E Knows Stuff About

E Knows Stuff About: Trump's Record On Black Americans

2020-07-20T23:06:00.001-04:00

E Knows Stuff About: Trump's Record On Black Americans: Despite the socialist Democrats’ campaign to obstruct Mr. Trump’s economic agenda, the President has kept his core promise to our community....

E Knows Stuff About: Black Inventors That Built AMERICA

2020-07-20T23:05:00.003-04:00

E Knows Stuff About: Black Inventors That Built AMERICA: The following pages represent a unique and rare collection of African-American inventors and their inventions dating from 1845-1980. This li...

E Knows Stuff About: Malik Ambar: African King in the Heart of India

2020-07-20T23:05:00.001-04:00

E Knows Stuff About: Malik Ambar: African King in the Heart of India

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blkinvlist.pdf

2020-06-28T20:24:00.001-04:00

HERE'S A LIST OF ALL THE BLACK INVENTORS WHO WERE NEVER TAUGHT IN SCHOOL

CLICK LINK BELOW

blkinvlist.pdf

Black Inventors That Built AMERICA

2020-06-28T20:02:00.002-04:00

The following pages represent a unique and rare collection of African-American inventors and their inventions dating from 1845-1980. This list originates almost entirely (with some exceptions) from the rare list compiled by Mr. Henry Baker in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Mr. Baker was an African-American who worked for the U.S. Patent Office during these early years. During this time African-Americans had little to no rights which obviously made entering into contractual and legal agreements very difficult if not impossible. More than enough laws prevented early African-Americans from participating in most legal processes; especially those of contest against white persons concerning ownership, claims, patent infringement, etc. Many African-American inventors lost or never gained legal rights to their inventions and those who were fortunate enough to obtain invention patents for example, were seldom recognized. Many slaves who were inventors automatically lost rights to their inventions to their slave master. Henry Baker took it upon himself to make sure that African-Americans who were awarded patents by the United States Government would be “unofficially” documented. This was a very unique and important decision since the U. S. Patent office has never recorded culture or racial identity on patent applications. To accomplish this Henry Baker made a mark (only recognizable by him) on the forms of known African-American inventors who had submitted patents to the Patent Office. Using these marked forms he compiled one of the most important records in African-American history. These documents have become known as “The Henry Baker Papers.” Without them we would never have known the magnitude of the African-American contribution to society and the world.

Thank you Mr. Henry Baker. The list that follows is alphabetized by the inventor’s name.

For more information on African-American inventions and inventors visit us at: http://www.Smith-Lenoir.com Smith-Lenoir Graphic Creations 615-360-7356 Reggie Smith

CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST

Trump signs bill restoring funding for black colleges

2020-06-27T02:15:00.001-04:00

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a bipartisan bill that will permanently provide more than $250 million a year to the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, along with dozens of other institutions that serve large shares of minority students.

In signing the bill, Trump said historically black schools have “never had better champions in the White House.”

“When I took office, I promised to fight for HBCUs, and my administration continues to deliver,” Trump said. “A few months ago, funding for HBCUs was in jeopardy. But the White House and Congress came together and reached a historic agreement.”

Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, thanked Trump and the thousands of advocates who lobbied Congress to support the bill.

“We enlisted more than 20,000 supporters to write and call their members of Congress,” Lomax said. “This activated army of advocates became the frontline of support for HBCUs, and they won the battle for our institutions.”

The bill restores $255 million in annual funding that lapsed Sept. 30 after Congress failed to renew it. Facing an end to the funding, some schools had started planning for deep cuts, with some telling staff their jobs or programs would be eliminated.

But lawmakers in the Senate recently reached a bipartisan deal that saved the funding. Their compromise added an amendment that will simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, the form that college students fill out to determine their eligibility for financial aid.

The legislation will allow the Education Department to gather certain information directly from the IRS, which will eliminate up to 22 of the 108 questions on the form. It’s also meant to curb a verification process some families face to make sure they provided the same information to the IRS and to the Education Department.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate’s education committee, called the legislation a “Christmas present for college students and their families.”

“This bipartisan provision stops families from having to give their same tax information to the federal government twice — first to the IRS, then again to the U.S. Department of Education,” Alexander said. “It should eliminate most of the so-called ‘verification’ process, which is a bureaucratic nightmare that 5.5 million students go through annually.”

The legislation, known as the Future Act, also drew praise from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who called it a “historic bill” that reflects the administration’s commitment to students.

https://apnews.com/c4834e48841d97c5a93312b1bf75302a

Opportunity Zones

2020-06-27T02:11:00.002-04:00

LIST OF DESIGNATED QUALIFIED OPPORTUNITY ZONES Following is the complete list of all population census tracts that the Secretary designated as Zones for purposes of §§ 1400Z–1 and 1400Z–2. The Internal Revenue Service will be governed by this list in administering § 1400Z–2.

An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where private investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for capital gain tax incentives.

Opportunity Zones were created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on December 22, 2017, to stimulate economic development and job creation, by incentivizing long- term investments in low-income neighborhoods.

There are more than 8,760 designated Qualified Opportunity Zones (PDF) located in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five United States territories. Investors can defer tax on any prior gains invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) until the earlier of the date on which the investment in a QOF is sold or exchanged or until December 31, 2026.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST

Trump's Record On Black Americans

2020-06-27T02:03:00.002-04:00

Despite the socialist Democrats’ campaign to obstruct Mr. Trump’s economic agenda, the President has kept his core promise to our community. By eliminating job-killing regulations and cutting taxes for the middle class, he has given millions of African-Americans a chance to thrive in a strong and growing economy.

Since Mr. Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. economy has created a whopping 1,017,000 jobs for African-Americans, including many here in Ohio. Today, the national black unemployment rate is at an all-time low of 5.5 percent. Unemployment for black women is even lower, at just 4.4 percent. More importantly, the overall black-white employment gap is smaller than ever. It is great to see so many African-American men and women back in the work force.

In addition, President Trump’s “Opportunity Zones” initiative is spurring even more growth in underdeveloped communities nationwide. Through targeted tax incentives, the initiative is projected to generate about $100 billion of private investment in communities that need it most.

That focus on expanding economic opportunity for minorities has been a major priority for the Trump Administration. That’s why Mr. Trump was so committed to reforming the criminal justice system. By eliminating the sentencing disparities caused by the horrendous Clinton-era crime bill, which disproportionately affected African-Americans, Mr. Trump is giving thousands of unfairly sentenced black inmates a second chance at the American Dream.

The FIRST STEP Act included significant reforms to address recidivism, such as helping prisons improve their rehabilitation programs and allowing nonviolent inmates earn early-release credits for good behavior more easily. Thanks to this legislation, nonviolent inmates now will be equipped with the professional and social skills they need to become productive members of society after their release.

The President understands that the foundation of economic success is a quality education. That’s why he signed a $360 million grant to help historically black colleges and universities last year — the most that any president has ever appropriated for HBCUs, including America’s first black president, Barack Obama.

The facts are undeniable. I’m excited to spread the word as part of the Black Voices for Trump coalition. Mr. Trump has empowered African-Americans by his economic and social reforms that have generated upward mobility in our communities. Black Voices for Trump will give those who have directly benefited from these reforms a platform to share stories of “Promises Made, Promises Kept.”

After all the progress African-Americans have made under Mr. Trump, it’s difficult to even imagine going back to the Democrats’ failed, big-government policies that have held us back for so long.

https://www.toledoblade.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2019/11/16/black-communities-thriving-thanks-to-president-donald-trump/stories/20191108098

Trump's Record As President

2020-06-27T01:56:00.001-04:00

Since President Trump’s election, more than 7 million jobs have been added to the economy.
For the first time on record there are more job openings than unemployed Americans.
- There are more than 7 million job openings, outnumbering job seekers by more than 1 million.
- Nearly two-thirds of Americans rate now as a good time to find a quality job, empowering more Americans with rewarding careers.
This year, the unemployment rate reached its lowest level in half a century.
- The unemployment rate has remained at or below 4 percent for the past 21 months.
- The unemployment rate for women reached its lowest rate in 65 years under President Trump.
Under President Trump, jobless claims hit their lowest level in half a century.
The number of people claiming unemployment insurance as a share of the population is the lowest on record.
American workers of all backgrounds are thriving under President Trump.
- The unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those without a high school diploma have all reached record lows under President Trump.
The booming economy is putting more money in Americans’ pockets.
- Wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decade, with year-over-year wage gains exceeding 3 percent for the first time since 2009.
- November 2019 marked the 16th consecutive month that wages rose at an annual rate of at or over 3 percent.
- Median household income surpassed $63,000 in 2018 – the highest level on record.
President Trump’s policies are helping forgotten Americans across the country prosper, driving down income inequality.
- Wages are rising fastest for low-income workers.
- Middle-class and low-income workers are enjoying faster wage growth than high-earners.
- When measured as the share of income earned by the top 20 percent, income inequality fell in 2018 by the largest amount in over a decade.
Americans are being lifted out of poverty as a result of today’s booming economy.
- Since President Trump took office, over 2.4 million Americans have been lifted out of poverty.
- Poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans have reached record lows.
- Since President Trump’s election, nearly 7 million Americans have been lifted off of food stamps.
Americans are coming off of the sidelines and back into the workforce.
- The prime age labor force has grown by 2.1 million under President Trump.
- In the third quarter of 2019, 73.7 percent of workers entering employment came from out of the labor force rather than from unemployment, the highest share since the series began in 1990.
President Trump’s pro-growth policies are helping businesses of all sizes thrive like never before.
- Small business optimism broke a 35-year old record in 2018 and remains historically high.
- The DOW, S&P 500, and NASDAQ have all repeatedly notched record highs under President Trump.
President Trump is following through on his promise to revitalize American manufacturing, with more than a half million manufacturing jobs added since the election.
President Trump has prioritized workforce development to ensure American workers are prepared to fill high quality jobs.
- The President has worked to expand apprenticeship programs, helping Americans gain hands-on training and experience with no student debt.
- Since President Trump took office, over 660,000 apprentices have been hired across the country.
- President Trump established the National Council for the American Worker, tasked with developing a workforce strategy for the jobs of the future.
- Over 370 companies have signed the President’s “Pledge to America’s Workers,” pledging to provide more than 14.4 million employment and training opportunities.
- President Trump signed an Executive Order prioritizing Cyber Workforce Development to ensure that we have the most skilled cyber workforce of the 21^st century.
President Trump signed the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act in 2017 – the largest tax reform package in history.
- More than 6 million American workers received wage increases, bonuses, and increased benefits thanks to the tax cuts.
- $1 trillion has poured back into the country from overseas since the President’s tax cuts.
President Trump is revitalizing distressed communities through Opportunity Zones, which encourage investment and growth in underserved communities.
- More than 8,760 communities in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 5 Territories have been designated as Opportunity Zones.
- The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council has taken more than 175 actions to encourage investment and promote growth within Opportunity Zones.
- The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council is engaging all levels of government to identify best practices and assist leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs in using the Opportunity Zone incentive to revitalize low-income communities.
The President is ensuring that America is prepared to lead the world in the industries of the future, by promoting American leadership in emerging technologies like 5G and AI.
- The Administration named artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and 5G, among other emerging technologies, as national research and development priorities.
- President Trump launched the American AI Initiative to invest in AI research, unleash innovation, and build the American workforce of the future.
- President Trump signed an Executive Order that established a new advisory committee of industry and academic leaders to advise the government on its quantum activities.
President Trump has made supporting working families a priority of his Administration.
- President Trump signed legislation securing historic levels of funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, helping low-income families access child care.
- During his Joint Address to Congress and each State of the Union Address, the President called on Congress to pass a nationwide paid family leave plan.
- The President signed into law 12-weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers.
- President Trump’s tax reforms provided a new tax credit to incentivize businesses to offer paid family leave to their employees.
- The President’s historic tax reforms doubled the child tax credit, benefitting nearly 40 million American families with an average of over $2,200 dollars in 2019.

LIFTING THE BURDEN OF OVERREGULATION: President Trump’s historic deregulation efforts are driving economic growth, cutting unnecessary costs, and increasing transparency.

President Trump has delivered on, and far exceeded, his promise to slash two existing regulations for every new regulation.
- Since taking office, President Trump has rolled back nearly 8 regulations for every new significant one.
The Trump Administration’s deregulatory efforts have slashed regulatory costs by more than $50 billion.
In the coming years, the average American household is projected to see an income gain of $3,100 per year thanks to President Trump’s historic regulatory reform.
Once fully in effect, 20 major deregulatory actions undertaken by the Administration are expected to save American consumers and businesses over $220 billion per year.
President Trump signed 16 pieces of deregulatory legislation that are expected to result in a $40 billion increase in annual real incomes.
President Trump established the Governors Initiative on Regulatory Innovation.
- This initiative is working to reduce outdated regulations at the State, local, and tribal levels, advance occupational licensing reform, and align Federal and State regulation.
The President signed legislation eliminating regulatory barriers that made offering retirement benefits difficult for small businesses.
The President took action to increase transparency in Federal agencies and protect Americans from administrative abuse.
- This year, President Trump signed two Executive Orders to guard against secretive or unlawful interpretations of rules and prevent Americans from being hit with unfair and unexpected penalties.
President Trump has followed through on his promise to repeal the Obama-era Waters of the United States Rule, lifting a burden off American farmers.
President Trump ended the previous Administration’s war on coal.
- President Trump signed legislation repealing the harmful Obama-era Stream Protection Rule.
- President Trump replaced the overreaching Obama-era Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which respects States’ rights and promotes economic growth while lowering power-sector CO2 emissions.
In 2017, the President announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, which would have killed millions of American jobs.
The Administration has worked to undo the Obama-era fuel economy regulations by proposing the SAFE Vehicles Rule to lower the cost of new and safer cars.
President Trump helped community banks by signing legislation that rolled back costly provisions of Dodd-Frank.
President Trump established the White House Council on Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing Development to bring down the costs of housing across the country.
The President’s deregulatory actions are removing government barriers to personal freedom and consumer choice in healthcare.
In 2017, President Trump corrected Obama Administration overreach by right-sizing Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

FIGHTING FOR FAIRER TRADE: President Trump is negotiating better trade deals for the American people after years of our country being taken advantage of.

President Trump negotiated the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) to replace the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
- USMCA includes tremendous wins for American workers, farmers, and manufacturers, generating over $68 billion in economic activity and creating 176,000 new jobs.
President Trump negotiated two tremendous deals with Japan to boost America’s agricultural and digital trade with the world’s third largest economy.
- Thanks to President Trump’s efforts, Japan will open its market to approximately $7 billion in American agricultural exports.
- The President’s negotiations will boost the already approximately $40 billion worth of digital trade between our two countries.
President Trump fulfilled his promise to renegotiate the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, providing a boost to American auto exports.
- These efforts doubled the number of American autos that can be exported to South Korea using United States safety standards.
President Trump reached a historic phase one trade agreement with China that will begin rebalancing our two countries’ trade relationship.
As a result of President Trump’s leadership, China has agreed to structural reforms in areas of intellectual property, technology transfer, agriculture, financial services, and currency and foreign exchange.
China will be making substantial purchases of American agricultural products, marking a monumental win for American farmers.
President Trump fulfilled his promise to withdraw from the disastrous Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
President Trump achieved a mutual agreement with the European Union to work together towards zero tariffs, non-tariff barriers, and subsidies on certain goods.
President Trump has worked to prepare for post-Brexit trade and made Congress aware of his intent to negotiate a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom (UK).
President Trump imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum to protect our vital industries and support our national security.
President Trump imposed tariffs to protect American-made washing machines and solar products that were hurt by import surges.
The United States scored an historic victory by overhauling the Universal Postal Union (UPU), whose outdated policies were undermining American interests and workers.
President Trump has expanded markets for American farmers to export their goods worldwide, for example:
- The European Union has opened up to more American beef and increased imports of American soybeans.
- China lifted its ban on American poultry and opened up to American beef.
- South Korea lifted its ban on American poultry and eggs and agreed to provide market access for the greatest, guaranteed volume of American rice.
The Trump Administration has authorized a total of $28 billion in aid for farmers who have been subjected to unfair trade practices.

SECURING THE BORDER: President Trump has taken historic steps to confront the crisis on our Nation’s borders and protect American communities.

President Trump is following through on his promise to build a wall on our southern border.
- The Administration expects to have approximately 450 miles of new border wall by the end of 2020.
The President struck new agreements with Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to help stop the flood of illegal immigration.
- The President worked with Mexico to ensure they would improve their border security.
- The United States is working with Mexico and others in the region to dismantle the human smuggling networks that profit from human misery and fuel the border crisis by exploiting vulnerable populations.
- The Administration negotiated agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to stem the surge of aliens arriving at our border.
- President Trump negotiated the Migrant Protection Protocols, requiring certain migrants to wait in Mexico during their immigration proceedings instead of allowing them to disappear into our country.
Thanks to the President’s swift action, border apprehensions fell by more than 70 percent from May – the peak of the crisis – to November.
The Trump Administration is stopping deadly drugs and violent criminals from flowing across our borders and into our communities.
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than 163,000 pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl at the southern border in FY 2019.
- The United States Coast Guard seized more than 458,000 pounds of cocaine at sea in FY 2019 and referred nearly 400 suspected drug smugglers for prosecution.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized over 1.4 million pounds of narcotics and made more than 12,000 narcotic-related arrests in FY 2019.
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized over 50,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 2,700 kilograms of fentanyl in FY 2019.
- CBP apprehended 976 alien gang members in FY 2019, including 464 aliens affiliated with MS-13.
- ICE HSI made over 4,000 arrests of gang members in FY 2019, including over 450 arrests of MS-13 members.

RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW: President Trump is upholding the rule of law, restoring integrity to our asylum system, and promoting immigrant self-sufficiency.

President Trump released an immigration plan to fully secure our border, modernize our laws, and promote an immigration system based on merit.
President Trump is working to combat the abuse of our asylum system that drives illegal immigration.
- The Administration took action to close the Flores Settlement Agreement loophole and ensure alien families can be kept together through their proceedings.
- The President released an order that makes aliens ineligible for asylum if they passed through another country in transit to our border and did not apply for asylum in that country first.
Since taking office, President Trump has stepped up enforcement to ensure there are consequences for breaking our laws.
- In FY 2019, the Department of Justice prosecuted a record breaking number of immigration related crimes.
- ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 143,099 aliens in FY 2019, 86 percent of whom had criminal records.
- ICE ERO removed more than 267,000 illegal aliens from the United States in FY 2019.
The Trump Administration is cracking down on sanctuary cities and increasing cooperation at the local level on immigration enforcement.
- The Administration has more than doubled the number of jurisdictions participating in the 287(g) program, enhancing local cooperation on immigration enforcement.
The Administration took action to protect taxpayers by ensuring that aliens wishing to enter or remain in our country are able to support themselves and not rely on public benefits.
The President issued a proclamation to ensure immigrants admitted to America do not burden our healthcare system.
The President has taken action to reduce nonimmigrant visa overstays, a problem that undermines the rule of law, impacts public safety, and strains resources needed for the border.
President Trump made our country safer by ordering the enhanced vetting of individuals attempting to come to America from countries that do not meet our security standards.
The President is taking a responsible approach to refugee admissions, prioritizing refugee resettlement in jurisdictions where both State and local governments consent to receive them.
- This order is designed to ensure that refugees are placed in an environment where they will have the best opportunity to succeed in their new homes.

CREATING SAFER COMMUNITIES: President Trump’s policies are supporting our brave law enforcement officers and making America’s communities safer.

Violent crime fell in 2017 and 2018, after rising during each of the two years prior to President Trump taking office.
- Since 2016, the violent crime rate in America has fallen nearly 5 percent and the murder rate has decreased by over 7 percent.
President Trump signed the First Step Act into law, making our criminal justice system fairer for all while making our communities safer.
President Trump has promoted second-chance hiring to give former inmates the opportunity to live crime-free lives and find meaningful employment, all while making our communities safer.
- The Department of Education is expanding an initiative that allows individuals in Federal and State prisons to receive Pell Grants to better prepare themselves for the workforce.
- The Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons launched a new “Ready to Work” Initiative to help connect employers directly with former prisoners.
- The Department of Labor awarded $2.2 million to states to expand the use of fidelity bonds, which underwrite companies that hire former prisoners.
President Trump has revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods, bringing together Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to develop solutions to violent crime.
The President is standing up for our Nation’s law enforcement officers, ensuring they have the support they need to keep our communities safe.
- The President established a new commission to evaluate best practices for recruiting, training, and supporting law enforcement officers.
- The Administration has made available hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement.
- President Trump has signed an Executive Order to help prevent violence against law enforcement officers.
- The President also signed legislation permanently funding the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, aiding our Nation’s brave first responders.
The President has taken action to combat the scourge of hate crimes and anti-Semitism rising in America.
- President Trump signed an Executive Order making it clear that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to discrimination rooted in anti-Semitism.
- The Administration launched a centralized website to educate the public about hate crimes and encourage reporting.
- Since January 2017, the Civil Rights division at the DOJ has obtained 14 convictions in cases involving attacks or threats against places of worship.
The President signed the Fix NICS Act to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.
President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act and created a Commission on School Safety to examine ways to make our schools safer.
The Trump Administration is fighting to end the egregious crime of human trafficking.
- In FY 2019, ICE HSI arrested 2,197 criminals associated with human trafficking and identified 428 victims.
- The President signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which tightened criteria for whether countries are meeting standards for eliminating trafficking.
President Trump established a task force to help combat the tragedy of missing or murdered Native American women and girls.

ADVANCING AMERICA’S INTERESTS ABROAD: President Trump is putting America first and advancing our interests across the world.

President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is countering Iran’s influence and pressuring the corrupt regime to abandon its malign activities.
- The President removed the United States from the horrible, one-sided Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed all sanctions that were lifted by the deal.
- In response to Iran’s aggression and gross human rights violations, the President authorized crippling sanctions on the regime’s leadership, including the Supreme Leader.
- President Trump is working to vigorously enforce all sanctions to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero and deny the regime its principal source of revenue.
President Trump has held two historic summits with North Korea and earlier this year became the first President to cross the DMZ into North Korea.
- The Administration has maintained tough sanctions on North Korea while negotiations have taken place.
Since taking office, President Trump has taken historic steps to support and defend our cherished ally Israel.
- This year, President Trump acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not inconsistent with international law.
- The President made good on his promise to recognize Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel and move the United States Embassy there.
- The President removed the United States from the United Nations (U.N.) Human Rights Council due to the group’s blatant anti-Israel bias.
President Trump has successfully urged North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members to increase their defense spending and to focus on modern priorities.
- NATO Allies will increase defense spending by $130 billion by the end of next year.
The Administration has worked to reform and streamline the U.N., cutting spending and making the organization more efficient.
Earlier this year, the President took action to protect our Second Amendment rights by announcing the United States will not join the misguided Arms Trade Treaty.
President Trump has promoted democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere and imposed heavy sanctions on the regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
The President reversed the previous Administration’s disastrous Cuba policy.
- President Trump has enacted a new policy aimed at stopping any revenues from reaching the Cuban military or intelligence services, imposed stricter travel restrictions, and reaffirmed the focus ensuring the Cuban regime does not profit from U.S. dollars.
- Earlier this year, the Trump Administration put a cap on remittances to Cuba.
- President Trump is enabling Americans to file lawsuits against persons and entities that traffic in property confiscated by the Cuban regime, the first time that these kind of claims have been available for Americans under the Helms-Burton Act.
President Trump has stood with the democratically elected National Assembly and the Venezuelan people and worked to cut off the financial resources of the Maduro regime.
- President Trump recognized Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela and rallied an international coalition of 58 countries to support him.
- Earlier this year, President Trump blocked all property of the Venezuelan Government in the jurisdiction of the United States.
- President Trump has sanctioned key sectors of the Venezuelan economy exploited by the regime, including the oil and gold sectors.
- The Administration sanctioned Maduro’s key financial lifelines, including the Venezuelan Central Bank, the Venezuelan Development Bank, and Petroleos de Venezuela.
The Trump Administration has secured the release of Americans unjustly imprisoned abroad, including Kevin King, Xiyue Wang, Danny Burch, and more.
The President and his Administration have worked to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region, promoting new investments and expanding American partnerships.
The President negotiated the return from Finland of approximately 600 tribal ancestral remains and other sacred objects for the American Indian and Pueblo communities from which they came.
The Trump Administration released an economic plan to empower the Palestinian people and enhance Palestinian governance through private investment.
The President created the first-ever whole-of-government approach to women’s economic empowerment through his Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.
In June of 2019, the President released the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, which focuses on increasing women’s participation to prevent and resolve conflicts.

REBUILDING OUR NATION’S DEFENSE: President Trump is investing in our military and ensuring our forces are able to defend against any and all threats.

President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2020, authorizing a historic $738 billion in defense spending.
- President Trump continued to invest in rebuilding our military, after signing legislation to provide for $700 billion in defense spending in FY18 and $716 billion in FY19.
President Trump signed a 3.1% pay raise for our troops, the largest increase in a decade.
The President signed legislation establishing the Space Force as a new branch of the Armed Forces, the first new branch since 1947.
The United States Space Command was relaunched in August 2019.
The President is modernizing and recapitalizing our nuclear forces and missile defenses to ensure they continue to serve as a strong deterrent.
The President upgraded our cyber defenses by elevating the Cyber Command into a major warfighting command and reducing burdensome procedural restrictions on cyber operations.
President Trump is protecting America’s defense-industrial base, directing the first whole-of-government assessment of our manufacturing and defense supply chains since the 1950s.
Under the President’s leadership, the United States is taking the fight to terrorists all around the globe.
- ISIS’ territorial caliphate has been defeated and all territory recaptured in Iraq and Syria.
- The United States has brought Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of ISIS, to justice.
The President has taken decisive military action to punish the Assad regime in Syria for the barbaric use of chemical weapons on its own people.
- The President also authorized sanctions against those tied to Syria’s chemical weapons program.

HONORING OUR VETERANS: President Trump is standing up for America’s veterans by ensuring they receive the proper care and support they deserve.

President Trump signed the VA MISSION Act, revolutionizing the VA system, increasing choice, and providing quality care for our veterans.
- This legislation reformed and expanded many of the existing programs to give veterans improved access to healthcare providers and offered entirely new options such as allowing veterans to get urgent care in their local communities.
- The VA MISSION Act put veterans at the center of their healthcare decisions, not bureaucracy.
The Trump Administration has expanded veterans’ ability to access telehealth services, including through the “Anywhere to Anywhere” VA health care initiative.
President Trump has brought accountability to the VA, as promised.
- President Trump signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to ensure VA employees are held responsible for poor performance.
- Over 8,000 VA employees have been relieved of their duties at the VA since the beginning of the Administration.
Veterans are seeing an improvement in quality of care under President Trump.
- In the last year, the VA saw its highest patient experience ratings in history.
- The Veterans of Foreign Wars found in its annual survey that more than 90 percent of respondents would recommend VA care to other veterans.
President Trump signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 to expedite the veteran appeals process.
The Administration is working to seamlessly align the VA’s and DoD’s electronic health records.
- This new electronic health record system is on pace to launch next year in select areas.
Under President Trump, the VA launched a new tool that provides veterans with online access to average wait times and quality-of-care data.
Just as he promised, President Trump opened up a 24/7 White House VA Hotline to provide veterans access to help at all times.
President Trump has committed his Administration to addressing the horrible tragedy of veteran suicide.
- President Trump signed the PREVENTS Initiative, which created a task force to develop a revolutionary roadmap to tackle the problem of veteran suicide.
- President Trump signed an executive order to improve access to suicide prevention resources for veterans.
President Trump is expanding educational resources, promoting economic opportunity, and making sure our veterans have the support they need when they return home.
- This year, the veteran unemployment rate reached its lowest level since 2000.
- President Trump signed an executive order that paves the way for veterans to more easily join the Merchant Marine, providing quality job opportunities.
- President Trump signed the Forever GI Bill, allowing veterans to use their educational benefits at any point in their lives.
- President Trump expedited the process of discharging Federal student loan debt for our Nation’s totally and permanently disabled veterans.
- President Trump signed the HAVEN Act to ensure that veterans who’ve declared bankruptcy don’t lose their disability payments.
President Trump signed legislation providing a pathway for Alaska Natives who served in Vietnam to receive the land allotments to which they are legally entitled.

COMBATING THE OPIOID CRISIS: President Trump has made battling the opioid crisis a top priority for his Administration, and the results couldn’t be clearer.

President Trump brought attention to the opioid crisis by declaring it a nationwide public health emergency.
To address the many factors fueling the drug crisis, President Trump launched an Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand.
Thanks to the President’s efforts, landmark new Federal funding and resources have been dedicated to help end this crisis.
President Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, the largest and most comprehensive piece of legislation to combat the opioid crisis in history.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded nearly $9 billion over 2016 to 2019 in grants to address the opioid crisis and improve access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services in partnership with State and local officials.
Nearly $1 billion in grants were recently awarded for the HEAL Initiative to support development of scientific solutions to help prevent and treat addiction.
President Trump announced a Safer Prescriber Plan that seeks to decrease the amount of opioids prescription fills by one third within three years.
- From January 2017 to September 2019, the total amount of opioids prescriptions filled in America dropped by 31%.
This year, the President launched FindTreatment.gov, a newly designed website that makes it easier to find substance abuse treatment locations.
The President implemented new efforts to educate Americans about the dangers of opioid misuse.
- These efforts include an ad campaign on youth opioid abuse that reached 58 percent of young adults in America.
President Trump and his Administration aggressively worked to cut off the flow of deadly drugs into our communities.
- In FY 2019, ICE HSI seized 12,466 pounds of opioids including 3,688 pounds of fentanyl, an increase of 35% from FY 2018.
- The Administration shut down the country’s biggest Darknet distributer of drugs, seizing enough fentanyl to kill 105,000 Americans in the process.
- Under President Trump, a DOJ strike force charged more than 65 defendants collectively responsible for distributing over 45 million opioid pills.
- The Administration has brought kingpin designations against traffickers operating in China, India, Mexico and more who have played a role in the epidemic in America.
- The Administration secured the first-ever indictments against Chinese fentanyl traffickers.
- This year, President Trump convinced China to enact strict regulations to control the production and sale of all types of fentanyl.
Evidence suggests that President Trump’s efforts are making a real difference across the Nation.
- Preliminary data shows overdose deaths fell nationwide in 2018 for the first time in decades.
- Many of the hardest hit states – including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia – saw drug overdose deaths drop in 2018.
- Since 2016, there has been a nearly 40 percent increase in the number of Americans receiving medication-assisted treatment.

PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is working hard to give Americans better quality care at a lower cost.

The Administration is delivering quality healthcare and promoting innovative treatment options for American patients.
- Earlier this year, President Trump signed an order to protect and improve Medicare for our seniors, encouraging even more competition and promoting innovative benefits.
- President Trump signed and implemented the Right to Try Act, which has expanded treatment options for terminally ill patients.
- The President has taken action to combat childhood cancer, initiating an effort to provide $500 million over the next decade to improve pediatric cancer research.
- The President signed legislation providing an additional $1 billion in Alzheimer’s disease research funding.
- The Administration launched a plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in America in the next decade.
- President Trump took action to increase the availability of organs for patients in need of transplants and provide more treatment options and improve care for patients suffering from kidney disease.
- The President signed an order to modernize the influenza vaccine.
The Administration is making healthcare more affordable and transparent.
- The Administration is requiring hospitals to make their prices negotiated with insurers publicly and easily available online.
- The President is working to expand Association Health Plans, which would make it easier for employers to join together and offer more affordable health coverage to their employees.
- President Trump extended access to short-term, limited-duration health plans, giving Americans more flexibility to choose plans that suit their needs.
- The Administration expanded the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). Now, HRAs allow employers to help their employees pay for the cost of insurance that they select in the individual market.
- The Administration has successfully worked to reduce Medicare Advantage and Part D premiums to their lowest in years.
- The Administration has improved access to health savings accounts for individuals with chronic conditions.
- The President has worked to reduce the burden felt by Americans due to Obamacare and eliminated Obamacare’s individual mandate penalty.
- President Trump released legislative principles to end surprise medical billing and is working with Congress to give patients the control they deserve.
President Trump is following through on his pledge to combat high drug prices.
- President Trump released a blueprint to reduce drug prices and expand affordability for American patients.
- The Administration’s efforts to lower drug prices led to the largest year-over-year decrease in drug prices ever recorded.
- The President has advanced efforts to import prescription drugs from Canada in partnership with several states, including Florida and Colorado.
- The President launched an initiative to stop global freeloading in the drug market, proposing a new way for Medicare to pay for certain drugs based on prices other developed nations pay.
- The President signed legislation to end pharmacy gag clauses, which prevented pharmacists from letting patients know when it would be cheaper to buy drugs without their insurance.

SAFEGUARDING LIFE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: President Trump has made it a priority of his Administration to uphold the sanctity of life and safeguard religious liberty for all.

President Trump is unequivocally committed to protecting the sanctity of every human life.
- The Administration issued a rule preventing Title X family planning funds from supporting the abortion industry.
- President Trump has called on Congress to end late-term abortions.
- The Trump Administration cut all funding to the U.N. population fund, due to the fund’s support for coercive abortion and forced sterilization.
- HHS rescinded an Obama-era guidance that prevented states from taking certain actions against abortion providers.
- President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy in 2017, ensuring that taxpayer money is not used to fund abortion globally.
- The President has taken action to end federal research using fetal tissue from abortions.
President Trump is protecting healthcare entities and individuals’ conscience rights—ensuring that no medical professional is forced to participate in an abortion in violation of their beliefs.
The Administration provided relief to American employers like Little Sisters of the Poor, protecting them from being forced to provide coverage that violate their conscience.
President Trump has taken unprecedented action to support the fundamental right to religious freedom.
- In 2018, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
- In 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order upholding religious liberty and the right to engage in religious speech.
- The Department of Justice created a Religious Liberty Task Force in 2018.
- The Trump Administration continues to vigorously defend religious liberty in the courts at every opportunity.
- President Trump reversed the Obama-era policy that prevented the government from providing disaster relief to religious organizations.
- The Administration is preserving a space for faith-based adoption and foster care providers to continue to serve their communities consistent with their beliefs.
- The Administration reduced burdensome barriers to Native Americans being able to keep spiritually and culturally significant eagle feathers found on their tribal lands.
- The Administration has allowed greater flexibility for Federal employees to take time off work for religious reasons.
The Trump Administration has stood up for religious liberty around the world.
- The Administration has partnered with local and faith-based organizations to provide assistance to religious minorities persecuted in Iraq.
- President Trump hosted the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom at the 2019 U.N. General Assembly, calling on global and business leaders to bring an end to religious persecution and stop crimes against people of faith.
- The Administration dedicated $25 million to protect religious freedom, religious sites and relics.
- The State Department has hosted two Religious Freedom Ministerials, with the 2019 Ministerial becoming the largest religious freedom event of its kind in the world.
- In 2019, the Administration imposed restrictions on certain Chinese officials, internal security units, and companies for their complicity in the persecution of Uighur Muslims and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

TRANSFORMING THE COURTS: President Trump is transforming the Federal judiciary by appointing a historic number of Federal judges who will interpret the Constitution as written.

Working with the Senate, President Trump has now had 187 judicial nominees confirmed to the Federal bench.
- President Trump’s remaking of the judiciary is only accelerating with 103 Federal judges confirmed in 2019, more than 2017 and 2018 combined.
The President named Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, fulfilling his promise to appoint justices who will uphold the constitution as written.
President Trump has appointed 50 Circuit Court judges – more than any other President at this point in their Administrations.
- More than a quarter of all active Circuit Court judges were appointed by President Trump.
- The average age of Trump-appointed circuit judges is less than 50 years old, ensuring that these qualified jurists will continue to have an impact for decades to come.
President Trump has flipped the Second, Third, and Eleventh Circuits from Democrat-appointed majorities to Republican-appointed majorities.

USHERING IN AN ERA OF ENERGY DOMINANCE: President Trump’s policies are ushering in a new era of American energy dominance.

President Trump has rolled back the burdensome regulations of the past Administration and implemented policies that are unleashing American energy.
The United States is the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world.
American oil production reached its highest level in history in 2019.
- The United States became a net exporter of crude oil and petroleum products in September 2019, the first time this has occurred since records began in 1973.
Natural gas production is projected to set a record high in 2019, marking the third consecutive year of record production.
President Trump is opening up more access to our country’s abundant natural resources in order to promote energy independence.
- Department of the Interior energy revenues soared in fiscal year FY 2019, nearly doubling since FY 2016 to $12 billion.
- Applications to drill on public lands have increased by 300 percent since FY 2016, and the time it takes to complete these permits has dropped by half.
- President Trump signed legislation to open up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to energy exploration.
President Trump is promoting energy infrastructure to ensure American energy producers can deliver their products to the market.
- This year, President Trump signed two Executive Orders to streamline processes holding back the construction of new energy infrastructure, like pipelines.
- In 2017, the Administration took action to approve the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline.
- The Administration issued permits for the New Burgos Pipeline that will export American petroleum products to Mexico.
- The Administration has streamlined Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal permitting.
- In 2019, the Department of Energy granted 11 new long-term LNG export approvals.
American energy exports have reached historic highs.
- LNG exports have increased by 247% since 2017, hitting record highs in 2019 and are projected to continue increasing next year.
- In 2017, the United States became a net natural gas exporter for the first time in 60 years.
- The United States has exported LNG to five continents and 37 countries, marking 19 additional countries from the beginning of the Trump Administration.
President Trump strengthened America’s domestic energy production and supported our Nation’s farmers by approving year-round E-15.
President Trump worked to ensure greater transparency and certainty in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
President Trump has promoted domestic energy production and economic growth while working to ensure Americans have access to safe drinking water and a clean environment.
- The United States environmental record is one of the strongest in the world and America continues to make environmental progress in clean air and clean water.
- Under President Trump’s leadership, the EPA took action to protect vulnerable Americans from lead exposure by proposing changes to the Lead and Copper rule.
- Under President Trump’s leadership, in FY 2019 the EPA completed cleanup on the most superfund sites on the National Priority List in 18 years.
- Emissions of all criteria pollutants dropped between 2016 and 2018.

PROMOTING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY: President Trump is working to ensure all Americans have access to quality education.

President Trump signed into law a modernization of our country’s career and technical education system to ensure more Americans have access to high-quality vocational education.
This year, the Administration proposed Education Freedom Scholarships to expand education options for students of all economic backgrounds.
- This plan will invest up to $5 billion in students through a tax credit for donations for state-based, locally-controlled scholarships.
President Trump is expanding education and training opportunities for incarcerated individuals to learn how to make a living before their release.
The President signed legislation reauthorizing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program.
Thanks to President Trump’s historic tax reform, parents can now withdraw up to $10,000 tax-free per year from 529 education savings plans to cover K-12 tuition costs.
President Trump has made supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) a priority of his Administration.
- President Trump signed the Farm Bill that included more than $100 million dollars for scholarships, research, and centers of excellence at HBCU land-grant institutions.
- The Administration has enabled faith-based HBCUs to enjoy equal access to Federal support.
- President Trump signed legislation providing $255 million dollars of permanent annual funding for HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions.

Trump's War On Abortion

2020-06-27T01:54:00.002-04:00

Donald Trump has been dismantling all the protections of the Abortion Kill Machine

HERE'S SOME OF THE THINGS HE HAS DONE:

On January 23, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, which blocks funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortion. This new program is known as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA), which now covers $8.8 billion in family planning and global health funds that go to organizations abroad (none of whom may perform or promote abortion).

On May 22, HHS issued a new proposed regulation reversing the Title X family planning regulations implemented by President Clinton. The proposed regulation would restore the separation of abortion services from the federal Title X family planning program, which President Reagan first implemented. The proposed regulation would also ensure parents are more involved in the decisions of minors to obtain services from Title X clinics. It reverses the discriminatory abortion referral requirement the Clinton regulations implemented and is poised to put a dent into Planned Parenthood's roughly $60 million annual revenues from the Title X program.

On September 24, HHS terminated a $15,900 contract with Advanced Bioscience Resources to procure fetal tissue from aborted babies for research. The termination of this contract led HHS to announce an audit of all acquisitions and research involving human fetal tissue to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations.

On November 9, HHS proposed a new regulation to address an abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This proposed regulation would enforce the requirement that abortion surcharges are to be collected separately from other insurance premiums. This requirement was not closely followed under the Obama administration, leading HHS to now more strictly enforce the separation of abortion payments from other payments.

On January 18, HHS notified California that its law requiring pregnancy resource centers to post notices about how to obtain an abortion violated the pro-life Weldon and Coates-Snowe Amendments. This marks the first time that the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS found a state in violation of these laws. This demonstrates the administration's commitment to enforcing conscience protections and its pro-life priorities.

On February 22, HHS announced final rule changes governing the Title X family planning program. Consistent with federal law, these rule changes ensured that Title X clinics would be financially and physically separate from abortion facilities and would not refer patients for abortions. Since the implementation of the rule, Planned Parenthood and several pro-abortion states voluntarily decided to withdraw from the program rather than quit performing abortions or referring patients for abortions.

On May 5, at the World Health Assembly, the Trump administration issued a joint statement on behalf of the United States and eight other nations calling on other countries to join an effort to focus on women's health issues that unify rather than create dissension among members (like abortion and sexual and reproductive health). This statement was the first action taken under the administration's new Protecting Life in Global Health Policy (PLGHP), which seeks to build a global coalition to promote women's health while also protecting unborn life and strengthening the family. This policy works in conjunction with the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) program, which restricts funding for organizations abroad that perform or promote abortion.

On June 5, after an extensive audit into fetal tissue research, the Trump administration announced a major change in the enforcement of research contracts. HHS would no longer conduct intramural (internal) research using tissue from aborted babies and would greatly increase the ethics rules and safeguards that govern extramural (external) fetal tissue research contracts. All new external contracts will be subject to a congressionally authorized ethics advisory board, making it much more difficult for fetal tissue research contracts to be awarded by the National Institute of Health.

On July 18, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued a joint letter on International Partnerships that called states to join a coalition of countries that seek to advocate against pro-abortion policies at the World Health Organization and the United Nations (UN).

On August 28, the HHS OCR issued a notice of violation to the University of Vermont Medical Center for forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion despite a conscience objection. This marks the third time that the HHS Religious Freedom Division under President Trump has investigated a conscience complaint related to participating in or promoting abortion.

On September 25, HHS Secretary Alex Azar delivered a statement at the UN General Assembly stating that there is no international right to abortion, and that the U.S. does not support ambiguous terms like "sexual and reproductive health" in UN documents.

On November 14, the U.S. government lead a statement on behalf of itself and 10 other countries at the Nairobi Summit, once again calling upon the international community to focus on areas of consensus instead of divisive issues like abortion and sexual and reproductive health.

On December 20, the center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final regulation to address the abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This final rule aligns federal regulations with section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that consumers know their health care plan covers abortion and that funding for abortion is kept separate from all other covered services.

On January 16, HHS Secretary Alex Azar hosted 34 countries for a meeting on how to promote women's health and protect the lives of the unborn. This meeting followed an invitation sent by Secretary Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to 70 different countries inviting them to join a coalition to oppose international efforts to enshrine abortion as a human right.

On January 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at HHS approved a family planning waiver for Texas to implement a state-run Medicaid program that excludes abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. This makes Texas the first state to receive Medicaid funding for a family planning program that does not include abortion providers.

On January 24, President Trump became the first sitting president to give remarks in person at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. In his address he stated the eternal truth that every child is a sacred gift from God and reiterated his effort to defend the dignity and sanctity of every human life.

Also on January 24, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced live at Family Research Council's ProLifeCon event that HHS issued a notice of violation to California for violating the federal Weldon Amendment by mandating all health insurers provide coverage for abortion. California's abortion coverage mandate has deprived over 28,000 residents of plans that do not cover abortion. This marks the second time that HHS has issued a notice of violation to California for violating federal conscience laws and is the fourth enforcement action taken by the HHS OCR's Conscience and Religious Freedom Division.

On February 4, during his State of the Union address, President Trump called on Congress to pass legislation that would ban late-term abortions. To highlight the need for this legislation, he invited special guest Ellie Schneider, who was born at just 21 weeks gestation.

On February 25, OMB issued a Statement of Administrative Policy strongly supporting two pro-life bills being voted on in the U.S. Senate: the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Had Congress passed these bills, the president's advisors would have recommended that he sign both into law.

On April 3, after hearing from Family Research Council and other organizations, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a FAQ document confirming that churches and religious nonprofits are eligible for assistance like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the coronavirus relief legislation known as the CARES Act. These clarifying protections ensure organizations would not be discriminated against based on their religious affiliation and would not have to give up their religious freedom in order to participate in these programs. In addition, the administration used an affiliation rule to ensure that large abortion providers like Planned Parenthood would not be eligible for coronavirus relief in the CARES Act.

On May 18, USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa sent a letter to the UN Secretary General advocating that the UN not push abortion during the coronavirus crisis. Barsa noted that abortion is not an "essential service," and there are many actual health needs at this time. Therefore, the United States, which stands with the international pro-life community under the Trump administration, does not look kindly on these efforts to promote abortion.

Trump Fights For Religion Worldwide

2020-06-27T01:53:00.002-04:00

Donald Trump has been fighting a war to protect religious freedoms WORLDWIDE

Here are a few of the laws passed

On May 4, President Trump signed an Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (known as the "Religious Liberty Executive Order"), broadly setting forth religious liberty as a policy priority of the administration, and requiring all federal agencies to take action to protect it. The order also more specifically addressed conscience protections, forthcoming guidance from the DOJ, and religious liberty in the context of free speech.

On September 7, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court defending the religious freedom rights of baker Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. This filing is representative of other actions defending religious freedom taking place throughout the Trump administration DOJ.

On October 6, DOJ issued guidance and an implementing memo (as instructed by the Religious Liberty Executive Order) to all federal agencies explaining religious freedom law and how religious liberty must be protected. This guidance laid out a broad defense of religious liberty based on multiple statutes and provided each federal agency with guidelines for protecting religious liberty.
Also on October 6, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed two regulations to deal with the Obamacare "HHS contraceptive mandate" that had for years violated conscience and religious liberty. These new regulations exempt organizations that have moral or religious objections to purchasing insurance that includes coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices.
2018

On January 16, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on behalf of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The Archdiocese had wanted to promote a religious message during the Christmas holiday but, had been denied advertising space within the District's public transit system.

On January 18, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue defending the First Amendment rights of parents and students who attend a religious school, to participate in a private school scholarship program.

On January 18, HHS announced a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within its Office of Civil Rights (OCR). This new division was established to enforce federal laws that protect conscience rights and religious freedom.

On January 19, HHS issued a new proposed regulation on conscience protections related to abortion. Specifically, the regulation proposed to implement 25 laws that protect pro-life healthcare entities against discrimination by federal agencies -- or state or local governments receiving federal funds -- due to their objections to participating in abortion, sterilization, and other morally objectionable procedures.

On January 24, Sam Brownback was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. In choosing Brownback for this role, President Trump demonstrated the administration's commitment to religious freedom by choosing someone with gravitas and experience on the issue.

On April 26, Mike Pompeo was confirmed as Secretary of State. In choosing Pompeo for this position, President Trump chose someone who cares deeply about religious liberty and will make it a priority to see the issue advanced through this administration.

On April 30, during a press conference with Nigeria's president, President Trump raised the issue of religious freedom and the killing of Christians in that country -- bringing attention to an issue that had largely been neglected by other government officials.

On June 13, DOJ announced the Place to Worship Initiative, designed to increase enforcement and public awareness of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUPIA). This federal law protects places of worship and other religious uses of property. Through this initiative, federal prosecutors will receive training about legal protections for houses of worship.

On July 24-26, the State Department held the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Political and civil society leaders from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day summit to discuss religious freedom issues and solutions. The Potomac Declaration, issued at the Ministerial, made a strong statement about the state of religious freedom around the globe and provided a plan of action for promoting global religious freedom. The U.S. also announced the International Religious Freedom Fund (to provide emergency assistance to victims of religiously motivated discrimination and abuse around the world) and the Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Initiative (which has provided nearly $373 million to help persecuted ethnic and religious minorities in northern Iraq restore their communities). The U.S. was among 25 countries who signed a statement condemning terrorism and the abuse of religious believers by non-state actors.

On July 30, DOJ announced a Religious Liberty Task Force to fully implement religious liberty guidance and policy across all components of the DOJ.

On August 1, the Trump administration relied on Executive Order 13818 (which builds on Global Magnitsky Act authority) to sanction two Turkish officials over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson due to his Christian faith. This Executive Order ultimately resulted in Pastor Brunson's release.

On November 7, HHS finalized its two regulations to protect conscience and religious liberty from long-running problems with the Obamacare "HHS contraceptive mandate." These two final regulations exempt organizations with either a moral or religious objection to purchasing insurance with coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices. The regulations took effect on January 14, 2019.

On March 8, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback criticized China's poor religious freedom record in a speech he delivered in Hong Kong.

On May 2, HHS announced a final rule to expand the structure in which federal conscience laws are enforced. In 2011, President Obama issued a rule that enforced only three federal conscience provisions. The new regulation under President Trump covers 25 existing statutes, which will be enforced by the new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, part of the HHS OCR.

On July 16-18, the State Department held the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new global initiative, the International Religious Freedom Alliance, meant to provide a way for like-minded countries to work together to advance religious freedom. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave a compelling speech condemning the use of technology to track and control the lives of religious minorities. The United States was among 14 signatory countries on a statement of concern about technology and religious freedom. The U.S. was also one of 34 countries that signed a statement of concern on counterterrorism as a pretext for the repression of religious freedom; one of 27 countries that signed a statement condemning blasphemy, apostasy, or other laws that restrict religious freedom; and was one of 46 countries that signed a statement that called upon government officials to condemn attacks on places of worship and to work with religious communities to protect these places. At this event, the State Department and USAID also announced new religious freedom training programs for foreign service officers.

On July 16, the State Department placed targeted sanctions on Burmese military officials for their human rights and religious freedom violations committed against the Rohingya Muslim population.

In August 2019, DOJ filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court in two important religious liberty cases, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Bostock v. Clayton County/Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda. Through these filings, DOJ advanced a biologically binary definition of sex and those who operate accordingly, whether because of science or religious belief.

On August 15, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new regulation that would clarify the scope and application of religious exemptions for federal contractors. Under the Obama administration, the scope of religious exemption at the DOL was severely narrowed. The current DOL relied on the history of our nation's preservation of religious liberty, the First Amendment, and Supreme Court decisions to re-invigorate the exemption to its historical and constitutional parameters.

On September 10, the State Department placed targeted sanctions on Russian officials for their religious freedom violations and torture of Jehovah's Witnesses.

On September 23, President Trump hosted a meeting during the U.N. General Assembly and gave a speech solely on the topic of religious freedom. During the speech, he announced a U.S. policy initiative to protect places of worship, pledging an additional $25 million in funding to protect religious sites and relics. President Trump also announced the U.S. would form a coalition within the business community to protect religious freedom. This is the first time a U.S. president has hosted a meeting focused solely on religious freedom at the UN.

On September 24, President Trump discussed the need to protect religious freedom during his UN General Assembly speech, in which he also discussed China and Iran -- two major violators of religious freedom.

On October 7, the Department of Commerce blacklisted 28 Chinese companies whose surveillance technology products are used to systematically oppress and control -- and violate the religious freedom -- of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

On October 11, 2019, Attorney General Barr delivered a striking defense of religious liberty at Notre Dame Law School. He noted, "[t]he imperative of protecting religious freedom was not just a nod in the direction of piety. It reflects the Framers' belief that religion was indispensable to sustaining our free system of government." The Attorney General proceeded to remind the audience that religion gives us the "right rules to live by." Barr highlighted the recent attacks on religious liberty, and that the DOJ under his leadership has been fighting back and protecting religious liberty.

On November 19, HHS issued a rule removing burdensome requirements that all grantees, including those that are faith-based, must accept same-sex marriages and profess gender identity as valid in order to be eligible to participate in grant programs. This included the adoption and foster care space, where these requirements had been used to shut down faith-based providers of foster care and adoption.

On November 27, President Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law, which affirms Hong Kong's semi-autonomous status and protects against Chinese government encroachment, which is a threat to Hong Kong's religious freedom.

On December 19, the Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian judges responsible for human rights violations. One of the judges was known to violate the rights of Iran's Christian and Baha'i religious minority communities

On January 16, the Departments of Education and Justice issued guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools. This guidance ensures that prayer in schools is properly protected and not unconstitutionally prohibited or curtailed.

On January 16, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a memo to the heads of executive departments and agencies providing guidance on Executive Order (EO) 13798 "Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty." In order to protect the ability of religious organizations to operate in the public square, this memo required the agencies to review the EO and publish policies on how they will comply.

On January 17, nine federal agencies (the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the U.S. Agency for International Development) proposed rules leveling the playing field for faith-based organizations wishing to participate in grant programs or become a contractor. The rules eliminated two requirements placed on faith-based organizations that were not placed on secular organizations.

In February, the Trump administration filled the role of Special Adviser to the President on International Religious Freedom within the National Security Council. This role was authorized by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, but has remained unfilled for over 20 years since that law's enactment. President Trump is the first president to dedicate a full-time staffer to this role and fill it on a permanent basis.

On February 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched the International Religious Freedom Alliance. The Alliance will unite government leaders from like-minded nations to strategize ways to promote religious freedom and protect religious minorities around the world.

On April 2, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback held a special briefing. He called upon China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia to release their prisoners of conscience in light of the contagious coronavirus. Many of these prisoners were imprisoned for their religious faith.

On April 3, after hearing from Family Research Council and other organizations, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a FAQ document confirming that churches and religious nonprofits are eligible for assistance like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the coronavirus relief legislation known as the CARES Act. These clarifying protections ensure organizations would not be discriminated against based on their religious affiliation and would not have to give up their religious freedom in order to participate in these programs. In addition, the administration used an affiliation rule to ensure that large abortion providers like Planned Parenthood would not be eligible for coronavirus relief in the CARES Act.

On April 14, DOJ filed a statement of interest protecting the religious liberty of church-goers in Greenville, Mississippi. During the coronavirus pandemic, the city of Greenville banned all religious services, even those that were able to abide by social distancing standards with drive-in church services.

On April 17, the Department of Homeland Security included "clergy for essential support" in its list of personnel and entities deemed "essential" for purposes of responding to the coronavirus. This designation allows clergy and pastors more freedom to continue to operate and serve those around them in need at this time.

On April 27, Attorney General William Barr directed federal prosecutors to monitor and, if necessary, take action to correct state and local policies that discriminate against religious institutions and believers while battling the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 3, DOJ filed a statement of interest supporting the religious freedom of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. After the church held a 16-person worship service on Palm Sunday (following strict social distancing protocols), a criminal citation and summons were issued against the pastor pursuant to Governor Ralph Northam's executive order which banned in-person religious services but allowed large gatherings for businesses like liquor stores and dry cleaners.

On May 15, the DOL issued guidance implementing the administration's Religious Liberty Executive Order and the DOJ religious liberty guidance. The DOL guidance also cited tothe OMB memo from earlier this year which directed all grant-administering agencies to detail how they will protect religious liberty in the context of such grants, and included specific action steps to ensure that religious liberty is protected.

List Of Everything Trump Has Done Since President

2020-06-27T00:14:00.003-04:00

TRUMP'S SUCCESS RECORD IS SO LONG
IT WILL MAKE  YOUR THUMB SOAR TO SCROLL 

President Donald Trump has taken significant action on issues of concern to social conservatives -- life, family, and religious liberty:
2017

On January 23, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, which blocks funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortion. This new program is known as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA), which now covers $8.8 billion in family planning and global health funds that go to organizations abroad (none of whom may perform or promote abortion).

On February 22, the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ) rescinded President Obama's guidance that required public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and showers of their choice.

On April 7, President Trump's nominee Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Justice Gorsuch has already developed a reputation as an originalist who will rule the right way on religious liberty issues. Gorsuch is representative of President Trump's judicial nominees overall.

On May 4, President Trump signed an Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (known as the "Religious Liberty Executive Order"), broadly setting forth religious liberty as a policy priority of the administration, and requiring all federal agencies to take action to protect it. The order also more specifically addressed conscience protections, forthcoming guidance from the DOJ, and religious liberty in the context of free speech.

On August 25, President Trump announced changes to the Obama administration's Department of Defense (DOD) policy which had allowed military personnel to serve even if they openly self-identified as transgender. (A DOD study found the Obama administration's policy to be detrimental to military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion.)

On September 7, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court defending the religious freedom rights of baker Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. This filing is representative of other actions defending religious freedom taking place throughout the Trump administration DOJ.

On October 6, DOJ issued guidance and an implementing memo (as instructed by the Religious Liberty Executive Order) to all federal agencies explaining religious freedom law and how religious liberty must be protected. This guidance laid out a broad defense of religious liberty based on multiple statutes and provided each federal agency with guidelines for protecting religious liberty.
Also on October 6, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed two regulations to deal with the Obamacare "HHS contraceptive mandate" that had for years violated conscience and religious liberty. These new regulations exempt organizations that have moral or religious objections to purchasing insurance that includes coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices.
2018

On January 16, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on behalf of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The Archdiocese had wanted to promote a religious message during the Christmas holiday but, had been denied advertising space within the District's public transit system.

On January 18, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue defending the First Amendment rights of parents and students who attend a religious school, to participate in a private school scholarship program.

On January 18, HHS announced a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within its Office of Civil Rights (OCR). This new division was established to enforce federal laws that protect conscience rights and religious freedom.

On January 19, HHS issued a new proposed regulation on conscience protections related to abortion. Specifically, the regulation proposed to implement 25 laws that protect pro-life healthcare entities against discrimination by federal agencies -- or state or local governments receiving federal funds -- due to their objections to participating in abortion, sterilization, and other morally objectionable procedures.

On January 24, Sam Brownback was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. In choosing Brownback for this role, President Trump demonstrated the administration's commitment to religious freedom by choosing someone with gravitas and experience on the issue.

On March 23, 2018, the White House and DOD issued a new policy allowing existing personnel to remain in the military while preventing those who have been diagnosed with "gender dysphoria" or had undergone gender transition surgery from joining the military. Those who are transgender and stable for 36 months could join so long as they serve in accordance with their biological sex.

On April 26, Mike Pompeo was confirmed as Secretary of State. In choosing Pompeo for this position, President Trump chose someone who cares deeply about religious liberty and will make it a priority to see the issue advanced through this administration.

On April 30, during a press conference with Nigeria's president, President Trump raised the issue of religious freedom and the killing of Christians in that country -- bringing attention to an issue that had largely been neglected by other government officials.

On May 22, HHS issued a new proposed regulation reversing the Title X family planning regulations implemented by President Clinton. The proposed regulation would restore the separation of abortion services from the federal Title X family planning program, which President Reagan first implemented. The proposed regulation would also ensure parents are more involved in the decisions of minors to obtain services from Title X clinics. It reverses the discriminatory abortion referral requirement the Clinton regulations implemented and is poised to put a dent into Planned Parenthood's roughly $60 million annual revenues from the Title X program.

On June 13, DOJ announced the Place to Worship Initiative, designed to increase enforcement and public awareness of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUPIA). This federal law protects places of worship and other religious uses of property. Through this initiative, federal prosecutors will receive training about legal protections for houses of worship.

On July 24-26, the State Department held the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Political and civil society leaders from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day summit to discuss religious freedom issues and solutions. The Potomac Declaration, issued at the Ministerial, made a strong statement about the state of religious freedom around the globe and provided a plan of action for promoting global religious freedom. The U.S. also announced the International Religious Freedom Fund (to provide emergency assistance to victims of religiously motivated discrimination and abuse around the world) and the Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Initiative (which has provided nearly $373 million to help persecuted ethnic and religious minorities in northern Iraq restore their communities). The U.S. was among 25 countries who signed a statement condemning terrorism and the abuse of religious believers by non-state actors.

On July 30, DOJ announced a Religious Liberty Task Force to fully implement religious liberty guidance and policy across all components of the DOJ.

On August 1, the Trump administration relied on Executive Order 13818 (which builds on Global Magnitsky Act authority) to sanction two Turkish officials over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson due to his Christian faith. This Executive Order ultimately resulted in Pastor Brunson's release.

On September 24, HHS terminated a $15,900 contract with Advanced Bioscience Resources to procure fetal tissue from aborted babies for research. The termination of this contract led HHS to announce an audit of all acquisitions and research involving human fetal tissue to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations.

On October 6, President Trump's nominee Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh is the second constitutional originalist the president saw confirmed to the Court.

On November 7, HHS finalized its two regulations to protect conscience and religious liberty from long-running problems with the Obamacare "HHS contraceptive mandate." These two final regulations exempt organizations with either a moral or religious objection to purchasing insurance with coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices. The regulations took effect on January 14, 2019.

On November 9, HHS proposed a new regulation to address an abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This proposed regulation would enforce the requirement that abortion surcharges are to be collected separately from other insurance premiums. This requirement was not closely followed under the Obama administration, leading HHS to now more strictly enforce the separation of abortion payments from other payments.

On December 26, DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court defending a publicly-displayed cross-shaped veteran's memorial that had been challenged as a violation of the Establishment Clause. This position is representative of the Trump administration's originalist approach to the Constitution concerning First Amendment rights and other issues. Such an approach results in legal analysis that interprets the law rather than injecting policy preferences into it.
2019

On January 18, HHS notified California that its law requiring pregnancy resource centers to post notices about how to obtain an abortion violated the pro-life Weldon and Coates-Snowe Amendments. This marks the first time that the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS found a state in violation of these laws. This demonstrates the administration's commitment to enforcing conscience protections and its pro-life priorities.

On January 19, at the request of 169 members of Congress and 49 senators, President Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he promised to veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life Federal policies and laws. This letter was a message to the new Democrat majority in the House that longstanding pro-life protections like the Hyde Amendment and safeguards protecting the conscience rights of health care providers are not negotiable.

On February 22, HHS announced final rule changes governing the Title X family planning program. Consistent with federal law, these rule changes ensured that Title X clinics would be financially and physically separate from abortion facilities and would not refer patients for abortions. Since the implementation of the rule, Planned Parenthood and several pro-abortion states voluntarily decided to withdraw from the program rather than quit performing abortions or referring patients for abortions.

On March 8, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback criticized China's poor religious freedom record in a speech he delivered in Hong Kong.

On April 12, the Trump administration's policy on military service by those with gender dysphoria went into effect. This policy will help halt the deterioration of military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion caused by social experimentation in the military.

On May 2, HHS announced a final rule to expand the structure in which federal conscience laws are enforced. In 2011, President Obama issued a rule that enforced only three federal conscience provisions. The new regulation under President Trump covers 25 existing statutes, which will be enforced by the new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, part of the HHS OCR.

On May 5, at the World Health Assembly, the Trump administration issued a joint statement on behalf of the United States and eight other nations calling on other countries to join an effort to focus on women's health issues that unify rather than create dissension among members (like abortion and sexual and reproductive health). This statement was the first action taken under the administration's new Protecting Life in Global Health Policy (PLGHP), which seeks to build a global coalition to promote women's health while also protecting unborn life and strengthening the family. This policy works in conjunction with the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) program, which restricts funding for organizations abroad that perform or promote abortion.

On May 24, HHS proposed a new regulation that clarifies that discrimination on the basis of sex in section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act was to be interpreted under the plain meaning of the word. Therefore, it does not include "gender identity" or "termination of pregnancy" as set forth by a 2016 Obama administration regulation. The HHS regulation will continue to enforce existing civil rights protections; however, it makes clear that the federal government will not force physicians to participate in gender reassignment surgeries or abortions.

On June 5, after an extensive audit into fetal tissue research, the Trump administration announced a major change in the enforcement of research contracts. HHS would no longer conduct intramural (internal) research using tissue from aborted babies and would greatly increase the ethics rules and safeguards that govern extramural (external) fetal tissue research contracts. All new external contracts will be subject to a congressionally authorized ethics advisory board, making it much more difficult for fetal tissue research contracts to be awarded by the National Institute of Health.

On July 16-18, the State Department held the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new global initiative, the International Religious Freedom Alliance, meant to provide a way for like-minded countries to work together to advance religious freedom. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave a compelling speech condemning the use of technology to track and control the lives of religious minorities. The United States was among 14 signatory countries on a statement of concern about technology and religious freedom. The U.S. was also one of 34 countries that signed a statement of concern on counterterrorism as a pretext for the repression of religious freedom; one of 27 countries that signed a statement condemning blasphemy, apostasy, or other laws that restrict religious freedom; and was one of 46 countries that signed a statement that called upon government officials to condemn attacks on places of worship and to work with religious communities to protect these places. At this event, the State Department and USAID also announced new religious freedom training programs for foreign service officers.

On July 16, the State Department placed targeted sanctions on Burmese military officials for their human rights and religious freedom violations committed against the Rohingya Muslim population.

On July 18, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued a joint letter on International Partnerships that called states to join a coalition of countries that seek to advocate against pro-abortion policies at the World Health Organization and the United Nations (UN).

In August 2019, DOJ filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court in two important religious liberty cases, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Bostock v. Clayton County/Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda. Through these filings, DOJ advanced a biologically binary definition of sex and those who operate accordingly, whether because of science or religious belief.

On August 15, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new regulation that would clarify the scope and application of religious exemptions for federal contractors. Under the Obama administration, the scope of religious exemption at the DOL was severely narrowed. The current DOL relied on the history of our nation's preservation of religious liberty, the First Amendment, and Supreme Court decisions to re-invigorate the exemption to its historical and constitutional parameters.

On August 28, the HHS OCR issued a notice of violation to the University of Vermont Medical Center for forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion despite a conscience objection. This marks the third time that the HHS Religious Freedom Division under President Trump has investigated a conscience complaint related to participating in or promoting abortion.

On September 10, the State Department placed targeted sanctions on Russian officials for their religious freedom violations and torture of Jehovah's Witnesses.

On September 23, President Trump hosted a meeting during the U.N. General Assembly and gave a speech solely on the topic of religious freedom. During the speech, he announced a U.S. policy initiative to protect places of worship, pledging an additional $25 million in funding to protect religious sites and relics. President Trump also announced the U.S. would form a coalition within the business community to protect religious freedom. This is the first time a U.S. president has hosted a meeting focused solely on religious freedom at the UN.

On September 24, President Trump discussed the need to protect religious freedom during his UN General Assembly speech, in which he also discussed China and Iran -- two major violators of religious freedom.

On September 25, HHS Secretary Alex Azar delivered a statement at the UN General Assembly stating that there is no international right to abortion, and that the U.S. does not support ambiguous terms like "sexual and reproductive health" in UN documents.

On October 7, the Department of Commerce blacklisted 28 Chinese companies whose surveillance technology products are used to systematically oppress and control -- and violate the religious freedom -- of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

On October 11, 2019, Attorney General Barr delivered a striking defense of religious liberty at Notre Dame Law School. He noted, "[t]he imperative of protecting religious freedom was not just a nod in the direction of piety. It reflects the Framers' belief that religion was indispensable to sustaining our free system of government." The Attorney General proceeded to remind the audience that religion gives us the "right rules to live by." Barr highlighted the recent attacks on religious liberty, and that the DOJ under his leadership has been fighting back and protecting religious liberty.

On November 14, the U.S. government lead a statement on behalf of itself and 10 other countries at the Nairobi Summit, once again calling upon the international community to focus on areas of consensus instead of divisive issues like abortion and sexual and reproductive health.

On November 19, HHS issued a rule removing burdensome requirements that all grantees, including those that are faith-based, must accept same-sex marriages and profess gender identity as valid in order to be eligible to participate in grant programs. This included the adoption and foster care space, where these requirements had been used to shut down faith-based providers of foster care and adoption.

On November 27, President Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law, which affirms Hong Kong's semi-autonomous status and protects against Chinese government encroachment, which is a threat to Hong Kong's religious freedom.

On December 19, the Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian judges responsible for human rights violations. One of the judges was known to violate the rights of Iran's Christian and Baha'i religious minority communities

On December 20, the center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final regulation to address the abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This final rule aligns federal regulations with section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that consumers know their health care plan covers abortion and that funding for abortion is kept separate from all other covered services.
2020

On January 16, HHS Secretary Alex Azar hosted 34 countries for a meeting on how to promote women's health and protect the lives of the unborn. This meeting followed an invitation sent by Secretary Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to 70 different countries inviting them to join a coalition to oppose international efforts to enshrine abortion as a human right.

On January 16, the Departments of Education and Justice issued guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools. This guidance ensures that prayer in schools is properly protected and not unconstitutionally prohibited or curtailed.

On January 16, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a memo to the heads of executive departments and agencies providing guidance on Executive Order (EO) 13798 "Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty." In order to protect the ability of religious organizations to operate in the public square, this memo required the agencies to review the EO and publish policies on how they will comply.

On January 17, nine federal agencies (the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the U.S. Agency for International Development) proposed rules leveling the playing field for faith-based organizations wishing to participate in grant programs or become a contractor. The rules eliminated two requirements placed on faith-based organizations that were not placed on secular organizations.

On January 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at HHS approved a family planning waiver for Texas to implement a state-run Medicaid program that excludes abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. This makes Texas the first state to receive Medicaid funding for a family planning program that does not include abortion providers.

On January 24, President Trump became the first sitting president to give remarks in person at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. In his address he stated the eternal truth that every child is a sacred gift from God and reiterated his effort to defend the dignity and sanctity of every human life.

Also on January 24, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced live at Family Research Council's ProLifeCon event that HHS issued a notice of violation to California for violating the federal Weldon Amendment by mandating all health insurers provide coverage for abortion. California's abortion coverage mandate has deprived over 28,000 residents of plans that do not cover abortion. This marks the second time that HHS has issued a notice of violation to California for violating federal conscience laws and is the fourth enforcement action taken by the HHS OCR's Conscience and Religious Freedom Division.

In February, the Trump administration filled the role of Special Adviser to the President on International Religious Freedom within the National Security Council. This role was authorized by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, but has remained unfilled for over 20 years since that law's enactment. President Trump is the first president to dedicate a full-time staffer to this role and fill it on a permanent basis.

On February 4, during his State of the Union address, President Trump called on Congress to pass legislation that would ban late-term abortions. To highlight the need for this legislation, he invited special guest Ellie Schneider, who was born at just 21 weeks gestation.

On February 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched the International Religious Freedom Alliance. The Alliance will unite government leaders from like-minded nations to strategize ways to promote religious freedom and protect religious minorities around the world.

On February 25, OMB issued a Statement of Administrative Policy strongly supporting two pro-life bills being voted on in the U.S. Senate: the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Had Congress passed these bills, the president's advisors would have recommended that he sign both into law.

On March 24, DOJ filed a statement of interest in a case protecting women against men intruding on their sporting competitions. The statement made clear that athletic qualifications on the basis of "gender identity" were harmful to women's sports.

On March 28, amid the coronavirus pandemic, HHS OCR issued a strong statement reminding health care entities of their obligation to treat persons with disabilities with the same dignity and worth as everyone else. OCR reiterated its duty to enforce current civil rights laws and has already worked with states like Alabama and Pennsylvania to remove discriminatory practices from their pandemic health plans.

On April 2, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback held a special briefing. He called upon China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia to release their prisoners of conscience in light of the contagious coronavirus. Many of these prisoners were imprisoned for their religious faith.

On April 3, after hearing from Family Research Council and other organizations, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a FAQ document confirming that churches and religious nonprofits are eligible for assistance like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the coronavirus relief legislation known as the CARES Act. These clarifying protections ensure organizations would not be discriminated against based on their religious affiliation and would not have to give up their religious freedom in order to participate in these programs. In addition, the administration used an affiliation rule to ensure that large abortion providers like Planned Parenthood would not be eligible for coronavirus relief in the CARES Act.

On April 14, DOJ filed a statement of interest protecting the religious liberty of church-goers in Greenville, Mississippi. During the coronavirus pandemic, the city of Greenville banned all religious services, even those that were able to abide by social distancing standards with drive-in church services.

On April 17, the Department of Homeland Security included "clergy for essential support" in its list of personnel and entities deemed "essential" for purposes of responding to the coronavirus. This designation allows clergy and pastors more freedom to continue to operate and serve those around them in need at this time.

On April 27, Attorney General William Barr directed federal prosecutors to monitor and, if necessary, take action to correct state and local policies that discriminate against religious institutions and believers while battling the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 3, DOJ filed a statement of interest supporting the religious freedom of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. After the church held a 16-person worship service on Palm Sunday (following strict social distancing protocols), a criminal citation and summons were issued against the pastor pursuant to Governor Ralph Northam's executive order which banned in-person religious services but allowed large gatherings for businesses like liquor stores and dry cleaners.

As of May 12, the Trump administration has overseen the confirmation of 193 federal judges, including two Supreme Court justices and 51 federal appeals court judges. Counting seven other judicial confirmations for roles outside the federal court system, President Trump has confirmed 200 judges so far during his time in office. An overwhelming number of President Trump's judicial nominees have been constitutional originalists, who will interpret the law as written, rather than interpret it according to their personal policy preferences. As judges, these nominees will rule correctly on religious liberty and pro-life issues.

On May 15, the DOL issued guidance implementing the administration's Religious Liberty Executive Order and the DOJ religious liberty guidance. The DOL guidance also cited tothe OMB memo from earlier this year which directed all grant-administering agencies to detail how they will protect religious liberty in the context of such grants, and included specific action steps to ensure that religious liberty is protected.

On May 18, USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa sent a letter to the UN Secretary General advocating that the UN not push abortion during the coronavirus crisis. Barsa noted that abortion is not an "essential service," and there are many actual health needs at this time. Therefore, the United States, which stands with the international pro-life community under the Trump administration, does not look kindly on these efforts to promote abortion.

Trump's Successes

2020-06-27T00:05:00.002-04:00

WOKE Together

2020-06-26T00:39:00.000-04:00