Trump's Disastrous First 40 Days Trump's Disastrous First 40 Days Trump's Disastrous First 40 ...

192 Pages·2017·6.43 MB·English

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Patriot Flames:
Trump’s Disastrous First Forty Days

It’s only been five weeks, but Donald Trump is already making our country and the world more
dangerous.

Trump’s first 40 days as president have been plagued by incendiary executive orders that hurt
families and empower global adversaries to take advantage of his weak leadership. While his self-
inflicted scandals and bungled policy rollouts have kept Trump and his Administration on the ropes,
his Cabinet of predatory billionaires and reckless decision making have had significant implications
for American families.

(cid:120) On the economy, Trump hasn’t done anything that will create jobs. Instead, he is erasing
important consumer protections and giving power back to Wall Street and the big banks
that have infiltrated his Cabinet.

(cid:120) On health care, Trump is ripping away healthcare from 20 million Americans and colluding
with health insurance CEOs so they can make money from people getting sick.

(cid:120) On the environment, Trump is gutting the EPA and destroying progress we’ve made on
reducing global warming in favor of oil and gas companies’ profits.

(cid:120) On immigration, Trump is setting up the American taxpayers to be on the hook for his
insulting border wall and starting a deportation force that will break apart families.

(cid:120) On women’s health, Trump has vowed to defund Planned Parenthood and has made
abortion access harder around the world.

(cid:120) On the budget, Trump is instituting draconian cuts to foreign aid and other vital
programs that will make us less safe.

(cid:120) On infrastructure, Trump is prioritizing business profits over responsible reviews that
protect communities and the environment.
(cid:120) On child care, Trump is pitching a plan that would benefit wealthy, two-parent families
instead of focusing on the people who need help the most.

(cid:120) On foreign policy, Trump pushed his reckless Muslim ban that won’t do anything to
protect the U.S. and makes our country less safe.

(cid:120) On Russia, Trump and his Administration’s ties to Putin and the Kremlin are already
leading to a more dangerous world.

Tonight, Trump will discuss some of the most significant and destructive aspects of his agenda, but
don’t count on him to level with the American people about the real nature of his reckless plans.
This report uncovers the truth on the damage he’s already done and what he has in store.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Wall Street/Dodd Frank

President Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to target provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act to change or
eliminate within 120 days.

(cid:57) The order did not specifically mention Dodd-Frank, but was coupled with statements by Trump
claiming he’d cut “a lot out of Dodd-Frank.”

(cid:57) Dodd-Frank has protected taxpayers and consumers from risky banking practices – particularly those
of Goldman Sachs, where a number of Trump cabinet members previously worked.

(cid:57) Forbes reported that the Trump administration considered neutralizing the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, which has returned at least $11.8 billion to 29 million consumers and impacted
the lives of roughly 9% of Americans.

(cid:57) The Trump administration also considered repealing the Volcker Rule, which prevented investment
banks from unduly risking billions in taxpayer money on speculative markets and proprietary trading.

(cid:57) Trump planned to eliminate the Conflict Minerals Rule, which required companies to disclose their
use of minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to curb funding for resources
harvested through terror by armed Congolese groups.

Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum subjecting the so-called “fiduciary rule” to Labor Department review and
leaving open the possibility of the rule being revised or rescinded.

(cid:57) The fiduciary rule, set to go into effect in April 2017, would require brokers to act in the best interest
of their customers instead of giving advice which would produce themselves higher earnings from
fees and commissions.

(cid:57) Trump’s action could impact all Americans relying upon a financial advisor for their retirement
investments. Over 80 million Americans stood to benefit from the prohibition on conflicted advice,
which cost Americans an estimated $17 billion every year.

(cid:57) A retired couple in their 70s, Elaine and Merlin Toffel, received questionable advice that cost them
more than $26,000 in annual charges and could have cost over $45,000 if they needed to access the
money early, which they did when Merlin needed to move into a nursing facility because of
Alzheimer’s disease.

Healthcare

Donald Trump signed an executive order granting federal agencies the ability to begin to undermine the Affordable Care Act.
The order stated that federal agencies can “waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay” provisions of the ACA that would
“impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare
providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices,
products, or medications.”

(cid:57) The language of the order has allowed the IRS to begin to subvert the individual mandate, without
which the insurance market would collapse and cause insurance premiums to initially increase by 20 –
25% and double by 2026.
(cid:57) Trump’s order encouraged health care agencies and departments to facilitate the development of an
interstate insurance market. Such policy has not only already failed to contain insurance costs, but if
implemented on a national scale could ignite a “race to the bottom.”

(cid:57) Repealing the ACA is expected to…

o Cause tens of millions of Americans to lose access to health insurance.
o Slash preventative care coverage, including the contraceptive care, annual checkups, and
vaccines.
o Slash essential care coverage including hospitalizations, mental health coverage, maternity
care, and prescription drugs.
o Threaten limits on out-of-pocket health care costs both by eliminating annual out-of-pocket
caps and by no longer banning lifetime insurance limits.
o Jeopardize the health care coverage of 52 million Americans with pre-existing conditions,
including many who received lifesaving treatment from the ACA.

Environment

Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing extension and expedited approval of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline,
which would endanger the water supply of Bismarck, North Dakota, and infringe upon the tribal sovereignty of the local
Standing Rock Sioux.

(cid:57) Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum reversing the Army Corps of Engineers’
December 2016 decision to deny the extension of the Dakota Access pipeline under Lake Oahe and
speeding up the approval process for the pipeline.

(cid:57) Trump’s federal disclosure forms revealed he owned stock in the constructor, Energy Transfers
Partner, and ETP’s CEO contributed six figures to Trump’s election efforts. Trump’s pick to run the
Energy Department, Rick Perry, sat on the board of ETP and company employees provided over $1
million to his 2016 election efforts.

(cid:57) Construction of the pipeline would trample tribal sovereignty, putting the Standing Rock Sioux’s
single water source at risk in favor of plans that would endanger the water supply of Bismarck, North
Dakota. The designated construction area is also a sacred burial site, marking the massacre of
hundreds of tribespeople by the U.S. Army. Energy Transfer Partners has already destroyed places of
worship as a part of the construction process.

(cid:57) Protesters were sprayed with water in sub-freezing temperatures and assaulted with rubber bullets,
teargas and unleashed dogs. In all, at least a thousand protesters were treated for chemical poisoning,
hypothermia, rubber-bullet, nonlethal beanbag wounds and other serious injuries.

Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum urging the constructor of the Keystone XL pipeline to resubmit its application.
Construction of the pipeline would threaten drinking water sources and raise gas prices in the Midwest while only supporting 35
permanent jobs.

(cid:57) President Trump signed a memorandum urging TransCanada to resubmit its application to construct
the Keystone XL Pipeline. The U.S. Secretary of State could unilaterally approve the pipeline’s
permit.
(cid:57) The pipeline would cross 1,073 waterways and threaten sources of fresh drinking water in eight
states.

(cid:57) Crude oil extracted from the Alberta sands sinks in water, and the pipeline’s spill detection system
would only be triggered after 12,000 barrel per day were spilled.

(cid:57) 147 to 168 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year facilitated by Keystone XL would
undermine efforts to stifle rising temperatures.

(cid:57) The pipeline would only create 35 permanent jobs, and would raise gas prices in the Midwest.

Minutes after Donald Trump was sworn in President of the United States, the White House announced that the new
administration intended to eliminate the Climate Action Plan and “take advantage” of untapped fossil fuels, disregarding the
future consequences of unchecked fossil fuel reliance.

(cid:57) The Trump administration intended to “take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped
shale, oil, and natural gas reserves.”

(cid:57) The Climate Action Plan substantially increased renewable energy generation, and aimed to decrease
power sector emissions by 30% over 25 years.

(cid:57) By 2100, due to climate change, 1.9 million homes could be underwater nationwide, including 36
entire cities and 12.56% of homes in Florida.

(cid:57) The Clean Power Plan, established under the Climate Action Plan, was projected to save the U.S. $54
billion a year.

(cid:57) A Quinnipiac poll found that 59% of respondents believed that Trump should not remove
regulations intended to combat climate change.

President Trump signed a House Joint Resolution repealing the Stream Protection Rule, which was implemented two months
earlier by the Obama administration to protect streams and local populations from toxic chemicals unearthed by coal mining.

(cid:57) The resolution was passed without being referred to the relevant House or Senate committees.

(cid:57) The resolution intended to clarify vague language in the 1977 Surface Mining Control And
Reclamation Act, which ordered companies not to cause “material damage to the environment” to
the extent feasible.

(cid:57) The rule was repealed using the Congressional Review Act, which means that no substantially similar
act could ever be passed again.

(cid:57) Streams located below coal mining sites failed Clean Water Act standards, and turned orange and
white due to the presence of toxic chemicals.

(cid:57) The ecological impairment of streams was correlated to the human cancer mortality rate in
surrounding areas.

(cid:57) The rule was expected to protect 6,000 miles in streams and 52,000 acres of forests, primarily in
Appalachia.
(cid:57) Opponents of the rule donated over $1 million to the congressional Republicans who introduced the
resolution.

The Wall

President Trump signed an executive order calling for the “immediate” construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

(cid:57) Trump’s order also called for the prompt deportation of any undocumented person apprehended
“on suspicion of violating federal or state law.”

(cid:57) Trump and White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed that the U.S. would either get paid or
reimbursed by Mexico for the costs of building the wall. It won’t.

(cid:57) Construction analysts estimated that the wall could cost up to $20 billion to build and $750 million
per year to maintain. The costs of implementing the new deportation policies were estimated to be in
the billions, in addition to trillions in lost economic output over the next ten years.

(cid:57) The border wall could create “de facto military zones” in border communities, and would strand
thousands of acres in farmland and private property south of the wall.

(cid:57) Physical walls prevent water from flowing across the border, causing millions of dollars in flood
damage and at least two related deaths so far.

(cid:57) Trump’s directive to construct more detention facilities on the border could lead to the increased use
of for-profit detention facility operators, which are historically more dangerous and provide
inadequate medical care.

Choice

Donald Trump signed an executive action reinstating and expanding the Mexico City policy, also referred to as the “Global Gag
Rule.”

(cid:57) While U.S. law already prohibits aid from directly funding abortion, in the past the Global Gag Rule
has prevented clinics receiving family planning aid from providing women with information or access
to their full range of health options, even with their own resources. President Trump for the first
time has gone much further, massively expanding the policy to apply to the entire global health
assistance budget.

(cid:57) The policy has created legal problems in countries like South Africa, where health providers are
legally required to inform women of their full reproductive health care choices.

(cid:57) USAID’s biggest family planning partners have refused to accept funding under the policy.

(cid:57) Reinstituting and expanding the Global Gag Rule is expected to…

o Cause an additional 2.2 million annual abortions worldwide.
o Lead to clinic closures.
o Reduce access to contraception.
o Increase fatalities from unsafe abortions and preventable disease.
o Make it impossible for U.S. policy to reach its targets in combating the HIV/AIDS
epidemic.
Military Spending

Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum declaring that rebuilding the U.S. armed forces would be “the policy of the
United States,” and later called for increasing defense spending by $54 billion while making an equal amount of cuts to other
departments.

(cid:57) In order to fund the increase in Defense spending, the Trump administration was expected to make
across-the-board cuts of 10% to all other federal spending.

(cid:57) James Mattis and 120 retired U.S. Generals have cautioned against making cuts to the State
Department budget, which would be subject to cuts under Trump’s proposal.

Infrastructure

President Trump signed an executive order to expedite the environmental review process for infrastructure projected classified as
“high priority” by his administration.

(cid:57) The White House Council on Environmental Quality was ordered to determine the priority status of
infrastructure projects within 30 days of an initial federal or state request.

(cid:57) The order could reduce infrastructure transparency by undermining the efficacy of the National
Environmental Policy Act, which required public notice, a comment period, and a substantial
environmental review for infrastructure projects.

(cid:57) The order could allow reconsideration of stalled oil and gas projects, including new pipelines, which
would cost billions of dollars to complete and threaten the welfare of local communities.

(cid:57) Studies have shown that oil spills result in increased incidences of cancer, respiratory problems, and
psychological problems. New oil pipelines would be up for reconsideration under Trump’s order
while subject to a hastier review process.

(cid:57) The order did not address consultation with tribal governments.

Child Care Plan

Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, has taken the lead on a child care expense tax deduction plan that would
disproportionately benefit wealthy, two-parent families.

(cid:57) Ivanka Trump met with members of the House and Senate to urge them to consider an income tax
deduction for the costs of child care expenses for individuals earning up to $250,000 per year and
couples earning up to $500,000 per year.

(cid:57) The benefits of tax deductions increase with income, and Ivanka’s proposed limit of $500,000 per
couple was nearly nine times to national median household income.

(cid:57) The plan would disproportionately benefit wealthy, two-parent families who use paid child care. As
As Ryan Cooper writing in The Week magazine put it, “Ivanka Trump wants to help the wealthy pay
their au pairs.”
(cid:57) Families would receive benefits in the form of a larger earned income tax credit; a person must have
a job to qualify for EITC.

(cid:57) The Tax Foundation, a right-leaning research organization, estimated the tax deduction would cost
the federal government $500 billion over the next ten years in lost revenue.

Muslim Ban

Donald Trump signed an executive order characterized by many as a targeted Muslim travel ban. The order has
barred nationals from Muslim majority states (Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) from entering the
United States for at least the next 90 days. Trump also suspended the admission of all refugees for a minimum of four
months and indefinitely suspended the acceptance of Syrian refugees. Trump’s order discriminated against Muslims
further by directing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to prioritize Christian and minority religions from a
refugee’s country of origin in the future.

(cid:57) Trump’s executive order immediately impacted over 200 million people, including 60,000 – 100,000
visa holders, and 20,000 refugees.

(cid:57) Trump’s travel ban has sent children, grandparents, and families back to war-torn Syria, Yemen, and
Iraq, including those who provided the U.S. government and military assistance.

(cid:57) Trump’s executive order has overseen the detainment of children as young as 5 and grandparents
(with heart problems) as old as 77.

(cid:57) Trump’s travel ban has turned away university students who now face forced conscription in military
conflict against U.S. interests.

(cid:57) No refugee or foreign national from the countries implicated in Trump’s immigration order has
carried out a fatal terrorist attack in the U.S.

(cid:57) Security experts including General David Petraeus and Henry Kissinger have condemned restricting
our acceptance of refugees and intelligence analysts, diplomats, and Republicans have labeled
Trump’s exclusionary immigration policy as a powerful terrorist recruitment tool.

(cid:57) Sixteen state Attorneys General declared Trump’s order “unconstitutional, un-American and
unlawful” and the ACLU proclaimed the policy was premised on religious discrimination.

(cid:57) Trump signed his executive order on Holocaust Remembrance Day and drew condemnation from
the Anne Frank Center for enacting policy like those that kept Frank from safely immigrating to the
U.S.

(cid:57) Trump’s order drew swift criticism from major U.S. allies including Canada, the U.K., Germany,
France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway and has strained relations with the Arab League.

Trump: Too Close To Russia

Trump’s relationship with Russian leadership indicates a troubling fondness for Russia’s geopolitical interests,
along with a dangerous recklessness in dealing with the country. At the same time, Trump’s political staff and
business interests are closely tied to Russian and pro-Putin interests.
Trump Had Significant Financial And Investor Ties To Russia

Since the 1980’s Trump and his family had repeatedly traveled to Russia and other parts of the Soviet Bloc
seeking business opportunities and investors. Trump had long sought to build a Trump Tower in Russia, and
partnered with the Putin-aligned Agalarov fortune to do so. Trump also explored business deals in Kiev,
Yalta, Warsaw, Georgia And Azerbaijan. In 2006, Trump partners on his Panamanian condo project sought
investors in Russia a nd in 2008, Trump sold a Palm Beach condo to Russian Oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev for
$95 million.

In addition, Trump projects in Florida and New York marketed to Russian buyers—a tactic that likely took a
hit with the input of 2014 sanctions following the Russian invasion of Crimea.

Ties To Pro-Putin Interests, And The Russian Mafia

(cid:57) In 2010, Trump Organization hired convicted Russian mobster Felix Sater to serve as a senior
business advisor.

(cid:57) Trump visited with and contracted with a Belarus-born American citizen Sergei Millian, President Of
The Russian-American Chamber Of Commerce In The USA—which collaborated with the Russian
government to foster business ties to the U.S. Millian collaborated with Russian government
organization Rossotrudnichestvo, of which a Mother Jones investigation reported the organization was
likely believed by the FBI to have been used as discrete operation intended to recruit Americans as
Russian intelligence assets.

(cid:57) Trump campaign advisor and lobbyist Paul Manafort represented pro-Putin Viktor Yanukovych in
his campaign for president of Ukraine in 2010. In 2014, Yanukovych resigned after resigned the
presidency “after accusations that he undercut freedom of the press and tried to suppress opposition
political parties” and used “a special police force to violently disband protesters.” The New York
Times reported that an anti-corruption investigation discovered secret Ukrainian ledgers detailing
$12.7 million in payments earmarked for Manafort from Yanukovych’s political party between 2007
– 2012. With the help of Russian oligarch and Putin-ally Oleg Deripaska, Manafort orchestrated a
multi-million dollar deal on behalf of shell companies that financed the lavish lifestyles of the
Yanukovych inner circle. It was unclear if Manafort received the payments allotted for him.

(cid:57) Trump advisor Carter Page worked with Gazprom, the majority-state owned Russian natural gas
producer, in the 2000s in Moscow. Page advised Gazprom on deals, connected Gazprom to Western
investors, and forged relationships with Gazprom executives. When Page founded his own company,
a former Gazprom executive became an advisor. Page owned Gazprom stock and attended annual
investors meetings.

(cid:57) In 2016, Trump’s foreign policy advisor Carter Page gave a speech in Moscow in which he claimed
the U.S. unfairly judged Russia for its corruption and claimed the U.S. “unnecessarily perpetuated
cold war tendencies.” Carter’s views earned him, and subsequently, Trump, the support of
controversial political scientist Alexander Dugin, who was widely viewed as the “driving force”
behind Moscow’s propaganda efforts in the Ukraine conflict. Dugin publically urged Russians to
“kill, kill, kill Ukrainians.”

(cid:57) Former Trump operative Michael Caputo lived in Russia for seven years, where he worked for
groups that supported then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin.