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NOTE: This list was compiled in January , before CV19, so the numbers have dropped significantly. However, I am convinced that, once CV-19 has passed, the numbers will rebound to at least match and even exceed their previous highs. However, all bets are off if Biden-Harris wins, because they’ll go back to the Obama tack of trashing the country. They’re doing it already. I don’t understand how ANYONE who claims to love this country could ever vote for him.PARTIAL LIST OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR:(Share if you're not tired of winning yet)TRUMP'S RECORD ON THE ECONOMYo Cut taxes for 85% of Americans.o Cut the top tax rate for businesses from 35% to 21% -- making America a good place to build a business again.o The result is the lowest unemployment rate since 1969.o More than 7 MILLION new jobs created under President Trump.o Lowest unemployment rate among black, Hispanic, Asian and minority Americans in U.S. history.o For the first time on record, America has more job openings than people looking for jobs. America has 7 MILLION job openings. This is causing wages to go up.o More than 6 million American workers received wage increases, bonuses, and increased benefits thanks to the Trump tax cuts.o More than $1 TRILLION has poured back into the country from overseas since the Trump tax cuts went into effect.o Eliminated almost all of the Obama Administration's regulations that hurt small business – eliminating 8 regulations for each 1 new regulation added without endangering public health and safety or hurting the environment. In fact, America's air and water continue to get cleaner under President Trump.o Median household income is up $5,000 per year ($7,000 per year when you include the Trump tax cuts) after just 3 years in office – compared to median household income increasing just $1,400 in previous 16 years.o The 25% lowest-paid Americans enjoyed a 4.5% income boost in 2019. This outpaces a 2.9% gain in earnings for the country's highest-paid workers. The lowest 10% of earners saw income grow at an astounding 7% rate over the last year. And for those without a high school diploma, wages increased 9% in 2019. In other words, the Trump economy is helping lower-income Americans the most.o Wages overall are growing at 3.4% per year under Trump, after 16 years of stagnation.o Unemployment rate for women has been cut to 65-year low under Trump.o Youth unemployment has dropped to a 50-year low.o 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are now optimistic about the future— the highest level of optimism ever.o Small business optimism has hit a 35-year high under Trump.o President Trump has prioritized workforce development to ensure American workers are prepared to fill high quality jobs.o The President has worked to expand apprenticeship programs, helping Americans gain hands-on training and experience with no student debt.o Since President Trump took office, over 660,000 apprentices have been hired across the country.o President Trump established the National Council for the American Worker, tasked with developing a workforce strategy for the jobs of the future.o More than 370 companies have signed the President’s “Pledge to America’s Workers,” pledging to provide more than 14.4 million employment and training opportunities.o President Trump signed an Executive Order prioritizing Cyber Workforce Development to ensure that we have the most skilled cyber workforce of the 21st century.o 500,000 new manufacturing jobs created so far under Trump after 16 years of America losing manufacturing jobs. Obama mocked Trump in a speech in 2016, saying: "How are you going to bring these jobs back? These jobs are never coming back." Well, they're coming back now under Trump's economic policies.LIFTING MILLIONS OUT OF POVERTY AND STRENGTHENING MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIESo The number of people claiming unemployment insurance as a share of the population is the lowest on record.o Since President Trump took office, more than 11 million Americans have been lifted out of poverty.o Since President Trump’s election, nearly 7 million Americans have been lifted off of food stamps.o The President’s historic tax reforms doubled the child tax credit, benefitting nearly 40 million American families with an average of over $2,200 dollars in 2019.o Created new tax credit for other dependents.o The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) signed into law by Trump provides a tax credit equal to 20-35% of child care expenses, $3,000 per child & $6,000 per family + Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) allow families to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax money to use for child care.o As a direct result of these new and increased tax credits for working families, 39.4 million families have received an average of $2,200 each. This has lifted 11 MILLION Americans out of poverty, including 5.1 MILLION children, and has strengthen the middle class. This, combined with the economic boom under Trump, has been the most effective anti-poverty program in U.S. history.o In 2018, President Trump signed into law a $2.4 billion funding increase for the Child Care and Development Fund, providing a total of $8.1 billion to states to fund childcare for low-income families.o During his Joint Address to Congress and each State of the Union Address, the President called on Congress to pass a nationwide paid family leave plan.o The President signed into law 12-weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers.o President Trump’s tax reforms provided a new tax credit to incentivize businesses to offer paid family leave to their employees.HELPING BLACK, HISPANIC AND OTHER MINORITY AMERICANSo Cut the unemployment rate among black, Hispanic, Asian and minority Americans to lowest levels in U.S. history.o Poverty rates for African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans have reached their lowest levels ever.o The EPA, under Trump's direction, provided $100 million to fix the broken water infrastructure in Flint, Michigan (a water poisoning crisis that primarily affected black and Latino Americans).o In 2018, President Trump signed the groundbreaking First Step Act, a criminal justice bill that enacted reforms to make our justice system fairer and help former inmates successfully return to society.o The First Step Act’s reforms addressed inequities in sentencing laws that disproportionately harmed Black Americans and reformed mandatory minimum sentences that often created injustice.o The First Step Act expanded judicial discretion in sentencing for non-violent crimes.o More than 90% of those benefitting from the retroactive sentencing reductions in the First Step Act are Black Americans.o The First Step Act provides rehabilitative programs to inmates, helping them successfully rejoin society and not return to crime.o Trump is promoting second chance hiring to give former inmates the opportunity to live crime-free lives and find meaningful employment.o Trump increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by more than 14%.o Trump signed legislation forgiving Hurricane Katrina debt that threatened HBCUs.o Made HBCUs a priority by creating the position of executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.o Trump received the Bipartisan Justice Award at a historically black college for his criminal justice reform accomplishments.o Trump launched a new “Ready to Work Initiative” to help connect employers directly with former prisoners.o President Trump’s historic tax cut legislation included new Opportunity Zone Incentives to promote investment in low-income communities across the country. As a result, even depressed abandoned cities like Detroit are coming back.o 8,764 communities across the country have been designated as Opportunity Zones.o Opportunity Zones are expected to spur $100 billion in long-term private capital investment in economically distressed communities across the country.LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD ON TRADEo Ended the disastrous NAFTA trade deal that caused America to lose manufacturing jobs for decades and replaced it with the USMCA that protects American manufacturing.o Stood up to China on trade. And continues to stand up to China – further protecting America's manufacturing jobs and stopping China from stealing America's intellectual property.o Negotiated new trade deals with Japan, South Korea and the European Union to further add American jobs.o Withdrew the U.S. from the jobs-killing TPP deal.o Ended the so-called "Paris Climate Accord," which would have cost the U.S. economy $3 TRILLION, with little evidence that anything would have been accomplished.o Secured $250 billion in new trade and investment deals in China and $12 billion in Vietnamo Approved $16 BILLION in aid for farmers affected by trade retaliation from China.o Trump has replaced "free trade" with reciprocal trade. His goal is zero tariffs with our trading partners who live up to their trade agreements.o The poverty rate fell to a 17-year low of 11.8% under the Trump administration as a result of this economic boom Trump's policies have created.SECURING AMERICA'S BORDERSo Despite endless obstruction and resistance from Democrats, President Trump is building the wall he promised. He has built 100 miles of new wall so far and estimates 350 miles of new or rebuilt wall along our southern border by the end of 2020.o Illegal border crossings are down 70% since May of 2019.o More than 977,000 aliens were apprehended or deemed inadmissible at our southern border in 2019 – an 88 percent increase from 2018.o Border Patrol apprehended more than 851,000 aliens between ports of entry in 2019, an increase of more than 115 percent from 2018.o Deported tens of thousands of ultra-violent MS-13 gang and drug cartel members, as well as tens of thousands of other violent criminals.o Trump is protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban on terrorist hotspot countries, upheld by Supreme Court.o He negotiated agreements with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to require those from Central America seeking asylum in America to wait in one of those countries while the U.S. is considering their applications.o He persuaded the President of Mexico to deploy 27,000 Mexican Troops along Mexico's southern and northern borders to stop the caravans of people coming from Central America through Mexico to the United States. The caravans are stopped.o President Trump ended the Obama-era policy of separating children from their families at the border by requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico or first safe country while their asylum applications are considered by the U.S.o The Trump Administration is working closely with Mexico and others in the region to dismantle the human smuggling networks that profit from human misery and fuel the border crisis by exploiting vulnerable populations.o Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than 163,000 pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl at the southern border in 2019 alone.o The United States Coast Guard seized more than 458,000 pounds of cocaine at sea in 2019 and referred nearly 400 suspected drug smugglers for prosecution.o U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized over 1.4 million pounds of narcotics and made more than 12,000 narcotic-related arrests in 2019.TRANSFORMING AMERICA'S COURTSo The U.S. Senate has confirmed 187 of President Trump's appointments to America's federal courts – all solid pro-life Constitutionalists who will uphold the rule of law.o The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Trump's two appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court – Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – both solid pro-life Constitutionalists who will uphold the rule of law.o If President Trump is reelected in 2020, he is likely to have a total of 400 appointments to America's federal courts and 3-5 appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Trump's transformation of America's courts will likely be his most lasting legacy.o Imagine the kinds of radical judges Hillary Clinton would have been appointing if she had been elected!TURNED AMERICA INTO THE WORLD'S #1 ENERGY PRODUCERo Opened up the Alaskan ANWR and other public lands for oil and energy exploration in way that protects the wilderness and environment.o Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.o Ended Obama's war on coal and U.S. energy production – while maintaining common-sense measures to keep our air and water clean.o Under Trump’s leadership, America in 2018 surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s largest oil producer.o Thanks to Trump, America is now a net oil and energy exporter, freeing America from dependence of foreign oil – especially freeing America from relying on the Middle East for our oil.Preparing America for the Futureo The President is ensuring that America is prepared to lead the world in the industries of the future by promoting American leadership in emerging technologies like 5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI).o The Administration named artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and 5G, among other emerging technologies, as national research and development priorities.o President Trump launched the American AI Initiative to invest in AI research, unleash innovation, and build the American workforce of the future.o President Trump signed an Executive Order that established a new advisory committee of industry and academic leaders to advise the government on its quantum activities.REDUCING CRIMEo Ended Obama's rhetorical war on America's local police.o Violent crime has fallen every year Trump has been in office after rising in each of Obama's final two years as President.o President Trump has revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods, bringing together Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to develop solutions to violent crime.o The President is standing up for our Nation’s law enforcement officers, ensuring they have the support they need to keep our communities safe.o President Trump has made available hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement.FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKINGo Signed the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act” (FOSTA), which includes the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” (SESTA) which both give law enforcement and victims new tools to fight sex trafficking.o Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations has arrested 1,588 criminals associated with Human Trafficking.o Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services provided funding to support the National Human Trafficking Hotline to identify perpetrators and give victims the help they needo The hotline identified 16,862 potential human trafficking cases.o Trump’s DOJ provided grants to organizations that support human trafficking victims – serving nearly 9,000 cases so far.o The Department of Homeland Security has hired more victim assistance specialists, helping victims get resources and support.o In 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismantled an organization that was the internet’s leading source of prostitution-related advertisements resulting in sex trafficking.o Trump’s OMB published new anti-trafficking guidance for government procurement officials to more effectively combat human trafficking.o Through Trump’s Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) initiative, Federal law enforcement more than doubled convictions of human traffickers and increased the number of defendants charged by 75% in ACTeam districts.IMPROVING HEALTH CARE WHILE ALSO DRIVING COSTS DOWNo Signed a bill this year allowing some drug imports from Canada to drive prescription drug prices down, while at the same time not punishing U.S. medical research and innovation.o Signed an executive order to require healthcare providers to disclose the cost of their services in advance so that Americans can compare prices and shop for the best deals.o Hospitals will now be required to post their standard charges for services, which include the discounted price a hospital is willing to accept.o Signed order allowing small businesses to group together when buying insurance to get a better price.o In the eight years prior to Trump's Presidency, prescription drug prices increased by an average of 3.6% per year. Under Trump drug prices have dropped in nine of the last ten months.o Reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs -- saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.o Ended most of the Obamacare mandates – including the very unpopular Individual Mandate.o Modified regulations under the Obamacare law to permit the creation of association co-ops and lower cost health care plans that cover the most serious health care issues, but with the option of going without many of the costly "bells and whistles" that many people don't want or need. People now have more than 60 health coverage plans to choose from under the Obamacare law instead of just three.o Signed "Right-To-Try legislation." Allows terminally ill patients to try more experimental treatments that have shown promise in clinical trials, but haven't yet been finally approved by the FDA.o Streamlining the FDA's new drug and medicine approval process to get lifesaving medicines in use faster.o Secured $6 billion in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.o In his 2019 State of the Union Address, President Trump announced his Administration’s goal to end the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. To achieve this goal and address the ongoing public health crisis of HIV, his Administration's proposed Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America will leverage the powerful data and tools now available to reduce new HIV infections in the United States by 75 percent in five years and by 90 percent by 2030.o President Trump proposed $291 million in the FY2020 HHS budget to begin his Administration’s multiyear initiative focused on ending the HIV epidemic in America by 2030.o The Trump Administration provides HIV prevention drugs for free to 200,000 uninsured patients each year.o Signed the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act that provides funding for states to develop maternal mortality reviews to better understand maternal complications and identify solutions & largely focuses.o Signed into law the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (CARES) into law which allocates $1.8 billion in funding over the next five years to help people with autism spectrum disorder and to help their families.o Signed into law two funding packages providing nearly $19 million in new funding for Lupus specific research and education programs, as well an additional $41.7 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the most Lupus funding ever.o Signed legislation to improve the National Suicide Hotline.o Signed the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever into law, which will advance childhood cancer research and improve treatmentsDESTROYED ISIS. STANDING UP TO IRAN – THE WORLD'S #1 TERRORIST NATION.o Unleashed America's military to destroy the ISIS Caliphate in the Middle East. When Trump took office, ISIS controlled territory in the Middle East the size of Indiana and was killing hundreds of thousands of people. Today, ISIS controls no territory.o Killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, thanks to the skill and bravery of America's Special Operations forces. Then killed Al-Baghdadi successor, along with other ISIS leaders.o After Iran orchestrated attack on U.S. Embassy in Iraq, President Trump ordered strike and killing of Iran's top general and terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani along with his #2. Soleimani had killed hundreds of American soldiers over the years and was fomenting terrorist chaos across the Middle East.o Moved U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.o Turned Egypt, Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East into allies of Israel instead of enemies.o Withdrew from Obama's disastrous Iran Nuclear Deal. The Obama deal actually assured Iran would get nuclear weapons.o Applying maximum economic sanctions pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program and to become a member of the civilized world.REBUILT AMERICA'S MILITARY. MAKING AMERICA SAFER.o Secured more than $700 BILLION in funding per year to rebuild America's military.o Finalized creation of the Space Force as our 6th Military branch.o Pressured NATO countries to increase their financial commitment to NATO. Since he took office in 2017, Trump has criticized of NATO countries for failing to meet their 2014 pledge to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP. In 2019, nine allies met this benchmark, up from just three allies a few years ago, thanks to Trump's pressure.o The President upgraded our cyber defenses by elevating the Cyber Command into a major warfighting command and reducing burdensome procedural restrictions on cyber operations.o Using a combination of very tough economic sanctions and personal diplomacy to persuade North Korean dictator to enter civilized world. The result so far: No long-range ICBM missile tests by North Korea in nearly 3 years.o No further incursions by Russia into Ukraine or neighboring countries – unlike during the Obama years when Russia invaded Ukraine and Obama did nothing.o Imposed tough sanctions on Russia to pressure Putin to enter civilized world.o The President has taken decisive military action to punish the Assad regime in Syria for the barbaric use of chemical weapons on its own people.o The President imposed tough sanctions against those tied to Syria’s chemical weapons program.o President Trump is protecting America’s defense-industrial base, directing the first whole-of-government assessment of our manufacturing and defense supply chains since the 1950s.Protecting America's Veteranso Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health careo Created a White House VA Hotline to help veterans and principally staffed it with veterans and direct family members of veterans.o VA employees are being held accountable for poor performance, with more than 4,000 VA employees removed, demoted, and suspended so far.o Issued an executive order requiring the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to submit a joint plan to provide veterans access to mental health treatment as they transition to civilian life.PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT HURTING JOBSo Trump signed the biggest wilderness protection and conservation bill in a decade and designated 375,000 acres as protected land.o Trump signed the Save our Seas Act, which funds $10 million per year to clean up tons of plastic & garbage from the ocean.o America's air and water continues to get cleaner under Trump. America has the cleanest air and water of any large industrialized country.o Signed bill that creates five national monuments, expands several national parks, adds 1.3 million acres of wilderness, and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund.o Trump’s USDA committed $124 Million to rebuild rural water infrastructure to make sure people in rural areas have clean water.GIVING PARENTS CONTROL OVER THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONo President Trump has called on Congress to pass school choice legislation so that no child is trapped in a failing school because of his or her zip code.o The President signed funding legislation in September 2018 that increased funding for school choice by $42 million.o The tax cuts signed into law by President Trump promotes school choice by allowing families to use 529 college savings plans for elementary and secondary education.o Signed the first Perkins CTE reauthorization since 2006, authorizing more than $1 billion for states each year to fund vocational and career education programs.o Executive order expanding vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities for students and workers.o Directed the U.S. Secretary of Education to end the anti-Christian, anti-family, anti-America far-left "Common Core" curriculum the Obama Administration was promoting.PROTECTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOMo President Trump’s issued an Executive Order prohibiting the U.S. government from discriminating against Christians or punishing expressions of faith.o Signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.o Signed an Executive Order upholding religious liberty and the right to engage in religious speech.o Established a Religious Liberty Task Force in the U.S. Department of Justice.o The Trump Administration vigorously defends religious liberty in the courts at every opportunity.o President Trump reversed the Obama-era policy that prevented the government from providing disaster relief to religious organizations.o Signed an executive order that allows the government to withhold money from college campuses deemed to be anti-Semitic and who fail to combat anti-Semitism.o Created "safe zones" in the Middle East for persecuted Christians, Jews and others of faith – protected by our military.o Committed an additional $25 million this year to protect religious sites and relics around the world.o Trump is spearheading the International Religious Freedom Alliance, an alliance of nations dedicated to confronting religious persecution around the world. He has repeatedly called on all countries of the world to stop persecuting religious minorities.o Trump has called on China to respect religious freedom and to end its persecution of people of faith – including China's imprisoning of millions of Christians, Jews, Uighur Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others for their faith.o In 2019, President Trump imposed restrictions on certain Chinese officials, internal security units, and companies for their complicity in the persecution of Uighur Muslims and other religious groups in China.o Announced the formation of a coalition of U.S. businesses for the protection of religious freedom. This initiative encourages businesses to protect people of all faiths in the workplace.o Brought back the phrase "Merry Christmas!" to American public life instead of "Happy Holidays."o Let it be known that his Justice Department will aggressively prosecute hate crimes committed against Christians, Jews, Muslims and others for their faith.o The Administration is preserving a space for faith-based adoption and foster care providers to continue to serve their communities consistent with their beliefs.o The Administration reduced burdensome barriers to Native Americans being able to keep spiritually and culturally significant eagle feathers found on their tribal lands.o The Administration has allowed greater flexibility for Federal employees to take time off work for religious reasons.o The Administration has partnered with local and faith-based organizations to provide assistance to religious minorities persecuted in Iraq.o President Trump hosted the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom at the 2019 U.N. General Assembly, calling on global and business leaders to bring an end to religious persecution and stop crimes against people of faith.o The State Department has hosted two Religious Freedom Ministerials, with the 2019 Ministerial becoming the largest religious freedom event of its kind in the world.PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO LIFEo President Trump has established a record as the most pro-life President in modern times.o President Trump ordered a halt to U.S. taxpayer money going to international organizations that fund or perform abortions.o Ended the Obamacare mandate that all health insurance coverage include abortion.o Fought to end taxpayer-funding for Planned Parenthood – which conducts more than 360,000 abortion per year, including late-term and partial-birth abortion. Effort fell one vote short in the Senate.o Gave states the freedom to deny Planned Parenthood access to Medicaid block grant and other taxpayer funds.o President Trump is protecting healthcare entities and individuals’ conscience rights—ensuring that no medical professional is forced to participate in an abortion in violation of their beliefs.o The Trump Administration provided relief to American employers like Little Sisters of the Poor, protecting them from being forced to provide abortion coverage that violate their conscience.o The Administration issued a rule preventing Title X family planning funds from supporting the abortion industry.o President Trump has called on Congress to end barbaric late-term abortions.o The Trump Administration cut all funding to the U.N. population fund, due to the fund’s support for coercive abortion and forced sterilization.o President Trump ended an Obama-era guidance that prevented states from taking certain actions against abortion providers.o President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy in 2017, ensuring that taxpayer money is not used to fund abortion globally.o Perhaps most importantly, President Trump has appointed 187 pro-life federal judges – to include two pro-life Justices to the Supreme Court: Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.o If President Trump is reelected in 2020, it is likely he will have appointed 400 pro-life federal judges and as many as 4-5 pro-life Supreme Court Justices – transforming America into a nation that values life again.

Trump’s successes are listed and circulated on the Internet as they are not popular in the MSM. They don’t indicate any flaws in the Trump diamond, so they are not “newsworthy” for the MSM.One such list is:Trump’s accomplishmentsAccomplishments in 355 Days.” This list will be handy for the historical record and as we help elect Donald Trump to the Presidency in 2020. — Donna Garner]==============JANUARY 2018Jobs: Americans’ optimism about finding a quality job averaged 56 percent in 2017, the highest annual average in 17 years of Gallup polling and a sharp increase from 42 percent in 2016. At the same time, the U.S. unemployment rate fell from an average 4.9 percent in 2016 to 4.4 percent in 2017, the lowest rate since 2000.Small businesses: Small-business confidence hit a record high in 2017, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Its Small Business Optimism Index was an average of 104.8 in 2017, the highest in the history of the the survey. Juanita Duggan, the president and CEO of the NFIB, cited the optimism on policy changes from Washington under President Trump as the reason for the increase in confidence.Jobs: The unemployment rate for black Americans dropped to an all-time low in December, to 6.8 percent. The previously monthly low was 7.4 percent in 2000. The government has been tracking unemployment by race since 1972. The overall unemployment rate is just 4.1 percent.Stocks: The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded above 25,000 points for the first time Jan. 4, just five weeks after closing above 24,000 points for the first time.DECEMBER 2017Counter-terrorism: The Trump administration announced Dec. 29 that the United States will deny Pakistan military aid amounting to $255 million. A spokesman for the National Security Council explained that President Trump “has made clear that the United States expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil” and that Islamabad’s support for the U.S. security strategy for South Asia “will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance.”EPA reform: More than 700 people have left the Environmental Protection Agency since Trump took office, nearly a quarter of the way toward its goal of shrinking the agency to Reagan-administration levels.United Nations: The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, announced days after the U.N. General Assembly condemned the U.S. for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital that Washington negotiated a $285 million cut in the global body’s “bloated” budget for next year. Prior to the Dec. 21 U.N. vote, Haley warned that the U.S. “will remember this day” when “once again, we are called up to make the world’s largest contribution to the U.N., and we will remember it when many countries come calling on us to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”Human rights: President Trump on Dec. 21 signed an executive order cracking down on individuals and groups that his administration deems to be perpetrators or enablers of human rights abuses and corruption. The order declared a national emergency related to “serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world” and imposed sanctions on 13 individuals. Trump was exercising his authority under the 2016 Global Magnitsky Act.Tax reform: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised President Trump Dec. 20 for his leadership in the passage of the biggest tax overhaul in 30 years, with some $3.2 trillion in tax cuts along with significant simplification of the tax code.Regulatory reform: The Trump administration eliminated Obama-era rules requiring that organic poultry have enough room to run around and that organic livestock have year-round access to an outdoor space and comfortable indoor pens. Trump’s Department of Agriculture argued the rules would “hamper market-driven innovation and evolution and impose unnecessary regulatory burdens.”Climate: President Trump on Dec. 18 removed climate change from the global threats listed in his National Security Strategy, reversing an Obama administration decision. Obama, in the most recent strategy document, declared climate change an “urgent and growing threat to our national security.”ISIS: Three years ago, ISIS had made substantial progress achieving its stated goal of a caliphate, boasting tens of thousands of fighters and territorial control over an area roughly the size of South Korea. But now, under President Trump’s leadership of U.S. Armed Forces, ISIS has collapsed in its Syria stronghold and in Iraq. As Northeastern Professor Max Abrahms and CATO Institute Director John Glaser note in a Los Angeles Times op-ed, a former foreign fighter recently admitted, “It’s over: there is no more Daesh left,” using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.Regulatory reform: President Trump announced Dec. 14 his administration has far exceeded its promise to eliminate regulations at a 2:1 ratio and impose no lifetime net regulatory costs. In total, agencies issued 67 deregulatory actions while imposing only three new regulatory actions, a ratio of 22:1. Federal agencies also achieved $8.1 billion in lifetime net regulatory cost savings, the equivalent of $570 million per year.Jobs: Some 228,000 new jobs were created in November, highlighting the strongest U.S. labor market since the turn of the century. The government also reported Dec. 8 that unemployment was unchanged at 4.1 percent, but that’s still nearly a 17-year low.Military: The Trump administration asked a federal court Dec. 7 for an emergency stay to delay a court order to begin opening the military to transgender recruits by Jan. 1.Israel: While the previous three U.S. presidents promised during their election campaigns to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Trump on Dec. 6 became the first to follow through. In his official order, Trump also ordered the U.S. Embassy to be moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded: “President Donald Trump, thank you for today’s historic decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The Jewish people and the Jewish state will be forever grateful.”Immigration: The Department of Homeland Security released figures Dec. 4 showing Trump is delivering on his pledge to more strictly control immigration and deter would-be border-crossers. Border Patrol arrests dropped to a 45-year low in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, down 25 percent from a year earlier. ICE said the number of people apprehended away from the border jumped 25 percent this fiscal year. The increase is 37 percent after Trump’s inauguration compared to the same period the year before.States’ rights: President Trump signed two executive orders Dec. 4 that gave back about 2 million acres of land to the state of Utah by modifying executive orders by President Obama. Arguing the Antiquities Act “requires that any reservation of land as part of a monument be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic or scientific interest to be protected,” Trump reduced the federal government’s control of the Bear’s Ear National Monument to just 201,876 acres, pointing out that the important objects of scientific or historic interest described described in Obama’s proclamation are protected under existing laws and agency management designations. He also reduced the Grand Staircase National Monument in Utah from nearly 1.9 million acres to about 1 million.Immigration: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced Dec. 3 the Trump administration is withdrawing from the Global Compact on Migration, arguing the pact would “undermine the sovereign right of the United States to enforce our immigration laws and secure our borders.” Tillerson made the announcement just before the opening of a global conference on migration in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.Tax reform: Propelled by the engagement of President Trump, the Senate on Dec. 1 passed the biggest rewrite of the nation’s tax system since 1986, reducing rates for businesses and individuals. The Republican-led House passed a similar bill in November. The two chambers of Congress will negotiate a reconciliation of the two bills that they expect to put on the president’s desk before the end of the year.Health care: The Senate tax-reform bill passed Dec. 1 eliminates Obamacare’s individual mandate, the linchpin of Obama’s government-controlled health-care system, which penalizes taxpayers for choosing not to buy health insurance.NOVEMBER 2017Stocks: The Dow Jones industrial average surged more than 331 points Nov. 30 to close above 24,000 for the first time in history. Stocks were buoyed by the possibility of the Senate passing the Republican tax-reform bill championed by President Trump.Mining: Mining increased 28.6 percent in the second quarter and was the leading contributor to growth for the nation and in the three fastest-growing states of North Dakota, Wyoming and Texas, according to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.North Korea: In response to North Korea’s buildup of nuclear weapons and missiles, the communist nation was officially designated a state sponsor of terror by the Trump administration on Nov. 20. The Treasury Department followed up with sanctions on organizations and companies doing business with North Korea.Regulation reform: Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Nov. 17 the Department of Justice will cease the practice initiated by President Obama of issuing “guidance memos” to enact new regulations that sometimes have had the effect of changing federal laws.Iran: Trump issued a memorandum Nov. 16 determining that the U.S. has enough petroleum coming from countries other than Iran to permit “a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products” purchased from the mullah-led nation.China trade: During President Trump’s visit to China in November, trade and investment deals worth more than $250 billion were announced that are expected to create jobs for American workers, farmers and ranchers by increasing U.S. exports to China and stimulating investment in American communities.Government transparency: The federal government on Nov. 9 made public more than 13,000 additional documents from its files on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, under orders from President Trump. It was the fourth released since October, when the president allowed the immediate release of 2,800 records by the National Archives.International liberty: President Trump proclaimed Nov. 7, the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, as the National Day for the Victims of CommunismReligious liberty: The Department of Agriculture issued a guidance Nov. 6 that ensures Christians who opposed same-sex marriage would not be discriminated against for their beliefs.Job growth: President Trump announced in the Oval Office Nov. 2 that the semiconductor manufacturing company Broadcom Limited is moving its headquarters from Singapore to the United States. Broadcom is a Fortune 100 company that already employs more than 7,500 workers in the United States, and that number is expected to grow exponentially, with an estimated $20 billion to be spent on employees annually. Broadcom CEO Hock E. Tan said the decision to relocate Broadcom was driven by “his desire to give back to this country that has given me so much.”Government reform: EPA Director Scott Pruitt placed 66 new experts on three different EPA scientific committees who espouse more conservative views than their predecessors. To prevent conflicts of interest, Pruitt signed a directive Oct. 31 banning scientists who receive EPA grants from serving on the agency’s independent advisory boards.OCTOBER 2017Job growth:The White House announced Oct. 25 a new drone Integration Pilot Program that will accelerate drone integration into the national airspace system. Under the program, the Department of Transportation will enter into agreements with state, local, and tribal governments to establish innovation zones for testing complex UAS operations and to attempt different models for integrating drones into local airspace. Calling drones “a critical, fast-growing part of American aviation, increasing efficiency, productivity, and jobs, the White House said they “present opportunities to enhance the safety of the American public, increase the efficiency and productivity of American industry, and create tens of thousands of new American jobs.”Government reform:Melania Trump, while embracing a more active and public schedule as first lady, is running one of the leanest East Wing operations in recent history, according to a Fox News analysis of White House personnel reports that found she has significantly reduced the number of aides on the first lady’s office payroll in comparison to her predecessor, Michelle Obama. During President Obama’s first year in office, 16 people were listed working for Michelle Obama, earning a combined $1.24 million a year. This year, just four people were listed working for Melania Trump as of June, with salaries totaling $486,700.Obamacare: Trump signed an executive order Oct. 12 that directs three federal agencies to rewrite regulations to encourage the establishment of cheaper health plans that can be purchased across state lines and are not bound by certain Obamacare rules and regulations. The directive would allow small-business owners, trade groups and others to join together to purchase health insurance. The plans would not be required to include benefits such as prescription drugs. Trump also wants to expand the sale of stopgap policies that don’t cover pre-existing conditions, mental health services and other costly benefits.Consumer optimism: U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly surged to a 13-year high as Americans’ perceptions of the economy and their own finances rebounded following several major hurricanes, a University of Michigan survey showed Oct. 13.Iran nuclear agreement: President Trump announced Oct. 13 he will not certify the Iran nuclear deal and vowed that the U.S. would pull out unless changes are made. He also unveiled a new strategy, the culmination of nine months of deliberation with Congress and allies, on how to best protect American security from the rogue mullah-led regime. The plan includes denying the regime funding and any paths to a nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles. The Department of the Treasury sanctioned more than 25 entities and individuals involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program. The U.S. also sanctioned 16 entities and individuals that have supported Iran’s military and Revolutionary Guard Corps in the development of drones, fast attack boats and other military equipment.United Nations: The United States is quitting the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman, announced the move will be made before the end of the year “This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects U.S. concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.”Homeland security: The Supreme Court dismissed a major challenge to President Trump’s travel ban on majority-Muslim countries Oct. 10 because it has been replaced by a new version, sending the controversy back to the starting block. The ruling is a victory for the Trump administration, which had asked the court to drop the case after Trump signed a proclamation Sept. 24 that replaced the temporary travel ban on six nations with a new, indefinite ban affecting eight countries. That action made the court challenge moot, the justices ruled.EPA reform: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Oct. 9 a new set of rules that will override the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s drive to curb global climate change. The agency is moving to undo, delay or block more than 30 environmental rules, the largest regulatory rollback in the agency’s 47-year history.Immigration: The Trump administration submitted to Congress Oct. 8 a 70-point proposal that calls for increased border security, interior enforcement of immigration laws and a merit-based immigration system. It includes funding and completing construction of a southern border wall, improving expedited removal of illegal aliens, protecting innocent people in “sanctuary cities,” ending extended-family chain migration and establishing a point-based system for green cards to protect U.S. workers and taxpayers.Religious liberty: Attorney General Sessions on Oct. 6 issued guidance to all administrative agencies and executive departments regarding religious liberty protections in federal law in keeping with Trump’s May 4 executive order. The guidance interprets existing protections for religious liberty in federal law, identifying 20 high-level principles that administrative agencies and executive departments can put to practical use to ensure the religious freedoms of Americans are lawfully protected. Attorney General Sessions also issued a second memorandum to the Department of Justice, directing implementation of the religious liberty guidance within the department. Among the principles are “the freedom of religion extends to persons and organizations,” “Americans do not give up their freedom of religion by participating in the marketplace, partaking of the public square, or interacting with government” and government “may not restrict acts or abstentions because of the beliefs they display.”Missile defense: The Department of Defense reprogrammed approximately $400 million for U.S. missile defense systems.Religious liberty: The Trump administration expanded religious and moral exemptions for mandated contraceptive coverage under Obamacare. Obama’s signature legislation required that nearly all insurance plans cover abortion-inducing drugs and contraception, forcing citizens to violate sincerely held religious or moral beliefs, pay steep fines, or forgo offering or obtaining health insurance entirely. The interim final rules note that the United States “has a long history of providing conscience protections in the regulation of health care entities and individuals with objections based on religious beliefs and moral convictions.” The rule aligns with the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling protecting the Little Sisters of the Poor, which says the government cannot fine religious groups for following their faith.Immigration: Amid strong Democratic opposition, the House Homeland Security Committee gave first approval to the broad scope of President Trump’s border wall Oct. 4, clearing a bill that would authorize $10 billion in new infrastructure spending, new waivers to speed up construction, and 10,000 more border agents and officers to patrol the U.S.-Mexico line.Space exploration: President Trump revived the National Space Council for the first time in 25 years to assist him in developing and implementing long-range strategic goals for the nation’s space policy. The pace program will refocus on human exploration and discovery. Vice President Mike Pence, who chaired the National Space Council’s Oct. 5 meeting, said the administration aims to establish a renewed American presence on the moon and from that foundation become the first nation to bring mankind to Mars. The administration also will renew America’s commitment to creating the space technology needed to protect national security. And Pence pointed out the intelligence community reports that Russia and China are pursuing a full range of anti-satellite technology designed to threaten our U.S. military effectiveness.Abortion: The Office of Management and Budget on Oct. 2 issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) to strongly support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36), which would generally make it unlawful for any person to perform, or attempt to perform, an abortion of an unborn child after 20 weeks post-fertilization.Protecting life: The president issued a statement Oct. 1 renewing the nation’s “strong commitment to promoting the health, well-being, and inherent dignity of all children and adults with Down syndrome.” The president observed “there remain too many people – both in the United States and throughout the world – that still see Down syndrome as an excuse to ignore or discard human life.” He said Americans and their government “must always be vigilant in defending and promoting the unique and special gifts of all citizens in need” and “should not tolerate any discrimination against them, as all people have inherent dignity.”Protecting life: The Department of Health and Human Services has published a draft of a new strategic plan that states in its introduction that life begins at conception. The personhood of the unborn child is central to the abortion debate — as even the justice who wrote the landmark Roe v. Wade opinion has acknowledged — because, if established in law, it would nullify a “right” to abortion. The largely overlooked HHS strategic plan for 2018-22 states the agency “accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities, serving and protecting Americans at every stage of life, beginning at conception.”Tax reform:Trump is working with Congress to lower taxes by seven points for the middle class and lower business taxes to a 15 percent rate.SEPTEMBER 2017Lower courts: Trump is filling up lower courts with lifetime appointees. In the estimation of Democratic official Ron Klain, a “massive transformation is underway in how our fundamental rights are defined by the federal judiciary.” Klain, lamenting Trump’s moves, said the president “is proving wildly successful in one respect: naming youthful conservative nominees to the federal bench in record-setting numbers.” On Sept. 28, Trump announced an eighth wave of judicial candidates, with nine more names.Canada trade: In September, the Commerce Department, siding with Boeing, slapped a 219 percent tariff on the import of Canadian-made Bombardier jets, arguing they are supported by subsidies from the governments of Canada and the U.K., creating an unfair market.Korea trade: Trump began the process of renegotiating the United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement in September.Climate: In September, Trump shut down a climate-change advisory panel under the direction of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that critics have contended was formed largely to promote President Obama’s climate policies, arguing it lacked representation from “those who think the empirical evidence points to human actions contributing little to global warming and that attempting to reduce it would slow the conquest of poverty around the world.” The EPA also has decided not to renew the appointments of dozens of scientists on various scientific advisory panels.Economy: Household wealth reached a record high of $1.7 trillion in the second quarter due to rising property values and gains in financial assets, according to a Federal Reserve report.Homeland security: In September, Trump signed an executive order to enhance vetting capabilities and processes for detecting attempted entry into the United States by terrorists or other public-security threats.North Korea: After some 25 years of failed negotiations to contain Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the communist regime’s latest threatening actions were met by President Trump with a warning that military action, including a preemptive nuclear attack, would be considered. After Trump’s warnings, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un backed off on his threat to attack the U.S. territory of Guam.North Korea: On Sept. 7, the U.S. fully deployed the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea despite objections from Pyongyang’s chief ally, China.North Korea: In September, Trump signed an executive order significantly expanding U.S. authority to target individuals, companies and financial institutions that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea, most of which are Chinese. Meanwhile, China’s central bank has ordered banks in its massive banking system to immediately stop doing business with North Korea.United Nations: In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump told the global body in September, “I put America first and you should do the same with your nations.” In the speech, he also explicitly denounced socialism and communism, pointing to Venezuela as an example of what happens when socialism is successfully implemented.Immigration: President Trump, in September, rescinded Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order, which gave de facto amnesty to some 800,000 people who came to the country as children with their illegal-alien parents. Trump delayed implementing his order for six months to give Congress time to come up with a legislative solution.Stock markets: Through the first week of September, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had 34 record highs. From Election Day to the Inauguration, the Dow rose more than 1,500 points. It climbed another 2,500 points from Inauguration Day, reaching more than 22,400 in mid-September, a gain of more than $4 trillion in wealth since Trump was elected. The Dow’s spike from 19,000 to above 21,000 in just 66 days was the fastest 2,000-point rise ever. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ also have set all-time highs. On Aug. 7, the Dow closed with an all-time high for the ninth day in a row, the first time the market has had a run of that length twice under one presidency.AUGUST 2017North Korea: In August, the U.S. initiated a resolution in the U.N. Security Council establishing sanctions that would cut North Korea’s export revenue by a third. Another resolution passed Sept. 11 with new sanctions.North Korea: The U.S. implemented its own sanctions in August on 16 Chinese and Russian individuals and entities for conducting business with North Korea.Business optimism: In August, the National Federation of Independent Business said its Small-Business Optimism Index reached 105.3, the highest since 2006 and an 11 percent jump since the week before Trump was elected. The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index said small business owners are the most optimistic since July 2007. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort measure reached a 16-year high, with current views of the economy also reaching a 16-year high. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose in July to near a 16 year high, with consumers short-term outlook improving.Job growth: While the new administration certainly can’t take all of the credit – and the government itself doesn’t create jobs – employers make hiring decisions based on the long-term economic outlook, and the president has a great deal to do with that. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported nearly 1.3 million new jobs were created during Trump’s first 200 days. Meanwhile, Obama, in his first six months, saw the loss of more than 4.1 million jobs in his first 200 days. The bureau said 6,000 construction jobs were added in July for a total of 82,000 since January. In addition, 16,000 manufacturing jobs were added in July, a total of 70,000 since January. The labor-force participation rate increased to 62.9 percent in July. In June, there were 6 million job openings in the U.S., one of the highest levels recorded.S. manufacturing: During Trump’s first six months, the manufacturing index was the highest it had been since 1983 under President Reagan. The National Association of Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey showed the highest two-quarter average, of 91.4 percent, for manufacturing optimism in the survey’s 20-year history. The Institute for Supply Management reported its June barometer of manufacturing rose to 57.8, the fastest pace in three years.China trade: The president signed an order in August to investigate Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property. The IP Commission Report estimates that the annual cost to the United States economy from IP theft could be as high as $600 billion,with China as the major contributor.Infrastructure: The Trump administration aims to dramatically reduce permitting time for projects from 10 years to two years, spurring investment and job creation.Argentina trade: The U.S. struck a deal in August to export pork to Argentina that will allow U.S. pork to enter the Argentine market for the first time since 1992, a potential $10 million a year market for American producers.Trade: More than $2 billion in fines were assessed to China and Canada in August for illegal trade practices.Immigration: DHS in August ended the Central American Minors Parole Program that had allowed certain minors from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to enter the U.S.Immigration: A report in August said that due to reforms and additional hirings of immigration judges, the number of deportation orders increased by nearly 28 percent compared to the same period of time in 2016.Immigration: In August, the government also said that of the 42,000 illegal immigrants in federal prisons, nearly all of them either had deportation orders or were being investigated for possible deportation.Immigration: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in August denied requests from employers to import cheap foreign labor into the U.S. for high-skilled jobs if the employers could not explain why they wanted to pay a lower wage for such work.Military: Trump elevated the Department of Defense’s Cyber Command to the status of Unified Combatant Command in August, demonstrating an increased focus on cyber security.Military: In August, Trump directed the military not to move forward with a controversial Obama-era mandate to allow, for the first time, transgender individuals to be recruited into the armed forces.Islamic jihad: In August, Trump presented in an address to the nation a new military strategy that put Pakistan on notice for supporting jihadists and warned Kabul it would no longer receive a “blank check,” moving the U.S. away from the Bush-era policy of “nation-building” and focusing on “killing terrorists.”Veterans Administration reform: President Trump signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act in August, streamlining the lengthy process that veterans undergo when appealing disability benefits claims with the VA. More than 470,000 veterans are awaiting decisions regarding their appeals. The Veterans Affairs administration is the first agency to post information on employee disciplinary action online.Veterans Administration reform: The president signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act in August, which provides educational benefits to veterans, service members and their family members, including tuition, fees, books, housing and other additional costs.Government reform: The president signed an executive order in August projected to save billions of dollars by streamlining and expediting the permitting process for infrastructure projects. The order establishes a two-year goal for the federal government to process all of the actions required by federal law for the environmental reviews and permits of major infrastructure projects.Welfare reform: In August, the Department of Health and Human Services rescinded an Obama-era directive that had allowed states to request a waiver to ignore work requirements for the poor in order to receive welfare.Welfare reform: In August, more than 1.1 million fewer Americans were on food stamps under President Trump, compared to the Obama administration.Law enforcement: In August, the DOJ launched an opioid fraud and abuse unit to fight opioid prescription abuses.Second Amendment: In August, the Justice Department terminated Operation Choke Point, an Obama program encouraging banks not to do business with “high risk” businesses, which was used to target gun dealers.JULY 2017Gross Domestic Product: GDP in the second quarter of the year increased by 2.6 percent, more than doubling the first quarter performance.Unemployment: The jobless rate decreased from 4.8 percent to 4.4 percent from January through June 2017. In contrast, during the first six months of 2009, Obama’s first year in office, the rate increased from 7.8 percent to 9.5 percent.Oil drilling on federal lands: In July, Trump signed an order boosting oil and gas development on federal lands.Coal power: In July, President Trump kept his campaign promise to coal miners and rolled back the previous administration’s “Stream Protection Rule,” which targeted the industry with estimated costs of at least $81 million a year.Made in USA: Trump has convinced companies such as Ford, Chrysler and Carrier Air Conditioners to manufacture and build plants in the United States. At the White House, Corning announced with the president it was investing $500 million in new U.S. production, creating 1,000 new jobs. Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, which makes the iPhone, announced in July it was investing $10 billion in Wisconsin to build a factory that will employ 3,000 workers directly and up to 22,000 workers indirectly.Disarming jihad: In July, the Trump administration ended a CIA program to arm “moderate” Syrian rebels after previous efforts of its kind were shown to have aided Islamic jihadists, including the terrorists who carried out the disastrous Benghazi attack in which four Americans, including the ambassador, were killed.Islamic jihad: After months of heavy fighting, Iraqi coalition forces finally pushed ISIS fighters out of Mosul in early July. The U.S. is also supporting efforts to rid the Philippines of ISIS cells.Government reform: Trump created the Office of American Innovation in July to streamline and improve the government for future generations.Government reform: Trump signed an executive order in July implementing tough new lobbying standards for political appointees, including a five-year ban on lobbying and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries.Law enforcement: In July, federal gun-crime prosecutions by the DOJ in the preceding three months increased 23 percent over the same period in 2016.Law enforcement: In what Attorney General Jeff Sessions described as the “largest health-care fraud takedown operation in American history,” the DOJ in July charged more than 400 people, including doctors and medical facilities, who it said were prescribing unnecessary opioids to addicts and fueling the current drug crisis.Law enforcement: Sessions and the DOJ cracked down on illegal leaks of classified information from within the government, pursuing three times more investigations in the first six months of the Trump administration than had been open at the end of the Obama administration. The administration created a counterintelligence unit within the FBI for the investigations.JUNE 2017Oil pipelines: Trump approved the Dakota Access Pipeline project and the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, which are expected to create more than 42,000 jobs and $2 billion in earnings. The Dakota Access Pipeline, which is transporting 500,000 barrels of oil a day, has reinvigorated the North Dakota economy. In June, Trump approved production of the New Burgos Pipeline to Mexico.Inflation: The rate decreased to an eight-month low in June to 1.6 percent.China trade: For the first time since 2003, American beef imports have returned to China, opening up a $2.5 billion market to American ranchers and producers.Cuba relations: Trump in June delivered on his campaign promise to roll back the Obama administration’s agreement with Cuba, which Trump contends benefitted the Cuban regime at the expense of the Cuban people.Apprenticeships: Trump signed an executive order in June making it easier for businesses to start and expand apprenticeship programs.Property rights: Trump issued an executive order in June to begin the process of rescinding the 2015 Waters of the United States rule, which has been used to expand federal control over private land. Under the Obama administration, the broadly crafted rule was applied to “navigable waters” such as man-made ditches and water that accumulated after heavy rain.Homeland security: On June 19, DHS announced it had implemented a method of tracking whether or not visitors leave the United States. Twenty years ago, Congress ordered the installation of an entry-exit tracking system, but the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations never took action, allowing millions of people to remain on temporary visas. Approximately 416,500 people overstayed their visas in 2015 alone.Paris Climate Accord: Trump, in June, pulled the U.S. out of the global agreement, which, according to a study by NERA Consulting, could have cost the United States economy nearly $3 trillion.According to the same study, by 2040, 6.5 million industrial sector jobs could have been lost, including 3.1 million manufacturing sector jobs.NATO: Trump’s urging of NATO members to pay their fair share of financial support for the military alliance has resulted in an increasing of allied contributions of $10 billion, according to NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg.Russia: The administration in June implemented the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which blacklisted certain Russian citizens for human rights violations.Russia: In June, on the same day President Trump met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and entities involved in the conflict with Ukraine.Immigration: ICE arrested an average of 13,085 people each month from February through June, whereas the average during the last three months of the Obama administration was 9,134 arrests per month.Immigration: Trump’s Department of Homeland Security canceled in June the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program created by the Obama administration in November 2014 that would have given amnesty to about 4 million illegal immigrants.Military: In June, the Trump administration authorized the Defense Department to set troop levels in Afghanistan. The expanded authority given to the military could also be seen in U.S. operations in Somalia.Veterans Administration reform: Trump signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act in June to allow senior officials in the VA to fire failing employees and to establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers. The department reported it had fired more than 500 employees since January 2017 and suspended nearly 200 as part of the president’s efforts to restore integrity and accountability.Veterans Administration reform: In June, the VA announced the adoption of a medical records system successfully used by the Defense Department, ending a decades-old problematic rift in sharing information between the two agencies.Veterans Administration reform: A new White House VA Hotline to help veterans, fully staffed by veterans, went live in June.Education: Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, in June appointed Adam Kissel, a noted critic of the Obama administration’s implementation of Title IX – the much-abused 1972 federal law that bars discrimination in education “on the basis of sex” – and a strong supporter of free speech, as deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs. The staff of the Title IX enforcement office was reduced in the 2018 budget.MAY 2017Middle East: Trump strengthened traditional alliances with Israel and the Arab nations, which had deteriorated badly under President Obama.Middle East: During a visit to Saudi Arabia in May, his first foreign trip as president, he announced the signing of a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, with another $350 billion of arms for the following 10 years. American and Saudi businesses signed similar agreements on the same day, with billions of dollars to be invested in the U.S. Trump also gave a major speech to leaders of 50 Islamic nations, challenging them to fight Islamic terror.Personal income: According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. personal income rose 0.4 percent in May, while a 0.3 increase was expected.Housing: The U.S. Census Bureau found housing sales recently have doubled compared to the same period under President Obama. The annualized housing sales rate for May 2017 was 610,000, compared to just 376,000 in 2009. New home prices hit a record high in May, according to the Commerce Department. In 2011, houses for sale were on the market an average 84 days. This year, it’s just 45 days.Mexico trade: Mexico agreed in June to curb its exporting of raw and refined sugar to the U.S, benefitting the American industry.Trade: Trump announced in May that he intends to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, to better reflect the modern economy while benefitting every party to the pact.Syria: After the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against civilians, President Trump authorized strikes in May against the airbase that launched the chemical attacks, destroying 20 percent of Syria’s operational aircraft.Immigration: In May, the administration said the number of child illegal immigrants entering the nation monthly had fallen below 1,000 for the first time in several years.Voter fraud: In May, Trump created a commission to investigate voter fraud chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and vice-chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.Education: In May, the administration announced it will create a school choice plan and give states the option of implementing it, rather than making it a federal program.Religious liberty: On the annual National Day of Prayer in May, Trump signed an executive order on religious liberty that included a loosening of IRS restrictions, known as the Johnson Amendment, against political activities by tax-exempt religious organizations. The order also attempted to make it easier for employers not to provide contraceptives if they had religious objections and gave Attorney General Jeff Sessions greater authority regarding religious liberty policy.Abortion: In May, the administration broadened the scope of the Mexico City Policy to restrict funding to any international health organization that performs or gives information about abortions, expanding the amount of money affected from $600,000 to nearly $9 billion.APRIL 2017S. Supreme Court: Keeping a major campaign promise, President Trump nominated to the highest court a strict constructionist and originalist in the mold of Antonin Scalia, Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as an associate justice in April. In his first term, in June, Gorsuch voted in every case with the justice generally regarded as the most conservative, Clarence Thomas. The conservative Committee for Justice said in a report that Gorsuch’s early performance says a lot about both what he will be like as a Supreme Court justice “and what the president can be counted on to do as more high court vacancies occur. Conservatives hoping for a solid conservative majority on the court in the near future had good reason to cheer.”Immigration: The administration announced illegal border crossings had decreased by 40 percent in the first month of Trump’s presidency. By Trump’s 100th day in office, crossings had decreased by 73 percent, thanks to the president’s policies deterring people from attempting to enter the country.Offshore oil drilling: In April, Trump signed an executive order to extend offshore oil and gas drilling and reissue a leasing program to develop offshore resources. The order reversed Obama’s December ban on drilling in the Arctic and parts of the Atlantic Ocean.China trade: Trump initiated an investigation in April into whether or not Chinese and other foreign-made steel and aluminum threaten U.S. national security. China has 26 percent of the steel market in the U.S., and Chinese steel imports are up nearly 20 percent over the last year.Made in the USA: President Trump signed the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order in April, prioritizing the interests of American businesses and workers. “Buy American” protects American industry from unfair competition by targeting the abusive use of waivers and exceptions to laws on the books. Trump’s “Hire American” effort calls for the reform of visa programs, ensuring that they no longer displace American workers, while fully enforcing laws governing the entry of foreign workers.Agriculture regulations: In April, in an effort to help farmers affected by NAFTA and the trade imbalance with Canada, Trump signed an executive order ordering the Department of Agriculture to find and eliminate unnecessary regulations.G-7: In April, the administration refused to sign the G-7 joint statement because the other nations could not agree to include support for nuclear and fossil fuels without support for the Paris climate agreement. The G-7, consequently, did not issue a joint statement.Russia: In April, the administration refused to issue waivers to any companies that wanted to do business with Russia, which was under economic sanctions, including ExxonMobil, which had applied for a waiver.Immigration: In March and April, the DOJ announced plans to speed up the deportation of imprisoned illegal aliens, instructing U.S. attorneys to employ stricter guidelines in the prosecution of immigration crimes while seeking to hire 125 immigration judges in the next two years.Immigration: Trump signed an executive order in April cutting funding for sanctuary cities, and despite encountering opposition from city officials, ICE agents have been enforcing U.S. immigration laws in those cities.Immigration: In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, arrests and deportations of criminal aliens such as MS-13 members were up 38 percent compared with the last year of the Obama administration. ICE conducted a crackdown on the gangs that resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,400 people. The Trump administration also cooperated with Central American countries to combat MS-13 recruitment in the region. An estimated 6,000 MS-13 gang members were arrested during the president’s first five months.Military: In April, Trump gave Defense Secretary James Mattis authority to set troop levels in Iraq and Syria for the fight against ISIS. And military commanders were granted authority to perform military actions without approval from Washington. As a direct result, this newly autonomous U.S. military made large advances against ISIS.Islamic jihad: Under the increased autonomy Trump gave the Defense Department, the U.S. dealt a heavy blow to ISIS in Afghanistan in April, dropping a GBU-43B – known as MOAB or the “Mother Of All bombs” – the largest non-nuclear bomb in existence, on a complex of ISIS tunnels. At least 94 ISIS fighters were killed, including four commanders, and tunnels and weapon stockpiles were destroyed.Veterans Administration reform: In April, Trump signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds enabling veterans who live more than 40 miles from the closest eligible VA medical facility, experience wait times of more than 30 days to schedule an appointment, or meet other special criteria to be treated outside the VA system.Law enforcement: In April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in an effort to give back local control to police departments, ordered the Department of Justice to review Obama’s agreements with local police departments.Education: In April, Trump signed an executive order requiring Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to review department regulations with the intent of returning power to the states and local governments.Abortion: In what was regarded as the first major national pro-life bill in more than a decade, Trump signed in April a Congressional Review bill into law annulling a recent Obama administration regulation that would have prohibited states from discriminating in awarding Title X family planning funds based on whether a local clinic also performs abortions.Abortion: The Trump administration in April cut off U.S. funding of the United Nations Population Fund, which has links to inhumane abortion programs such as China’s one-child policy (which became a two-child policy in 2015). More than $32 million was instead shifted to the U.S. Agency for International Development.Abortion: In April, Trump appointed pro-life advocate Dr. Charmaine Yoest, the former president of Americans United for Life, as assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services, replacing a strong Planned Parenthood supporter. Later, two pro-life advocates who had worked for the Family Research Council were appointed to key positions. And Valerie Huber, an abstinence education advocate, was appointed in June as chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health at the HHS.MARCH 2017Trade deficit: Trump signed an executive order in March directing a review of and reporting on major U.S. trade deficits.Middle East: In March, the administration, led by U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, condemned a report against Israel by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia that was deemed anti-Semitic, prompting the resignation of the commission’s executive director.Economy:S. homebuilder confidence rose to its strongest level in nearly 12 years, as strength in the jobs market and improving wages bolstered demand for homes.Syria: In March, the Trump administration successfully forced the G-20 to remove its opposition to protectionism and temper its support for free trade. Any mention of climate change was eliminated from its joint statement.Government reform: In March, Trump signed an executive order to perform an audit on every executive branch agency to reduce spending and waste and improve services.FEBRUARY 2017Savings for oil companies: Trump signed a bill in February that eliminated a Dodd-Frank rule requiring oil companies such as Exxon Mobile to publicly disclose the taxes and fees they pay to foreign governments, which would have cost the industry as much as $385 million annually.Finance reform: The administration ordered review of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight law in February while urging Congress to remove the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s authority to supervise banks and financial companies, returning that power to other federal and state regulators.Russia: The administration countered Russian propaganda by launching two government-run media outlets in February broadcasting in Russian.Military: In February the administration reached a tentative deal with Lockheed Martin to purchase 90 F-35 jets at the lowest price in the program’s history. The first 90 planes were about $725 million below budget, with billions of dollars in additional savings expected. The deal saved at least one U.S. ally, Japan, $100 million.Government reform: In February, the president announced he did not plan on filling numerous government positions he considered unnecessary.Law enforcement: In February, President Trump signed three executive orders to strengthen law enforcement. The first strengthens the law against international crime organizations. The second combats anti-law-enforcement crimes. The third seeks a strategy for reducing crime in general, including, in particular, illegal immigration, drug trafficking and violent crime.School bathrooms: Trump, in February, reversed Obama’s executive order requiring public schools to allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their preferred “gender identity.”Second Amendment: President Trump signed a bill into law in February repealing an Obama-era Social Security Administration rule adding mental disability determinations to the background check registry. The Obama regulation potentially allowed the denial of Second Amendment rights to many competent, mentally healthy citizens.JANUARY 2017Trans Pacific Partnership: Trump signed an executive order in January removing the U.S. from the international pact, which critics charged was a monumental compromise to American sovereignty and would take millions of jobs away from American workers.Persecuted Christians: Reversing Obama administration policy, Trump pledged in January that Christian refugees suffering persecution in Muslim countries would be given priority over other refugees seeking to enter the United States.Homeland security: Trump signed an executive order in January banning people from seven countries regarded by the Obama administration as havens for terrorism from entering the U.S. for 90 days and blocked all refugees for 120 days while the administration assessed its security process. After legal challenges, the administration issued a revised order in March, and in June the U.S. Supreme Court decided a version of the ban could go into effect until the court addresses its constitutionality in October.Immigration: The DOJ resumed the criminal prosecution of first-time illegal border crossers after it had been stopped by the Obama administration.Government reform: Trump signed an executive order in January to expedite environmental reviews of infrastructure projects, to jumpstart industry spending and investment.Manufacturing regulations: Trump signed an executive order in January reducing regulations on manufacturers.Abortion: In January, Trump expressed strong support for the annual pro-life March for Life. Vice President Mike Pence became the first vice president to speak at the event, and White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway also spoke.Regulatory reform: Trump set up task forces in every agency to remove “job killing regulations” and increase “economic opportunity.” The Trump administration is on track to finish the first phase of its regulatory reform program with $645 million in net annual regulatory savings, according to an analysis by the American Action Forum. By comparison, during President Obama’s years in office, more than 22,700 regulations were imposed on Americans at a cost to American consumers, businesses and workers of more than $120 billion each year. AAF called Trump’s order reducing regulation and controlling regulatory costs “one of the most significant developments in regulatory policy in decades,” noting it was the first time in U.S. history that the executive branch has established a regulatory budget.Women in business: Trump launched the United States-Canada Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February.Immigration: Trump expanded deportation priorities, signing an executive order in January that includes people who “have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense,” which could include anyone who entered the country illegally, leading to a significant increase in arrests.Military: In January, Trump signed a memorandum to begin the expansion and rebuilding of the U.S. military.Government reform: Trump signed an executive order Jan. 23 placing a hiring freeze on federal employees.Regulatory reform: Shortly after his inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order mandating that for every new regulation, two regulations must be revoked. In practice, the administration has exceeded that mark, rescinding or delaying more than 860 regulations, or 16 regulations for every new one implemented.Abortion: In January, Trump signed an order reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which defunded the International Planned Parenthood Federation and other organizations that promote foreign abortions.President’s salary: President Trump, as promised during his election campaign, has donated his salary.Technology: After his election, Trump met with top tech leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. According to Gates, it was “a good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, the impact of foreign aid and energy, and a wide-ranging conversation about power of innovation.”

From a longer post here: How to Fix the Politics of TribalismI see four main problem areas that need to be addressed.The modern mediaMoney in politicsStructural issues in the SenateExtreme partisanship and polarizationAnd there are three main areas where I think we could make substantial progress.Fixing our party systemReforms in CongressChanging our political cultureTL;DR: Enlarge our voter base to include more moderates, repair a few issues with Senate rules, and encourage the media and the public to hold politicians more accountable.THE PROBLEMSThe Modern MediaThe 19th century was the Dark Age of Partisan Journalism. Parties subsidized newspapers and shaped both the news and editorials. Eventually ad revenue freed the press from partisan influence. In the 20th century, most people got their news from the big three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) or from local newspapers. Editorials were often partisan, but news reporting corps did a good job of reporting only facts.Today, partisan coverage has proven to be the most profitable model by far, only with a much larger reach than newspapers in the 19th century. Audiences are more fragmented, and with the advent of cable news and the internet, so is their attention span. Fox News and MSNBC maintain their conservative and liberal audiences by reporting the same partisan messages over and over again. CNN pits left- and right-leaning pundits against each other in attack shows. And they rake in the cash. Fox’s profits dwarf those of MSNBC and CNN, which in turn are well above ABC, CBS, and NBC.Infotainment has replaced facts and debate. Sensationalism reinforces the message that extreme partisanship is the new norm. And this extremism pays. The lack of fact checking in reporting corps lets pundits gain celebrity status while lying through their teeth. Politicians can piggyback on manufactured scandals for massive fundraising advantages. Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, and Donald Trump, among many others, spent months stoking rumors that President Obama was born in Kenya. The damage of falsehoods perpetrated by the news media is long-reaching, and the public has become immune to factual information. As recently as September 2015, a survey in Iowa showed that 35% of voters think Obama was born outside the U.S., and 24% don’t know. Put another way, 3/5 of voters think that the President of the United States, in office for seven years, is illegitimate.2. Money in PoliticsPoliticians today are on a permanent fundraising campaign. Candidates of course need money to reach voters. But by the 1990s, corporations and individuals were spending huge sums of soft money on political ads and other lobbying efforts. These efforts include direct and indirect bribes, favors, and paid positions for ex-lawmakers on K Street. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 addressed soft money and issue ads, and worked as intended for many years. The Supreme Court case McConnell v. Federal Election Commissionin 2003 challenged parts of the BCRA, but it was mostly upheld.In 2010, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission upended a few decades of judicial precedent. The activism of the Roberts court opened the door for huge amounts of new political spending. A lax FEC has further allowed egregious evasion of disclosure requirements for donors.A quick recap. Citizens United, a conservative group, put out a film calledHillary: The Movie. It was designed to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Citizens United wanted an exception from the BCRA’s limit on corporate advertising funding. They claimed that the film was not “electioneering communications.” There was no mention of addressing the overall ban on corporate spending in presidential campaigns.Roberts demanded a rehearing to address the question of whether the ban was constitutional. The controversial 5–4 decision, only a few years afterMcConnell v. FEC, threw campaign finance into disarray. The only thing that had changed was the political makeup of the court due to Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement in 2005. The decision equated money with speech and corporations with citizens. Never mind that corporations’ goal is to make money, while citizens’ goals are much broader.The scope of the court’s new willingness to legislate is alarming given Roberts’ statement at his confirmation hearing. “Judges and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around…they operate within a system of precedents...they’re not to legislate.”Fundraising is now a part of presidential, congressional, and even judicial elections. Independent political groups file as 501(c)4 social welfare nonprofits to avoid disclosing donors. Karl Rove was famous for starting this trend with his American Crossroads organization. Democrats have predictably followed suit.In the new spirit of drastic deregulation, SpeechNow v. Federal Election Commission in the DC Court of Appeals applied the precedent set by Citizens United v. FEC to independent expenditure committees, allowing SpeechNow to accept unlimited contributions. These new “Super PACS,” banned from coordinating with candidates, are in fact run by their closest advisers and colleagues. Sham corporations are created and then disbanded after only a few months, with the sole purpose of donating to candidates. Even long-time congressional incumbents now spend many hours a week fundraising instead of legislating. They are intent on building protective war chests to fight negative ad campaigns by mystery organizations. Just the threat of negative ads can now garner influence for lobbyists, without ever spending a dollar.It’s worth noting that Democrats attempted to address these issues with the DISCLOSE Act in 2010. Republicans killed the bill with a filibuster. Despite a 59–39 vote, not a single Republican was willing to join the majority to achieve cloture.These changes in campaign finance do nothing but reinforce political polarization. Party leaders are all-star fundraisers. Campaign chairs go to those who excel at dialing for dollars. Legislative and negotiation skills take a backseat. Politicians realize that voters don’t know too much about them, and thus negative ads can be brutally effective. Instead of spending time with their colleagues, lawmakers now raise money to attack each other covertly.3. Structural issues in the SenateIt might seem weird to follow up “Media” and “Money” with “Senate Rules”. The first two are pretty broad, and there’s a general consensus that they often have a negative impact on the general population’s interests. But how can the Senate rulebook cause so much trouble?If you try to remember the last time you heard about the Senate messing with things, you probably think back to the spate of recent debt ceiling fights, or maybe how Obamacare finally passed with 60 votes in late 2009. But other than that, it’s always been contentious, right?It’s true that Congress has been getting more adversarial since the 1970s as measured by ideological gap between parties, but it really ramped up with Obama, when essentially no Republican votes were available for any action. The thinking for decades has been that any progress on the majority’s legislative agenda is bad for the minority, so obstruction is the name of the game. You could be forgiven for thinking that’s just the political process and that fights across branches are inevitable, but that hasn’t always been the case, especially not with the ferocity and venom of the last few terms.Here are a few examples of how standoffs can impact your day-to-day life. The Senate failed to pass relief funding for Hurricane Irene in 2011, because for the first time Republicans called for cuts in social programs to offset emergency disaster relief spending. Also in 2011, the Senate delayed reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration because Congressman John Mica wanted to deny FAA employees bargaining rights and stop subsidies to small airports. This ultimately led to weeks of airport delays, 24,000 lost construction jobs, and cost the government an estimated $300M in lost airfare taxes. It’s worth noting that Mica’s main reason for the bill was to hurt his negotiating partners on the other side of the table, whose constituents were some of those small airports and were severely impacted by the FAA delay. Obviously the collateral damage this hostage-taking tact caused was counter-productive to the allegedly pure cause of fiscal conservatism and waste reduction.The novel use of Holds and Filibusters in the Senate as permanent vetoes exacerbates this collateral damage. Whereas the House has rules to facilitate collective action, the Senate caters to individual action and in many ways encourages unanimous consent. The filibuster was initially a last resort, a safety valve the minority could use as a last ditch effort to halt proceedings and draw attention to an issue on which they held particularly strong beliefs.Unlimited debate was not intended by the founding fathers, but was in fact introduced inadvertently by a rule change in 1805. It was not taken advantage of for several decades, and even then only rarely. The ability to stop the debate via Cloture was established in 1917, requiring a 2/3 vote, which was reduced to 60/100 in the 1970s. Nowadays one could be forgiven for assuming that use of the filibuster is a normal part of the Senate’s day to day activity. Routine procedural motions, nominations, and bills are all now the subject of filibusters. The idea is that obstruction will slow the majority’s legislative agenda and lower Congress’s approval rating, and the party most associated with lambasting government in general will come out ahead.Holds have evolved to delay the Senate’s routine business even more. In general, the Senate assumes unanimous consent is appropriate to schedule and execute its business. Traditionally, senators used the Hold to prepare themselves for floor debate, but now a Senator simply needs to inform the leadership of their intent to delay, and the majority then needs to jump through many hoops to continue, taking several weeks to move the process forward. What’s more, Holds can be submitted anonymously, so stealth obstructionism is now the norm for all types of Senate business. Cloture is now invoked almost immediately on all bills, preventing the minority from offering amendments to legislation when they might in fact be warranted, further hindering the ability for back-and-forth negotiation and compromise. In the late 1970s there were fewer than 2 clotures per month, jumping to around 4 per month in the Clinton and Bush years. The number has now jumped to 2 per week under Obama.Routine bills that should take 1–2 days now take 2–4 weeks to pass. Blanket holds on everything from White House nominations to Air Force promotions are now the norm. Bills that end up passing with overwhelming majorities are now the subject of holds and filibusters, bills such as extending unemployment benefits during the recession, the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights, and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, all of which ended up passing with over 90 votes after cloture. Even after these bills pass, the filibuster rule allows for 30 hours of debate after cloture, which the minority routinely takes advantage of even though they’re not required to be present, so often there is just a roll call repeated over and over for 30 hours.Even more alarming than the delay of routine business is the New Nullification — the intentional obstruction of executive and judicial nominations, even those of candidates deemed universally competent and appropriate, and that are necessary for the government to effectively implement laws already on the books. This amounts to Senators challenging their oath to carry out existing laws, whether they like them or not. Nominations that used to take weeks now take up to six months. Critical positions in Obama’s cabinet went unfilled for almost his entire first year in office.In late 2009 in the thick of the financial crisis, for example, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner had to operate without a deputy secretary, undersecretary for international affairs, undersecretary for domestic finance, assistant secretary for tax policy, assistant secretary for financial markets, and assistant secretary for financial stability, and assistant secretary for legislative affairs. After the worst of the recession abated, a number of key players in the crisis testified before Congress that significant fundamental risk to the financial system was artificially introduced by lack of candidates for posts at Treasury, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.The confirmation rate of presidential appointments has dropped from over 90% in the 1970s to around 50% today, with experience and qualifications taking a second seat to blanket opposition and ideological interrogation by the minority. The issue has become much more pronounced since Obama took office. In May 2002 there were 13 pending nominations. In May 2010 there were 108. While tough to measure at the moment, the greatest fear should now be that talented people will shy away from government service, as they become understandably more and more unwilling to subject themselves and their families to up to a year of stress, indignity, and political limbo.4. Extreme Partisanship and PolarizationThe fourth and most pervasive problem with politics today is growing partisan polarization. Throughout history there have been bouts of intense partisanship over certain key issues such as federalism and slavery. For most of the 20th century, however, the parties were less internally unified than they are today, require more deal making and compromise across the aisle. In 2009, however, we hit an ideological turning point: the most conservative Democrat was for the first time more liberal than the most liberal Republican. Put another way, there is now zero ideological overlap between our two political parties.Our constitutional system, characterized by checks and balances and separation of powers, is not structured well to deal with our new rabidly polarized parties. Inaction is the easiest path given the easy methods of obstruction outlined above. The dysfunction is amplified by the uncomfortable truth that this polarization is asymmetric between the parties. The Republican Party is less ideologically centered, disdainful of negotiation and compromise and of government in general, and more prone to perfectionist, take-no-prisoners tactics.This truth isn’t universally accepted, and is glossed over by the modern media’s tendency to favor “balance” and “fairness” over “truth” and “facts.” Many may disagree with this, but I’ll summarize the asymmetry with one graph, showing that as Democrats hold at around -0.4 on a Liberal-Conservative voting spectrum, Republications are approaching +0.8.From here I’ll go forward with the assumption that reining in the insurgency within the Republican Party is as critical to reform as is addressing issues with the media, money in politics, and Senate proceedings, which I’ll turn to in the next post.THE SOLUTIONSFixing our Party SystemThe Democratic and Republican parties of today are less alike and more internally homogeneous than ever before. One of our best bets for normalizing politics is to expand the electorate and bring in more ideologically moderate and flexible voters who are turned off by today’s extreme partisanship.One of the first steps we need to take is updating our antiquated voter registration systems. In the U.S., unlikely every other modern democracy, the burden is on the individual to register to vote, rather than on the government to register its citizens.We currently use outdated paper-based registration systems. One of the first steps we need to take is for states to automate the registration system and put it online. Local and state governments should also make use of third-party public voter lists. Today’s technology and tools make it easy to update these lists and ensure they’re accurate, and merge them across jurisdictions. The same technological advances should make it relatively easy for voters to vote online, or at least have more flexibility regarding polling locations (i.e. allowing people a choice of locations, and add more convenient locations such as malls and supermarkets). Finally, we need to implement election day voter registration. A number of states have this is well and their voting percentages are significantly higher.We also need to make a much more concerted effort to fight practices that attempt to restrict voting, which almost always have partisan motives. In many states, for example, you can use a concealed carry permit to register to vote but not a student ID, which clearly targets certain demographics such as young people and African Americans. The norm should be that any ID required for voter registration should be free to obtain. Another issue is that local elections and ballot initiatives are combined with the federal ticket. There needs to be a separate federal ballot to reduce confusion.Currently, U.S. elections are held on Tuesday. This is a holdover from the 1800s that we need to change. Election day should be on the weekend or ideally there should be a voting period that lasts from Wednesday to Sunday.This last one I know is controversial. But we should consider mandatory voting, as many other modern democracies have. The argument against this is that it’s a restriction on our freedom. However, people forget that you can simply opt for ‘none of the above.’ It should be easy to get out of voting with a valid excuse, or a small fine of $10. We could alternatively offer incentives to vote, such as a small tax credit or even a cash lottery prize for those who vote. In modern democracies where this is the system, 95% of people normally vote and only 3% choose ‘none of the above.’ Even if this is a slight infringement on our freedoms, I think it’s more than worth it to moderate the voter base and bring more centrists into the political process.Another big issue we face today is how our votes are converted into seats in government. We are a strange democracy in that the politicians we elect shape their own voting districts, rather than having nonpartisan boundary conditions draw the lines. Parties devote lots of money and resources to winning control of local legislatures via partisan redistricting processes. This needs to change. This sort of redistricting recently took place in California and other states are following suit.Another potential fix is moving to an open primary system rather than our current closed primaries. There are two different forms we could consider. The first is a blanket primary, where there is a single ballot for all candidates from all parties. Alternatively, we could consider a top two vote getter primary, where the top two candidates face a runoff in the main election.We should also consider enacting an alternative to our current winner-take-all system. We should consider an instant runoff system where voters rank candidates and subsequent runoffs a performed until a candidate has received a majority of the votes. This avoids the wasted vote problem that often stems from strong third party candidates. This will lead to more legitimate majorities elections and help us eliminate the electoral college.Finally, while I think it’s unlikely to fly in the U.S, we could also consider a proportional representation system, such as the single transferable vote system. In this case, each voter gets one vote, but they can transfer it to another candidate automatically, i.e. when their first choice already has enough votes to be elected.The final issue to tackle which impacts the way our parties currently work is that of campaign finance. It’s going to be very tough battle to work within the confines of Citizens United, but there are two parts of the existing law we need to enforce. First, disclosure, and second, separating independent expenditure groups from candidates. The DISCLOSE act mentioned earlier would attack the first, and Congress needs to revive the bill. As far as separating independent expenditures groups, the best course would be a new law that simply outlaws super PACs. The political parties themselves are forming Super PACs, and at this point they are impacting House and Senate races and even judicial races. It would be nice to reform the Federal Election Commission as well, but that looks close to impossible as the Senate is closely protecting the existing commissioners.It would be possible for other branches of government to attack these issues as well. The Internal Revenue Service, for example, could go after fake 501(c)4 nonprofits. The Federal Communications Commission could require all political commercials to list donors. The Securities and Exchange Commission could also play a role by having public corporations disclose quarterly and annual payments to third parties, which are currently hidden from the public. Unfortunately, Congress just passed legislation a few weeks ago making it more difficult for the FCC and the SEC to do so, under pressure from large undisclosed lobbyists.Another smaller issue is leadership PACs, which are simply vehicles politicians use to collect money and then spend on perks for other politicians. these should be flatly outlawed, as they are pure tools of corruption. We also should prohibit lobbyists from contributing to political campaigns. If someone gets any benefit from federal contracts, they should not be allowed to make campaign contributions.We should also consider alternatives for how campaigns are financed at a high level. One of the best things that we can do to normalize politics is to encourage more small donors. We could offer tax credits or rebates, or 5-to-1 dollar matching for small donations. All of these reforms are going to take a long time to enact, but hopefully will be more widely considered as disgust with the current system grows and the search for better alternatives intensifies.2. Reforming our Political InstitutionsOne broad way to reform our institutions would be to switch to a parliamentary majority system, where a single party or a coalition elects the executive. We could also consider eliminating midterm elections, which usually reduce the president’s majority, or try to make Senate terms longer or shorter to match House elections. But I think such drastic changes are unlikely. The best path would be to reform our institutions in two ways. First, make some reforms in the Senate, and second, work on shifting power between Congress and the executive branch.In the Senate, our focus needs to be restoring majority rule. First, we need to limit filibusters one per bill. Second, the burden of holding the floor during a filibuster needs to be on the minority, not the majority. The minority should be called on to go the extra mile to prevail rather than the majority being required to provide a quorum. 41 votes should be required to continue the debate, not 60 votes to end the debate. Third, we need to eliminate extraneous delays in the Senate. Cloture should take one day, not two. Debate time should be 15 hours, not 30, and should require the minority to actually debate on the floor for the its 15 hours. Finally, we must expedite the nomination process and guarantee votes within time limits, ideally 60 days. The current trend of nominations taking 6 months or more even for competent nominees represents inappropriate blanket opposition and policing by the minority, ignoring their oath to implement legitimate laws on the books, and is in turn crippling the government by making qualified public servants hesitant to subject themselves to the current process.There are few options for shifting power between the branches. One academic theory, that of the Unitary Executive, holds that the president has the right to take any actions that are required to faithfully execute the laws with which he is entrusted. Examples of the ‘unity executive’ approach include Reagan pushing through his conservative agenda, Bush pushing through national security reforms after 9/11, Clinton pushing through public land and medical privacy reform, and Obama granting states waivers to No Child Left Behind. Generally, however, scholars think that this theory lies outside the realms of the Constitution.Many agencies are also established by Congress to both abdicate power and also limit the president’s authority. The Federal Reserve is by far the most important, which even still comes under frequent criticism from the likes of Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. Other examples include the FCC, the FEC, the FTC, and the SEC.One promising organizational development was BRAC, the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Congress must routinely close outdated military bases and generally agrees on the need for the reductions, but individual members naturally fight against closures in their own districts. BRAC presents a list of facilities to be closed, an independent commission appointed by the president can makes additions or deletions, and then Congress has 45 days to either approve or reject as a whole.This model works for base closures, but less so for more contentious issues like deficit reduction, especially when one party is unwilling to consider any tax increases. The Simpson-Bowles commission appointed by Obama came up with a set of recommendations that were favored by many budget experts, but it was not guaranteed a vote in Congress and was never submitted as a bill.It does seem that this model might work for smaller issues, such as with the Independent Payment Advisory Board, charged with holding Medicare spending within limits. The board recommends measures to the president, who presents them to Congress under expedited procedures, and they are implemented automatically unless Congress proposes alternatives that achieve comparable savings. The IPAB came about to deal with the fact that Congress is incapable of standing up to health company and insurer lobbying efforts.3. Working Within the Current SystemI talked about ways to change the system but we also need to talk about how to work within the system we already have. There are two main points to address. One is that we need to work to change the culture of politics in America today. Second, we need to deal with the asymmetry of America’s two major political parties.The culture in which politics exists today is toxic. One remedy is to work to restore public shame. Opinion leaders throughout society need to call out ridiculous statements such as Stephen Schwarzman equating carried interest taxes to Hitler invading Poland, Mike O’Neal calling Michelle Obama YoMama, Allen West telling Obama to Get the Hell out of the USA, and the like.We also desperately need to re-create a public square and decrease the impact of partisan media. We need to find a new source of funding for public media, such as broadcasters paying rental fees on their use of airwaves, that fits a better model of public discourse, with genuine debate and straightforward coverage, than profit-driven networks like Fox and CNBC.Some have suggested building a Shadow Congress, made up of former members and other lawmakers, focused on genuine but non-vicious debate. Many former members of Congress express anger at the institution’s current conduct, such as Republicans trashing even conservative health reform ideas just because Obama supported them, or Congress trashing the scientific community over climate change.And finally, we need to rein in the insurgent Republican party. The modern GOP favors political wins over cooperation and compromise, embracing extreme ideological viewpoints and shunning negotiation. We need to foster change from within and challenge the take-no-prisoners approach, accept that ‘starving the beast’ with a ‘no new tax’ pledge has been empirically disproven, and accept that the welfare state is here to stay. Republican voters need to take responsibility and not just vote against the majority when times are bad. Educate yourself on policy and try to form and ideological framework for yourself.Obama needs to call out Republicans more for being obstructionist and insincere negotiating partners. Presidential elections need to present a choice to voters, not just a referendum on the party in power.The media needs to help readers recognize asymmetric polarization. Report the truth, which is not the same as balanced treatment of unbalanced phenomena. Fact check. Don’t treat filibusters as routine. And finally, clarify for voters the choices that an election entails. How would they govern? What would the accomplish? What would unified vs. divided government lead to in each specific case?At the end of the day, voters decide. Blanket condemnation of Congress and Washington serves the status quo and is not productive. Punish ideologically extreme parties. Challenge the legitimacy of filibusters. Beware of non-profit political groups. Consider which presidential ticket you prefer, and vote for the same party in Congress — this makes more sense in times of partisan polarization. Promote respect, acceptance of legitimacy of one’s opponents, bargaining, and compromise.Fun Books to ReadThe Commercialization of News in the Nineteenth Century, by Gerald BaldastySo Damn Much Money, by Robert KaiserCapitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist, by Jack AbramoffThe Broken Branch, by Thomas Mann and Norman OrnsteinIt’s Even Worse Than It Looks, by Thomas Mann and Norman OrnsteinParty Wars, by Barbara SinclairDisconnect, by Morris Fiorina and Samuel AbramsThe Disappearing Center, by Alan AbramowitzTakeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, by Charlie Savage