hots?” After a rough week of trying to work with Congress, the Trump Administration is going back to making policy through executive orders. Today, Trump will issue a sweeping executive order designed to “increase energy independence.” Ironically (but unsurprisingly), nothing included in the executive order will do anything to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources. It does, however, show how polluters are helping write Trump’s energy agenda. And it gets worse. While doing nothing to increase American energy independence, Trump’s executive order also attacks the fastest-growing source of American energy: renewable sources like wind and solar.
The order is designed to dismantle any progress the Obama Administration made in the fight to slow climate change and protect the planet. It aims to roll back the Clean Power Plan, eliminates limits on methane pollution, lifts a ban on coal leasing on public lands, remove fracking standards, and erase U.S. policies on factoring the cost of carbon pollution into government decisions.
Trump has promised that undoing Obama-era climate and energy policies will be good for the economy. Turns out that isn’t true either. If fully implemented the actions outlined in Trump’s executive order could cost taxpayers more than $58 billion by 2030. In DC? Come to the White House today at 5pm to show your resistance
ACTION OF THE DAY
Tax March. Trump is the first major nominee in decades to refuse to release his tax returns. And his administration’s conflicts of interest are a central issue in creating a government that works for everyone, instead of the wealthy few. That’s why we invite you to join the Tax March on Washington on April 15th. Get more info and RSVP at www.taxmarch.org. Want to volunteer for the March? Sign up here.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Recusal. Whatever fading hope there was that House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes would run a fair and independent House Intel Committee investigation on Trump and Russia has officially gone out the window. After Nunes made two inappropriate visits to the White House last week to discuss the ongoing investigation, leading House Democrats, including Leader Pelosi (D-CA) and House Intel ranking member Rep. Schiff (D-CA), are calling on Chairman Nunes to recuse himself from the investigation and reupping demands for a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate Trump-Russia ties. Here’s why that’s essential.
Hypocrisy Alert. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General and longtime enemy of immigrants Jeff Sessions reiterated Trump’s threat to defund sanctuary cities. Sessions threatened to prevent any sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving any grant funding from the Department of Justice and to “claw-back” monies that have already been distributed. That means the Department of Justice is threatening to take away critical funding from local law enforcement and victims of crime under the guise of “keeping communities safe.” But the reality is crime is significantly lower and economies are stronger in sanctuary counties than non-sanctuary counties. Multiple lawsuits already are pending in Massachusetts and California, so ultimately this issue will be decided in the courts.
UNDER THE RADAR
Shutdown. It’s that time of year again. The government has 33 days left to pass a spending bill before it shuts down. And the House is in session only 11 of those days. The Trump Administration also reportedly wants to include little things like cuts to education, health care, housing and more than $1 billion for the unnecessary border wall in the bill. You’ll be hearing about this.
GOOD NEWS
Flint. Two years after the city’s water was found to have dangerous levels of lead, officials have agreed to replace water lines for thousands of homes in Flint, Michigan.