Tag: President
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Senate confirms first Biden Cabinet nominee
The Senate confirmed Avril Haines as director of national intelligence on January 20, 2021, by a vote of 84-10. Haines previously served as an assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor during the Obama administration. Ten Republican senators voted against her confirmation: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) Sen. Ted…
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Trump issues 74 pardons, 70 commutations on last day of term
On January 20, 2021, President Donald Trump (R) issued 74 pardons and 70 commutations. Among those pardoned included former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon, former U.S. Reps. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) and Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.), and the rappers Lil’ Wayne and Kodak Black. These final pardons and commutations bring the total for Trump’s term to 143…
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Ballotpedia’s Daily Brew: Average MOV in last year’s House races—29 percentage points
Average margin of victory in last year’s U.S. House races was lowest since at least 2012 The average margin of victory (MOV) in last year’s U.S. House elections was 28.8 percentage points, down from 31.8 percentage points in 2018 and the narrowest average MOV in U.S. House elections since at least 2012. Ballotpedia has analyzed…
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Biden to be inaugurated as 46th president
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will also be sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States, becoming the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve in the office.…
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Federal Register weekly update: Trump administration’s highest weekly final rule total
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From January 11 through January 15, the Federal Register grew by 3,138 pages for a year-to-date total of 4,874 pages. Over the same…
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Trump administration’s 2-for-1 regulatory policy in review
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued a 2020 update on the Trump administration’s 2-for-1 regulatory policy as part of the Fall 2020 edition of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The 2-for-1 policy applies to economically significant rules—those with an anticipated economic impact of $100 million or more. The…
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Federal Register weekly update: More than 3,000 final rules published so far in 2020
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From November 23 to November 27, the Federal Register grew by 1,824 pages for a year-to-date total of 76,418 pages. Over the same…
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Analyzing margins of victory in the 206 Pivot Counties nationwide
Voters in 206 Pivot Counties across the country backed Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. How did these counties vote in 2020? We have split the Pivot Counties into two categories based on the unofficial results: Retained Pivot Counties, which voted for Trump again in 2020, and Carousel…
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Legislation would block Trump executive order to change civil service classifications
On Oct. 27, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) introduced the Saving the Civil Service Act (H.R. 8687) to block President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13957. The executive order, issued on Oct. 21, aims to give agency heads greater flexibility in the appointment of staff members who serve in policy-related positions and make it easier for agency…
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President Trump names Christopher C. Miller acting secretary of defense
President Donald Trump (R) announced that Christopher C. Miller would be acting U.S. Secretary of Defense on Monday, following the termination of Mark Esper. Christopher C. Miller had been serving as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center since Aug. 10, 2020. Miller previously served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director…