The Latest: Trump signs plan for new tariffs on all US trading partners
Taxes on imports could soon go up, as President Donald Trump signed a measure to have tariff rates match what other countries charge. “We had a very unfair system to us,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Everybody took advantage of the United States.”
Higher tariffs under current law would be paid by Americans , either directly or in the form of higher prices. The White House has treated these tariffs as a tool to negotiate new trade deals and raise government revenues.
If other countries retaliate and the tariffs stay in place, most economists say growth would suffer and inflationary pressures would intensify.
Here’s the latest:
In his own words: RFK Jr. on USAID
“My uncle started USAID in 1961 for humanitarian purposes to put our country on the side of the poor. It has been captured by the military industrial complex. It has become a sinister propagator of totalitarianism across, and war, across the globe, and very few people understand how sinister this agency really is. And President Trump saw that and he stood up to it with a master stroke, and we want to do the same thing with the institutions that are stealing the health of our children.”
Trump says he and Modi will talk oil exports and trade during their White House meeting
Trump has appeared in the Oval Office with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the pair would talk trade during their bilateral meeting.
“They’re going to be purchasing a lot of our oil and gas,” the president said. “They need it. And we have it.”
Modi said that, on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India, he wanted to congratulate Trump on his “grand and historic victory” in last fall’s election. He said he was confident that U.S.-India relations would be even warmer than they had been during Trump’s first term.
Attorneys general from 14 states challenge Musk and DOGE authority with lawsuit
Attorneys general from 14 states are challenging the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive government data and exercise “virtually unchecked power.”
Thursday’s lawsuit against Musk says that his actions at DOGE should only be taken by a nominated and Senate-confirmed officer, under constitutional provisions that delineate the powers of Congress and the president.
In the filing, the attorneys general said the court should bar Musk from issuing orders to anyone in the executive branch outside DOGE and declare that his actions have no legal effect.
They asked the court to order Musk to identify ways that “any data obtained through unlawful agency access was used,” destroy “such unauthorized access in his or DOGE’s possession” and bar Musk and DOGE from ordering changes in the disbursement of public funds, cancelling government contracts, taking steps to dismantle agencies and more.
“We are asking the court to invalidate his directives and actions and to issue a restraining order,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
DOGE sets sights on cuts at the IRS
The Department of Government Efficiency group is looking to make cuts at the IRS. Members of the Department of Government Efficiency group appeared at the Internal Revenue Service building Thursday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak on the record and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
DOGE has rapidly burrowed deep into federal agencies and taken drastic actions to cut spending. President Donald Trump on Thursday said “I think the Internal Revenue Service will be looked at just like everyone else,” while taking questions from reporters in the oval office on Thursday. He referred to the DOGE group as a “force of super-geniuses ”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) tweeted on the social media site X, Thursday that “Musk’s henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America. And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason.”
The tax filing season began on January 27th. And while federal workers across the government are bracing for layoff announcements, IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season will not be allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline, according to a letter sent recently to IRS employees.
Representatives from the IRS did not respond to Associated Press requests for comment.
—By Fatima Hussein
Issa Rae cancels her show at the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s firing of much of its leadership
Issa Rae has called off a show at the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s firing of much of the center’s leadership and being elected chair of its board.
The sold-out show was scheduled for March 16.
“Thank you so much for selling out the Kennedy Center for An Evening with Issa Rae,” the actor who stars in ”Insecure” announced Thursday in a statement on her Instagram Stories.
“Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” she said.
Rae’s decision comes soon after the resignations of artistic advisers Ben Folds and Renée Fleming.
Modi arrives at White House for meeting with Trump
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
Modi is the fourth foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration last month. He follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Modi met earlier in the day with national security adviser Mike Waltz and with billionaire SpaceX founder and top Trump administration official Elon Musk.
Louisiana Department of Health says it will ‘no longer promote mass vaccination’
That is according to a memo from Louisiana’s surgeon general to its staff obtained by The Associated Press and confirmed by a department spokesperson. The department will stop engaging in media campaigns and community health fairs to encourage vaccination, the memo noted.
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham decried “blanket government mandates” for vaccines and criticized the Center for Disease Control for pushing Covid-19 vaccines in a separate public statement Thursday. He said that individuals should make their own decisions about vaccinations.
“Government should admit the limitations of its role in people’s lives and pull back its tentacles from the practice of medicine,” Abraham said.
In response, New Orleans Health Department Director Jennifer Avegno told the city council on Thursday that vaccines save lives and vowed to ensure residents would continue to receive vaccinations. Louisiana has been a hotspot for flu outbreaks.
“Public health is really united on this issue — for more than a century, vaccines of all kinds have been a corner stone of improving public health in America,” Avegno said. “There’s not scientific debate on this, this is as close as you can get to established fact: that vaccinations, particularly mass vaccinations and community immunity saves millions and millions of lives.”
—By Jack Brook
Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-US prisoner swap
Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agency reported.
Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where he was flown after being released from custody in California, Russia’s state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies reported, citing his lawyer.
Trump tries to doubt whether ‘very bitter’ McConnell had polio
McConnell’s opposition to Kennedy as health secretary is grounded in the senator’s bout with polio as a child, a well-known fact in Washington. Kennedy is a prominent vaccine skeptic.
Told that McConnell suffered from the disease, Trump said, “I don’t know anything about he had polio.”
Asked if he was doubtful, Trump said: “I have no idea if he had polio. All I can tell you about him is that he shouldn’t have been leader. He knows that. He voted against Bobby. He votes against almost everything now. He’s a, you know, very bitter guy.”
Trump nominates an Apple lawyer to lead nation’s top auto regulator
That agency oversees Elon Musk’s Tesla and other carmakers.
If confirmed by the Senate, Jonathan Morrison would take over as administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency he had once served as chief counsel before joining Apple.
New staffing at the NHTSA is being closely watched because Tesla is under several safety investigations at the Department of Transportation unit and future decisions on regulations and recalls could have a big impact on Tesla’s profits. Musk is now head of Trump’s government efficiency group and is widely expected to push for changes at the agency.
The Trump campaign donor has complained for years that NHTSA has been too heavy handed with regulation, unfair to his company and generally an impediment to the development of self-driving cars.
For his part, Morrison did not hold back from criticizing Tesla in his first stint at NHTSA in the first Trump administration, once criticizing the company for misrepresenting the safety of its cars and bucking agency guidelines on the matter.
Trump tears into McConnell after senator votes against RFK Jr. to lead Health and Human Services Department
Trump questioned McConnell’s mental and political fitness after the former Senate Republican leader voted against Kennedy to lead HHS.
McConnell also voted against Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence.
“I feel sorry for Mitch, and I was one of the people that led, he wanted to go to the end, and he wanted to stay leader. He’s not equipped mentally. He wasn’t equipped 10 years ago, mentally, in my opinion. He let the Republican Party go to hell. If I didn’t come along, the Republican Party wouldn’t even exist right now. Mitch McConnell never really had it.”
Federal judge pauses President Trump’s order restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth
A federal judge in Baltimore has temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive order restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.
A lawsuit was filed on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children alleges that their health care has already been compromised by the president’s order. A national group for families of LGBTQ+ people and a doctors organization are also plaintiffs.
Judge Brendan Hurson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, said Trump’s order “seems to deny that this population even exists, or deserves to exist.”
▶ Read more about the order blocking ban on gender-affirming care
Trump says he trusts Putin on ending the war in Ukraine
“I trust him on the subject. I think he’d like to see something happen,” the U.S. president said about Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Trump also repeated his long-standing criticism that President Joe Biden had invited the conflict by assuring Ukraine it would eventually join NATO.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Putin was encouraged to invade because he sensed U.S. and NATO weakness after the chaotic withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan.
Trump said Russia’s expulsion from the G8 group of leading industrialized countries after its 2014 annexation of Crimea was another key factor in forcing Putin’s hand.
The Trump administration is escalating its efforts to reduce the federal workforce
The Office of Personnel Management has told federal agencies to lay off all their probationary employees, who generally have less than a year on the job and don’t have full civil service protection.
The notification was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
It’s an expansion of previous directions from OPM, which told agencies earlier this week that probationary employees should be fired if they weren’t meeting high standards.
—By Chris Megerian
Kennedy trashes USAID. His uncle established the agency
Kennedy spoke at his swearing-in and said USAID has become a “sinister propagator of totalitarianism” and that he supported Trump’s efforts to downsize the development assistance agency.
President John F. Kennedy – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s uncle — established USAID in November 1961 to house several existing foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency.
Senator: C-17 Military Flight to deport 104 Indian migrants cost $2.5 million
A C-17 military flight to India last week to deport 104 Indian nationals cost $2.5 million to operate, New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Thursday at a hearing on border security. Other flights by the large C-17 military cargo aircraft have cost an average of $30,000 an hour to operate.
Shaheen and other lawmakers questioned the heads of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command on why cheaper commercial chartered flights were not taken instead. The data on cost was briefed to lawmakers by the military last week, according to an official familiar with the briefing who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not publicly known. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the flight costs.
Those flights – and now more than 5,000 active duty troops under federal orders who have been deployed to the border are part of a large-scale effort by the military to respond to President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency at the border on his first day in office. The number of troops under federal orders at the border is expected to grow, Northern Command Gen. Gregory Guilllot told lawmakers.
—By Tara Copp
Trump says his delay on enforcement of a TikTok ban could be extended
Asked by reporters for any updates on negotiations to keep TikTok alive in the U.S., Trump said the deadline for a sale that he imposed could be pushed further.
“I have 90 days from about two weeks ago and I’m sure it can be extended but let’s see, I don’t think you’ll need to,” he said.
A law passed with bipartisan support and signed by President Joe Biden last year required TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to find an approved buyer for its U.S. platform by Jan. 19 or face a ban. The Supreme Court upheld the law a few days before Trump was inaugurated.
An executive order Trump signed shortly after being sworn in as president enabled the app to continue operating for 75 days, or until early April.
RFK Jr. swears in as secretary of health and human services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now Trump’s health secretary, was sworn into office in the Oval Office, by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, just hours after the Senate confirmed his nomination on a narrow, 52-48 vote.
Kennedy was joined by his wife, other family members and several members of Congress.
Trump announced that Kennedy will lead a new commission on making America healthy again.
▶ Read more on HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
Acting CFPB director crowdsources enforcement of his stop-work order
When Russ Vought took over as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, he ordered all employees to stop working.
Now he’s trying to enforce that.
The agency has advertised a tip line on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. “Are you being pursued by CFPB enforcement or supervision staff, in violation of Acting Director Russ Vought’s stand down order? If so, DM us or send an email.”
EPA chief says he will seek return of $20 billion in clean-energy grants awarded by Biden
The Environmental Protection Agency chief says he’ll try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects.
In a video posted on X, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for tens of thousands of projects to fight climate change and promote environmental justice.
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was approved by Congress — without a single Republican vote — under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The money has already been awarded to eight nonprofits, including the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United, Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation, for projects aiding disadvantaged communities.
“The days of irresponsibly shoveling boatloads of cash to far-left activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity are over,” Zeldin said.
▶ Read more about the new EPA chief and the “green bank”
US sanctions top ICC prosecutor over its investigations of Israel
The U.S. has sanctioned the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, following up on President Donald Trump’s order last week targeting the court because of its investigations of Israel.
The prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added Thursday to Washington’s list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.” They are barred from doing business with Americans and face restrictions on entry to the U.S.
The U.S. never has recognized the Hague-based court’s authority.
Trump’s Feb. 7 executive order imposed sanctions on the ICC and foreshadowed “tangible and significant consequences” for those responsible for the court’s “transgressions.”
The court’s president has condemned the move.
Judge extends stay on Trump order pulling most USAID staffers off the job
A court order halting Trump administration plans to pull all but a fraction of USAID staffers off the job worldwide will stay in place for at least another week.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ordered the extension after a nearly three-hour hearing, much of it focused on how employees were affected by the abrupt moves to put thousands of workers on leave and freeze foreign aid funding.
He closely questioned the government about keeping employees on leave safe in high-risk overseas areas. When a Justice Department attorney could not provide detailed plans, the judge asked him to file court documents after the hearing.
Nichols said he plans to issue a written ruling in the coming days on whether the week-long pause will continue indefinitely.
Trump: ‘Everybody took advantage of the United States’
“We had a very unfair system to us,” Trump said as he signed his reciprocal tariffs order.
Trump said he won’t be basing these new import taxes solely on other nations’ tariff rates. The subsidies that foreign countries provide their companies as well as value added taxes — which are similar to sales taxes — also would be part of the calculation.
Higher tariffs under current law would be paid by U.S. consumers and businesses, either directly or in the form of higher prices. The White House has treated these tariffs as a tool to negotiate new trade deals as well as a way to raise government revenues.
If other countries retaliate and the tariffs stay in place, most economists say growth would suffer and inflationary pressures would intensify.
▶ Read more about Trump’s tariffs
Trump says he wants to restart denuclearization talks with China and Russia and cut all three nations’ defense spending
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that once the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have settled down, he wants to meet with Russia and China to discuss all three nations drastically cutting back their defense spending.
“When we straighten it all out, then I want to one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, let’s cut our military budget in half,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Such a move would cuts against decades of traditional Republican national defense posturing.
He said he also wants to restart denuclearization talks with both nations.
An unwanted double: US sales fall for American whiskeys as trade war threats heat up
Like a watered-down drink, domestic sales for American whiskeys were unsatisfying in 2024, as inflation reined in consumer spending on some distilled spirits. But tariffs loom as one of the stiffest challenges ahead.
The Distilled Spirits Council says the biggest risk is in the European Union, where tariffs set to double are set to resume April 1 at double the rate on American whiskey producers, undoing their strong rebound since a 25% EU tariff was suspended a few years ago.
“The reimposition of these tariffs at a 50% rate would gut this growth and do irreparable harm to distillers large and small,” council CEO Chris Swonger said. “It would be a catastrophic blow that will force many distillers out of our largest export market.”
▶ Read more on prospects for American whiskey if tariffs are imposed
RIFs up to 50% at some federal workplaces
Employees at the National Science Foundation and the Housing and Urban Development Department have already been told that reductions in force are coming — and as much as half the workforce could get laid off, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.
NSF employees were told to expect a 25% to 50% reduction within two months, while HUD workers were told to plan for a 50% reduction.
Employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were also bracing for RIFs.
Manhattan US attorney resigns after refusing orders to drop case against New York City mayor
The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned Thursday rather than obey a Justice Department order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The resignation of Danielle Sassoon, a Republican who was the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was confirmed by a spokesperson for the office.
It came after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed New York prosecutors to drop the case against Adams, who was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and bribes of free or discounted travel from people who wanted to buy his influence.
Bove’s memo Monday said the case should be dismissed so the Democratic mayor could help the president crack down on immigration.
▶ Read more about the NYC mayor’s federal case
Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, advances for a full Senate vote
Republicans have advanced Kash Patel’s FBI director nomination to the Senate floor, pushing past Democratic concerns that he’s an unstable Trump loyalist who would target perceived adversaries for retribution.
Patel’s vast catalog of incendiary past statements raised alarm, but he denied creating an “enemies list,” and disavowed a highly unusual Justice Department demand for the names of all agents who helped investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
A letter from Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin cites undisclosed sources in saying Patel was covertly involved despite swearing he didn’t know of plans to fire agents. A Patel spokeswoman called the allegations “gossip” pushing a “false narrative.”
“We are inviting a political disaster if we put Kash Patel into this job,” Durbin warned his colleagues. “I know none of you want a call from Elon Musk reminding you what he might do to somebody who votes the wrong way, but this really gets down to the heart of the future of an agency that is critical to the security of this nation.”
▶ Read more about Kash Patel and the FBI
Trump signs reciprocal tariffs plan, ushering in economic uncertainty
President Donald Trump has rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike as Trump hopes to eliminate any trade imbalances.
“It’s fair to all. No other country can complain,” Trump said as he signed the order on Thursday.
Trump’s Republican administration insists the tariffs will level the playing field between U.S. manufacturers and foreign competitors, though these new taxes would likely be paid by American consumers and businesses, either directly or in the form of higher prices.
The politics of tariffs could easily backfire if Trump’s agenda pushes up inflation and grinds down growth.
▶ Read more about the details of Trump’s tariffs order
Oh Canada: The idea of US statehood can’t be serious …. can it?
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state. The very notion is ludicrous to Canadians.
Canada at first reacted as though Trump must be joking. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flatly rejected it. But Trudeau later shared concerns behind closed doors that Trump’s sustained annexation calls may be “a real thing.”
The U.S. Constitution requires approval by the House and Senate and signing into law by the president to admit a new state. Canada would probably have to have a referendum to gauge its voters’ interests in joining the U.S. before the process could begin — and that looks to be a non-starter.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford spun out a counteroffer: “How about, if we buy Alaska, and we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time.”
White House chief of staff and VP’s wife among those Trump names to Kennedy Center board
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles replaces Jon Batiste, a seven-time Grammy Award winner who sang a reimagined version of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
The president tapped himself to replace Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary under his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump is also chairman of the board of the performing arts center.
Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, is now a board member, too.
Trump also named Sergio Gor, his personnel director, to the seat once held by Mike Donilon, a top and longtime adviser to Biden.
Trump’s new task force to examine anti-Christian bias renews questions over religious persecution
Though the numbers of people without religion have grown to about 3 in 10 American adults, Christians still make up nearly two-thirds of the population and Christian conservatives have a strong grip on the levers of government. That dominance is leaving many to question why President Trump’s new task force on eradicating anti-Christian bias is needed.
Critics see the two-year task force initiative, chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi and composed of Cabinet and other government representatives, as unnecessary and pandering to Trump’s base. But some Christian supporters said it is overdue, claiming the Biden administration had discriminated against them through actions and inactions.
The task force is assigned to review and “identify any unlawful anti-Christian” actions under the Biden administration, change any objectionable policies and recommend steps to rectify any past failures. A White House action focused on a specific religion is not unprecedented. The Biden administration, for example, issued strategy plans to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia.
▶ Read more about the Trump administration’s new task force
Democrats warn that McMahon’s ‘school choice’ advocacy could harm public schooling
A Senate committee has wrapped a confirmation hearing for Linda McMahon and scheduled a vote for Thursday, Feb. 20, on her nomination as education secretary.
McMahon faced questioning by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for two and a half hours Thursday.
She garnered praise from Republicans and criticism from Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who said her agenda would defund and privatize public schools.
“Billionaires that are in charge of our government today; they don’t know anything about the public school system because they don’t need it,” Murphy said at a news conference after the hearing.
Treasury Secretary said the U.S. seeks “economic cooperation” with Ukraine in exchange for continued U.S. assistance
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Wednesday, stating that President Donald Trump will do “whatever it takes” to end the war in Ukraine.
Bessent, the first high-ranking U.S. official in the Trump administration to travel to Ukraine, told reporters in Kyiv that President Donald Trump “would like an economic cooperation agreement, in exchange the U.S. will continue to provide material support to Ukraine.”
Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology.
The meeting between Bessent and Zelenskyy comes as Trump said he would likely meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace deal in the almost three-year war in Ukraine.
Bessent said the U.S. President “has a plan to end this war.”
Judge weighing block on USAID
A federal judge grilled lawyers for USAID unions, probing how workers are being affected by the U.S. government stopping funding for the agency.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols is trying to decide whether to keep blocking the Trump administration from pulling employees off the job.
He pointed to a government plan to pay for travel if workers overseas return home within 30 days, and asked how that would cause legal harm.
An attorney for unions said that on the ground, things have been playing out in chaotic and deeply disruptive ways, especially in high-risk areas.
First-year federal workers are easier to fire
Now that the window has closed on the Trump administration’s offer to pay federal workers to resign, more sweeping layoffs could be coming. Most vulnerable are “probationary” employees who have less civil service protection for their first year on the job.
The full scope of the firings remains unclear. Some probationary employees have already been fired at the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Agencies were told by the Office of Personnel Management earlier this week that any probationary employees who aren’t meeting high performance standards should be let go. The guidance was shared by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.
America First Policy Institute president confirmed as agriculture secretary
The 72-28 vote for Brooke Rollins puts a close ally of President Donald Trump into a key Cabinet position as mass deportation plans could lead to farm labor shortages and tariffs could hit agricultural exports.
Rollins served as chief for domestic policy during Trump’s first administration. Now she must oversee nearly all aspects of the nation’s food system, including standards on farming practices and livestock rearing, federal subsidies to farmers or agribusinesses and setting nutrition standards for schools and public health officials nationwide.
She acknowledged that deporting people could lead to labor shortages on farms that count on migrants to harvest crops. But she said “the president’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s agriculture secretary
McConnell explains his ‘no’ vote against Kennedy
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only “no” vote among Republicans as they confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s’ appointment as health secretary.
“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” his statement says. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”
The rest of the GOP, however, has embraced Kennedy’s focus on chronic diseases such as obesity.
“We’ve got to get into the business of making America healthy again,” said Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
By The Associated Press
