Last week, the Senate voted 87-11 to confirm former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 94-6 to confirm Rod J. Rosenstein to serve as U.S. Deputy Attorney General (the second-highest-ranking official in the Justice Department), and 60-38 to confirm Alexander Acosta as the 27th U.S. Secretary of Labor. The only remaining Cabinet-level nominee in the Trump Administration still waiting to be confirmed by the Senate is Robert Lighthizer to serve as U.S. Trade Representative. Read more here, here, and here.

On April 26, the Trump Administration released a one-page proposal outlining how it plans to rewrite the U.S. tax code. The document, entitled "2017 Tax Reform for Economic Growth and American Jobs" envisions slashing the tax rate paid by businesses large and small to 15 percent. The number of individual income tax brackets would shrink from seven to three - 10, 25 and 35 percent - easing the tax burden on most Americans, although aides did not offer the income ranges for each bracket. President Trump would also eliminate the  estate tax  and  alternative minimum tax. Corporations would not have to pay taxes on their foreign profits and would also enjoy  a special, one-time opportunity to bring home cash  that they are parking overseas. President Trump wants to also double the standard deduction for individuals, essentially eliminating taxes on around $24,000 of a couple's earnings. The proposal would scrap most itemized deductions, such as those for state and local tax payments, a valuable break for taxpayers in Democratic states like California and New York. However, the proposal would leave in place popular breaks for mortgage interest, charitable contributions and retirement savings. Read more...

On April 25, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, partially blocked President Trump's attempts to withhold federal grant money to punish so-called "sanctuary cities" that do not fully comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Judge Orrick ruled that Trump exceeded his presidential authority when he signed an Executive Order on January 25 directing his administration to withhold all federal funding from local jurisdictions deemed to be "sanctuary" jurisdictions. Orrick said that a President has the power to withhold some funding, including three Justice Department grants directly tied to law enforcement, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), and Community Oriented Policing Services Grants (COPS). However, he also said that Trump's threats to withhold all federal grants were "coercive" and violated several fundamental principles established in the Constitution. "The Constitution vests the spending powers in Congress, not the President, so the Order cannot constitutionally place new conditions on federal funds," Orrick wrote. Read more...

On April 27, the House passed, by a vote of 417-3, a bill ( S. 496 ) to repeal the December 2016 final rule from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration that would force many local metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the same region to merge. The bill, which the Senate passed on March 8 by Unanimous Consent, is different than a resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), in that once the rule is repealed, the Trump Administration or a future Administration will be free to try again with a rule that approaches the subject a bit differently (rules nullified under the CRA cannot be reissued "in substantially the same form"). The rule was broadly unpopular with MPOs and other stakeholders and S. 496 has been endorsed by the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO). The bill now heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law. Read more...