President Trump announced on Thursday that the United States will withdraw support from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, an international promise reached among 195 world leaders to reduce the impact of climate change and limit greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions to help reign in global warming. The only countries not to sign onto the original agreement were Nicaragua, Russia and Syria.
Draft Leaks of Trump Administration Massive Loophole for Birth Control Mandate
Under Trump’s advisement, federal officials have drafted a rule creating a massive loophole for employers to bypass the Affordable Care Act’s mandate requiring health insurance plans provided to employees to include contraception coverage. The draft, published by Vox, still requires said coverage, but greatly widens the scope exemption by allowing for anyone to issue claims of religious or moral objection in order to bypass the mandate.
Trump Budget Proposal Aims to Reduce Civil Rights Enforcement Throughout Federal Agencies
According to the White House’s proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year, the Trump administration is set to disband the Labor Department division that has been tasked with policing discrimination among federal contractors for nearly forty years. Such budget cuts are not limited to the Labor Department, but are also seen in the budgets of a wide array of agencies as part of efforts to limit federal government programs that promote and protect civil rights.
FACE Act Anniversary Prompts Concerns of Enforcement Under Trump Administration
On the anniversary of the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, advocates for abortion access fear that an increase in anti-abortion violence will be met with limited enforcement by the Trump administration, which has shown unprecedented support for restricting abortion access. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton on May 26, 1994, […]
Congress Expected to Vote on Bi-Partisan Budget Agreement
Congress is expected to vote this week on a budget agreement that will keep the government funded through September, and that contains very few of the big ticket items the President had requested. The bill would be considered the first piece of bi-partisan legislation to move forward in the Congress since Trump took office.
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Sanctuary Cities Saved by Federal Judge
On Tuesday a District Court judge in San Francisco temporarily blocked President Trump’s January executive order threatening to pull federal funding from sanctuary cities who do not comply with the administration’s mass deportation efforts.
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Trump Adviser Stephen Miller Placed In Charge of Women’s Issues
The 31-year old speech writer has no experience working on women’s issues, and many women’s rights advocates have pointed to an article he once wrote denying the existence of the gender wage gap and opposing paid maternity leave as reason for concern over his appointment.
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Trump Administration Cuts Off All UNFPA Funding
Earlier this month—right after the Republican-controlled Congress approved a repeal of an Obama-era regulation that reinforced protections for healthcare access under the Title X family planning program—the Trump Administration officially cut off all US funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the main UN agency working to advance family planning worldwide.
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White House Will No Longer Release Visitors’ Logs
This means that the revolving door of lobbyists, activists, and political donors coming to meet with the President and his senior staff will be kept secret, granting anonymity to those who supposedly have the most face time and influence with the administration.
GOP Healthcare Bill Fails, But Could Be Reintroduced
Last week the Republicans in Congress abandoned their plan to vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) for fear that they would not have enough votes within their own party for it to pass.
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Trump’s Budget Proposal Has Major Cuts to Fund Military Spending
In order to pay for some of his lofty campaign promises, the President has demonstrated a willingness to cut funding to everything from medical research to humanitarian aid to national programs that feed low-income children and the elderly.
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US Attorneys Ordered to Resign by Trump Administration
Contention began this past weekend when Preet Bharara, former US attorney for the Southern District of New York, was fired after refusing to submit his resignation.
Expanded Global Gag Rule Already Threatening Lives
Since Donald Trump reinstated and expanded the Global Gag Rule his first week in the White House, public health non-governmental organizations (NGO), international governments, and even USAID have been scrambling to pick up the pieces and figure out exactly how far reaching this executive order goes.
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Government Moves Forward with Mass Deportation Agenda
The memos include directives to expand the group of undocumented immigrants prioritized for deportation, expedite removals, and recruit or deputize thousands of additional law enforcement agents to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants.
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Environmental Agencies Ordered to Halt Outside Communication
The Trump administration has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other governmental agencies, like the Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services, not to speak to the press and not to post on social media outlets or blogs.
Trump Signs Order to Proceed with Controversial Oil Pipeline Constructions
On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive action to advance the constructions of the long embattled Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, fulfilling a campaign promise that leaves many environmental and indigenous rights activists concerned for the future.
Trump Reinstates and Expands the Global Gag Rule
In one of his first acts as President, Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to reinstate and expand the Global Gag Rule, which restricts women’s abortion access worldwide.
Trump’s Request for Global Gender Equity Program Details Leaves Many Fearing for their Future
This week the Trump transition team requested documents from the State Department outlining the details of their programs aimed at promoting gender equality, sending shock-waves through the Department and advocacy communities over fears that the programs might be cut.
Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Dreamers
Senators Dick Durban (D-IL) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) have introduced legislation to protect from deportation over 740,000 young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
Betsy DeVos: An Ominous Choice for Secretary of Education
Billionaire philanthropist and former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, Betsy DeVos, has been nominated by Donald Trump for Secretary of Education.
