Reed About Politics: President Trump’s First Week
By Reed Cleland
Welcome to the first article in my new column, Reed About Politics. The articles in this column are meant to educate the ordinary Homer High School student about the political issues of our time. I will limit myself to facts and explanations, rather than providing my personal opinions. While I do not intend to influence your political opinions, I want to ensure that you, as young American citizens, are informed about the issues that our great nation faces.
It has been a busy first week for Donald J. Trump as 45th President of the United States. Nearly all major American news networks are talking about the new changes that he has brought to the executive office. Let us examine three of President Trump’s most controversial reforms.
- On January 23rd, President Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Known as TPP, the agreement attempted to stimulate international trade between the United States and a variety of Asian countries. On one hand, the deal would have given the United States a large amount of influence in Asia. Since free trade tends to destroy domestic jobs, however, critics argue that TPP would have hurt American workers. While running for president, Trump consistently argued that these side effects outweighed TPP’s benefits. He was praised by many Republicans and Democrats alike for his decision; it will be interesting to see if he continues to side with American workers in future trade deals.
- Former President Barack Obama is well known for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Obamacare was created with the intent of providing more people with cheaper and better healthcare. Republican congressmen, however, have criticized the bill for allegedly increasing healthcare costs, hurting low-income families. Since becoming president, Trump has begun to repeal pieces of Obamacare with the hope of replacing it with a better plan. He has come under fire for attempting to do so, because many Americans fear that this would leave them without any healthcare coverage. The healthcare debate is a challenging issue to untangle. It involves keeping prices low while providing quality care at the same time; this is extremely difficult to do. It remains to be seen whether a Trump replacement for Obamacare could give people quality care at prices they can afford.
- While on the campaign trail, Trump was known for one of his most controversial ideas: a full-fledged ban of Muslim refugees from war-torn countries in the Middle East. Within the past five years, the United States has faced a concerning threat from the terror group known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). There have been a growing number of tragic attacks on American civilians by affiliates of this terrorist organization. Trump brought these issues to the fore during his campaign, pledging to temporarily ban immigrants from terrorist-affiliated countries in the Middle East. On Friday, January 27th, he fulfilled part of this promise by placing a ninety-day ban on nationals from a list of those countries. As expected, this order has encountered scores of criticism and protest on moral and constitutional grounds. Has Trump gone too far in trying to keep Americans safe?
These are three highlight takeaways from the first week of the Trump administration. There are several more as well. Trade, healthcare, and immigration reform are three key issues that are debated in American politics. Whether or not we agree with him, President Trump has already begun to forge a new path for the United States. Will it be the correct one? This is the question that millions of Americans are asking.
