Greene County Democrat

Tag: President Trump

  • Newswire : Rep. Terri Sewell leads 54 Democrats asking for answers on Argentina $20 Billion bailout

    Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D AL-7)

    By Alabama Political Reporter

    Democrats questioned the Treasury secretary about the Trump administration’s $20 billion bailout of Argentina, citing concerns about election influence and farmer impact.

    Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Ranking Member Terri A. Sewell, D-Alabama; Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez, D-California; and 54 of their Democratic colleagues Monday called on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide answers regarding the Trump administration’s $20 billion bailout of Argentina.

    The members expressed concerns that the bailout is an inappropriate use of U.S. taxpayer funds to influence Argentina’s upcoming election in favor of President Trump’s political ally, Argentine President Javier Milei. They also highlighted the bailout’s impact on American farmers, particularly soybean producers, and a potential conflict of interest involving a close associate of the Trump administration who stands to financially benefit from the arrangement. President Trump also suggested Monday that the U.S. government would purchase beef from Argentina.

    “President Trump and his administration is once again selling out the American people to help his wealthy friends and political allies,” said Ranking Member Sewell. “Billions of Americans’ taxpayer dollars are being sent to support the political prospects of Argentine President Javier Milei while President Trump continues to try to strip away healthcare from millions of working families in the U.S. The American people deserve answers.”

    The members wrote in part, “President Trump has explicitly conditioned the bailout on the electoral success in this month’s elections of President Milei’s party. The U.S. Treasury’s authorities to address international financial crises, which are meant for situations that present a genuine U.S. national interest, should not be used to influence elections abroad. In this regard, President Trump has not only conditioned the loan on President Milei’s electoral prospects, but he has also noted that the United States will not benefit from the bailout.

    The members continued, “Due to the Trump Administration’s failed trade policy, China purchased almost no American soybeans from May to August of this year. As American farmers struggle, Brazil has set records in its soybean exports to China and Argentina is following suit after capitalizing on the Trump administration’s promise of a bailout. American farmers need relief. American farmers need restored market access.”

    Full text of the letter is available on Rep. Sewell’s website

     

  • Newswire : Israel and Iran! will there be U.S. involvement?

    Israeli and Iranian flags

    By April Ryan, NNPA White House Correspondent

    President Trump has not conferred with Congress on his plans regarding possible next moves in the Israel-Iran conflict. Meanwhile, Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has introduced a bill narrowing President Trump’s war powers as the Middle East strikes escalate.
    Yesterday, the 47th president cut short his trip to Canada for the G-7 Summit, blaming the Middle East warring for his abbreviated appearance. The president also convened his national security team to meet in the Situation Room at the White House and told those who lived in Tehran to evacuate immediately. There are videos on social media showing the long car lines leaving the city as strikes between Israel and Iran continue.
    Black Press USA reached a White House senior staffer who said they could not discuss this national security issue. However, this morning, the White House issued this release stating:
    President Trump Has Always Been Clear: Iran Cannot Have a Nuclear Weapon

    President Donald J. Trump has never wavered in his stance that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon — a pledge he has made repeatedly, both in office and on the campaign trail. Within the email statement to the press, the White House cites a long list of stories to support his statement.

    Since taking office, President Trump has clearly stated no fewer than 15 times that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon:

    “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple — you don’t have to go to too deep into it. They just can’t have a nuclear weapon.” (6/17/25)
    “I want to see no nuclear weapon in Iran, and we’re well on our way to making sure that happens.” (6/16/25)
    “You can’t have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon.” (6/14/25)
    “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. Very simple. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. We’re not going to allow that.” (6/11/25)

    Black Press USA will continue to update you on the situation.

  • Newswire : Congressional Black Caucus sounds alarm to protect SNAP benefits

    CBC members hold press conference on Capitol steps to counter SNAP cuts

    By Lauren Burke, NNPA Newswire
    During a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on March 25, members of the Congressional Black Caucus spoke out with concern about budgetary threats to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). CBC Chair Yvette Clarke spoke of “grave concerns” about the “Republican scheme to cut billions of dollars to cut SNAP benefits that help millions of American families.”
    “Twenty percent of Black households have faced food insecurity compared to 7 percent of their white counterparts. Forty-two percent of all SNAP recipients are children. In fact, 4 in 5 SNAP households include a child, an elder, or an individual with a disability,” the CBC Chair added. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as the Food Stamp Program began during the Great Depression but has changed significantly over time. In 2008, the Food Stamp Program was renamed SNAP. The 1980s saw budget cuts and stricter eligibility requirements under President Ronald Reagan. In the 1990s, a welfare reform push under President Bill Clinton led to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. That legislation mandated work requirements and restrictions on certain groups such as non-citizens.
    Today with a push towards billions in cuts by President Trump and continuous talk of cuts to social programs by Elon Musk, Republicans in the U.S. House have been positioning to cut programs to free the budget up for a tax cut focused on the top 1 percent in the U.S. “It is outrageous that Republicans have spent all their time working to dismantle the social safety net including SNAP,” Rep. Clarke said outside of the Capitol today. “SNAP is not a handout, it is a lifeline,” she added.
    One of the lead members of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA). “SNAP’s effects go beyond just the people in need — it’s also the farmers and the businesses that provide the food,” Rep. Bishop said standing in front of ten of his colleagues as tourists and school groups listened nearby. If there are big cuts to SNAP, “over 285,000 jobs would be at risk” Rep. Bishop pointed out. “Real people are going to be hurt if the $230 billion in SNAP cuts are forced upon the American people,”
    Rep. Bishop added. In 2023, approximately 36.8 million people in the U.S. were living in poverty, representing an official poverty rate of 11.1%. This figure reflects a slight decrease from the previous year’s rate of 11.5%, equating to about 37.9 million individuals in poverty in 2022.

  • Newswire: Supreme Court upholds Obamacare

    Supreme Court

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Supreme Court In a significant victory for the Biden-Harris administration and Americans who depend on affordable health care, the Supreme Court rejected the latest challenge to President Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. The challenge stemmed from whether the individual mandate could be cut from the rest of the law or whether the justices should strike down the entire law. Former President Trump made it his mission to get rid of the law, which has provided millions of Americans with access to affordable health care, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. The court ruled 7-2, with Justice Stephen Breyer writing for the majority, striking down a lower court ruling and determining that the plaintiffs — Texas and 17 other GOP-led states — did not show that they have the standing to bring the initial suits. “We conclude that the plaintiffs in this suit failed to show a concrete, particularized injury fairly traceable to the defendants’ conduct in enforcing the specific statutory provision they attack as unconstitutional,” wrote Justice Breyer. “They have failed to show that they have the standing to attack as unconstitutional the Act’s minimum essential coverage provision. Therefore, we reverse the Fifth Circuit’s judgment in respect to standing, vacate the judgment, and remand the case with instructions to dismiss,” the Justice continued. “We do not reach these questions of the Act’s validity … for Texas and the other plaintiffs in this suit lack the standing necessary to raise them. Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented. Reportedly, 31 million Americans have health coverage connected to the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare. Also, a guarantee of access to continuous insurance coverage is protected for more than 54 million people with preexisting conditions because of the health care law’s provisions that prevent insurance companies from canceling or refusing to establish policies because of pre-existing conditions.

  • Newswire: Trump vows complete end of Obamacare law despite pandemic

    By Devlin Barrett, The Washington Post
    President Trump said last Wednesday he will continue trying to toss out all of the Affordable Care Act, even as some in his administration, including Attorney General William P. Barr, have privately argued parts of the law should be preserved amid a pandemic.
    “We want to terminate health care under Obamacare,” Trump told reporters Wednesday, the last day for his administration to change its position in a Supreme Court case challenging the law. “Obamacare, we run it really well. . . . But running it great, it’s still lousy health care.”
    While the president has said he will preserve some of the Affordable Care Act’s most popular provisions, including guaranteed coverage for preexisting medical conditions, he has not offered a plan to do so, and his administration’s legal position seeks to end all parts of the law, including those provisions.
    Democrats, who view the fight over the Affordable Care Act as a winning election issue for them, denounced the president’s decision.
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement that “the President’s insistence on doubling down on his senseless and cruel argument in court to destroy the ACA and every last one of its benefits and protections is unconscionable, particularly in the middle of a pandemic.”
    Trump’s declaration caps months of debate within his administration about the best course of action, in which the stakes have only become greater now that the nation’s health-care system is struggling to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 80,000 Americans.
    On Monday, Barr attended a meeting of senior officials in which he argued the administration should temper its opposition to Obamacare, leaving some parts of the law intact, according to people familiar with the discussion, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the conversation was private.
    The case before the court was brought by a group of Republican states, and as part of that case, the Trump administration is seeking to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act, which passed in 2010 and became one of President Barack Obama’s most significant legislative victories.
    Barr and others in the administration have argued that killing Obamacare completely could be politically damaging to Republicans in an election year, particularly when there is a national health crisis. In two previous case, the Supreme Court upheld the law, but if the high court were to strike it down, millions of people could find themselves without affordable health care.
    The high court plans to hear arguments in the case later this year, and a decision may not come until 2021, well after the November election.
    The latest ACA suit was organized by Republican attorneys general in Texas and other states. When the Trump administration declined to defend the law, a coalition of Democratic-led states entered.
    The case began after the Republican-led Congress in 2017, unable to secure the votes to abolish the law, reduced to zero the penalty for a person not buying health insurance. Lawyers for the state of Texas argued that in doing so, Congress had removed the essential tax element that the Supreme Court had previously ruled made the program constitutional.
    A district judge in Texas agreed and said the entire law must fall. Eventually the Trump administration agreed with that assessment.

  • Newswire : Kamala Harris: Will McConnell let the Senate hold a fair impeachment trial?

    By Kamala D. Harris, U.S. Senator (D-CA)

    December 18 — Today the House of Representatives will vote on whether to impeach President Trump. If it votes yes, sometime early in the new year I will take an oath on the Senate floor to uphold the Constitution, review evidence and follow the facts wherever they lead, regardless of party or ideology. Every one of my colleagues will be required to do the same.
    As a former prosecutor, I understand the importance of holding powerful people accountable. I know that every trial requires fairness and truth. Having worked my whole life serving the people, I know that any trial that abandons the pursuit of truth cannot be considered fair or just.
    But the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, appears more interested in covering up the president’s misconduct than in pursuing truth and fairness. He is already trying to limit the impeachment trial by preventing witnesses from testifying, and he has all but announced a verdict. In doing so, he showed the American people that he has no intention of honoring his oath.
    Let’s be clear: Mr. McConnell doesn’t want a Senate trial. He wants a Senate cover-up.
    Fortunately, Mr. McConnell does not have the power to unilaterally undermine this trial. Every single senator will be empowered with an equal vote on how the trial will proceed. Though in just the past year, Mr. McConnell has used his position to unilaterally block legislation to restore the Voting Rights Act, lower the prices of prescription drugs and address the gun violence epidemic, he cannot wield the same authority in a Senate impeachment trial.
    In this trial, senators will be far more than jurors. Every one of us will vote to determine the rules for the trial, decide which witnesses testify and ultimately serve as both court and jury. Each of us will be called on to uphold our oath with every decision we make. We will all be held accountable by the American people if we refuse to discover the facts relevant to the articles of impeachment.
    The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, has made a reasonable request to hear from four additional witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the president’s misconduct and to review documents that shed light on why the administration initially decided to cut off military aid to Ukraine.
    We need to hear from Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, who admitted to Mr. Trump’s bribery scheme on live television, and from the former national security adviser, John Bolton, who has been shopping stories about Mr. Trump to book publishers instead of speaking with Congress. Every senator should want to hear from anyone who can speak directly to the president’s misconduct related to the articles of impeachment.
    Even Richard Nixon allowed the key figures behind the Watergate scandal to speak to Congress, and he eventually turned over incriminating portions of his Oval Office recordings to investigators. But Mr. Trump has stonewalled Congress and inhibited our ability to seek justice by demanding that those closest to the center of the Ukraine scandal stay silent.
    Senators must be allowed to subpoena relevant witnesses and submit questions to them directly. The Senate should not vote on any article of impeachment or consider a motion to dismiss the trial until we have reviewed the additional testimony and evidence that Mr. Schumer has requested.
    I have never been in a courtroom where the accused can unilaterally block witnesses from testifying or prohibit prosecutors from asking witnesses questions. No court would allow a trial to proceed this way, and neither should any member of the Senate.
    Ensuring the integrity of this trial is a solemn responsibility for every senator, with consequences that extend far beyond any one presidency. My colleagues and I have a duty to use our voice and our vote to insist on a fair trial, rooted in the pursuit of truth. We must demonstrate to the American people that in our system of justice all are equal under law, and that there are not two sets of rules, one for Donald Trump and another for everybody else. We must conduct the Senate impeachment trial in a way that is fair and that reflects impartial justice.
    History will judge the actions taken by the United States Senate at a time when our Constitution and the rule of law were at stake. I’ll be fighting for justice and accountability, and my colleagues should too.
    Kamala D. Harris is a Democratic senator from California. The above article was originally published as a letter to the editor by The New York Times. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. The article is reproduced here by request.

  • Newswire : 85 percent of Blacks want Trump Impeached

    57 Percent of Latinos Agree in Poll, Only 41 Percent of Whites
    By Richard Prince

    U. S. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was the first member of Congress
    to publically state on May 17,2017 that President Trump should be impeached.


    Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Journal-isms
    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Eighty-five percent of African-Americans say President Trump should be impeached, the highest of any ethnic group, according to the latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll.
    Fifty-seven percent of Hispanics feel the same way, the poll shows.
    However, only 41 percent of Whites do, according to the survey, meaning that the common conclusion that the country is evenly divided on the impeachment issue is possible only because of the intense anti-Trump feeling among people of color.
    “A year out from the 2020 election, we don’t have 2020 vision, but the general dynamics of the race are coming into focus: a sitting president below 50 percent, who receives credit on the economy,
    speaks his mind for better or worse, but who most Americans do not trust and who is facing an impeachment inquiry that a majority of Americans support,” a summary of the poll said. “Taken together, these suggest a tough road ahead for Donald Trump. . . .”
    Jeff Horwitt, a senior vice president at Hart Research and Associates, which conducted the survey for the two news organizations, told Journal-isms that the sample sizes for Asian Americans and Native Americans were too small to be valid.
    He gave the racial breakdown as follows: Impeach/Not impeach
    • White – 41 percent/54 percent
    • African-American – 85 percent/9 percent
    • Hispanic – 57 percent/40 percent
    •
    “The raw number of interviews among all adults are 117 African Americans and 99 Hispanics,” Horwitt messaged.
    The poll was conducted from Oct. 27 to 30, among 900 adults of all races, with additional interviews to get to 414 interviews among Democratic primary voters, the survey takers said.
    The results for Blacks and Latinos clearly contradict Trump’s frequent boasts that people of color support him.
    Trump made a typical claim in July when he insulted the majority-Black city of Baltimore. “What I’ve done for African Americans, no president, I would say, has done. Now, I’ll say this: they are so happy, because I get the calls,” he told reporters as he left for a speech in Virginia that was boycotted by Black state lawmakers, as Daniel Dale reported July 30 for CNN. “They are so happy at what I’ve been able to do in Baltimore and other Democratic-run, corrupt
    cities.”
    Trump continued later: “The African-American people have been calling the White House. They have never been so happy [at] what a president has done. Not only the lowest unemployment in history for African-Americans, not only opportunity zones for, really, the biggest beneficiary the inner city, and not only criminal justice reform. But they’re so happy that I pointed out the corrupt politics of Baltimore. It’s filthy dirty. It’s so horrible. And they are happy as hell.”
    At a rally in New Mexico in September, Trump claimed, “We are working night and day to deliver a future of limitless opportunities for our nation’s Hispanic-American citizens. . . . Nobody loves the Hispanics more. We love our Hispanics, get out and vote,” Bess Levin reported Sept. 17 for Vanity Fair.
    Trump also said, “At the center of America’s drug crisis, this is where the Hispanics know it better than anybody. People said, ‘Oh, the Hispanics won’t like a wall.’ I said, ‘I think they are going to love it.’ You know why? Because you understand it better than other people, but at the whole center of this crisis is the drugs that are pouring in, and you understand that when other people don’t understand it.’ . . . .”

  • Newswire : Obama calls for gun control: ‘We are not helpless’ to stop attacks

    CASEY DARNELL, Yahoo News

    Former President Barack Obama

    Former President Barack Obama called for stricter gun control laws in a Monday statement after two mass shootings over the weekend left more than 30 people dead in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
    “We are not helpless here,” Obama said in a statement posted on Twitter. “And until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening.”
    Obama said the El Paso shooting followed a “dangerous trend” of violence motivated by racist ideologies. He compared white supremacist websites to terrorist groups like ISIS and called on law enforcement and internet platforms to reduce the influence of hate groups.
    The El Paso shooting is being investigated as a possible hate crime after an anti-immigrant “manifesto” posted online was connected to the alleged gunman. Posts on 8chan, an online messaging board used by right-wing extremists, have also been connected to the alleged gunman. Law enforcement officials said on Saturday that the suspect told them he wanted to shoot as many Mexicans as possible.
    Obama also called on Americans to “soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments.” He didn’t specify which leaders he was talking about. President Trump is known for anti-immigrant rhetoric, repeatedly referring to a migrant caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border as an “invasion.”
    Obama noted that hateful rhetoric and language that demonizes others isn’t new but has been at the “root of most human tragedy.”
    “It has no place in our politics and our public life,” he wrote. “And it’s time for the overwhelming majority of Americans of goodwill, of every race and faith and political party, to say as much — clearly and unequivocally.”
    Obama also called on Americans to “soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments.” He didn’t specify which leaders he was talking about. President Trump is known for anti-immigrant rhetoric, repeatedly referring to a migrant caravan at the U.S.-Mexico border as an “invasion.”
    Obama noted that hateful rhetoric and language that demonizes others isn’t new but has been at the “root of most human tragedy.”
    “It has no place in our politics and our public life,” he wrote. “And it’s time for the overwhelming majority of Americans of goodwill, of every race and faith and political party, to say as much — clearly and unequivocally.”
    Trump delivered remarks at the White House on Monday morning, condemning the attacks as “evil” and “wicked.” While he cited “racist hate” in the manifesto, he blamed the shootings on mental illness, violent video games and the internet.
    “We must recognize that the internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts,“ Trump said. “We must shine light on the dark recesses of the internet and stop mass murders before they start.”

  • Newswire : CBC Chair Karen Bass responds to Trump’s new offer to reopen the government

    Rep. Karen Bass
    WASHINGTON – Sunday, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), issued the following statement after President Trump announced a new offer in exchange for $5.7 billion for a border wall.
    “The President’s proposal is yet another example of his willingness to use the well-being of Black and brown communities as a political pawn. DACA recipients deserve a permanent solution and Black Americans, who are disproportionately impacted by this shutdown, need to have the government immediately reopened.
    “There are federal workers without paychecks, businesses unable to provide services for the government, and millions of families that depend on food stamps that don’t know when they’ll be able to afford their next grocery trip. That’s the crisis this shutdown has caused. The President could end it if he wanted to but unfortunately, today, he made it clear that he doesn’t.”

  • Newswire:  U.S. Senate’s only Black Republican blocks Tom Farr from becoming a Federal judge

     By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

    Senator Tim Scott

    On November 29, the U.S. Senate’s only African American Republican Senator, Tim Scott, announced he would oppose the nomination of Thomas Farr to a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Scott’s blockbuster decision ended the chance of Farr’s nomination being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Scott cited, “lingering concerns” on “issues that could affect [Farr’s] decision-making process as a federal judge.” “This week, a Department of Justice memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr’s activities. This, in turn, created more concerns. Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr’s nomination,” said Scott. The decision marked the second time Scott has blocked a Trump nominee to the federal bench. “Thomas Farr was the most polarizing, dangerous and biased nominee that we have seen put forth by President Trump. We applaud Senator Tim Scott for exercising independence in the examination of Farr’s disturbing record; a record influenced by the modern white supremacist machine that former North Carolina senator Jesse Helms pioneered, and one that demonstrated bias and a commitment to defending voter suppression efforts at every turn,” stated Kristen Clarke, President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Farr was the primary coordinator of the 1984 ‘ballot security’ program conducted by the 1984 Helms for Senate Committee. He coordinated several ‘ballot security’ activities in 1984, including a postcard mailing to voters in predominantly black precincts which was designed to serve as a basis to challenge voters on election day. Footnote 7, DOJ Memo, June 19, 1991. This revelation is singularly disqualifying,” wrote NAACP President Derrick Johnson. Sen. Scott’s decision was a dramatic one. A day before on November 28, he was nowhere to be found shortly before a vote to continue debate on the Farr nomination. Other Senators, as well as reporters, searched for Scott near the Senate floor before that procedural vote. Many assumed his support of moving the debate to a final vote meant he would support Farr’s nomination. That assumption was incorrect. Sen. Scott was joined by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in wondering out loud about whether Farr should be on the federal bench. But Sen. Scott was the only one to announce he would vote against Farr on the floor.