“President Trump today signed executive actions to accelerate the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects and to decree that American steel should be used for pipelines built in the United States.
Trump also signed an action to expedite environmental review and approval of high-priority infrastructure projects that he hopes to get moving as part of his drive to rebuild U.S. airports, roads and bridges.
Trump told reporters that “we are going to renegotiate some of the terms” of the Keystone XL project. “And if they like we will see if we can get that pipeline built – a lot of jobs, 28,000 jobs, great construction jobs.”
He said the Dakota pipeline would be “subject to terms and conditions negotiated by us.”
Trump said his order on pipelines “will put a lot of steelworkers back to work.”
“We are very insistent that if we are going to build pipelines in the United States, the pipes should be built in the United States,” he said.”
ha.
double ha.
as if Sgt. Dow Jones at 19,931 isn’t er…a bit of an extend-and-pretend bubble?
3 hrs
As there seems to be a bit of misinformation on Herr T’s EO on ObamaDontCare, here it is: ‘Executive Order Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal’
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. It is the policy of my Administration to seek the prompt repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended (the “Act”). In the meantime, pending such repeal, it is imperative for the executive branch to ensure that the law is being efficiently implemented, take all actions consistent with law to minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens of the Act, and prepare to afford the States more flexibility and control to create a more free and open healthcare market.
Sec. 2. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) and the heads of all other executive departments and agencies (agencies) with authorities and responsibilities under the Act shall exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the Act that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices, products, or medications.
Sec. 3. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Secretary and the heads of all other executive departments and agencies with authorities and responsibilities under the Act, shall exercise all authority and discretion available to them to provide greater flexibility to States and cooperate with them in implementing healthcare programs.
Sec. 4. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the head of each department or agency with responsibilities relating to healthcare or health insurance shall encourage the development of a free and open market in interstate commerce for the offering of healthcare services and health insurance, with the goal of achieving and preserving maximum options for patients and consumers.
Sec. 5. To the extent that carrying out the directives in this order would require revision of regulations issued through notice-and-comment rulemaking, the heads of agencies shall comply with the Administrative Procedure Act and other applicable statutes in considering or promulgating such regulatory revisions.
Sec. 6. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
DONALD J. TRUMP
also, the Sessions and DeVos confirmations will be delayed until Jan. 31, as their are some ‘questions’ about their suitability to serve.
davidly
Greyson Smythe
LeMoyne
juliania2
ohiobarbarian
stephenadavis1
wendyedavis
café babylon 
liberal messiah obama should try out for the nfl cuz he sure kicked a whopper of a punt to the “other team” on DAPL.
anyway, bad, awful, not good, not fun, cold today.
punt-er-riffick! but we knew that earlier, didn’t we? ‘moral cowardice’ once again. wonder if archambaut wishes he’d plowed a space for ‘a new camp’? oh yes, he’s full of righteous indignation. sorry, my cynicism is showing again.
ah, but before he walked out the door, O ‘quietly’ gave $221 million to the palestinian authority that the R congress had blocked. guess it really beggars the imagination that Mr. T plans to move the u.s. embassy to jerusalem. will it be akin to bombing mecca for muslims? what.a.jerk.move.
Thanks, wendye. That fight shall continue. There’s no doubt going to be a real contest; I just hope it has better parameters. As you know I didn’t vote for Trump – I just hope he can be open to and listen to all sides as these inevitable confrontations go forward.
I think, though, that members of my family are already benefiting from changes in the Obamacare penalties, and that’s a huge relief. It may not seem much to anyone with savings, and of course making Medicare universal would be the best course – but to us at least it is a start.
so congress had already erased the mandates? i get sooo many emails about it all that i thought i’d post the plans. the many opinions are the many blind-folded describing the oliphant while touching different parts.
i just didn’t choose ‘a plan’ (“figure it out, fine me if ya want”), and i’ve not heard from the irs. yet.
on edit: i need to go make some dinner. back as i can; fambly calls, too.
A bit off-topic, but in the interest of ‘soul food and freedom music’, I discovered this item over at scoop this morning:
http://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2017/waitangi-day-celebration-2017/auckland/orakei
I post it because in the link to the site you can access a map, and there you’ll find my home place, St. Heliers Bay, just a few coastal twists to the right of Orakei. When I was younger, there was still a maori pa across the road from Orakei beach, and my grandmother took me there one time (she being of part maori blood). There was a palisade somewhat like the ‘coyote fences’ we have here in New Mexico surrounding a small marae and meeting house, which I remember was empty, but we did go inside. And outside a graveyard.
The area became very politically incorrect for many years, as somehow the government – local or otherwise, I really don’t know – decided this flat extension beyond the beach was better used as playing fields for soccer and rugby skirmishes on weekends – so the pa was demolished and nearby maori housing shifted to the overlooking hillsides. There were confrontations perhaps similar to those over the Dakota pipeline, for many years, and I’m sure the tribe still considers the site sacred.
i’ll look at this in the mornin’, juliania; seems the parallel might just suit. but for tonight, the many songs of the northern saw whet owl. yeah, i’m a bird nerd. ;-)
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl/sounds
good night all you princes of maine, you kings of new england. (john irving, ‘cider house rules’)
i really can’t find the map juliania. there was that one google map, sorry to be an idjit again. but you may blink at this trend, if it is, mr. wd suggested i give you: ‘Super-rich American ‘preppers’ buying in New Zealand ready for US doomsday’ at RT. the silo shelters are delightfully ironic, given what’s driving the notion. but as joss would have it, i clicked into my favorite red’s twitter account, and found this (click on it for larger):
My reading of the Obamacare executive order. “Wait for Congress to give you the new law. Don’t stir up a hornet’s nest yet.”
There might be some IRS implications relative to actually collecting the mandatory taxes on people who did not sign up or on how the tax statement that was issued to those who got subsidies plays into their 2016 taxes. Likely those changes will be documented in a new rule and issued sometime in March in time for Tax Day and the beginning of the appropriations cycle in Congress. That gives two months or so for Ryan and McConnell to build a consensus in their caucuses.
how fun; talk about ‘eye of the beholder! what caught my eye were:
“…that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices, products, or medications.”
“greater flexibility to States and cooperate with them in implementing healthcare programs.” (leave it walkerstans?, chips CO, etc.?) “…the development of a free and open market…” i can’t even grasp sections 5 and 6.
guess we’ll see. but the new gag orders will be something to be reckoned with.
on edit, morning 1/25: ‘block grants’ was the term i’ failed to remember, although this only speaks t medicaid block grants. iirc, those were what some R govs declined, again, walker for one, although your memory is an order of magnitude greater than mine. new york times