Part 3 of 3 (Parts 1 and 2 appeared Sept. 16 and Oct. 1):
A friend asked me what President Donald Trump has done for America. With the help of a Republican Senate, he’s done so much, and in so many areas, I decided to make a list. Just imagine what he could accomplish with a Republican House as well.
Therefore, I will attempt to list some of the accomplishments of the Trump Administration:
Military and Veterans
Restored American military strength, 3.1% pay raise for our troops.
Established the U.S. Space Force to ensure American dominance in space.
Signed V.A. Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veteran’s Choice Program.
Created a new White House V.A. Hotline, staffed by veterans and family members.
Provided $8.6 billion in funding for mental health services with a goal of ending suicides.
Secured $73.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs – the most in history.
Signed a memorandum that eliminates 100% of student loan debt for permanently disabled veterans.
Women
Record low unemployment for women at 3.2%, the lowest since 1953.
During Trump’s first year in office, the number of American women in poverty fell by nearly 600,000.
The child tax credit was doubled to $2,000 per child.
Included paid family leave policy in budget proposals and paid parental leave for federal workers.
Directed more than $200 million per year to technology education grants for women and programs that encourage participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.
Donated his 2017 second quarter salary to the Department of Education to host a STEM-focused camp for students.
Ivanka Trump created the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative to help 50 million women in 22 developing countries realize their economic potential by 2025.
Black Americans
Created 1.6 million new jobs for Black Americans, The unemployment rate for Black Americans hit an all-time low.
Poverty rate among Black Americans is at its lowest level in history.
Nearly 9,000 Opportunity Zones have been created in all 50 states, D.C. and five territories, which have created jobs and spurred $75 billion in private investment in disadvantaged communities.
Signed the First Step Act, the most meaningful criminal justice reform act in a generation. Some 3,100 inmates have been released from prison and 90% of those who have had their sentences reduced are Black Americans. The First Step Act shortens mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes.
Appropriated the most money ever given in one year to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and signed the Future Act into law, which permanently funds HBCU’s and simplifies the application process.
Latino Americans
Latino Americans experienced all-time record low unemployment, falling below 4%.
The median income for Latino Americans hit its highest ever recorded at $50,486.
Latino American home ownership has risen.
Asian Americans
Asian Americans’ lowest-ever unemployment rate of 2.1% was reached in June 2019.
“During the course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety.” – Thomas Jefferson (1805). Every bit as true in 2020!
This obviously isn’t an accomplishment, but it’s worth stating that he is the only president to not take a salary while in office, but instead donates his salary to various causes, the most recent being donated to clean up the National Cemetery. Like him or not, I believe this speaks to his character. President Barack Obama went into office with a net worth of $1.3 million. He left office with a net worth of $20.5 million. Admittedly, three-quarters of the increase came from book sales. However, I doubt those book sales would have netted $15 million had he not been the president. Also, when he took office, the national debt was $880 billion and $4.5 trillion when he left office.
Trump has been falsely attacked repeatedly for his “failure to respond to the coronavirus, aka SARS CoV-2.” The governors and mayors are in charge of the lockdowns, not the president. Who profited more by the lockdowns than Google and Amazon?
The first case in the USA was diagnosed Jan. 20, 2020, in Washington State.
In the midst of the phony impeachment theater, he responded to the coronavirus by creating the White House Task Force consisting of 13 members headed by Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 29, 2020.
Dr. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx have confirmed that President Trump took action as soon as the data was presented to him.
Restricted travel from China on Jan. 31, and then from Europe on March 11.
Mobilized the public and private sectors to secure needed supplies and build the world’s leading testing system.
At the president’s urging, private companies shifted production to supplying masks, ventilators, hand sanitizers and testing supplies
Launched an effort to deliver a vaccine and therapeutics at record speed. It’s worth mentioning, though, that this virus had already mutated more than 200 times by April
Surged resources to hot spots as they arose, including erecting the Javits Center in New York, and deploying the Navy hospital ships Mercy and Comfort to the New York and L.A. harbors.
Responded to the devastating toll the virus took on our businesses and workers and secured unprecedented financial support.
Negotiated and launched the Paycheck Protection Program.
Took executive action to give tax relief to workers, ensure unemployment benefits, and to prevent families from losing their homes to eviction or foreclosure.
Provided student debt relief.
Called out China’s handling of the virus for failing to contain the virus before it spread, and for refusing to be transparent with the world. From all accounts, it appears this virus was manufactured in a lab in Wuhan, China. Whether it escaped the lab intentionally or unintentionally is unknown at this time. Doctors/scientists who tried to expose this have been jailed or worse. China knew the virus had the potential to be deadly and bought up all the PPE supplies for themselves, creating a shortage for the rest of the world. They immediately shut down air travel within China, but allowed travel out of China, which made it a worldwide pandemic.
Signed an executive order Aug. 6 aimed at boosting U.S. production of medicines and medical equipment, lowering drug prices and protecting the U.S. against shortfalls in a future pandemic. President Trump said, “As we’ve seen in this pandemic, the U.S. must produce essential equipment, supplies and pharmaceuticals for ourselves. We cannot rely on China and other nations across the globe that could one day deny us products in a time of need. We have to be smart.”
Held the World Health Organization accountable for its egregious bias toward China that jeopardized the safety of Americans.
SARS CoV-1, which began in China in 2003 and is 82% similar to SARS CoV-2, lasted for about eight months before it faded out. We can only hope!
Beverley Scott
Valencia
