Two congressional incumbents out; roundup of federal policy changes

This week's federal news highlights include the Farenthold and Esty resignations, tit for tat tariffs, and congressional primary news [Forward This](mailto:?&cc=Two congressional incumbents out; roundup of federal policy changes &body=Check%20out%20this%20week's%20federal%20news%20from%20Ballotpedia%3A%20https%3A//ballotpedia.org/The_Federal_Tap%3A_Two_congressional_incumbents_out;_roundup_of_federal_policy_changes) [blank][Tweet This]( [blank][Send to Linkedin]( [blank][Send to Facebook]( [blank] Welcome to April! In this week's federal edition we have the latest for you on Farenthold's resignation late yesterday as well as the week's top primary news. Let's get to it. [Link to full version →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Congressional updates - Late Friday afternoon, Rep. [Blake Farenthold]( (R-Texas) resigned from Congress effective immediately amid [sexual misconduct allegations](. He said in a statement, “While I planned on serving out the remainder of my term in Congress, I know in my heart it’s time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve. Leaving my service in the House, I’m able to look back at the entirety of my career in public office and say that it was well worthwhile." - Rep. [Elizabeth Esty]( (D-Conn.) announced Monday that she would not seek re-election. The announcement came after she was criticized for her handling of sexual harassment allegations by her former chief of staff. She wrote in a Facebook post, “I have determined that it is in the best interest of my constituents and my family to end my time in Congress at the end of this year and not seek re-election. Too many women have been harmed by harassment in the workplace. In the terrible situation in my office, I could have and should have done better." As of April 2, 2018, [53 representatives]( have announced that they will not seek re-election to their U.S. House districts. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trump administration releases list of Chinese imports that could be subject to a 25 percent tariff; China responds by threatening to impose tariffs on U.S. imports - The Trump administration [released a list]( of Chinese imports that could be subject to a 25 percent tariff. The list targets $50 billion in Chinese imports across 1,300 categories of products, including medicines, medical equipment, machine tools, chemicals, dishwashers, televisions, automobile parts, aircraft engines, industrial robots, some semiconductor production equipment, and electric vehicles, among other goods. The list did not include shoes, clothing, mobile phones, personal computers, laptops, or furniture. It was published “[a]s part of the U.S. response to China’s unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of U.S. technology and intellectual property. … Following USTR’s Section 301 investigation, President Trump announced in March that the United States will impose tariffs on approximately $50 billion worth of Chinese imports and take other actions in response to China’s policies that coerce American companies into transferring their technology and intellectual property to domestic Chinese enterprises,” according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The tariffs do not go into effect immediately. The items on the list will undergo a public notice and comment process and then the USTR will make a final decision about whether to impose the tariffs. - On Wednesday, China’s State Council [responded]( to the U.S.’ list of proposed tariffs saying that it would impose tariffs on 106 types of U.S. goods, including soybeans, beef, sorghum, some commercial passenger planes, and sport-utility vehicles, among other goods. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Chinese government officials described China’s response as defensive and forced upon Beijing in hopes of compelling the U.S. into talks to ease the countries’ trade frictions.” Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao called for negotiations between China and the U.S., saying, “Both sides have put their lists on the table. Now it’s time for negotiations.” --------------------------------------------------------------- Where was the president last week? - On Monday, President Donald Trump first lady Melania Trump hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll Breakfast Reception and the White House Easter Egg Roll. In the afternoon, Trump met with National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. - On Tuesday, Trump received his daily intelligence briefing. After the briefing, Trump hosted the U.S.-Baltic Centennial Summit at the White House with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. The leaders then held a press conference. - On Wednesday, Trump attended a private dinner with his supporters in Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, Trump received his daily intelligence briefing. He then traveled to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, to participate in a discussion about tax reform. - On Friday, Trump received his daily intelligence briefing. --------------------------------------------------------------- CFPB acting director issues new agency recommendations - Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]( (CFPB), issued new recommendations for the agency in the CFPB’s semiannual report on Monday with the goal of implementing what he described as "meaningful accountability for the bureau.” The report proposes to fund the CFPB through congressional appropriations, require Congressional approval for all major agency regulations, create an inspector general within the agency, and make the CFPB director accountable to the president. “The Bureau is far too powerful, with precious little oversight of its activities,” said Mulvaney. “The power wielded by the Director of the Bureau could all too easily be used to harm consumers, destroy businesses, or arbitrarily remake American financial markets.” - The CFPB was authorized under the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010 as an independent federal agency—a type of executive agency in which the top official has cause removal protections and, therefore, is insulated from political interference by the president or other elected officials. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the CFPB as an independent federal agency in January 2018. The agency is currently funded through the Federal Reserve rather than through congressional appropriations.​​​​ --------------------------------------------------------------- Candidate filing deadline in Tennessee - The filing deadline passed on Thursday for candidates running in Tennessee [elections]( in 2018. Federal and state offices on the ballot this year will include one U.S. Senate seat, nine U.S. House seats, governor, 17 of 33 state Senate seats, and all 99 state House seats. Local elections within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope will include school board and judicial offices in Nashville and Shelby County. Ballotpedia's featured elections in Missouri this year include the Republican primaries for Tennessee’s 2nd and 6th Congressional Districts, and well as the U.S. Senate race. The state’s primary is August 2, 2018, and the general election is on November 6, 2018. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trump signs memorandum to deploy troops to U.S.-Mexico border - President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Wednesday to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to combat "a drastic surge of illegal activity on the southern border." The memorandum stated, "The combination of illegal drugs, dangerous gang activity, and extensive illegal immigration not only threatens our safety but also undermines the rule of law. ... The situation at the border has now reached a point of crisis. The lawlessness that continues at our southern border is fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security, and sovereignty of the American people. My Administration has no choice but to act." Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told reporters that she and the governors from Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas were working out the details of the deployment. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R), New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez (R), and Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) all supported the decision. California Governor Jerry Brown (D) did not immediately comment on the move. - When asked how many National Guardsmen he wanted to send to the border, Trump said, "Anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000. We’re looking at a combination of from 2,000 to 4,000. We’re moving that along. ... And we’ll probably keep them, or a large portion of them, until such time as we get the wall." - The previous two presidents sent guardsmen to the border for security purposes. From 2006 to 2008, President George W. Bush (R) deployed 6,000 National Guard troops to the southern border to assist the Border Patrol. In 2010 and 2011, President Barack Obama (D) sent about 1,200 guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border as well. According to The Wall Street Journal, “During those deployments, the troops helped augment the Border Patrol while that agency worked to add additional agents and construct new fencing. The troops, which were there mostly for training, were barred from law-enforcement activities but helped repair equipment and monitor surveillance cameras and sensors. Active-duty troops also have been sent to the border from time to time, primarily for training activities.” --------------------------------------------------------------- Make sure you are prepared for the May primaries. [Subscribe to our weekly newsletter now→]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Montana Democratic Party files suit to remove Green Party from the 2018 election ballots - The [Montana Democratic Party]( filed a lawsuit on Monday in Lewis and Clark County District Court claiming that the state Green Party did not collect enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot. The lawsuit argues that Secretary of State [Corey Stapleton]( (R) incorrectly certified 180 signature petitions. The lawsuit is asking for an injunction to remove the party from the [June 5 primary](. Six Green Party candidates have qualified for the ballot in Montana. Two candidates filed for the U.S. Senate, one for the U.S. House, and three in the state legislature. --------------------------------------------------------------- Gray and McGrath release TV ads as KY-06 Democratic primary heats up - Jim Gray and Amy McGrath are out with new campaign ads as they fight for the [Democratic nomination]( in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District. Gray’s ads emphasize his expressed-desire to work past partisan politics, while McGrath’s ad focuses on her motherhood and military experience. The winner of the May 22 contest will face incumbent Andy Barr (R) in the general election. Barr won re-election in 2016 by over 20 points. - The ads are the first released by Gray, who is the mayor of Lexington and ran against Rand Paul for U.S. Senate in 2016. Since entering the race in late 2017 with the encouragement of members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), he has achieved frontrunner status by touting what he says is “his unique position” to defeat Barr in November. He won 51 percent of the District 6 vote in his 2016 Senate bid. - McGrath is no stranger to campaign advertisements. According to the Washington Post, she became a “national sensation” in August 2017 after releasing her “Told Me” ad that focused on her experience as a Navy pilot. Although McGrath lost her frontrunner status when Gray entered the race, she led in fundraising as of the end of 2017 and secured endorsements from U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and the organization VoteVets. - Due to the DCCC’s support for Gray, whose ties to the district and ability to self-fund may give him an advantage in the general election, Vox's Ella Nilsen has called the race "an intraparty debate about how Democrats can best compete in rural, red-leaning districts.” - Also running in the primary is state Sen. Reggie Thomas. Although Thomas has not raised similar campaign funds or made national headlines, Hastings Wyman of the Southern Political Report wrote that, Gray and McGrath "could divide the electorate" and Thomas could "slip in with a plurality." --------------------------------------------------------------- Incumbent Capuano raises $500,000 to challenger Pressley's $364,000 in Democratic primary for MA-07 - Early fundraising reports are in for the first quarter of 2018 and incumbent Rep. [Mike Capuano]( (D-Mass.) has outraised Boston City Councilor [Ayanna Pressley]( (D) in the [Democratic primary]( for Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District, $500,000 to $364,000. - Capuano, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and ran unopposed in his past two elections, has $1.1 million in cash on hand. Pressley's campaign did not disclose her cash reserves, but it [noted]( that she had more than 1,500 donors and 70 percent of the contributions she received were under $100. - The primary for this safe Democratic seat is September 4, 2018. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Tap has thousands of loyal readers each week. Want to reach them? Advertise in this email! Contact ads@ballotpedia.org for details. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. 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