GOP Ducking Town Halls
House Republicans, afraid of health care backlash, skipping town halls. USA Today: "Reps. Leonard Lance of New Jersey and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania appear to be the only swing-district Republicans who voted for their party’s bill to replace Obamacare who will directly face constituents over the April recess ... The lack of town hall meetings in key swing districts during a spring break that lasts until April 23 underscores the party’s precarious political position on health care and peaking civic activism by progressives."
HHS signals surrender on ACA subsidy payments. NYT: "The Trump administration says it is willing to continue paying subsidies to health insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act even though House Republicans say the payments are illegal because Congress never authorized them. The statement sends a small but potentially significant signal to insurers, encouraging them to stay in the market ... the Department of Health and Human Services sent a written statement on Monday: 'The precedent is that while the lawsuit is being litigated, the cost-sharing subsidies will be funded. It would be fair for you to report that there has been no policy change in the current administration.'"
What's Brewing In Kansas
Democrats eye upset in Kansas' 4th congressional district today. NBC: "...since Thursday, the National Republican Congressional Committee has poured cash into a last minute TV ad buy against Democrat James Thompson ... [Republican Ron] Estes should still be the favorite in this typically ruby-red district, but in a low-turnout election with a fired-up Democratic base and a demoralized Republican one, a close race or even a Thompson win is certainly possible. Even a single-digit loss for Democrats here would be a huge coup for the party ... Polls close at 7 p.m. CT."
"Does Kansas Special Election Signal Trouble for GOP? asks Real Clear Politics' Sean Trende: "...Wichita itself has real Democratic strength ... Kansas has a de facto three-party system, with Democrats squaring off against Republicans in the progressive tradition as well as movement conservatives. The governor, Sam Brownback, is the first movement conservative governor in quite some time [and] has seen his popularity plummet in the state, so the fact that one of his Cabinet members, Treasury Secretary Ron Estes, is the Republican nominee ... is not a great sign."
Here Comes The Wall
Border wall prototypes to be built in San Diego. San-Diego Union-Tribune: "...Trump’s proposed wall with Mexico will kick off in the San Diego border community of Otay Mesa, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed Monday ... 20 chosen bidders will erect prototypes of the envisioned wall. Winners will be selected around June 1 ... Construction of the models, which will likely take place in June, may attract protesters, but law enforcement officials said they were committed to supporting 1st Amendment rights."
Travel ban appeal to be heard next month. Politico: "The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will conduct an en banc hearing May 8 in Richmond on the federal government’s appeal of a Maryland-based judge’s ruling blocking Trump’s ban ... The 4th Circuit’s active bench has nine Democratic appointees, five Republican appointees and one judge who was nominated to the court by both a Democratic president and a Republican one ... The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has expedited that appeal by the Trump administration, scheduling a three-judge panel to hear the issues in that case on May 15."
Trump's Agenda Still Stuck
Trump off to bad start on infrastructure. Politico: "Trump’s plan, expected to be released as early as May, has already faced months of skepticism from some conservative deficit hawks — even though it’s likely to call for far less direct federal spending than its eye-popping price tag implies. Meanwhile, Democrats are crying foul at suggestions that the blueprint will include hefty tax breaks for private investors and a shredding of permit requirements ... no easy answers exist on where Congress would find [the] money ... which most likely depend on Congress' ability to craft a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the tax code ... Another potential obstacle to Trump’s infrastructure plan is his crackdown on illegal immigration ... Trump has vowed to cut off federal grants to local governments that won’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities."
New York-area Senate Democrats demand local infrastructure investment in NYT oped: "...if we don’t act soon to repair the two tunnels under the Hudson River, that same reduction in service our region experienced last week will become a permanent reality ... President Trump proposed slashing the two funding sources — federal transit dollars and Amtrak — that are the key to building Gateway and the new tunnel ... despite the president’s campaign rhetoric and his continued promise to deliver major infrastructure investments, to date the administration has gone the opposite direction and proposed major cuts in infrastructure spending."
Tax reform is "Rubik's Cube" says NYT's Neil Irwin: "Congress and the Trump administration will solve tax reform only by navigating difficult trade-offs. Think of these trade-offs as the six sides of a Rubik’s cube, each of which needs to match up perfectly — but each of which can foul up the others."
"Trump Administration Halts Reports on Immigration Cooperation" reports NYT: "The Trump administration will temporarily stop publication of a weekly report spotlighting cities and counties that fail to cooperate with federal immigration officials ... after several jurisdictions questioned the accuracy of the data. The report, required by an executive order signed by President Trump in January, shows localities that decline requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials ..."
Trump May Move On Trade
Executive order on trade may come soon. Reuters: "U.S. President Donald Trump is considering an executive order to launch a trade investigation that could lead to supplemental duties in certain product categories ... The new order, if issued, would seek to determine whether U.S. trade deficits for those product lines are the result of dumping of imported products below cost and unfair subsidies by foreign governments ... That could eventually lead to additional import duties, but any decisions on such punishments would depend on the probe's findings, not 'pre-determined conclusions,' said [a WH] official..."
Trump tweets at China: "I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!"
W. Post's Josh Rogin responds: "So we're trading jobs now for North Korean nuclear concessions? Or am I taking the President too literally again?"
Breakfast Sides
Private school vouchers for disabled children come with a catch. NYT: "The government is still footing the bill, but when students use vouchers to get into private school, they lose most of the protections of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ... Depending on the voucher program, the rights being waived can include the right to a free education; the right to the same level of special-education services that a child would be eligible for in a public school; the right to a state-certified or college-educated teacher; and the right to a hearing to dispute disciplinary action against a child."
Fed chief backs Dodd-Frank. NYT: "Janet L. Yellen, the Federal Reserve chairwoman [made] a strong case for the financial regulations enacted by Congress in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act ... She cited changes that she said had increased the strength of the financial system, including requiring banks to raise more money from investors and subjecting large banks to annual stress tests ... 'I don’t think if you look at objective data on lending, that it’s possible to make the case that regulation has simply stifled lending,' Ms. Yellen said."
