Week thirteen of the Trump presidency has come and gone, and a number of recurring issues remain. One of the most frequently debated is Trump's proposed border wall, which he plans to build along the US-Mexico border while providing Mexico with the bill. As of now, Trump has stated that the US will provide initial funding to jump-start the process, but that, "Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall." Attorney General Jeff Sessions has likewise emphasized that the final cost will not be the United States', saying to ABC News' host George Stephanopoulos, "We're going to get paid for it one way or the other."
A spending package must be passed by this coming Friday in order for the government to remain open, and the contentious topic of the border wall is slowing the process considerably. Democrats (as well as Republicans from border states) fervently oppose funneling funding towards building the wall. As Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois declared on CNN's "State of the Union", shutting down the government, "over this outlandish proposal of a border wall - which we can't even pay for at this point and is opposed by Democrats and Republicans all along the border" would be, "the height of irresponsibility."
On the international front, tensions with Pyongyang continue to build. In response to Trump's incendiary tweets last week, North Korea's vice foreign minister Han Song Ryol stated in an Associated Press interview that Trump's aggressive statements were "making trouble," and that, "if the U.S. comes with reckless military maneuvers, then we will confront it with the DPRK's pre-emptive strike." Han went on to say, "We've got a powerful nuclear deterrent already in our hands, and we certainly will not keep our arms crossed in the face of a U.S. pre-emptive strike." The Trump administration stated that its strategy with regard to ending North Korea's nuclear program will consist of "maximum pressure and engagement," and that it is keen to remain on friendly terms with South Korea. However, the heft of this declaration was diminished somewhat when it became known that the aircraft carrier that the Trump administration had said was heading towards North Korea (as a display of military force) was actually travelling in the opposite direction.
Legal battles continue to be fought over the Trump administration's singling out of "sanctuary cities" such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and others. Jeff Sessions' referring to Hawaii as an "island in the Pacific" as opposed to a state has not smoothed the administration's relationships with states and cities who seek to resist Trump's policies. However, Trump's thirteenth week in office will no doubt only serve as a precursor for his fourteenth, which will include the 100-day mark of his presidency. On Sunday, a senior White House official stated that Trump has a busy agenda for the week ahead. It includes introducing VOICE (the Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement office), moving the US towards energy independence, new executive orders that will ostensibly benefit veterans, and outlining the principles of his plan for a tax code overhaul.
- http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-trump-week-13-story.html
- https://news.vice.com/story/week-13-in-trumps-america-a-call-to-erdogan-north-korea-tension-and-dinner-with-palin
- http://www.torchonline.com/news/2017/04/19/president-trumps-first-100-days-week-thirteen/
- http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/trump-border-wall-protects-u-s-against-threats-like-ms-13-1.13510065
