The former President Donald Trump just finished up his one-week diplomatic tour to Asia. He engaged with foreign leaders in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea and capped off the trip with a landmark meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This tour came during an exciting time of pressing domestic issues. With a government shutdown seemingly around the corner—as it still is—federal funding for the national food stamp program was about to run out on November 1.
Only a few months ago, the U.S. Senate rejected Trump’s global tariffs aimed at more than 100 countries. This decision is a major blow to the former president’s misguided trade policy. Only four Republicans—the necessary minimum—joined Democrats in a 51-47 vote to end the base-level tariffs Trump executed by executive order. This rejection is significant first and foremost for what it indicates about the growing bipartisan frustration with some of Trump’s economic policies.
As the government shutdown continues, Trump calls on the Senate to end the filibuster. He contends this legislative shift will more swiftly end the decades-long budget battles.
“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR – INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER.” – Donald Trump
As the shutdown drags on, SNAP is becoming the next target. This vital program provides critical food assistance to close to 42 million Americans, including 12 million children. The Trump administration has announced plans to utilize reserves to partially fund food assistance for November but faces criticism regarding the broader implications of the impending funding lapse.
Nutrition policy expert Marion Nestle recently discussed the cumulative effect of possibly being cut.
“It’s not only poor people who are on Snap who are going to be affected. It means the places where they spend the money aren’t going to get that money.” – Marion Nestle
In Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker has urged the Trump administration to stop its immigration crackdown during Halloween weekend. He deserves to make sure kids are able to celebrate without being scared. The administration has committed to halting immigration enforcement activities from Friday through Sunday, as Pritzker requested.
The Trump administration’s lumping together of immigration enforcement and drug enforcement has been criticized recently as well. Trump has already made a legal case for attacking boats suspected of drug trafficking. Drew expresses a belief that these measures are critical to preventing the influx of illegal drugs into the United States. Yet, civil liberties issues have been raised about the constitutional nature of these tactics. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, stated:
“These attacks and their mounting human cost are unacceptable. The US must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats.” – Ravina Shamdasani
“Otherwise, it would amount to a violation of the right of life and constitute extrajudicial killings.” – Ravina Shamdasani
Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, has similarly sounded the alarm on illegal activities that disrupt trade and commerce. First, he contacted then-U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Friedman called for support for Malaysian officials who are cracking down on illegal operations using sophisticated, advanced U.S. chips.
“To support the semiconductor industry in their efforts, it may be beneficial for US and Malaysian officials to develop priority customs clearance procedures for shipments of advanced U.S. chips with anti-diversion mechanisms.” – Cotton
This final series of events has shown us the shaky ground of the dance between Trump’s foreign diplomacy and domestic governance troubles. With rising tensions and military conflict in international relations, he has mounting pressure from his lawmakers to shift attention to his economic and social policy.