The impeachment of President Donald Trump had a spy novel intrigue this week — a bombastic ambassador, seasoned diplomats talking fact to energy and a gentle stream of Twitter threats and public denials from a president beneath siege.
However the different Washington — the equipment that really runs the federal authorities — continued to do work that matters in other methods.
The federal government is on the verge of banning asbestos — three many years after it first tried and did not crack down on the deadly development material — after a Home committee overwhelmingly voted to send a invoice to the House flooring. The Environmental Protection Agency rolled again security laws aimed toward stopping the type of explosion that killed 15 individuals at a Texas fertilizer plant in 2013 — the newest in the Trump administration’s barrage towards Obama-era rules.
Over on the Pentagon, the army’s intelligence arm warned that the Trump administration’s pullout from Syria might help the revival of ISIS.
Oh, and the government gained’t shut down for now — no small accomplishment for a Congress that subjected Washington to the longest shutdown in history earlier this yr.
These breakthroughs may need been front web page fodder in a totally different information cycle, however not in Trump’s Washington this week. That’s why POLITICO’s coverage journalists are right here together with your fast repair of other information, for part 2 of our tackle what happened in Washington when you have been watching the impeachment.
Democrats and Republicans agreed on an asbestos ban
Thirty years after EPA tried and did not ban asbestos, Home Democrats and Republicans agreed on laws to prohibit the carcinogenic fiber. The deal on Tuesday obtained bipartisan help before the House Power and Commerce Committee, 47-1, after lawmakers agreed to a short lived exemption for the only business that also uses asbestos, chlorine manufacturing, giving corporations time to modify to newer technologies.
Final passage into regulation continues to be unsure, however that is the most promising outlook that asbestos ban laws has loved in years. The invoice’s advancement follows a courtroom ruling that faulted the EPA for not learning the health risks of “legacy” chemical compounds such because the asbestos insulation present in hundreds of thousands of houses and different buildings. — Alex Guillén
The Pentagon's spy agency stated Trump's Syria pullout helped ISIS
The withdrawal, together with Turkey’s cross-border incursion to battle the Kurds, allowed ISIS to "reconstitute capabilities and assets inside Syria and strengthen its capacity to plan assaults overseas," the quarterly report from the lead inspector basic on the U.S. army marketing campaign towards ISIS stated.
“The [Defense Intelligence Agency] also reported that without counterterrorism strain, ISIS will in all probability have the ability to extra freely build clandestine networks and will try and free ISIS members detained in [Syrian Democratic Forces]-run prisons and relations dwelling in internally displaced persons ... camps," the inspector basic added. — Connor O'Brien
Washington: Shutdown-free for an additional month
Congress cleared a short-term spending bill that may maintain the government open for 4 further weeks, diminishing the probabilities of a paralyzing government-wide shutdown before Thanksgiving however additionally punting a troublesome determination on border wall spending.
Trump signed off on the invoice, which runs by way of Dec. 20, since it doesn’t impose new restrictions on his border wall spending. Congressional leaders still lack a fiscal 2020 funding plan beyond the new deadline. Protracted fights over Trump’s border wall dominate the spending talks and impeachment proceedings threaten to eat Congress by way of January. — Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes
The EPA rescinded Obama-era chemical safety requirements
The EPA is weakening a chemical safety rule issued by the Obama administration in response to the 2013 West, Texas, fertilizer facility explosion that killed 15 individuals. The rule — which covers 12,500 amenities ranging from oil refineries to chemical crops to meals and beverage producers — frees corporations from extra rigorous mitigation and security preparation requirements. And it no longer requires the house owners of chemical crops, refineries and other industrial amenities to publicly launch knowledge on the chemical compounds they retailer on-site.
The agency argued that the price of these provisions outweighed potential benefits, added new burdens on amenities additionally topic to separate federal workplace security standards and raised considerations about terrorists’ entry to knowledge. However environmentalists and unions have complained that the rollback will depart staff, especially firefighters and other first responders, in danger. — Alex Guillén
The Labor Department abandoned plans to roll again security protections for teenagers
Teenagers have been banned from working some forms of well being care jobs. The Labor Department scrapped a controversial proposal eliminating protections for teenagers operating patient lifting units in nursing houses and hospitals. The thought was billed as an effort to expand apprenticeship opportunities in the health care business. But employee security teams stated it will permit teens to carry out “probably the most hazardous jobs in the nation.” Democrats also questioned whether or not the company violated its knowledge high quality tips by relying on a SurveyMonkey poll with fewer than two dozen respondents to justify removing the protections. — Rebecca Rainey
Trump’s FDA nominee dodged robust questions on vaping restrictions
The new decide to steer the Food and Drug Administration skated by way of a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, regardless of declining to endorse harsh e-cigarette laws and infrequently pleading ignorance on subjects managed by the vast company. Each Democrats and Republicans intently questioned nominee Stephen Hahn, a most cancers physician, on how he would handle vaping amid concern that the Trump administration is backing away from a crackdown on flavored vapes targeted at youngsters. Hahn stated he'll put sufferers first however stopped short of committing to flavor bans. Republicans are aiming to install him by the top of the yr. — Sarah Owermohle
One other marijuana bill was successful in a Home committee
The Home Judiciary Committee advanced a invoice that may make marijuana legal on the federal degree and let states to make their personal selections relating to the drug. It will also scrub felony data for sure marijuana-related federal crimes and create a grant program to assist individuals arrested for marijuana offenses get launched in the legal market. “Look, I have by no means been happier that Chairman [Jerry Nadler] got sidelined on impeachment, because it appears he’s been given the time to work on a superb hashish invoice,” Trump ally and marijuana supporter Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) stated on the eve of the historic vote. “If he will get sidelined once more, who knows — perhaps we’ll get an asylum invoice.” Despite the committee vote, the invoice might face six more committees earlier than it may be scheduled for a House flooring vote. And its future within the Senate is pretty uncertain given Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s promise that he would not consider any marijuana legalization laws. And this bill doesn’t have the same type of House GOP backing that laws that might give hashish businesses access to financial providers had when it handed the chamber in September. — Natalie Fertig
Regulators helped create a brand new massive financial institution
A merger between BB&T and SunTrust, the most important bank union because the 2008 financial crisis, received the green mild Tuesday, clearing the best way for the two lenders to turn into the sixth-largest retail lender in the country. The Federal Reserve and FDIC signed off on the deal, even as the Fed dinged SunTrust for previous “unfair and deceptive practices,” issues that the new bank should resolve.
The merged financial institution will probably be named Truist, with greater than $453 billion in belongings — smaller in measurement than only JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and U.S. Financial institution — and with 2.6 % of all U.S. deposits. The Justice Division signed off on the proposed merger earlier this month after the lenders agreed to sell greater than two dozen branches to resolve antitrust considerations. — Victoria Guida
FCC settles huge battle over the subsequent era of wireless know-how
Probably the most intense lobbying feuds over wi-fi spectrum in current memory got here to an end this week when the Federal Communications Fee introduced it should auction off airwaves in the so-called C-band to get them into the palms of wi-fi suppliers. The wi-fi business says this slice of the spectrum is essential for rolling out ultra-fast 5G providers — however the choice marks a defeat for satellite corporations that now hold the airwaves and needed to sell them privately.
The satellite corporations had contended that a personal sale would be quicker than a public auction. Nevertheless it also might have meant less oversight and more income going to the companies as an alternative of the U.S. Treasury.
The difficulty turned so heated that Trump at one point obtained involved — and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who favored the general public auction choice, warned that People can be monumentally “screwed” if overseas satellite corporations ran the sale. Now the strain will be on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to arrange and fast-track the public sale in 2020 as the U.S. vies with China and other nations for 5G supremacy. — John Hendel
Trump is considering choosing a brand new trade battle with Europe
Trump administration officials are taking a look at whether or not to start out a new trade investigation towards the European Union as the prospect to hit the bloc with automotive tariffs seems to have passed, based on multiple individuals briefed on the difficulty. It will imply European auto imports wouldn't be topic to duties out for nationwide security reasons, but the EU — and its trade practices — would face a a lot broader inquiry, the individuals stated.
“What it will do is it will create a state of affairs that for one other yr would give the president leverage over the EU,” stated a former administration official.
Trump was purported to make a decision by Nov. 14 on whether to take action towards imports of cars and auto elements from the EU. However with the deadline handed, questions at the moment are being raised over whether he can proceed using Part 232 of the Trade Enlargement Act of 1962 to take any future tariff motion. The beforehand little-used provision permits the president to impose commerce restrictions if imports are thought-about a menace to national safety.
As an alternative, a broader so-called Section 301 inquiry would look at whether or not trade insurance policies impose unjustifiable burdens or restrictions on U.S. commerce. If an investigation finds that practices achieve this, Trump might slap tariffs on numerous imports from Europe. He has used simply such a probe to slap duties on billions of Chinese language goods. — Adam Behsudi and Doug Palmer
Article originally revealed on POLITICO Magazine
Src: What you missed while watching the impeachment, Week 2
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