There is always too much to address with the Trump administration. To focus on more major topics, let’s leave aside:
Although it already seems distant, the big news was the failure, yet again, of the Republican majority in the Senate to pass legislation decimating Obamacare. The bill would have caused disaster. Still, the Republicans managed to not renew funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. That funding ran out September 30. Hey, if they can’t cut health insurance for adults, they can at least cut health care for kids. Even Utah protested, saying that it would have to end the program as a result. Ironically, it is Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch who is responsible for the reauthorization as chairman of the Finance Committee.
Then there is the ongoing neglected relief effort for Puerto Rico after the hurricane. Of course, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but a lot of them are Latino and speak Spanish, so Trump can’t have them getting hurricane relief efforts as effective as those for Texas and Florida. Puerto Rico lost its power, fresh water, fuel and phone service and its road were made impassable by debris.
After Hurricane Georges in a comparably bad storm in 1998, federal aid came quickly to Puerto Rico. Not so now. After Trump was called out on this, Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke said the relief effort was “a good news story.” The mayor of Puerto Rico’s Capital, San Juan, is Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has been living in a shelter Puerto Rico’s largest city. She was blunt: “Damnit, this is not a good news story.” Trump’s response? Puerto Rican Leaders want “everything to be done for them.” He then blamed the news media for false reporting. The videos and photos from Puerto Rico say otherwise.