Education, federal budget, trade wars, census manipulation — and more
Political consultant Chuck Coughlin and I discuss a wide range of very current issues in this week’s Think Tank:
Education in Arizona. Political machinations. Will the legislature cut back on vouchers enough to invalidate the successful referenda effort? The teachers arguments for a pay raise have certainly attracted a lot of attention and public support. How will a Republican governor and legislator committed to “no tax increase-EVER” principles react? Feels like the irresistible force meets the immovable object: something has to give. And, to top it out, this week the Arizona Supreme Court rules that “dreamers” (DACA elegible persons) cannot be granted in-state tuition.
Federal Budget. President Trump proposed sometimes draconian cuts in many federal agencies. How did the Republican controlled congress react? They INCREASED the budget for most agencies. The sole exception: Trump proposed cutting the EPA by 31%, congress left it untouched. More typical example: Trump proposed cutting the State Dept. by 29%, congress INCREASED it by 15%. What gives? Especially in light of the recent tax cuts, all those Republican budget hawks under President Obama seem to be in hiding during the Trump presidency.
Trade War with China? Maybe. The more hopeful version is that, beneath the rhetoric, middle managers from both sides are working out a deal both can live with. I hope so, everyone loses trade wars. Note: I’ll share a personal observation about how this issue is being communicated to the Chinese public. It is startling.
Politicization of the Census? By the normal scheme of things, getting a question, any question, added to the Census is a ten-year process of vetting and question testing. The Trump administration proposed bypassing this process and inserting a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Seems like a rather transparent attempt to suppress the Census count in areas with higher concentrations of undocumented persons. And a likely byproduct in Arizona: we are on the bubble for getting another congressional seat. A citizenship question on the Census would likely kibosh that additional seat in Congress.
