LABOR, ECONOMY & THE CLIMATE - page 16

Twelve million Americans could find themselves less secure in their housing situation, if President Trump’s budget is approved by Congress. Proposed cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could see 8 million people lose public housing, while an additional 4 million could see rental subsidies disappear, according to a report published Sunday by The Washington Post. The newspaper, which obtained the information in a “preliminary budget document,” said that overall outlined cuts to HUD would see the agency’s budget erode by $6… Keep Reading

Donald Trump’s top environmental regulator said Thursday that he doesn’t believe carbon dioxide is the main factor changing the planet’s climate. Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt told CNBC that the cause for ongoing warming is still undetermined, when asked if the carbon emissions made up the “primary contributor” to ongoing planetary changes. “I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree… Keep Reading

More legislation rolling back late Obama-era rules headed to President Trump’s desk this week, after they were approved by the Senate. Regulations that would have forced federal contractors to disclose wage and labor law violations going back three years now face the chopping block. So, too, do rules on land-planning that Republicans say would crowd-out the input of local and state governments. A resolution of disapproval on the contractor disclosure rule passed the Senate on Monday, while a similar procedure on the land regulation advanced… Keep Reading

President Trump’s nominee to oversee major regulatory organs at the Department of Justice wasn’t prepared on Tuesday to defend one of his first executive orders on federal rulemaking—the “two-for-one” decree requiring two old regulations to be repealed before a new one is implemented. Rachel Brand, Trump’s pick to be Associate Attorney General, told Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that she wasn’t sure if the Jan. 30 order complies with federal law. “Any regulatory action taken by any agency of the government has to comply with the… Keep Reading

Republicans in Congress introduced the American Health Care Act on Monday, drawing disappointment and disgust from several factions in Washington. Touted as the replacement to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the bill is being panned by Democrats who argue it will result in fewer people covered and higher out-of-pocket costs. More of a concern for Republican leadership, fellow conservatives are also deriding the legislation. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) described the proposal as “Obamacare Lite.” Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) called it “Obamacare 2.0.” The highly influential… Keep Reading

The House of Representatives advanced two bills on Wednesday that would expand presidential influence over the federal rulemaking process. One piece of legislation would subject independent agency draft regulations to White House review—through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Another would create a board, composed of presidential appointees, “to determine if a rule or set of rules should be repealed.” Both proposals advanced roughly along party lines through the Republican-controlled body. No less than a dozen members on both sides crossed the aisle… Keep Reading

An Obama-era rule intended to protect waterways from run-off pollution was put on track for termination by the Trump administration on Tuesday, once again raising the specter that his administration is ridden by conflicts of interest. The “Waters of the United States” rule had long been a target of GOP politicos working at the behest of energy and agricultural interests that would be affected by the regulation. Its repeal was also heavily lobbied for by the golf course industry. The Trump Organization’s holdings include 12… Keep Reading

President Trump’s Secretary of the Interior was confirmed on Wednesday by the Senate. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) was approved by the upper chamber in a 68-31 vote, with 17 members of the Democratic Caucus backing his nomination. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) spoke out against Zinke’s selection before the vote, casting doubt on the Congressman’s prior pledges to oppose the sale of public lands. The Department of the Interior oversees, among other agencies, the country’s National Park Service. “You can’t be a Roosevelt Conservationist, when… Keep Reading

Consumer lending fell dramatically in the two months following President Trump’s election, according to Federal Reserve data published late last week. Overall loans and leases in bank credit fell by 0.7 percent in December and by 0.9 percent in January. The Fed metric grew by 6.3 percent on an annualized rate last year, and it hasn’t contracted on a quarterly basis since 2011. The steep drop in the credit market indicator contrasts starkly with the recent rise in major banks’ stock prices, as the Financial… Keep Reading

The first Trump administration budget proposal will leave Social Security and Medicare benefits untouched, but other major federal programs face deep cuts. When asked about reductions to the two major retirement programs, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday: “Don’t expect to see that as part of this budget.” The administration, however, will be aiming to push for significant reductions in other unspecified “social safety net programs,” according to a report published the same day by The New York Times.  Full details have… Keep Reading

Data released this month by the Census Bureau show that homeownership is increasingly unavailable to Americans, years after the Great Recession. The rate of homeowners in the US fell in 2016 to 63.4 percent from 63.7 percent, marking the lowest it has been since 1967. Prospective buyers, meanwhile, got no relief from the market last year, with the vacancy rate down and the median asking price up at to $167,700–the highest it has been since the post-2008 housing price recovery began in 2011. Though the… Keep Reading