US Politics Mega-thread - Page 9951

On February 22 2018 08:25 zer0das wrote:
Harley Davidson is closing the Kansas City plant. Missouri lawmakers were like "We gave you a lot of subsidies, please stay" and then they were like "nope, cya." Like corporations have any loyalty.

On February 22 2018 09:33 ticklishmusic wrote:
https://twitter.com/ap_politics/status/966444573374472197

apparently trump had to keep some notes on basic empathy when meeting with the kids.

On February 22 2018 09:33 ticklishmusic wrote:
https://twitter.com/ap_politics/status/966444573374472197

apparently trump had to keep some notes on basic empathy when meeting with the kids.

On February 22 2018 07:31 Mohdoo wrote:


It's also kind of hilarious to see Europe so blatantly go straight for the nuts. McConnell, Ryan and Florida. Each of those are enough to where if you grab those nuts, they will kneel. Whichever political party screws over Florida will not win Florida next election. Europe is basically threatening Trump with a guaranteed loss in Florida in 2020.

The US today stepped back from a trade war with the EU and Japan as George Bush lifted punitive tariffs on steel imports.

Mr Bush made his decision just days before a deadline that would have triggered retaliation from the EU, which was preparing to impose sanctions worth $2.2bn (£1.3bn) on US goods ranging from Florida citrus products to Harley Davidson motorbikes.

"These safeguard measures have now achieved their purpose, and as a result of changed economic circumstances, it is time to lift them," Mr Bush said in a statement.

The measures were designed to inflict maximum political pain on Mr Bush, with the EU targeting products from states that would play a crucial role in next year's presidential election. The World Trade Organisation last month ruled the US tariffs illegal and said the EU had the right to retaliate.

On February 22 2018 10:35 a_flayer wrote:

Reminds me of back in the early 2000s when Bush was talking about steel tariffs.
Source

If Europe is good at anything at all, it's this.

If the Pentagon can't do a better job of managing its finances Congress may have to consider withholding some of the additional funds the military is slated to receive under a new budget deal, the Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee warned Wednesday.

Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming was responding to a recent report in POLITICO about an initial audit of the Pentagon's massive logistics arm that concluded it could not account for hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Taxpayers must have trust and confidence that their hard-earned dollars are being spent wisely," Enzi, who was an accountant in private life, wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "If such trust and confidence cannot be built and justified, it will be incredibly difficult to achieve the three to five percent real growth in defense spending you have identified as required to meet mission requirements."

The independent audit of the Defense Logistics Agency, which was completed in December for the Pentagon's Inspector General by accounting firm Ernst & Young, found major gaps at the agency that acquires goods and services for the military and has an annual budget of about $40 billion.

"The independent auditors cited an inability to ensure the accuracy of financial statements related to hundreds of millions of dollars of construction-in-progress contracts and internal software," Enzi wrote. "They also noted problems reconciling DLA's ledger with that of the Treasury Department weaknesses in the agency's IT software, and a general lack of oversight mechanisms."

The DLA, which has long had a reputation for weak financial controls, is the largest Pentagon agency to undergo an audit. It is seen as a test case for a broader effort to scrub the books across the Department of Defense, which has an estimated $2.2 trillion in assets but has never passed an audit.

In his letter to Mattis, Enzi is seeking more information how the Pentagon is applying the lessons of the DLA audit and details on its plans to spend an estimated $900 million to conduct a full audit of the Pentagon in the coming years.

Enzi requested that Mattis respond to his concerns by March 15.

“It is important for Congress to better understand how DOD is translating audit findings into changes in its business practices,” he wrote.

Enzi's warnings come just weeks after Congress and President Donald Trump agreed to a two-year budget deal that is set to deliver a huge increase in spending to the Department of Defense, beginning with an extra $68 billion through October of this year.

"As an accountant, I appreciate the complexities of conducting a consolidated audit of the DoD," Enzi wrote. "While this initiative may be far overdue, I recognize it will take some time for the Pentagon to fundamentally improve its financial accounting systems. We cannot, however, be dissuaded by the long-term nature of the task."

An aide to the senator, who is one of the leading fiscal conservatives in Congress, said the chairman plans to make oversight of the Pentagon audit effort a top priority for the budget panel this year.

On February 22 2018 11:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
Won't happen.



Source

Department of Defense, which has an estimated $2.2 trillion in assets but has never passed an audit.

On February 22 2018 11:46 Plansix wrote:
I give him credit for showing up, which is a lot harder than people think.

The laws in that state are also terrible and he should just admit it. 18 years olds can get an AR-15, but not a 9mm or beer.

On February 22 2018 11:46 Plansix wrote:
I give him credit for showing up, which is a lot harder than people think.

The laws in that state are also terrible and he should just admit it. 18 years olds can get an AR-15, but not a 9mm or beer.

Edit: also that Dad is amazing.