Congress must come to a decision on the debt ceiling and the national budget by the end of the year, but according to one lawmaker, the priority has to be the “Dreamers.”
“A clean version of the Dream Act,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat representing NY’s thirteenth district, said on Monday. One that’s “not attached to hiring an additional 15,000 ICE agents to deport the parents of the Dreamers.”
The issue hits close to home for Espaillat. About 800,000 “Dreamers”, undocumented immigrants that travelled to the U.S. when they were children, live in his district, he said.
But their future in the U.S. is now at risk, since President Trump announced plans earlier this year to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The legislation put in place by the Obama administration was meant to give these immigrants amnesty. The rollback has met with criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Espaillat’s issues with Trump go deeper than just immigration though. The Dominican-born congressman is one of six Democrats currently calling Donald Trump to be impeached.
Lead by Rep. Steve Cohen, signees Al Green (D-TX), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), John Yarmuth (D-KY), and Espaillat, presented the five articles of impeachment last week. They argue that Trump has obstructed justice, violated the Constitution’s foreign and domestic emoluments clauses and the freedom of the press, and undermined the federal judiciary.
“We have taken this action because of great concern for our country, our Constitution, our national security, and our democracy,” Cohen said at a press conference.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has discouraged action as severe as impeachment, but Espaillat argues that every person in office has the responsibility to take action in a case like this.
“We should not abdicate our responsibility as congressional members,” he said.
Private citizens are also taking up the cause. Former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, a major donor to the Democratic party, is funding a campaign calling for action against Trump and has reportedly spent $20 million on ads.
“It’s up to all of us to stand up to this president,” one ad says.
According to the website, more than 2.5 million people have already signed a petition for impeachment.
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Shares of Tesla dropped after hours Thursday after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a [lawsuit] (https://www.scribd.com/document/389617044/SEC-vs-MUSK#from_embed) against CEO Elon Musk in federal court, alleging that the billionaire founder committed securities fraud when he tweeted about taking the company private with "funding secured" on Aug. 7. In the complaint, the SEC seeks to bar Musk from being an officer of a public company.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was both furious and emotional in testimony Thursday afternoon in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He emphatically denied the sexual assault accusations against him, which were detailed from the same chair by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford earlier in the day.
"My family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed," Kavanaugh said.
Rep. Nita Lowey played a key role in the Anita Hill hearings in 1991 when then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was accused of sexual harassment. On Thursday, Lowey was present for Christine Blasey Ford's testimony about current nominee Brett Kavanaugh's alleged sexual assault and spoke of the differences between the two eras.
Prof. Christine Blasey Ford spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee about her memories from the night of her alleged assault. She said the memory that has stuck with her the most is the laughter from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge as Kavanaugh was on top of her.
On Thursday morning Prof. Christine Blasey Ford appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify on her alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
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Sonny Perdue, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, said American farmers understand the need for tariffs on Chinese imports, even if they might feel some short-term pain. After President Trump imposed tariffs on China, American farmers began to feel the effects. China is the largest importer of American soybeans and that revenue stream has now been cut off. The federal government pledged $12 billion as temporary relief for farmers affected by Trump's tariffs.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is currently promoting a new housing bill that calls for $450 billion to build and renovate affordable housing over the next 10 years. Warren is suggesting an estate tax on the 10,000 top earners in the U.S. to fund the bill. Warren said it's not about "punishing" people for their economic success, but rather for everyone to pay their fair share and allow middle Americans to accrue wealth through homeownership.
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