At least Russia is aware of some of the obstacles placed in front of Trump, limiting his ability (in some cases) in instituting reforms.
Russia's detractors in the US Congress are trying to organize something in the likes of an economic blockade through a bill that might not allow US President Donald Trump to ease sanctions against Moscow, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, has warned.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/02/us-congress-cooking-up-economic.html
Russia's detractors in the US Congress are trying to organize something in the likes of an economic blockade through
a bill that might not allow US President Donald Trump to ease sanctions against Moscow, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, has warned.
“Our detractors in Congress are trying with all their strength to destroy any seeds of positivity in Russia-US relations. In January of this year, they introduced a bill providing for the codification of sanctions imposed on Obama’s orders so that Trump will be unable to lift them on his own will. Moreover, it proposes to expand and tighten restrictions, and even attempt via blackmail to force other countries to follow them. This is essentially organizing something in the likes of an economic blockade of Russia,” Ryabkov said in a speech at the State Duma.
“For now this idea is brewing in the apparatus of relevant Congressional committees,” Ryabkova said.
“But,” Russia’s deputy foreign minister continued, “the adoption of such a law cannot be ruled out.
Given the domination of anti-Russian sentiments at the Capitol, American legislators seem capable of overcoming a hypothetical presidential veto. We are not overdramatizing the situation. We understand that Trump and his appointees need time to debug the work of the foreign policy unit and clarify priorities. But we are attentively analyzing, recording, and considering all signals coming from Washington. We will judge things only by deeds.”
Trump Announces 'Victims of Immigration Crime' DHS Program
http://katehon.com/news/trump-announces-victims-immigration-crime-dhs-program
Wednesday, 1 March, 2017 - Trump revealed the creation of VOICE, Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement, during his first speech before the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday night. The new program, which he said will "provide a voice" to families of crime victims, will publish a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants.
Families of people killed by undocumented immigrants have been "ignored by our media," Trump claimed when announcing VOICE.
The list, as The Independent points out, resembles Breitbart's "Black crime" listings, which reports crimes committed by African-Americans. He did not specify whether VOICE will distinguish between crimes committed by documented or undocumented immigrants. The recently-inaugurated president also promised to construct a wall alongside its southern border with Mexico.
But immigration wasn't the only topic Trump covered.
His speech, which began at 9 p.m. Washington D.C. time, also focused on economics, foreign policy, and uniting the divided country.
“I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength," Trump said. “A new era of American greatness is now beginning.”
On economics, Trump promised to cut taxes for business owners while increasing spending on infrastructure. He said he is planning to ask Congress to approve US$1 trillion spending in infrastructure financed through public and private capital. He also said he is going to lower the cost of health insurance.
On foreign policy, Trump reiterated his "unbreakeable" allegiance to Israel while announcing sanctions for those connected with Iran's Islamic Revolution. He also said he strongly supports NATO, but said
“America” must today be friends with “former enemies.”
As for his comments on a "divided America," Trump claimed "we are one people with one destiny" who all salute "the same great American flag."
There have been numerous reports that Hillary and Senator McCain have used foreign aid programs and USAID to help support various terrorist groups, first in Yugoslavia, then in the Middle East (Iraq, Libya, Syria and Ukraine). Trump just cut-off some of their funding and (partner in crime) Sen. Lindsey Graham is having a hissy-fit!
Trump Proposes Cutting State Department Budget By 37%
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-02-28/trump-proposes-cutting-state-department-budget-37
One month ago, a media frenzy broke out after the WaPo reported of mass voluntary resignations at the State Department, to protest the arrival of Rex Tillerson. Shortly after, it was revealed that not only was it not a “mass resignation” (there were only four high level resignation) but it was all procedural, meant to streamline the transition from one administration to the next.
However, the bloodbath at the State Department – for years Hillary Clinton’s kingdom, and populated with many pro-Clinton staffers – may have been merely deferred because as AP reports, the Trump administration is proposing deep cuts in spending for diplomacy and foreign aid programs to help pay for increased military spending.
Officials familiar with the proposal say it calls for slashing more than a third, or 37%, of the State Department and
the U.S. Agency for International Development budgets. Development assistance would take the biggest hit.
In the current fiscal year, the State Department and USAID got $50.1 billion, a little more than 1 percent of the total federal budget. As AP sources add, a 37-percent cut would likely require reductions in staff, including security contractors at diplomatic missions abroad.
As the WSJ adds, people familiar with the deliberations said the Trump administration is examining the growth in spending by the State Department during the Obama administration, including that caused by the addition of special envoys, though they said that would not cover the proposed cuts. One U.S. official said that the State Department is looking at development assistance to other countries as a significant source for the cuts.
Word of the proposed cuts met with swift objections from Republicans and Democrats.
“That is definitely dead on arrival,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) told reporters Tuesday, saying the proposed State Department budget “puts our diplomats at risk.” (Better translated - Can't skim "Million's" from the top - to pad an over sea's personal account.)
Trump is sure to meet similar push back from other US agencies as the threat of money being pulled away becomes all too real.
Video: ‘Show Up. Speak Out’ Anti-Trump Town hall protests allegedly well-orchestrated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTSVmVX5cxM (RT - 3:26 min.)
An audio recording was leaked of activists preparing to attend a Town hall gathering in Louisiana. In the full recording you can hear how protesters plan.
The mainstream media narrative is all about the people versus Trump, the Democrats versus Trump, and even the Republicans versus Trump! But what is scarcely being reported is the Democrats versus the Democrats, or more specifically the Democrats versus Obama’s shadow government. You see, rather than retiring peacefully or giving corporate speeches for his corporate overlords a la Hillary, Obama is continuing to work behind the scenes to undermine the Trump administration; and even the Democrats are getting sick of it.
Democrat Leaders Turn On Obama and His Secret Shadow Government
https://thelastgreatstand.com/2017/02/28/democrat-leaders-turn-on-obama-and-his-secret-shadow-government/
In the following video, Right Wing News looks at the OFA, the community-organizing machinery from the former president’s election campaigns that still exists today. This shadow organization answers directly to Obama and Democrats feel that it is costing them votes. What are the implications when a former president is secretly working to undermine the current, democratically-elected one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evDKGWQ_ZBs (17:11 min.)
WND reports:
Barack sparks civil war within own party
First, the Democrats got clobbered in the election by the Republicans.
Now they’re squaring off against each other in a civil war.
This political Gettysburg pits the Democratic Party base against the Obama machine called Organizing for Action, or OFA, the community-organizing army left over from the former president’s election campaigns.
How bitter is the battle? Two Democratic operatives recently called OFA “The Devil.”
When former President Obama issued a call to arms to his OFA troops in order to protect his legacy, particularly Obamacare, Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, wrote in a private email to fellow party leaders, “This is some GRADE A Bulls–t right here.”
He added, “It also to me seems TONE DEAF—we have lost over 1,000 seats in the past 8 years … all because of this crap.”
The email was obtained and then published Friday by the Daily Beast, which reported: “It is difficult to overstate just how enraged state Democratic activists and leaders are with Organizing for Action.”
How powerful is OFA?
Just a week ago, WND’s former Washington bureau chief Paul Sperry portrayed OFA in the New York Post as an army “gearing up for battle, with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country” manned by 32,525 volunteers nationwide, run by old Obama aides and campaign workers armed with his 2012 campaign database.
Sperry called it
Obama’s “army of agitators — numbering more than 30,000 — who will fight his Republican successor at every turn of his historic presidency. And Obama will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House.”
Sperry warned Obama would be “working behind the scenes to set up what will effectively be a shadow government to not only protect his threatened legacy, but to sabotage the incoming administration,” and that “it’s drawing battle lines on immigration, Obamacare, race relations and climate change.”
