Trump 30: Donald Trump and the Deathly Comb-Over

[AmazonGrace]

 

[onekidanddone]

Just sayn'

Spoiler

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Q: How big of an asshole is Dumpy? A: The bigliest "Trump proposal would penalize immigrants who use tax credits and other benefits"

Spoiler

Immigrants who accept almost any form of welfare or public benefit, even popular tax deductions, could be denied legal U.S. residency under a proposal awaiting approval by the Trump administration, which is seeking to reduce the number of foreigners living in the United States.

According to a draft of the proposal obtained by The Washington Post, immigration caseworkers would be required to consider a much broader range of factors when determining whether immigrants or their U.S.-citizen children are using public benefits or may be likely to do so.

Current rules penalize immigrants who receive cash welfare payments, considering them a “public charge.” But the proposed changes from the Department of Homeland Security would widen the government’s definition of benefits to include the widely used Earned Income Tax Credit as well as health insurance subsidies and other “non-cash public benefits.”

The changes would apply to those seeking immigration visas, or legal permanent residency, such as a foreigner with an expiring work visa. While it would make little difference to those living illegally in the shadows, it could affect immigrants protected by the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — whose termination has been blocked by federal courts — if they attempt to file for full legal residency.

Immigrants and their families facing a short-term crisis could potentially have to forgo help to avoid jeopardizing their U.S. residency status. The proposal would also require more immigrants to post cash bonds if they have a higher probability of needing or accepting public benefits. The minimum bond amount would be $10,000, according to the DHS proposal, but the amount could be set higher if an applicant is deemed at greater risk of neediness.

DHS officials say the proposal is not finalized. But the overhaul is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to curb legal immigration to the United States, and groups favoring a more restrictive approach have long insisted that immigrants are a drag on federal budgets and a siphon on American prosperity.

“The administration is committed to enforcing existing immigration law, which is clearly intended to protect the American taxpayer by ensuring that foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the U.S. are self-sufficient,” DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a statement.

“Any proposed changes would ensure that the government takes the responsibility of being good stewards of taxpayer funds seriously and adjudicates immigration benefit requests in accordance with the law,” she added.

DHS officials say the agency is preparing to publish the proposed rule changes in the Federal Register and invite public comment, but they have not set a date.

Reuters  reported on the proposed changes in early February, and Vox has published excerpts of a draft. But a more recent, 223-page version obtained by The Post shows the proposal is more extensive than previously reported. 

“It’s striking that after strong public criticism of a leaked draft rule, the administration seems to be considering a version that goes even further, and they’re actively considering whether to use this rule to create new grounds for deporting legal immigrants,” said Mark Greenberg, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, which has been critical of Trump policies. 

One notable aspect of the proposal indicates native-born Americans use public benefits at roughly the same rate the foreign-born population does.

Out the 41.5 million immigrants living in the United States, 3.7 percent received cash benefits in 2013, and 22.7 percent accepted noncash benefits including Medicaid, housing subsidies or home heating assistance, according to statistics compiled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

Those figures were nearly identical to the percentage of native-born Americans who get the same forms of assistance. Of the 270 million nonimmigrants, 3.4 percent received cash welfare that year, USCIS research found, and 22.1 percent received noncash benefits.

U.S. authorities have long had the ability to deny residency and other benefits to noncitizens who are dependent on public assistance. Concerns about such dependency were partly the basis for the family-based immigration model in place for the past half-century, requiring sponsors to assume financial responsibility for relatives they wish to bring into the country. Trump blames that model for facilitating what he calls “horrible chain migration.”

One of the most radical changes outlined in the proposal would consider refundable tax income credits, including the Earned Income Tax Credit created to help working families with low and moderate incomes. According to recent estimates, it is used by nearly one-fifth of American taxpayers, particularly those who work in relatively low-paid services industries.

Under the proposed changes, immigration caseworkers would not consider benefits derived from service in the armed forces or some other government job, as well as disability, workers’ compensation and Medicare, unless the premiums are fully paid by the public. It would also exclude elementary and secondary public education and early childhood development programs offered under the Head Start Act.

But children would be considered a negative factor for caseworkers evaluating whether an immigrant is likely to use some form of public assistance or benefit. 

“An applicant’s family status is a factor that must be considered when an immigration officer is making a public charge determination,” the proposal states. “DHS will consider whether the alien being a dependent or having dependents ... makes it more or less likely that the alien will become a public charge.”

The proposal notes that “the receipt of noncash benefits tended to increase as family size increased in 2013.”

Jonathan Withington, a USCIS spokesman, said the proposed changes will be published during the 2018 calendar year, but he said he was unable to discuss the contents, and no final decision had been made. 

“While DHS reviews the proposed change, any draft documents circulating internally are considered pre-decisional and have not been approved for submission to the Office of Management and Budget,” Withington said. 

A person with knowledge of the deliberations said the draft proposal is essentially complete and awaiting final approval by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The proposed rule appears to have generated consternation among some USCIS employees. At a recent townhall-style staff meeting, agency Director L. Francis Cissna was challenged by one employee, according to a recording of the encounter shared with The Post.

“On a personal level, I think I can say with confidence that my destitute and illiterate great-grandparents would not of been welcomed in this country under something like the very ill-conceived public charge rule that is currently in the process of development,” the staffer said, telling Cissna such changes were hurting employee morale.

“Given that neither the headquarters nor the policy environment seem likely to change in the next three years, what will you do to maintain and retain, I should say, a motivated and engaged headquarters workforce?” he asked Cissna.

“Administrations change. Policies change,” Cissna replied, according to the recording. “I’ve had to implement all sorts of things ... that I didn’t like. But we do our job.”

“I think that we all have to remember we are civil servants and we all serve the president,” Cissna told his staff. “We’re going to follow his directives.” 

 

[47of74]

4 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

Spanky von Fuck Face....new nickname for that guy...acquired!  

 

[47of74]

21 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

 

Last night I was attending office hours for my professional responsibility course and the subject of a certain someone paying off someone else lest she blab about Spanky McFuckFace came up.  I could tell the professor was sorely tempted to ask if we thought Cohen's actions violated the model rules or not.

[fraurosena]

Good grief.

 

[fraurosena]

What a fool. Did he really think people wouldn't check?

 

[Howl]

I was riding my bike home from the gym today and it suddenly came to me: L. Don Blubbard.   

Reading through the comments on a Talking Points Memo article today, I came across the term "extinction event".   From the context, I assume it's when Mueller goes nuclear and wipes out the entire administration from the head down.

Quote

Preet Bharara✔@PreetBharara

I'm sure Michael Cohen will just pay for it...

12:56 PM - Mar 27, 2018

That droll Preet Bharara!  I'm not sure it's possible to love him more, in a "platonic,  but you are so insanely awesome but I totally respect your marriage,"  kinda way. 

[Cartmann99]

18 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Q: How big of an asshole is Dumpy? A: The bigliest "Trump proposal would penalize immigrants who use tax credits and other benefits"

My husband has several coworkers who are in the process of trying to become American citizens. Folks from Asia, India, Africa, and Europe, that are all willing to come live and work in a pretty undesirable part of the United States with dreams of becoming citizens.

When his best friend went back to his home country last summer for a visit, I was terrified that they weren't going to let him back in.

I hate this. It's so damn stupid. 

[fraurosena]

Is there anything worse than having to listen to the presidunce ad libbing a speech?

"They had sadists that treated our vets horribly. Horribly. Worse than a movie. They had people who wouldn't work. You couldn't do anything. I had passed the VA accountability... the accountable... the accountability act. And now, when they're bad our vets, or when they're not working, for our vets we say 'Hey Jim! Your fired! Get outta here, Jim! Get out. Get out. That was a big deal'."

[Gobsmacked]

Dumpy McFuckface sounds like a drunken uncle at a wedding. Most families have one. They blather total tosh when sober, are kept hidden most of the time then rolled out for family occasions - get very drunk and make utter idiots of themselves in front of everybody.  Dumpy manages to sound like one when he is (so we are led to believe) totally sober. 

 

[fraurosena]

The presidunce can only say ‘You’re fired!’ when the person getting fired can’t say anything back. 

 

[hoipolloi]

Another possible consequence of the judge allowing the emoluments lawsuit to go forward:

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Howl]

17 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Is there anything worse than having to listen to the presidunce ad libbing a speech?

Apparently not, because three networks, INCLUDING FUX, cut away before the speech insane garbled word salad was over, to go to commentary.  You have to give FUX credit, because they lasted 10 minutes longer than the other two networks.....However, as someone pointed out, FUX cutting away from this dumpster fire of  incoherent blather was a form of protecting the president, because at some point, even the base's long unused critical thinking synapses will fire and go, Da fuk am I listening to?

Three top cable news networks cut away from Trump speech

[Cartmann99]

2 hours ago, Howl said:

Apparently not, because three networks, INCLUDING FUX, cut away before the speech insane garbled word salad was over, to go to commentary.  You have to give FUX credit, because they lasted 10 minutes longer than the other two networks.....However, as someone pointed out, FUX cutting away from this dumpster fire of  incoherent blather was a form of protecting the president, because at some point, even the base's long unused critical thinking synapses will fire and go, Da fuk am I listening to?

Three top cable news networks cut away from Trump speech

*checks Trump's Twitter feed* Either someone took his phone away, or Trump doesn't know yet that Faux cut him off yesterday.

[47of74]

Dumpy McFuckface sounds like a drunken uncle at a wedding. Most families have one. They blather total tosh when sober, are kept hidden most of the time then rolled out for family occasions - get very drunk and make utter idiots of themselves in front of everybody.  Dumpy manages to sound like one when he is (so we are led to believe) totally sober. 
 

Combined with the Reich wing uncle who looks at himself as the second coming and thinks everyone is just dying to hear what he has to say.

[Howl]

Quote

Stephen King‏Verified account @StephenKing

Having Trump as president is like tapping the drunkest guy at the party to be the designated driver.

4:55 AM - 5 Mar 2018

 

[AmazonGrace]

 He knows more about Syria than the generals

[fraurosena]

Who knew Jim Carrey was also such a good artist? I think he captures the feeling we all get when confronted with the presidunce rather excellently, don't you?

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Truth:

[JMarie]

Apparently April Fools Day is early this year....

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/30/politics/donald-trump-national-sexual-assault-awareness-month/index.html

Quote

"Sexual assault crimes remain tragically common in our society, and offenders too often evade accountability. These heinous crimes are committed indiscriminately: in intimate relationships, in public spaces, and in the workplace," the presidential proclamation from the White House states.

Well, now that Americans are aware there's a problem, and the president is aware there's a problem (since he "proclaimed" it), what's he going to do about it?

[GreyhoundFan]

I agree with Aunt Crabby:

[onekidanddone]

The Earth just jolted off its orbit.  I find myself liking something Tom Arnold said

 

[Howl]

5 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Who knew Jim Carrey was also such a good artist? I think he captures the feeling we all get when confronted with the presidunce rather excellently, don't you?

 

Ya know, Jim Carrey has never been my favorite actor.  He drives me crazy. I've never watched one of his movies.  But this is off the charts freakin' brilliant.