Those were Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly’s words when he announced the administration’s decision to roll back the Obama Administration’s DAPA program yesterday. Secretary Kelly rescinded the 2014 memo that would have created the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded DACA. This decision came on the fifth anniversary of the DACA program, which has protected nearly 790,000 young people.
DAPA and expanded DACA would have given 4 million parents and young immigrants protection from deportation and the ability to apply for a work permit. But, thanks to hyper-partisan obstruction including a tied Supreme Court decision, neither program was implemented. The programs were designed to help prioritize limited enforcement resources so DHS could focus its efforts on serious threats to national security and public safety. The Trump administration has gone in the opposite direction, deporting DREAMers, parents, and longstanding residents in a blind effort to deport as many people as possible.
If there is a bright spot in yesterday’s announcement it is that Secretary Kelly reiterated the administration’s commitment to keep the original DACA program in place. Instead of continuing Trump’s mass deportation agenda, the administration should recognize DACA as evidence of the good that comes from giving people, no matter their immigration status, the chance to reach their full potential.
ACTION OF THE DAY
#ResistTrumpcare. Even Senate Republicans are concerned about the secretive process around the Senate’s Trumpcare bill. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), for example, said he does not want to see a vote before the Fourth of July recess, instead encouraging input from outside experts and a CBO score before bringing the bill to a vote. Let your senator know they cannot recklessly pass a bill that would take health care away from 23 million people without any public hearings. Go to TrumpcareToolkit.org for everything you need to contact your Senator.
WHAT’S TRENDING
WITCH HUNT. Trump has been on a Twitter tear and this morning he seemed to confirm that he is under investigation, tweeting: “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt.” He also claimed “they” made up collusion between Trump and Russia, attacked Hillary Clinton, and blamed fake news. Reactions like that have unfortunately come to be expected from the president, but they cannot become normal. What may be even more troubling is other administration officials seem to be adopting this message too.
Tax Cuts. As the Senate rushes to finalize their secretive Trumpcare bill and Senate leaders fail to explain the purpose of the bill, a new CAP Action report is here to remind us of the real purpose of Trumpcare: to give tax cuts to the wealthiest few. The report estimates the average tax cut from eliminating the ACA’s Net Investment Income Tax in every state for households earning more than $1 million a year.
Cuba. Today Trump is expected to make an announcement cracking down on U.S.-Cuba relations, undoing what he called President Obama’s “bad deal” and following through on one of his campaign promises. His reason for doing so? Trump says the U.S. should not help regimes with a history of human rights abuses. The problem with that? Trump has made it very clear that human rights and democracy are not a priority for his administration’s foreign policy.
The Apprentice(ships). Yesterday, the Trump Administration announced an executive order aimed at expanding federally funded apprenticeship programs. Ironically, Trump decried the “crippling debt of traditional four-year college degrees” in announcing his plan. But the truth is, this executive order would gut high-quality workforce training. The order would undermine the apprenticeship registration process, a crucial quality assurance mechanism, and open the door to allowing any provider—even sham organizations like Trump University—to develop low-quality programs and call them a Registered Apprenticeship. More on how Trump’s executive order would undermine quality apprenticeships here.
Conflicts. In November 2016 Trump said, “The president can’t have a conflict of interest.” Since then, he has been proving himself wrong almost constantly. A new project from the Center for American Progress maps Trump and his family’s conflicts of interest in 25 countries around the world.
UNDER THE RADAR
Charleston. Tomorrow marks two years since a white supremacist shot and killed nine churchgoers at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. This week has already reminded us of the scourge of gun violence in the United States. But the attack at Emanuel AME is another painful reminder not just of the threat of gun violence in our country, but also of the fact that the U.S. has failed to meaningfully address the policies and rhetoric that create a culture of hate, division, and violence. Today, CAP hosted New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to speak on that very subject. Watch the event here to hear a discussion of the future of a movement for unity and honoring our diversity.
GOOD NEWS
Play Ball! The Congressional baseball game went on last night, a moving show of unity in a year devoid of it. More than 24,000 people showed up to the game, raising more than $1 million for the Capitol Police Memorial Fund. The congressional game has been happening since 1909, and until the Democrats’ victory last night, the sides were tied, each having won 39 games. And in a final show of bipartisanship, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) accepted the trophy on behalf of the Democrats but gave it to his counterpart Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) to put in Rep. Scalise’s office.