(DISCLAIMER: This has nothing to do with being in favor or against the current politics! These are just FACTS regarding on the week of the White House)
Here’s what happened in the White House this week.
Monday: President Donald Trump defended his statement on immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and some African countries saying that he was not a racist. While some Republican senators claim that they didn’t hear a particular vulgar word (Newstime will NOT say that word), Most Democrats are still defending what Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin saw and heard. Basically, President Trump said that he doesn’t want help from the Democrats regarding DACA. He still wants more money for the border wall. Senator Durbin still stands by his statement on the meeting last Thursday. President Trump tweeted that “Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting.” (NBC News)
Tuesday: One survey showed that half of the U.S.A Senate supports the reversal of the FCC internet vote, but it still needed a majority vote from the house, and the President’s signature. Robert Mueller subpoenaed Steve Bannon as part of the Russia Investigation. Meanwhile, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen was testified based on last week’s meeting, but she said she was nothing. The Democrats pushed her and that what President Trump said is hurting the nation. As for President Trump, during the meeting with Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev, he had a different tone than last week’s meeting regarding DACA. There was a deal that needed to reached before Friday. If the deal wasn’t reached, there would be a government shutdown. To avoid a shutdown, the Democratic Senate would have to agree with the Republican Senate. 60 votes from the Senate would be needed, while the House would need 261 votes to keep the government open. A checkup on President Trump was he was in excellent shape.
Wednesday: Lawmakers continued to scramble to get a deal done. But some House conservatives were still not convinced on the short term plan. President Trump holds firm on the border wall, and still wants funding for it as part of the “dreamer” plan. Despite President Trump’s clean health, there were two concerns with how he eats (mostly fast food) and his weight (he weighs at 239 lbs [with a BMI of 29.9]) as he is right on the borderline of obesity. Bannon will cooperate with the special counsel, but he refused to answer many questions on the Russia Investigation. In trying to reach the deal, the Republicans pointed the finger to the Democrats for halting the deal. The bipartisan deal lawmakers put out was rejected. Republicans wanted a short-term funding fix, while Democrats wanted funding for “dreamers”. While the White House is working on avoiding the shutdown, Bannon worked out an agreement with Mueller for a voluntary interview.
Thursday: The congressional leaders try again on trying to get a deal with DACA. Many lawmakers however, are still wondering what President Trump wants. He wants $18 billion for the border wall, and end the diversity visa program in exchange for legal status to DACA recipients. While Hope Hicks (who was also part of the Russia Investigation) will testify with Bannon regarding the Russia Investigation. Despite good health, reports say that President Trump was on the verge of risk of a heart attack or stroke, as he headed to Pennsylvania regarding the economy. Congress on the other hand, was split with immigration as the deadline loomed.
Friday: With time running out before the deadline, Senate was at a standstill. The bill renews the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but not on DACA. Republicans however insisted that the immigration issue to be kept separate. Although the House passed the deal, the Senate scrambled. Both Democrats and Republicans continued to blame each other (Democrats blamed for DACA and Republicans blamed for CHIP). Meanwhile in a first, President Trump made history as the first US President to address a “March for Life” rally via satellite.
Saturday: The government failed to make it to the deadline, creating a government shutdown amid President Trump’s one year anniversary of being sworn in as President. Although social security and safety programs are affected, it has caused 850,000 federal workers to be off the job and unpaid, as well as health workers. The President knew that the Democrats would be blamed for this shutdown. This also worried troops and closed a couple of the US landmarks (like the Statue of Liberty). But on flipside “One White House official cast the shutdown as an example of the President’s commitment to tough negotiation, predicting it will pressure Democrats to cave.” (PBS Newshour).
Sunday: During the second day of the Government Shutdown, both the House and Senate are ready to take two on the deal. As the House reconvene despite the so-called “Schumer Shutdown” at 2 pm, the Senate did it at 1 pm with the next vote on 1 am Monday morning.
And that is A Week in the White House from Monday, January 15th, 2018-Sunday, January 21st, 2018
Newstime with Sophia Melki 