two percent of GDP by 2024, and for NATO to formally join the coalition to defeat ISIS at the 2017 NATO Leaders’ meeting.
  • President Trump unveiled his Middle East peace plan illustrating his committing to restoring stability and peace in the Middle East.
  • Under the Trump Administration’s leadership, the United States eliminated Qassim al-Rimi, a founder and leader of al Qaeda, who has committed terrorist attacks on civilians in Yemen.
  • The Administration ordered a precision strike that killed the number one terrorist in the world Qasem Soleimani who was plotting attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.
  • The Trump Administration imposed new sanctions on Iran following attacks on U.S. and allied troops in Iraq by the Iranian military.

President Trump visited Poland and a meeting of the G-20, where he pushed for closer cooperation and American First policies.

  • With G20 partners and the World Bank, the U.S. championed the establishment of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi), which could leverage in excess of $1 billion in financing to support women entrepreneurs

President Trump followed through on his promise and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and directed the relocation of the U.S. Embassy. 

After announcing the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, President Trump quickly and efficiently opened the Embassy in Israel at a low cost to taxpayers.

  • The State Department announced the new US Embassy in Israel would move to Jerusalem.
  • The Trump Administration withdrew from UNESCO to show it would not stand for the anti-Israel bias of the organization.
  • In December 2018, the United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
  • On May 14, 2018, the United States officially opened our Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, 70 years to the day that President Truman recognized Israel as an independent country, making the United States the first nation to do so.
  • In 2019, the Trump Administration recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel becoming the first country to officially do so.

Under President Trump, the United States has worked tirelessly to combat extremism and stick up for religious minorities.

  • During his first international trip, President Trump pushed for a coalition of nations to confront Iran and attended the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. It was created to empower Muslim-majority countries in fighting radicalization.
  • President Trump directed the State Department to send aid through USAID directly to Christians and other minorities facing genocide in the Middle East.

NATIONAL SECURITY & DEFENSE

PROTECTING AMERICA AND OUR ALLIES BY REBUILDING THE MILITARY: 

President Trump is rebuilding our military, defeating terrorist organizations, and confronting rogue nations to protect America and our allies.

Upon taking office, President Trump directed the rebuilding of the United States military.

  • While in office, President Trump has worked with Congress to increase defense spending, reverse the defense sequester, expand our military capacity, and modernize its capabilities.
  • The President has empowered the Secretary of Defense and our military commanders to make decisions, seize the initiative, and win – without micromanagement from Washington.

The Trump Administration has worked to rebuild the U.S. Military and provided the Defense Department nearly 1.5 Trillion dollars in the past two NDAAs.

  • In 2018, the Trump Administration signed a $700 billion NDAA to rebuild our military in 2018, the largest amount in history which gave the military a 2.4% pay raise, the biggest since 2010.
  • In 2017, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act of FY2018 which increased the size of the American Armed Forces for the first time in seven years and authorized nearly $700 billion annually for U.S. defense expenditures.

President Trump is modernizing the United States military to meet the security needs of the 21st century.

  • President Trump announced the creation of the United States Space Force as a new branch of the military.
  • President Trump revived the National Space Council to develop and implement a new national space policy and strategy.
  • President Trump elevated the U.S. Cyber Command into a major war-fighting command, to advance U.S. efforts in cyberspace.

President Trump announced a new strategy for Afghanistan to protect the American people based on stability and security so terrorists cannot use the country as a base to threaten U.S. interests.

  • The new strategy put pressure on the Taliban and set conditions for a peaceful settlement between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban.
  • The President warned Pakistan that no partnership can survive a country’s tolerance for militants and terrorists, and they must take action.
  • The partnership with India is vital, and they make important contributions to Afghanistan’s safety, security, and development.

President Trump is putting maximum pressure on North Korea to denuclearize.

  • In June 2019, President Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to enter North Korea, as he held a historic meeting with Kim Jong Un at the DMZ.
  • President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met on June 12, 2018, in Singapore where the two leaders discussed steps towards denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
  • Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other representatives of the United States government traveled to Pyongyang, North Korea on May 9 to prepare for the President’s upcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. During Secretary Pompeo’s visit, the North Korean leadership released three American detainees. President Trump appreciates leader Kim Jong Un’s action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill. The three Americans appear to be in good condition and were all able to walk on the plane without assistance. All Americans look forward to welcoming them home and to seeing them reunited with their loved ones.
  • The Treasury Department has implemented an array of sanctions on North Korean individuals and entities as part of the Maximum Pressure Campaign.
  • Under President Trump’s leadership, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed new sanctions on North Korea for their continued aggressive behavior.

President Trump is confronting Iran’s aggression.

  • The Trump Administration withdrew from Obama’s flawed Iranian nuclear deal which neither ended Iran’s nuclear ambitions nor curbed its destabilizing activities.
  • President Trump in consultation with his national security team has approved a new strategy for Iran.
    • Not certifying they are in full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran Deal.
    • Focusing on neutralizing the Government of Iran’s destabilizing influence and constraining its aggression, particularly its support for terrorism and militants.
    • Revitalizing our traditional alliances and regional partnerships as bulwarks against Iranian subversion and restore a more stable balance of power in the region.
    • Deny the Iranian regime – and especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – funding for its malign activities, and oppose IRGC activities that extort the wealth of the Iranian people.
    • Counter threats to the United States and our allies from ballistic missiles and other asymmetric weapons.
    • Rally the international community to condemn the IRGC’s gross violations of human rights and its unjust detention of American citizens and other foreigners on specious charges.
    • Deny the Iranian regime all paths to a nuclear weapon.
  • The Trump administration has instituted an array of sanctions against Iran for its destabilizing activities and actions.

President Trump has cracked down on Chemical Weapons users.

  • President Trump ordered missile strikes against a Syrian airbase after the Assad regime used it to launch chemical weapons attacks against civilians.
    • President Trump prevented further chemical weapons attacks by announcing detection of their preparation and warning Syria that they would be struck again if the attacks were carried out.
  • President Trump placed sanctions on North Korea for its use of chemical weapons in the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s stepbrother.
  • President Trump placed sanctions on Russia for its use of chemical weapons in connection to attempted assassination of a former KGB spy in Britain.

President Trump is supporting democracy in Venezuela and cracking down on the Maduro regime

  • President Trump has imposed numerous sanctions on the Maduro dictatorship in Venezuela, targeting the regime itself, individuals, and entities supporting Maduro’s dictatorship.
  • The new financial sanctions prohibit dealings in new Venezuelan debt and its corrupt oil company. The regime will no longer be able finance its debt using U.S. banks.
  • The Trump Administration has publicly supported Juan Guaido, the Democratic elected leader of the Venezuelan General Assembly, and has led the world in backing Guaido.
  • The Trump Administration has approved more than $250 million in regional aid to address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

NEW ACTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA

The Trump Administration has directly confronted Russia for its threatening behavior to the U.S. and our allies.

The Trump Administration has bolstered allies in the region.

  • The Trump Administration has provided the sale of lethal weapons to Ukraine.
  • The Trump Administration has enhanced its support for Ukraine’s Armed Forces to help Ukraine improve its ability to defend itself.
  • The Trump Administration has provided more than a billion dollars to the European Defense initiative.
  • The Trump Administration has pressured NATO allies to meet their spending commitments and by the year 2019, NATO allies will have increased their spending by nearly $100 billion since 2016.

The Trump Administration has pursued an aggressive stance against Russia for its destabilizing activities.

  • The Trump Administration has applied numerous sanctions against Russia for its malicious cyber activities, its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and its chemical weapons use.
  • The Administration has opposed Vladimir Putin’s largest geo-economic project, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
  • The Administration has imposed diplomatic penalties on Russia including the expulsion of more than 50 Russian intelligence officials and the closing of two Russian consulates.

REGULATION

Rolling Back Job Killing Regulations:

President Trump is rolling back wasteful and costly regulations that have stood in the way of hardworking Americans.

President Trump signed an Executive Order, mandating that two regulations must be eliminated for every regulation created in order to reduce compliance costs.

  • The Administration actually eliminated 22 regulations for every new regulatory action.
  • The Administration issued 67 deregulatory actions while only imposing three new regulatory actions.
  • In FY 2017, the Administration saved $8.1 billion in lifetime net regulatory cost savings, equivalent to $570 million per year.

Throughout 2017, President Trump has made good on his promise to cut red tape, and in doing so has reenergized the United States’ agricultural, energy, and infrastructure sectors by freeing them from oppressive and stifling regulations.

President Trump has signed 15 Congressional Review Act resolutions into law, more than any other president, ending burdensome Obama-era rules and regulations.

  • According to a study by NERA Economic Consulting, implementing the Obama Administration’s plan under the Paris Climate Agreement could have cost the United States economy nearly $3 trillion and 6.5 million industrial sector jobs by 2040.

President Trump signed 15 Congressional Review Act resolutions into law that is estimated to save American taxpayers $3.7 billion.

President Trump signed an Executive Order that reduced the time it took to approve infrastructure projects from 10 years to two years.

President Trump has rolled back President Obama’s job killing power plan and ended the previous administration’s war on coal.

UNPRECEDENTED REGULATORY ROLLBACK:

  • To date, 860 regulatory actions have been withdrawn or removed from active status.
  • The WSJ said President Trump is “rolling back more regulations than any President in history.”

RECORD-SETTING NUMBER OF CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT (CRA) BILLS SIGNED:

  • President Trump has signed a record-breaking 15 CRA bills to roll back regulations.
  • Since the CRA became law in 1996, only one had ever been signed (George W. Bush in 2001)
  • Along with Executive Orders, these bills will reduce regulatory costs by $18 billion annually.

LAND & AGRICULTURE

On June 6, 2019, President Trump signed the disaster relief bill that provided $19 billion in assistance to states and territories hit by flooding, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters, including farmers hit by a delayed planting season.

President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill which legalized the Production of industrial Hemp.

The Department of Agriculture issued guidance that would give more flexibility to state operations of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

  • The new program maximized flexibility and holds states more accountable for the delivery of food benefits.

LAW & JUSTICE

WORKING WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT: 

President Donald J. Trump and the Department of Justice are working with local law enforcement to protect American communities.

The Department of Justice announced more than $98 million in grant funding through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services COPS Hiring Program to allow 802 additional full-time law enforcement officers.

President Trump signed Executive Order 13809 to restore state and local law enforcement’s access to surplus equipment from the Defense Department, such as armored vehicles.

The Department of Justice announced the creation of the new National Public Safety Partnership, a cooperative initiative with cities to reduce violent crimes.

The Trump Administration expanded Project Safe Neighborhoods to encourage U.S. Attorney’s to work with communities to develop customized crime reduction strategies.

The Department of Justice returned to their longstanding charging policy for federal prosecutors, trusting them once again to charge the most serious, readily provable offense.

Prosecutors were directed by the Department of Justice to focus on taking illegal guns off our streets.

  • Criminals charged with unlawful possession of a firearm has increased 23 percent.

President Trump has nominated, and the Senate has confirmed a grand total of 187 Article III judges. – REALLY ARTICLE III?

PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF ALL AMERICANS:

President Trump’s Administration is protecting the rights of all Americans.

President Trump’s Department of Justice has supported students whose free speech rights have been under attack on university campuses.

The Department of Justice secured a guilty plea for the first case prosecuted under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act involving a victim targeted because of gender identity.

CONFRONTING ORGANIZED CRIME: 

President Trump and the Department of Justice have aggressively confronted organized crime from street gangs to criminal cartels.

President Trump signed three Executive Orders – 13773, 13774, and 13776 – aimed at cracking down on international criminal organizations, including drug cartels and gangs, and preventing violence against law enforcement officers.

The Department of Justice designated MS-13 as a priority for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, to allow federal law enforcement to utilize an expanded toolkit in its efforts to dismantle the organization.

  • The United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have charged more than 4,000 MS-13 and 18th Street gang members in the United States and Central America, including the alleged leader of MS-13’s “East Coast Program.”
  • In August 2018, more than 20 individuals associated with MS-13 were arrested in California on federal and state charges in connection with gang activities.

The Department of Justice convicted eight members of an international criminal organization, known as the Rendon-Reyes Trafficking Organization, on federal charges arising from their scheme to force young women and girls from Mexico and Latin America into prostitution.

RESHAPING THE AMERICAN COURTS

  • President Trump appointed conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
  • President Trump has appointed more than 50 circuit or appeals court judges. – MANY MORE NOW
  • President Trump has appointed more than 80 district court judges. – MANY MORE NOW

ADDRESSING SCHOOL VIOLENCE

  • President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act and the “Fix NICS Act.”
  • The Trump Administration has allocated $2 billion for school safety. 

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

The Department of the Interior proposed its largest oil and gas lease of over 78 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • President Trump signed an Executive Order to expand offshore oil and gas drilling and open more leases to develop offshore drilling.

President Trump and his administration acted aggressively to increase exports of energy resources to the global market.

  • This allowed financing for coal and fossil energy projects.
  • The Department of Energy announced the approval of the Lake Charles Liquefied Natural Gas terminal.
  • American LNG export opportunities increased under the Trump administration.

President Trump has approved the infrastructure and provided the resources needed to unleash oil and gas production in the U.S.

  • The administration approved the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, supporting an estimated total of 42,000 jobs and $2 billion in wages.
  • The administration announced the approval of the New Burgos Pipeline, a cross-border project that will export U.S. gasoline to Mexico.
  • The Trump administration reversed President Obama’s moratorium on new leases for oil and gas development on federal lands.

President Trump rescinded President Obama’s costly Clean Power Plan and instead has proposed the Affordable Clean Energy Rule.

  • According to NERA Economic Consulting, the CPP would have increased electricity rates by as much as 14 percent, costing American households up to $79 billion.
  • The Affordable Clean Energy Rule will reduce greenhouse gasses, empower states, promote energy independence, and facilitate economic growth and job creation

In addition to the Clean Power Plan, the Trump administration has rescinded many costly Obama-Era regulations.

  • The EPA has rescinded President Obama’s methane emissions rule that would cost American energy developers an estimated $530 million annually.
  • The EPA is reviewing a rule that if rescinded would relax costly fuel standards and save $340 billion in regulatory costs.

President Trump announced his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the unfair Paris Climate Agreement.

In May 2017, the Trump administration created a Superfund task force designed to streamline the Superfund cleanup program.

  • The Superfund task force has designated 10 sites for “immediate, intense action.”

RELAUNCHING THE SMART SECTORS PROGRAM

EPA has re-launched launched the Smart Sectors Program to partner with the private sector to achieve better environmental outcomes.

The lead for each sector serves as the ombudsmen within the respective agency across program offices, conducts educational site tours, analyzes data and advises options for environmental improvement, and develops reports that profile the impact of each sector

It also works to streamline EPA practices and operations.

EXPANDING AMERICAN ENERGY

  • Signed legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to domestic energy production.
  • Approved the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, with 42,000 jobs and $2 billion in earnings.
  • Repealed the Clean Power Plan, a regulation estimated to increase energy costs by billions.
  • Kept campaign promise to get America out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

President Trump has tightened rules for federal employees both past and present to ensure his administration works for the American people.

  • The president signed an executive order that placed a five-year ban on lobbying and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries for federal employees.
  • President Trump called for a comprehensive plan to reorganize the executive branch.
  • President Trump began a comprehensive overhaul of digitally-delivered government services.
  • President Trump called for a “full audit of the Pentagon.” The Department of Defense (DOD) responded to the president’s call to action and began its full financial statement audit.

To ensure the Government serves the needs of all Americans, President Trump has established a comprehensive plan to reorganize the executive branch and his administration has begun to implement this plan.

HEALTH CARE

President Trump has worked to improve access to affordable quality health care.

  • The Department of Agriculture provided more than $1 billion in FY2017 to be used to improve access to health care services for 2.5 million people in rural communities.
  • The Trump administration expanded access to Association Health Plans (AHPs) allowing small business to pool risk across states.
  • The Trump Administration allows for Short-Term Limited Duration plans to be extended up to 12 months.

As part of the landmark Tax Cuts and Jobs Act President Trump repealed the individual mandate, which forced people to buy expensive insurance and taxed those who couldn’t afford it.

  • The mandate disproportionately hurt the poor: 80% of those affected made less than $50,000.

President Trump signed a six-year extension of CHIP to fund healthcare for 9 million.

President Trump has mobilized his entire administration to address drug addiction and opioid abuse by declaring the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency.

  • President Trump created a bipartisan opioid commission that issued 56 recommendations to help defeat the opioid crisis.
  • In October 2017, President Trump directed The Department of Health and Human Services to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency, allowing grant money to be used to combat abuse.
  • President Trump signed the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology  (INTERDICT Act) that would give customs agents $9 million for screening tools on the border.
  • In FY2017, HHS invested nearly $900 million in opioid-specific funding.
  • President Trump successfully pressured China to close dangerous loopholes that allowed Chines fentanyl manufacturers to legally ship the compound worldwide, much of which ended up in the U.S.

Under President Trump, The FDA has approved the largest number of generic drugs in history.

  • Generics increase competition in the marketplace and lower the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans.
  • In December 2018, year-end drug prices fell for the first time in nearly 50 years.

INFRASTRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGY 

The Trump Administration allocated $50 billion to empower rural America to address the infrastructure needs of their communities

  • 80 percent of the Rural Infrastructure Program funds will go directly to the governor of each state as determined by a formula.
  • 20 percent of the Rural Infrastructure Program funds will be provided to selected states that apply for Rural Performance Grants.

President Trump’s plan provides states the flexibility they need to address the unique needs of each community.

  • The federal funding provided by the president’s plan will not be awarded in pre-packaged, asset-specific amounts, as is often the case with federal programs, giving states the freedom to spend the money where it’s needed most.
  • Instead, funds provided under the president’s proposal will go directly to the governor’s office of the state receiving funds allowing governors to make investments based on the individual infrastructure needs of their communities.
  • Transportation projects which will rebuild roads, bridges, railways, and other vital infrastructure.
  • Broadband deployment projects which will improve access for rural communities.
  • Water and waste projects to help ensure rural families have access to clean water.
  • Power and electric projects to provide rural areas with reliable, affordable power.
  • Water resources projects to better manage flood risk and improve rural water supplies and waterways.

SOCIAL PROGRAMS 

President Trump declared a Nationwide Public Health Emergency to address the opioid crisis.

  • The President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) found evidence that suggests that drug overdoses involving opioids were underreported by as much as 24 percent.
  • The Administration provided nearly $500 million to states to prevent and treat opioid abuse. Another $500 million was requested in the 2018 FY Budget.

In April, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) laid out a comprehensive five-point strategy to combat the opioid abuse crisis.

The Department of Justice announced that fentanyl substances are a drug class under the Controlled Substances Act. This meant anyone who possesses, imports, distributes or manufactures illicit fentanyl-related substances would be subject to criminal prosecution similar to other controlled substances.

  • Anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit fentanyl-related substance will be subject to criminal prosecution similar to other controlled substances.
  • The DOJ announced its first-ever indictments against two Chinese nationals and their North American-based associates for distributing large quantities of fentanyl and other opiate substances.

In an opioid fraud crackdown, the DOJ charged more than 400 people, including doctors and medical facilities, for prescribing unnecessary opioids, fueling the drug crisis.

In 2017, the Administration provided nearly $500 million to States to prevent and treat opioid abuse. The President’s FY 2018 Budget requests another $500 million.

On National Drug Take Back Day, the Drug Enforcement Administration collected a record-breaking 912,305 pounds – 456 tons – of potentially dangerous expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs at more than 5,300 collection sites.

  • This was a record-breaking day, with collections from more than 5,300 sites.

PROTECTING LIFE 

President Trump recognizes the precious gift of life and protects the sanctity of life at all stages.

In his first week in office, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy that prevented $9 billion in foreign aid from being used to fund the abortion industry.

  • President Trump de-funded a U.N. agency for colluding with China’s brutal program of forced abortion and sterilization.

President Trump worked with the Congress to sign a bill overturning an Obama midnight regulation that prohibited States from defunding abortion service providers.

  • The Trump Administration published guidance which promises to enforce the Obamacare requirement that taxpayer dollars should not support abortion coverage in exchange plans.

Reinstated the Mexico City Policy to ban any U.S. foreign aid to organizations that perform abortions.

Signed a Congressional Review Act bill to allow states to restrict Planned Parenthood Funding. 

EDUCATION

President Trump’s proposed budgets have made school choice a priority.

  • The President’s FY2018 Budget Request included $1 billion in funding to Furthering Options of Children to Unlock Success Grants for public school choice and $250 million to promote private school choice through the Education Innovation and Research Program.
  • In his FY2019 budget President Trump proposed a $5 billion federal tax credit on donations that fund scholarships to private and vocational schools, apprenticeships programs and other educational opportunities.

The Trump Administration successfully implemented the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to empower states with the flexibility they need to educate their students.

  • 35 states and the District of Columbia have had their ESSA plans approved and the Department of Education is reviewing the plans for the remaining states.
  • The Department of Education is urging states to embrace the opportunity provided by ESSA to end top-down mandates from Washington, D.C.

The Trump Administration implemented the year-round distribution of Pell grants, instead of limiting these grants to the spring and fall semesters.

  • Low-income students will now have access to these funds over summer and winter breaks, so they can earn their degrees faster with fewer loans.

The Trump Administration reformed the student loan servicing process to improve customer experience and lower costs.

The Trump Administration has reformed The Free Application for Federal Student Aid to make the program more accessible to students.

The Trump Administration brought in financial experts to modernize the way FSA offers and services student loans.

The Department of Education provided $359.8 million in federal assistance to 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist with the cost of educating students displaced by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria, or the 2017 California wildfires.

VETERANS

President Trump signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.) to fire failing employees and establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers.

  • Through 2018, more than 4,300 Veterans Affairs employees were removed, demoted, or suspended as a result of the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act

In August 2017, after passing Congress unanimously, President Trump signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act.

  • This streamlined the lengthy process that veterans undergo when appealing disability benefits claims with the Veterans Affairs.

In August 2017, the President signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, an important step in providing our nation’s heroes the support they have earned.

  • This funded the post-9/11 GI Bill, which provided educational benefits to veterans, service members, and their family members, including tuition, fees, books, housing, and additional costs.

The President signed the V.A. Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veterans Choice Program (VCP).

  • President Trump signed a bill to allow the V.A. to fire incompetent employees.
  • President Trump signed legislation to fully fund the popular V.A. Choice Program.

In August 2017, The President signed the V.A. Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 which authorized $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veterans Choice Program (VCP).

In November 2017, the Trump Administration created a new White House V.A. Hotline, staffed by veterans and family members, who will provide our nation’s Veterans with a direct, dedicated contact line to answer their needs and concerns.

  • Since May 2019, the White House VA Hotline has surpassed 250,00 calls.

In April 2017, the VA launched its online “Access and Quality Tool” which provides veterans with data to help them make informed decisions about their health care.

In June 2018, President Trump signed The VA MISSION Act, which works to integrate the VA healthcare system and modernize it for the 21st century while providing Veterans with more choices in their healthcare options, whether from VA doctors or the community.

In 2018, the VA announced three initiatives to expand access to healthcare for veterans using tele-health technology:

  • “Anywhere to Anywhere Veterans Affairs Health Care” allows Veterans Affairs providers to use tele-health technology to serve veterans no matter where the provider or veteran is located.
  • V.A. Video Connect allows veterans and providers to connect by video across the country.
  • The Veteran Appointment Request (VAR) application allows veterans to schedule appointments at Veterans Affairs facilities on digital devices.

In April 2019, the VA Announced a major expansion of its tele-health offerings in order to provide veterans living in rural or remote areas with the best possible care.

  • The VA Telehealth initiative will involve partnerships with private sector companies including Walmart, T-Mobile, and Phillips.

Source: Promises Kept & MAGAPill.com

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Supreme Court to Decide If States Can Bind Electoral College Members to Popular Vote | The Epoch Times

The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 7, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday has agreed to take up a dispute that questions whether an electoral collegemember is bound by the state to support the presidential candidate chosen by the popular vote.

The top court granted a petition to review a pair of cases—from Washington state and Colorado—that will decide the enforceability of state laws that threatens to penalize a presidential elector if they refused to vote for the candidate they pledged to support, commonly referred to as “faithless electors.”

The Supreme Court’s decision, expected later in the year, will likely have ramifications on this year’s presidential race if the electoral college members seek to casts votes for someone who did not win the popular vote in the state.

When an elector does not vote for a candidate who was chosen by the popular vote, some states provide that the deviant vote be canceled, and the elector replaced, according to FairVote.org.

Meanwhile, some states allow the vote to stay but would impose a penalty on the elector. Some states also allow both the canceling of the vote and a penalty.

Both Washington and Colorado have laws that direct how electors perform their duties and enforce consequences for casting a vote that deviates from the will of the people.

In Washington, an elector can be fined if they vote contrary to how the law directs. Meanwhile, in Colorado, if an elector does not back the candidate with a popular vote, they would have been deemed to have “refused to act,” resulting in a vacancy in that elector’s office that needed to be immediately re-filled.

The lower courts in both cases came to the opposite conclusion about the issues, with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado ruling for the electoral college members. At the same time, the Washington Supreme Court found in favor of the state.

In the Colorado case, one elector Michael Baca was replaced, and his vote canceled when he sought to vote for GOP John Kasich, Ohio’s former governor, in the 2016 presidential election.

Meanwhile, the Washington case was brought by three Democratic electors who chose not to vote for Hilary Clinton during the same presidential election. Instead, all three electors opted for Colin Powell, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and were subsequently fined.

The U.S. Supreme Court did not provide any reasoning for agreeing to hear the cases (pdf). The two cases have been consolidated, and oral argument is like to be scheduled in March or April.

In 2016, 10 of the 538 presidential electors attempted to cast their votes for someone other than their party’s candidate.

The victor in a U.S. presidential election is determined by securing a majority of the electoral votes allotted to the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, rather than amassing a majority of the popular vote.

The electoral college members cast the electoral votes. All states, except for Maine and Nebraska, have a winner-takes-all system awarding all electors to the presidential candidate who wins the state’s popular vote.

The number of electors in each state is the sum of its two U.S. senators and its number of members in the House of Representatives, based on population size. The District of Columbia, which is not a state, is allotted, three electors.

Source: The Epoch Times

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Supreme Court rules in case watched for impact on Trump pardons | Politico

The Supreme Court ruled Monday in a closely watched “double jeopardy” case, issuing a decision that preserves states’ power to limit the impact of future pardons by President Donald Trump or his successors.

In a 7-2 ruling, the justices declined to disturb a longstanding legal principle known as dual sovereignty, which allows state governments to bring their own charges against defendants already tried or convicted in federal court, or vice versa.

Lawyers for an Alabama man facing a gun charge in federal court after pleading guilty to the same offense in state court — resulting in a nearly three-year extension of his prison sentence — failed in their effort to persuade the justices to hold that the Constitution’s prohibition on double jeopardy prevents such follow-on prosecutions.

The federal government had argued that overturning the dual-sovereignty doctrine would upend the country’s federalist system, and that the phenomenon of overcriminalization makes states’ ability to preserve their own sphere of influence and prevent federal encroachment on law enforcement more important.

Democrats and others bracing for potential pardons by Trump of individuals convicted in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation were tracking the case, Terance Gamble v. U.S., because a decision overturning the dual sovereigns rule could have complicated efforts by state prosecutors to blunt the impact of any attempt Trump may make to grant clemency to those targeted by Mueller’s team.

Still, the high court case was not seen as make-or-break for state prosecutions because Mueller didn’t bring charges on every potential crime he uncovered. In addition, the federal prosecution of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort resulted in a combination of jury convictions, guilty pleas, mistried charges and dismissals as part of a plea deal.

The complex result in Manafort’s case left fertile ground for New York prosecutors, who jumped into the breach in March with a 16-count indictment charging the longtime lobbyist and political consultant with mortgage fraud, falsifying business records and other crimes. The offenses seemed to partially overlap with crimes Manafort was charged with in federal court in Virginia.

Manafort’s lawyers in the state case have indicated they plan to argue that the indictment obtained by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. violates a New York law that limits state prosecutions of crimes already prosecuted at the federal level.

New York’s Democrat-controlled Legislature has been trying to alter that law to limit its application in cases where a defendant receives a presidential pardon or commutation.

A bill aimed at doing that won formal approval last month from both chambers of the state legislature but has not yet been sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has signaled he plans to sign it. The measure includes language seeking to cover individuals already convicted, tried or who pleaded guilty, but it’s unclear whether applying the law that way is constitutional.

The bulk of the opinions the justices issued Monday were focused on historical evidence about whether the founders expected that dual prosecutions would be permitted or forbidden by the Constitution.

“Gamble’s historical arguments must overcome numerous ‘major decisions of this Court’ spanning 170 years,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote on behalf of the seven-justice majority. “In light of these factors, Gamble’s historical evidence must, at a minimum, be better than middling. And it is not.”

The decision drew separate dissents from justices at opposite ends of the court’s ideological spectrum: liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg and conservative Neil Gorsuch.

“It is the doctrine’s premise that each government has — and must be allowed to vindicate — a distinct interest in enforcing its own criminal laws,” Ginsburg wrote. “That is a peculiar way to look at the Double Jeopardy Clause, which by its terms safeguards the ‘person’ and restrains the government.” She argued that the legal precedent was weak, noting that “early American courts regarded with disfavor the prospect of successive prosecutions by the Federal and State Governments” and that, with regard to concerns about federal and state governments interfering with each other, “cooperation between authorities is the norm.”

Gorsuch, meanwhile, argued that “a free society does not allow its government to try the same individual for the same crime until it’s happy with the result. Unfortunately, the Court today endorses a colossal exception to this ancient rule against double jeopardy.”

He added that the separate sovereigns exception “finds no meaningful support in the text of the Constitution,” unlike the Constitution’s ban on double jeopardy.

Fordham University law professor Jed Shugerman told POLITICO that the Gamble decision will have “no real impact on Trump cases.” Manafort is still facing state prosecutions in New York and Virginia, which have their own jeopardy rules, he noted. And former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s guilty plea to one count of making false statements to the FBI was limited to federal law, Shugerman said. The same appears true of Roger Stone’s prosecution on false statement and witness tampering charges, he added.

“Trump and others aren’t getting prosecuted federally anyway before 2021, so they haven’t faced a single jeopardy yet,” Shugerman said. “A pardon wouldn’t create jeopardy, so they’d still face state prosecutions post-pardons.”

Some opponents of the proposed New York changes urged legislators to hold off passing them until the Supreme Court ruled in the case decided Monday. Experts said the decision might encourage more states to tinker with their double-jeopardy limits.

“The big question may be how states react to this ruling, and whether it will incentivize some states to ban trials by separate sovereigns of the same defendant for the same conduct, or, now that the Court has said the federal Constitution isn’t offended, whether states that already have such bans might relax them,” said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck.

Source: Politico

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Supreme Court clamps down on ‘excessive fines’ by states | The Hill

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled unanimously that states must adhere to the Constitution’s ban on excessive fines, a decision that will likely limit the ability of states to impose certain fees and seize property.

In delivering the opinion of the court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the Eighth Amendment guards against abuses of the government’s punitive or criminal law-enforcement authority, and that it extends to fines.

“This safeguard, we hold, is ‘fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty,’ with ‘deep roots in our history and tradition,’” she said, quoting Supreme Court precedent.

Ginsburg, who returned to the bench for oral arguments Tuesday for the first time since undergoing surgery in December, was joined in the ruling by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Justice Clarence Thomas filed an opinion concurring in the judgment.

The case centered on Tyson Timbs, who pleaded guilty in Indiana state court to dealing in a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit theft. When Timbs was arrested, police seized the Land Rover he had purchased, for $42,000, from an insurance policy he received when his father died.

The state then brought a  civil forfeiture suit against Timbs for his vehicle because it had been used to transport heroin. The trial court denied the state’s forfeiture request.

Since Timbs had recently purchased the vehicle for more than four times the maximum $10,000 monetary fine he can be charged for the drug conviction, the court said the forfeiture violated the Eighth Amendment.

The Indiana Supreme Court ultimately reversed that ruling, holding that the Excessive Fines Clause constrains only federal action and is inapplicable to state impositions. Watch the video…

The high court vacated that ruling Wednesday.

Source: The Hill