Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Proclamation on National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2020

Office of the Press Secretary

NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH, 2020

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 

     Human trafficking erodes personal dignity and destroys the moral fabric of society.  It is an affront to humanity that tragically reaches all parts of the world, including communities across our Nation.  Each day, in cities, suburbs, rural areas, and tribal lands, people of every age, gender, race, religion, and nationality are devastated by this grave offense.  During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to eradicate this horrific injustice.

     Trafficking crimes are perpetrated by transnational criminal enterprises, gangs, and cruel individuals.  Through force, fraud, coercion, and sexual exploitation of minors, traffickers rob countless individuals of their dignity and freedom, splinter families, and threaten the safety of our communities.  In all its forms, human trafficking is an intolerable blight on any society dedicated to freedom, individual rights, and the rule of law.

     Human trafficking is often a hidden crime that knows no boundaries.  By some estimates, as many as 24.9 million people ‑- adults and children -- are trapped in a form of modern slavery around the world, including in the United States.  Human traffickers exploit others through forced labor or commercial sex, and traffickers profit from their victims' horrific suffering.  The evil of human trafficking must be defeated.  We remain relentless in our resolve to bring perpetrators to justice, to protect survivors and help them heal, and to prevent further victimization and destruction of innocent lives.

     This year marks nearly 20 years since our Nation took decisive steps in the global fight against human trafficking by enacting the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and nearly 15 years since the United States ratified the United Nations' Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol).  Both the TVPA and the Palermo Protocol established a comprehensive framework for combating human trafficking by establishing prevention programs, creating victim protections, and advancing prosecutions under expanded criminal statutes to usher in the modern anti-trafficking movement domestically and globally.  These two measures illustrate a global consensus on the issue, and yet as a Nation we must continue to work proactively to foster a culture of justice and accountability for this horrific crime.

     My Administration is committed to using every available resource, strengthening strategic partnerships, collaborating with State, local, and tribal entities, and by introducing innovative anti-trafficking strategies to bring the full force of the United States Government to help end this barbaric practice once and for all.  In January 2019, I was proud to sign both the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, reaffirming our commitment to preventing trafficking in all forms.

     With my resolute support, executive departments and agencies are steadfastly continuing the battle to abolish this form of modern slavery.  In October 2019, the 19 members of my Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons convened to highlight significant accomplishments in our sustained, whole-of-Government fight against human trafficking.  The Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) initiative, led by the Department of Justice, more than doubled convictions of human traffickers in ACTeam districts.  Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security initiated more than 800 investigations related to human trafficking and the Department of State launched its Human Trafficking Expert Consultant Network, comprised of survivors and other subject matter experts, to inform its anti-trafficking policies and programs.  The Department of Health and Human Services continues to provide funding for the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and in Fiscal Year 2018 it funded victim assistance programs that provided benefits and services to more than 2,400 victims.  For the first time, the Department of Transportation committed $5.4 million in grants to the prevention of human trafficking and other crimes that may occur on buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation.  The Office of Management and Budget also published new anti-trafficking guidance for Government procurement officials to more effectively combat human trafficking in Federal contracting.

     The inherent dignity, freedom, and autonomy of every person must be respected and protected.  Despite the progress we have made and the momentum we have built toward ending human trafficking, there is still more to be done.  This month, we renew our resolve to redouble our efforts to deliver justice to all who contribute to the cruelty of human trafficking, and we will tenaciously pursue the promise of freedom for all victims of this terrible crime.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2020 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual observation of National Freedom Day on February 1, 2020.  I call upon industry associations, law enforcement, private businesses, faith-based and other organizations of civil society, schools, families, and all Americans to recognize our vital roles in ending all forms of modern slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities aimed at ending and preventing all forms of human trafficking.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty‑first day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.

 

                              DONALD J. TRUMP

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Signing of H.R. 777, The Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019

Office of the Press Secretary
Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Signing of H.R. 777, The Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019
This legislation authorizes the Department of Justice to provide resources to State and local law enforcement to help make sure that criminals are brought to justice. We know that DNA is much more likely than fingerprints to result in the identification of a criminal, yet thousands of rape kits currently sit untested in labs and on police storage shelves across the Nation. The Debbie Smith Act originally became law to provide local and State crime laboratories the resources to end the backlog of untested DNA evidence from unsolved crimes. President Donald J. Trump is proud to have worked with Congress, especially with Congresswoman Wagner and Senators Cornyn and Grassley, to achieve this bipartisan reauthorization.

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Signing of S. 151, the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act

Office of the Press Secretary

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Signing of S. 151, the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act
 

This historic legislation will provide American consumers with even greater protection against annoying unsolicited robocalls. American families deserve control over their communications, and this legislation will update our laws and regulations to stiffen penalties, increase transparency, and enhance government collaboration to stop unwanted solicitation. President Donald J. Trump is proud to have worked with Congress to get this bipartisan legislation to his desk, and even prouder to sign it into law today.

Bill Announcements

Office of the Press Secretary
On Monday, December 30, 2019, the President signed into law:

H.R. 150, the "Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency Act of 2019 or the GREAT Act," which requires the Office of Management and Budget, jointly with the executive department that administers the most programs issuing Federal awards each year, to establish government-wide data standards for information reported by grant recipients and issue guidance directing Federal agencies to apply those standards;

H.R. 777, the "Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019," which authorizes appropriations to the Department of Justice for each of Fiscal Years 2019-2024 in the amount of $151 million for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program; $12.5 million for DNA training and education programs; and $30 million for the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Grant Program; and

S. 151, the "Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act" or the "Pallone-Thune TRACED Act," which authorizes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue additional civil penalties on individuals who intentionally violate restrictions on the use of automated telephone equipment (i.e., illegal robocalls and spoofing); and directs the FCC to require voice service providers to offer call authentication technologies to consumers.

1600 Daily The White House • December 30, 2019 TOP 10: President Trump’s biggest accomplishments of 2019!

1600 Daily
The White House • December 30, 2019

TOP 10: President Trump’s biggest accomplishments of 2019!


Americans saw plenty of Washington at its worst this year, with one party in Congress obsessed with a partisan impeachment stunt and obstructing progress at every turn. But despite getting no help from the far left, America today is soaring to new heights.

It’s tough to pick only 10 accomplishments from such an extraordinary year, but here are just a few of the biggest things President Donald J. Trump has gotten done for the American people in 2019:
  1. The Trump Boom is going strong. The unemployment rate recently hit its lowest mark in 50 years. All told, since President Trump’s election, our economy has added more than 7 million jobs—over half a million in manufacturing alone.
  2. The stock market keeps breaking records: The Dow Jones and S&P 500 hit record closes again on Friday. 
  3. The working class is thriving, as are previously forgotten communities. Wages are now rising the fastest for low-income workers, and poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans have reached all-time lows.
  4. Accountable government is back. Since taking office, President Trump has rolled back nearly 8 regulations for every new one, saving American taxpayers more than $50 billion in the process—with bigger savings still to come.
  5. Better trade deals are putting America back in the driver’s seat. Congress approved President Trump’s USMCA this month—a huge win for U.S. workers, farmers, and manufacturers that will create 176,000 new jobs.
  6. Trade with China in particular is about to get a whole lot fairer. As part of a historic “phase 1” deal, Beijing has agreed to structural reforms in its trade practices and to make substantial purchases of American agricultural products.
  7. Securing the border is paying off and making our country safer. President Trump struck new agreements with Mexico and Central American countries this year to help stop the flood of illegal immigration. Thanks to this swift action, border apprehensions fell by more than 70 percent from May to November.
  8. On health care, President Trump is fighting to give our patients the best system on Earth. While Democrats try to take away choice, the President’s focus on affordability led to the largest year-over-year drop in drug prices ever recorded.
  9. American interests are taking center stage abroad. In just one example: After years of not paying their fair share, NATO Allies will have increased defense spending by $130 billion by the end of next year.
  10. Our great military took out the world's top terrorist in October. (Meet Conan, the hero dog who helped them do it!) Our troops are now getting the support they deserve. President Trump recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2020 fiscal year, which includes the biggest pay raise for our military in a decade.
On behalf of President Trump and his entire Administration, have a blessed and wonderful New Year!

WATCH: “Our best days are yet to come!”

Monday, December 30, 2019

The GoldFish Report No 421, Week 153 POTUS Report: Christmas at the White House and News


The GoldFish Report No. 421 YouTube Video Link

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On The GoldFish Report No 421, Week 153 POTUS Report, Louisa announces a new style for POTUS reports and the New "Political Masterpiece Theater" with Jim Fetzer reporting on current world news and providing analysis of these events. In this POTUS report, Louisa reports on the White House Christmas in photos, the Presidents newest judicial appointments, EO's, and recent military strikes in Syria and Iraq, and much more. To receive our Reports you can subscribe to our BITCHUTE Channel at https://www.bitchute.com/profile/qrAL... and to become a Patron of The GoldFish Report you can go to our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=10007100 . You can also subscribe to our "NEW" YouTube channel at, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO-A..., follow us on Twitter at @ReportGoldfish, www.thegoldfishreport.wordpress.com you can also follow us and like us on our 24/7 research news page at www.facebook.com/thegoldfishreport and to help support these and other programs please visit www.thegoldfishreport.com to make a donation. Thank you for your support and Thank you for viewing. Visit our NEW Vimeo on Demand to view our Educational Country Roads Reports at this link here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thegoldfis... To View our NEW Educational Bullet Points Reports use this link here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/174952 For viewer support of The GoldFish Report's Project "The Road to the White House", Please donate at www.thegoldfishreport.com at out PayPal or become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=10007100. Jim Website page: jamesfetzer.org To View The GoldFish Report's POTUS Reports, you can visit our BitChute page or view the unlisted report on YouTube from our POTUS Report page on our website at www.thegoldfishreport.com Weblink to Moon Rock Books Here: http://moonrockbooks.com/ Jim Fetzer on Twitter: @JimFezer DISCLAIMER The following videos were created for educational purposes only. The content of this material strictly for research purposes, and readily available to the general public via the Internet. Viewing of the GoldFish Reports acknowledges that senders and recipients hereby agree to this disclaimer, thus releasing the source author from any and all personal liability. Also, individuals who alter or deviate from this source material, may be exposing themselves to the full extent of law. THE OPINIONS AND HYPOTHESES OF OUR GUESTS AND GUEST CO-HOSTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GOLDFISH REPORT POTUS UPDATE. AN OPINION AND HYPOTHESIS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITH NEWLY PRESENTED RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE. THE GOLDFISH REPORT POTUS REPORT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR INFORMATION THAT MAY BE UNKNOWINGLY INACCURATE, ALTHOUGH WE DO OUR BEST TO PRESENT FACTS, OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF WORLD EVENTS AND HOW THOSE MAKING THE DECISIONS MAY IMPACT OUR LIVES. VIEWER DISCERNMENT IS ADVISED. FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of criminal justice, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Copyright 2019 The GoldFish Report. All rights Reserved.

PRESS BRIEFING BY SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO AND SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MARK ESPER Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach, Florida

Office of the Press Secretary
PRESS BRIEFING
BY SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO
AND SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MARK ESPER

Mar-a-Lago
Palm Beach, Florida

 
6:49 P.M. EST

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Good evening.  Myself, with Secretary Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley, came here to Florida today to brief the President on the activities that have taken place in the Middle East over the course of the last 72 hours.

I will leave to Secretary Esper to talk about the military activity, but I want to put it in the context of our policy with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The attacks that took place against an Iraqi facility threatened American forces.  This has been going on now for weeks and weeks and weeks.  This wasn’t the first set of attacks against this particular Iraqi facility and others where there were American lives at risk.

And today, what we did was take a decisive response that makes clear what President Trump has said for months and months and months, which is that we will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy.

We will — we will always honor that commitment to take decisive action when that takes place, and we continue to demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran act in a way that is consistent with what I laid out, back in May of 2018, for what it is that we expect Iran to do so that it can rejoin the community of nations.

And with that, I’ll turn it over to the Secretary of Defense.

SECRETARY ESPER:  Thank you.  As we reported earlier today, the Department of Defense took offensive actions in defense of our personnel and interests in Iraq by launching F-15 Strike Eagles against five targets associated with Kata'ib Hezbollah, which is an Iranian-sponsored Shiite militia group.  The targets we attacked included three targets in Western Iraq and two targets in Eastern Syria that were either command and control facilities or weapons caches for Kata'ib Hezbollah.

The strikes were successful.  The pilots and aircraft returned back to base safely.  I would add that, in our discussion today with the President, we discussed with him other options that are available.  And I would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own self-defense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from Iran.  Thank you.

END             6:51 P.M. EST

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

Office of the Press Secretary

EXECUTIVE ORDER

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ADJUSTMENTS OF CERTAIN RATES OF PAY


     By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

     Section 1.  Statutory Pay Systems.  The rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)), as adjusted under 5 U.S.C. 5303 and section 748 of division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, are set forth on the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof:

     (a)  The General Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5332(a)) at Schedule 1;

     (b)  The Foreign Service Schedule (22 U.S.C. 3963) at Schedule 2; and

     (c)  The schedules for the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (38 U.S.C. 7306, 7404; section 301(a) of Public Law 102–40) at Schedule 3.

     Sec2.  Senior Executive Service.  The ranges of rates of basic pay for senior executives in the Senior Executive Service, as established pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5382, are set forth on Schedule 4 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

     Sec3.  Certain Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries.  The rates of basic pay or salaries for the following offices and positions are set forth on the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof:

     (a)  The Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5312–5318) at Schedule 5;

     (b)  The Vice President (3 U.S.C. 104) and the Congress (2 U.S.C. 4501) at Schedule 6; and

     (c)  Justices and judges (28 U.S.C. 5, 44(d), 135, 252, and 461(a)) at Schedule 7.

     Sec4.  Uniformed Services.  The rates of monthly basic pay (37 U.S.C. 203(a)) for members of the uniformed services, as adjusted under 37 U.S.C. 1009, and the rate of monthly cadet or midshipman pay (37 U.S.C. 203(c)) are set forth on Schedule 8 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

     Sec5.  Locality-Based Comparability Payments.

     (a)  Pursuant to sections 5304 and 5304a of title 5, United States Code, and section 748 of division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, locality-based comparability payments shall be paid in accordance with Schedule 9 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

     (b)  The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement these payments and to publish appropriate notice of such payments in the Federal Register.

     Sec6.  Administrative Law Judges.  Pursuant to section 5372 of title 5, United States Code, the rates of basic pay for administrative law judges are set forth on Schedule 10 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

     Sec7.  Effective Dates.  Schedule 8 is effective January 1, 2020.  The other schedules contained herein are effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2020.

     Sec8.  Prior Order Superseded.  Executive Order 13866 of March 28, 2019, is superseded as of the effective dates specified in section 7 of this order.



                              DONALD J. TRUMP


 
THE WHITE HOUSE,
    December 26, 2019.

 

Presidential Proclamation to take Certain Actions Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and for Other Purposes

Office of the Press Secretary

TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS UNDER THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 
     1.  In Proclamation 7350 of October 2, 2000, the President designated the Republic of Cameroon (Cameroon) as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the "Trade Act"), as added by section 111(a) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (the "AGOA") (title I of Public Law 106-200, 114 Stat. 251, 257‑58 (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(1)).

     2.  Section 506A(a)(3) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(3)) provides that the President shall terminate the designation of a country as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A if he determines that the country is not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act.

     3.  Pursuant to section 506A(a)(3) of the Trade Act, I have determined that Cameroon is not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act.  Accordingly, I have decided to terminate the designation of Cameroon as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A of the Trade Act, effective January 1, 2020.

     4.  I have determined that the Republic of Niger (Niger), the Central African Republic, and the Republic of The Gambia (The Gambia) have not established effective visa systems and related customs procedures meeting the requirements of section 113 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3722), which are required in order for a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country to receive the preferential treatment provided for under section 112(a) of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3721(a)).  Therefore, Niger, the Central African Republic, and The Gambia are not eligible for the treatment provided for under section 112(a).

     5.  Section 112(c) of the AGOA, as amended in section 6002 of the Africa Investment Incentive Act of 2006 (division D, title VI, Public Law 109-432, 120 Stat. 2922, 3190‑93 (19 U.S.C. 3721(c)), provides special rules for certain apparel articles imported from "lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries."

     6.  I have determined that Guinea-Bissau and Niger satisfy the criterion for treatment as "lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries" under section 112(c) of the AGOA.

     7.  On April 22, 1985, the United States and Israel entered into the Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Israel (the "USIFTA"), which the Congress approved in section 3 of the United States–Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 (the "USIFTA Act") (Public Law 99-47, 99 Stat. 82 (19 U.S.C. 2112 note)).

     8.  Section 4(b) of the USIFTA Act provides that, whenever the President determines that it is necessary to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, the President may proclaim such withdrawal, suspension, modification, or continuance of any duty, or such continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or such additional duties, as the President determines to be required or appropriate to carry out the USIFTA.

     9.  In order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to agricultural trade with Israel, on July 27, 2004, the United States entered into an agreement with Israel concerning certain aspects of trade in agricultural products during the period January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2008 (the "2004 Agreement").

     10.  In Proclamation 7826 of October 4, 2004, consistent with the 2004 Agreement, the President determined, pursuant to section 4(b) of the USIFTA Act, that, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, it was necessary to provide duty-free access into the United States through December 31, 2008, for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel.

     11.  Each year from 2008 through 2018, the United States and Israel entered into agreements to extend the period that the 2004 Agreement was in force for 1-year periods to allow additional time for the two governments to conclude an agreement to replace the 2004 Agreement.

     12.  To carry out the extension agreements, the President in Proclamation 8334 of December 31, 2008; Proclamation 8467 of December 23, 2009; Proclamation 8618 of December 21, 2010; Proclamation 8770 of December 29, 2011; Proclamation 8921 of December 20, 2012; Proclamation 9072 of December 23, 2013; Proclamation 9223 of December 23, 2014; Proclamation 9383 of December 21, 2015; Proclamation 9555 of December 15, 2016; Proclamation 9687 of December 22, 2017; and Proclamation 9834 of December 21, 2018, modified the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (the "HTS") to provide duty-free access into the United States for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel, each time for an additional 1‑year period.

     13.  On December 4, 2019, the United States entered into an agreement with Israel to extend the period that the 2004 Agreement is in force through December 31, 2020, and to allow for further negotiations on an agreement to replace the 2004 Agreement.

     14.  Pursuant to section 4(b) of the USIFTA Act, I have determined that it is necessary, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, to provide duty-free access into the United States through the close of December 31, 2020, for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel, as provided in Annex I of this proclamation.

     15.  On September 16, 2019, in accordance with section 103(a)(2) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (the "Trade Priorities Act") (title I of Public Law 114-26, 129 Stat. 319, 333 (19 U.S.C. 4202(a)(2)), I notified the Congress that I intended to enter into an agreement regarding tariff barriers with Japan under section 103(a) of the Trade Priorities Act.  On October 7, 2019, the United States and Japan entered into the Trade Agreement between the United States and Japan.

     16.  Section 103(a)(1) of the Trade Priorities Act authorizes the President to proclaim such modification of any existing duty as the President determines to be required or appropriate to carry out a trade agreement entered into under section 103(a).  The President generally may proclaim such modification provided that the modification does not reduce the rate of duty to a rate that is less than 50 percent of the date of such duty that applied on June 29, 2015; does not reduce the rate of duty below that applicable under the Uruguay Round Agreements or a successor agreement on any import-sensitive agricultural product; and does not increase the rate of duty above the rate of such duty that applied on June 29, 2015.

     17.  Pursuant to section 103(a) of the Trade Priorities Act, I have determined that it is required and appropriate to modify existing duties with respect to certain goods to carry out the Trade Agreement between the United States and Japan.

     18.  In Proclamation 6763 of December 23, 1994, the President established a tariff-rate quota for beef.  Section 404(d)(3) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (title IV of Public Law 103-465, 108 Stat. 4809, 4960 (19 U.S.C. 3601(d)(3)) authorizes the President to allocate the in-quota quantity of a tariff-rate quota for any agricultural product among supplying countries or customs areas and to modify any allocation as the President determines appropriate.  Pursuant to section 404(d)(3) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, I have determined that it is appropriate to modify the tariff-rate quota allocation for beef by providing that the tariff-rate quota allocation for Japan will become part of the total tariff-rate quota allocation for other countries or areas.

     19.  Section 1206(a) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (the "1988 Act") (title I of Public Law 100-418, 102 Stat. 1107, 1151 (19 U.S.C. 3006(a)) authorizes the President to proclaim modifications to the HTS based on the recommendations of the United States International Trade Commission (the "Commission") under section 1205 of the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 3005) if the President determines that the modifications are in conformity with United States obligations under the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (the "Convention") and do not run counter to the national economic interest of the United States.

     20.  In Proclamation 9549 of December 1, 2016, pursuant to section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act, the President proclaimed modifications to the HTS to conform it to the Convention, to promote the uniform application of the Convention, to establish additional subordinate tariff categories, and to make technical and conforming changes to existing provisions.  These modifications to the HTS were set out in Annex I of Publication 4653 of the Commission, which was incorporated by reference into the proclamation.

     21.  Proclamation 7746 of December 30, 2003, implemented the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement (the "USCFTA") with respect to the United States and, pursuant to the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the "USCFTA Act") (Public Law 108-77, 117 Stat. 909 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note)), incorporated in the HTS the schedule of duty reductions and rules of origin necessary or appropriate to carry out the USCFTA.

     22.  In order to ensure the continuation of such staged reductions in rates of duty for originating goods of Chile in tariff categories that were modified to reflect amendments to the Convention, Proclamation 9549 made modifications to the HTS that the President determined were necessary or appropriate to carry out the duty reductions proclaimed in Proclamation 7746.  The United States and Chile are parties to the Convention.

     23.  Section 201 of the USCFTA Act authorizes the President to proclaim such modifications or continuation of any duty, such continuation of duty-free or excise treatment, or such additional duties, as the President determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out or apply Articles 3.3, 3.7, 3.9, Article 3.20(8), (9), (10), and (11), and Annex 3.3 (including the schedule of United States duty reductions with respect to originating goods) of the USCFTA.

     24.  I have determined that, pursuant to section 201 of the USCFTA Act and section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act, modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to ensure the continuation of tariff and certain other treatment accorded to originating goods under tariff categories modified in Proclamation 9549 and to carry out the duty reductions proclaimed in Proclamation 7746.

     25.  Section 604 of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2483) authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the relevant provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder, including removal, modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 506A(a)(1) and 506A(a)(3) of the Trade Act; sections 111(a) and 112(c) of the AGOA; section 6002 of the Africa Investment Incentive Act of 2006; section 4(b) of the USIFTA Act; section 103(a) of the Trade Priorities Act; section 404(d)(3) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act; section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act; section 201 of the USCFTA Act; and section 604 of the Trade Act, do proclaim that:

     (1)  The designation of Cameroon as a beneficiary sub‑Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A of the Trade Act is terminated, effective January 1, 2020.

     (2)  In order to reflect in the HTS that beginning January 1, 2020, Cameroon shall no longer be designated as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country, general note 16(a) to the HTS is modified by deleting "Republic of Cameroon" from the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.  Note 7(a) to subchapter II and note 1 to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS are modified to delete "Cameroon" from the list of beneficiary countries.  Further, note 2(d) to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS is modified by deleting "Republic of Cameroon" from the list of lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.

     (3)  In order to provide the tariff treatment intended under sections 112(a) and 113 of the AGOA, note 1 to subchapter XIX of Chapter 98 of the HTS is modified by deleting "Niger", "Central African Republic", and "The Gambia" from the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.  Further, note 7(a) to subchapter II of chapter 98 of the HTS is modified by deleting "Niger" from the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.

     (4)  For purposes of section 112(c) of the AGOA, Guinea-Bissau and Niger are lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.

     (5)  In order to provide for Guinea-Bissau and Niger the tariff treatment intended under section 112(c) of the AGOA, note 2(d) to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS is modified by inserting in alphabetical sequence in the list of lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries "Guinea-Bissau" and "Niger".

     (6)  The modifications to the HTS set forth in paragraphs (1) through (5) of this proclamation shall be effective with respect to articles that are entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 2020.

     (7)  In order to implement United States tariff commitments under the 2004 Agreement through December 31, 2020, the HTS is modified as provided in Annex I of this proclamation.

     (8)  The modifications to the HTS set forth in Annex I of this proclamation shall be effective with respect to eligible agricultural products of Israel that are entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 2020. 

     (9)  The provisions of subchapter VIII of chapter 99 of the HTS, as modified by Annex I of this proclamation, shall continue in effect through December 31, 2020.

     (10)  In order to modify tariffs on certain goods to carry out the Trade Agreement between the United States and Japan, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex II of this proclamation.

     (11)  The modifications to the HTS set forth in Annex II of this proclamation shall be effective with respect to originating goods, as defined in the Trade Agreement between the United States and Japan, effective on the dates specified in Annex II and on any subsequent dates set forth for such duty reductions in Annex II.

     (12)  The Secretary of the Treasury shall use existing authority to issue any regulations necessary to implement the modifications made pursuant to paragraphs (10) and (11) of this proclamation.

     (13)  Additional U.S. note 3 to chapter 2 of the HTS is modified as specified in Annex III of this proclamation.  The modifications to the HTS set forth in Annex III of this proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods that are entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 2020.

     (14)  In order to reflect in the HTS the modifications to the rules of origin under the USCFTA, general note 26 to the HTS is modified as provided in Annex IV of this proclamation.

     (15)  The modifications to the HTS made by paragraph (14) of this proclamation shall enter into effect on April 1, 2020.

     (16)  Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP

Presidential Message on Kwanzaa

Office of the Press Secretary
Presidential Message on Kwanzaa
Melania and I send season’s greetings to those observing Kwanzaa both in the United States and around the world.

For more than 50 years, this weeklong celebration has been used to honor the heritage and culture African Americans share around the country and worldwide.  Every aspect of American life has been enriched by the countless contributions of African Americans.  Kwanzaa is an opportunity to foster deeper cultural understanding and build stronger bonds of mutual respect and friendship between all Americans.

We hope the light of the Kinara fills your homes with hope and joy, and we send our best wishes for a New Year filled with good health and much happiness.
###

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Seasons Greetings from The GoldFish Report






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Bill Announcement

Office of the Press Secretary
On Tuesday, December 24, 2019, the President signed into law:
  
S. 737, the "Building Blocks of STEM Act," which modifies several National Science Foundation programs that provide grants to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education research focused on early childhood.

 

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP DURING VIDEO TELECONFERENCE WITH MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach, Florida December 24, 2019

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
DURING VIDEO TELECONFERENCE WITH MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY

Mar-a-Lago
Palm Beach, Florida

December 24, 2019


 
9:05 A.M. EST

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everyone, and I want to wish you an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year.  You’re tremendous warriors, and we appreciate it so much.  We’re in Florida right now, speaking to you through this technological advance that’s been made -- that’s been incredible, what they’ve been able to do over the last number of years.  Incredible.  We’ll be talking to you in a little while, and you’ll be asking me some questions.

     We have a lot of the media right here -- our friends from the media.  Dear, dear friends from the media.  Sometimes they’re good.

     But we’re honored to be joined on this call by five units deployed all across the world, representing the branches of our armed forces.  We have -- as you know, we have a new branch that’s joining us; it will be Space Force.  We don’t have them represented quite yet, but that will be very soon.  We’re going to have a sixth branch of the military.  That’s the first time in 70 years a new branch will be coming on.  That’s going to be very exciting.

     Because of your brave and selfless service, Americans can celebrate Christmas in safety and in peace.  And we all appreciate what you do so much, and we thank you very much.

     To begin our call, I’d like to recognize Captain Roxanna Flores and the U.S. Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command, joining us all the way from Kuwait.  The “Cactus Soldiers,” as they’re called, are supporting a wartime force of over 25,000 service members and civilians undertaking sustainment operations in 12 different countries.  And you do an incredible job.

     Across the Middle East, our warfighters win only with the relentless determination and unsurpassed devotion that we have -- they have.  It’s incredible the job they do.  And thank you very much.  And we’ll go back to Roxanna in a little while, and we’ll ask a couple of questions and she’ll have some questions for us.
   
We also have with us sailors abroad the USS Forrest Sherman, a destroyer under the command of Commander Frank Azzarello, joining us from the Gulf of Aden.  You’re stop -- clandestine -- and this is what you’re doing so well, that you’re able to stop clandestine weapon smuggling -- at a record number, by the way --escort tankers, and keep the seas safe for America and our allies in the highest tradition of our great Navy.

And our Navy is doing really well.  We just approved a record budget for our Navy.  Lots of new ships and lots of new everything.  I want to thank you for your constant vigilance.  And we’ll get back to you in a second, too.

I also welcome the great Marines, sailors, and soldiers of Task Force Southwest 19.2, who are stationed in Camp Shorab, in Afghanistan.  Brigadier General David Odom -- thank you very much, General.  Your brilliant team is vital to training, advising, and assisting our friends in the Afghan military.  Your intelligence and security operations are second to none.  And we’re making a lot of progress there.  As you know, we’re also reducing troop force, because we don’t need what we had there.  And we reduced troop force, and are in the process of doing that very significantly.  Thank you very much, General.

Back in the United States, we’re joined by the 20th Attack Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri -- a great state.  Greetings to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Wassmuth and all of the airmen on the air base.  You’re crushed -- and you know what happened recently.  You helped us so much and won very, very big.  You crushed ISIS from the air, kept the Taliban running scared, and conducted countless lethal airstrikes against the enemies of freedom.  You are an incredible group, and we are supremely grateful for your service and the job you do.  What happened with ISIS was incredible.  As you know, we took over 100 percent of the caliphate and destroyed them.  That doesn’t mean they don’t come back in smaller sections.  And we handle them as they come back.  But we had 100 percent.

And al-Baghdadi is dead.  The leader of ISIS -- the founder of ISIS -- is dead.  His replacement is now dead.  And we have our sights on the new replacement.  I don’t know why anybody would want that job, frankly.

Finally, we have with us -- we have with us a captain, who is somebody that is so highly respected, Michael Frawley.  Everyone in the Coast Guard Air Station Sitka in Alaska, we want to thank you for your work.  You conduct daring rescues in treacherous mountain slides and towering waves.  Thank you for being our faithful guardians.

And you really have.  You know, the Coast Guard, with the work they’ve done during hurricane season, two years ago, in Texas -- in particular, Texas -- because they saved 16,000 lives.  Nobody understands what that means -- 16,000 .  Even me -- I heard that number, and I said, “Can that be possible?  Sixteen thousand.”  They served 16,000 lives -- and saved.  And these are people out at sea, these are people on the land, where we had that massive -- probably the largest amount of water ever to come onshore from a hurricane.  Went out -- it went out; it came back.  It went out; it came back.  Then a third time, it went out; it came back.  And the Coast Guard was there.  You saved 16,000 people.

Then you had Florida.  Then you had Puerto Rico.  I mean, you were very busy.  And I don’t think anybody’s stock has gone up like the Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard has been incredible.  And we really appreciate the job you’ve done.  Saved thousands of lives.

     But this Christmas, I hope that every member of our military will feel the overwhelming love and gratitude of our nation for your faithful service.  Starting January 1st, you’ll be getting your largest pay raise in more than a decade.  You don’t have to take it.  If you want, you can turn it back in to the government.  But we got you a good pay raise last year.  We’re going to get you an even better pay raise this year.  And it will be largest in over a decade, and you very much earned it.

And don’t worry, I’m only kidding when I say turn it back, because the press will cover that.  They’ll say, “He wants them to turn the pay rise back.”  No, I got it for you.   Keep it and spend it well.

     Once again, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Now, let’s get onto the discussion with some of our folks.  And maybe we’ll start with Captain Flores of the United States Army.

Captain, please.

     CAPTAIN FLORES:  Good morning and happy holidays, Mr. President.  I am Captain Roxanna Flores, and on behalf of the soldiers of the 103rd Sustainment Command Expeditionary, we would like to wish you and your entire family a very Merry Christmas.  Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us today.  It is a true honor and privilege, sir.

     Mr. President, the morale here in Kuwait is high.  And today, I sit here surrounded by a group of outstanding leaders that represent our over 200-soldier formation, consisting of Army Reserve soldiers that are coming together from over 32 different states, all brought together one month before deployment.  And that is thanks to the company leadership of Captain Shelby Peters and First Sergeant Trenton Byler.

     Mr. President, also here in the room, we have our highly-dedicated soldiers, like Sergeant Jonathan Ochoa and Specialist Robert Wallace.

     And finally, Mr. President, we have Specialist Bret Nyquist, who has been dying for at least a week to ask you a question, if that’s okay with you.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Go ahead.  Whatever you want.  (Laughter.)

     SPECIALIST NYQUIST:  Good morning, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  I hope -- I hope it’s not too good, but that’s okay.  (Laughter.)  Whatever you want.  Please.

     SPECIALIST NYQUIST:  It’s not too good.  My name is -- my name is Specialist Bret Nyquist.  I’m an Intelligence Analyst from Des Moines, Iowa.  A lot of us here at Camp Arifjan have been wondering:  What did you get Mrs. Trump for Christmas this year?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, that’s a tough question.  (Laughter.)  Well, I -- I really should say, “A very beautiful card.”  You know, I’m working on a lot -- (laughter) -- I got her a beautiful card, but actually I had a number of them picked and I picked the nicest one.  A lot of love, and we love our family and we love each other.  And we’ve had a great relationship, like you do, hopefully, with your spouses.  But we’ve had a great relationship.

And I think I’ll answer that by saying I’m still working on the Christmas present.  Is that okay?  (Laughter.)  There’s a little time left.

     SPECIALIST NYQUIST:  Me too, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Not too much, but there’s a little time left.  (Laughter.)  Thank you very much. 

     CAPTAIN FLORES:  Right.  Thank you.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Nice question.

     CAPTAIN FLORES:  Thank you, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

     CAPTAIN FLORES:  Yes, we have --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Go ahead.

     CAPTAIN FLORES:   Right.  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President.  We also have Sergeant Dylan Contreras, who also has a question he’s been dying to ask of you, sir.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  Please go ahead.

     SERGEANT CONTRERAS:  Good morning, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.

     SERGEANT CONTRERAS:  Good morning, Mr. President.  My name is Sergeant Dylan Contreras.  I am from San Antonio, Texas.  I am an Information Technology Specialist.  And my question for you, sir: Is “Home Alone 2” your favorite holiday movie?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m in “Home Alone 2.”   And -- (laughter) -- it’s sort of -- a lot of people mention it every year, especially around Christmas.  They say, “I just saw you.”  Especially young kids, they say, “I just saw you on the movie.”  They don’t see me on television as they -- as they do in the movie.  But it’s been a good movie.  And I was a little bit younger, to put it mildly.  (Laughter.)  It was -- it was an honor to do it.  And it turned out to be a very big hit, obviously.  It’s a big Christmas hit -- one of the biggest.  So it’s an honor to be involved in something like that.  You always like to see success.

     So thank you both very much.  Thank you all very much.  And they were great questions.  They were really -- especially about Christmas gifts.  I’m -- you’ve made me think.  I’m going to have to start working on that real fast.  (Laughter.)  Thank you all very much.  We appreciate it.  Keep up the good work.

     CAPTAIN FLORES:  Yes.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Now, I’d like to ask --

     CAPTAIN FLORES:  Thank you, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  -- Commander Frank Azzarello, if I might, to ask a couple of questions.  And you’re at the USS Forrest Sherman, Frank.  Tell me what’s going on.

     COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  Good morning and Merry Christmas, Mr. President, from the Gulf of Aden.  I’m Commander Frank Azzarello, commanding officer of Forrest Sherman -- 9,000 tons of American fighting steel, and from your best service.

Our new nickname is the (inaudible) for all the things we’ve been doing out here.  We’ve -- so right now we’ve -- I’ve got 320 warfighters.  We’ve sailed over 45,000 nautical miles this year, almost circumvated [sic] the -- circumnavigated the world twice.  We’ve been out here for 95 days.  You’ve already talked about our shining moment (inaudible) all the illicit materials.  We’ve also been conducting numerous operations escorting some of our vessels and our allies through the Straits of Hormuz, the Straits of Bab el-Mandeb, and all those fun places.

I’ve got a couple people I’d like to recognize.  Our Chief Boatswain’s mate, Chief Fisher, and Petty Officer Huntsman who spent a lot of time on our small boat during those operations, putting at great personal risk.  And our sailors of the year: Logistics Specialist First Class Cruz, and Electronics Technician -- excuse me, Second Class Bower and Retail Specialist Third Class Tran.  All super sailors, superstars on this ship.

I can’t tell you what an honor and privilege it is for -- to talk to you.  The morale is boosted right now.  I’ve got about 100 missiles.  I got some gunners that don’t miss.  And we’re looking for a job to solve any of your problems, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Wow.  That’s pretty wild, I’ll tell you.

COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  So the only questions we have for you --

THE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible.)  Go ahead.

COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  -- is, if you’re ever in the Gulf of Aden, we’d like to host you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, good.

COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  -- if you ever find yourself out here.  And if not, if you’ve never made it to Norfolk and seen a homecoming, maybe we can see you in the spring when we get home.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Well, I’ve been to Norfolk plenty of times, but I’d love to see you out there -- and you do.
And I guess the big difference is that you have equipment, the likes of which you’ve never had before, frankly.  You -- when I first came in three years ago, we were very depleted with our planes and our ships and our missiles and rockets and everything else that we have.  And now I see those -- even the uniforms, we have all brand-new uniforms, which -- believe it or not, that’s a tremendous expense.  But we have everything new.

Some are even redesigned, as you know.  In the case of the Army, it was redesigned and beautifully redesigned.  We went back to a look that was the most popular.

     But, you feel a lot different, I think, than you did three years ago, Frank?

     COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  Yes, sir.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Big difference.

     COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  We’re at the tip of the spear out here.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yep.  Yeah, great job.  I appreciate it very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  And maybe we’ll stop by someday.  We’ll stop on that ship.

     COMMANDER AZZARELLO:  Thank you, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  I appreciate it.

     And now for the Marines.  We have a highly respected gentleman, General David Odom.  And, General, if you have any questions or statements, please make them.

     GENERAL ODOM:  Good morning, Mr. President.  This is David Odom here, sir.  We -- on behalf of all 500 Task Force Southwest, your Marines and sailors that are serving out here in Helmand Province, sir, we want to wish you and your family a very happy holidays.  We are honored for the opportunity to speak with you and interact with you today.  We know how busy your schedule is, and we’re humbled that you take the time of your schedule to spend time with us on your holiday, sir.

     Your warriors out here, sir, have been out here about seven months.  We’ve been working in a great team with Resolute Support, with our NATO and Coalition partners, as well as U.S. 4A, with all of our joint teammates -- Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines -- from across the United States, working together out here.  And we’ve been working with a great partner in the 215th Afghan National Defense Corps and their police counterparts here in Helmand and Nimruz Province, sir.

So we’ve been here about seven months.  Been trying to move the football every day, staying on mission and task, sir.  And we’re honored to serve out here.

Sir, our real question for you, today, is:  How are you going to spend your holiday here in the coming -- today, tomorrow, and hopefully into the weekend, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m at a place called “Mar-a-Lago.”  We call it the “Southern White House” because I really, pretty much work -- that’s what I like to do is work.  And we’ve made a lot of progress.

We’ve done some things, over the last few days, that were incredible, having to with trade.  As you know, we’re now getting along very well with China and trade.  In fact, they just took tariffs off more than 800 products, where they were charging us tariffs.  And now those tariffs are gone.  But we’ve made a very big deal with China, recently.  We made a very big deal with Mexico, Canada, North Korea, Japan -- a $40 billion deal with Japan.  And we have plenty of others coming.  It’s going to have a tremendous boost on our country over the coming years -- even over the coming year -- but over the coming years, especially when they’re fully kicked in.  It’s tremendous amounts of money.
And, by the way, for all of you, I have to say: Our country has never done better, economically.  It’s nice that you’ll fight regardless and you’ll guard us and take care of us regardless, but our country has never done better, economically.  We just set a stock market record yesterday; that would be the 135th in less than three years of my presidency.  So we’ve never had an economy anyway close to this.

Our unemployment numbers are the best we’ve ever had.  They’re -- African American, Asian American, Hispanic American -- the numbers are incredible.  The lowest number of -- in terms of unemployment -- that we’ve ever had.  Lowest numbers.

With women, they’re down to a 71-year low.  We’ll soon have a historic number there, too, we think.  If it keeps going, we’ll have a historic number -- meaning in the history of our country, as opposed to 71 years.  Seventy-one years is not bad.

But I will tell you, we’ve never done better.  So I think it’s good.  401(k)s and jobs in the country.  We have the most people working right now in the United States than we’ve ever had in the history of our country -- close to 160 million people.

So, for all of you, I just want to tell you:  Thank you very much.  And you make it possible for us to do what we have to do.  But our country is doing well.  We’re the envy of the world right now.  Everybody that sees me -- every foreign leader that sees me, they come up and they say, “What are you doing?  Congratulations.  We’ve never seen anything like it.”  And they want to do it, too, but it doesn’t work out so well for them.

We are -- we are doing something that’s never been done before and our numbers reflect it.  So you make it possible.  Thank you all very much.  Thank you.

GENERAL ODOM:  Thank you, Mr. President.  And, sir, we want to make sure you’re aware, sir -- I know you are, but we want you to hear it from us: The mail has been flowing in -- the tremendous, tremendous support from the American people to their service members forward deployed.  We’ve had just boxes upon boxes of care packages, stockings for all the service members.  So Operation Santa is in effect out here because of the great support of the American people to their service members, sir.  We just wanted to share that with you.

I know you -- we know you were out here at Thanksgiving and had a great meal up in Bagram.  We’ve going to have a fantastic meal here tomorrow at all our positions.  While we’re away from our loved ones, we’re honored to be here together representing our nation in support of a mission and working with a great partner.  And we will celebrate together here.

And we thank you again, sir.  And happy holidays to you and your family.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you.  General, great job.  Thank you very much.  Say hello to all those great Marines.  And we appreciate it.  And Merry Christmas.  Fantastic job.  Beautiful.  Thank you very much.

So now we’ll go to Whiteman Air Force Base, and we’ll speak with -- let’s see, who’s -- who would like to speak at Whiteman?  Is that Whiteman right there?  That’s Whiteman.  Go ahead.  Please.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  Good morning, Mr. President.  This is Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Wassmuth, the commander of the 20th Attack.

THE PRESIDENT:  Nice to see you.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  And on behalf of all the 20th Attack Hellhounds and Team Whiteman, we want to wish you, your family a very Merry Christmas.  We greatly appreciate you taking time your of your schedule to talk to us.  It means an incredible amount that you would do that, and single out the 20th to speak to.  So thank you very much.

Chief (inaudible) and I brought three of our youngest crew members.  As you know, we’re flying combat operations every day of the year.  Our planes are over Afghanistan.  We have a First Lieutenant Willaford, Sergeant Cook, and Airman Burley -- the youngest is 19 years old --

THE PRESIDENT:  Wow.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  -- that are supporting close air support missions around the clock in Afghanistan for you every day.

So thank you for taking the time.  It’s an incredible honor.  And Merry Christmas, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much, Lieutenant Colonel. 

And I have to just ask you one question: So we spent a lot of money on brand-new airplanes, as you know.  We were -- three years ago, you didn’t have brand-new airplanes.  You were not doing well.  And now you have all brand new.  Are you seeing the big difference?  They’re already arriving.  Are you seeing the big difference?

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  Sir, your Air Force is thriving and we -- the MQ-9 community and the rest of the aircraft -- are extremely lethal.  Yes, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Very good.  You know, a little while ago, they were going to the graveyards in the desert and they were taking parts for old planes.  You don’t have those planes.  So you have brand-new, beautiful stock.

You have -- are you flying the F-35s?

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  No, sir.  We’re flying the MQ-9 Reapers.  The --

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  That’s good.  All good, right?

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Do you fly others -- other than the Reaper, do you fly others too?

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  No, sir.  Not our unit, specifically.  The team here at Whiteman, though, flies the B-2.

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  Sure.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s a big one.  Good.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Lieutenant colonel.  And thank you everybody.  Who is the 19 year old?  Tell me.  Who is the 19?  Raise your -- oh, 19.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL WASSMUTH:  Airman Burley.

THE PRESIDENT:  To be 19, not so bad.  Good.  Have a good time.  Thank you.  Great job.

AIRMAN BURLEY:  Yes, sir.  Merry Christmas, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  You too.  Merry Christmas to everybody.

And we’ll go now to the Coast Guard Air Station in Sitka, in Alaska.  And Captain Michael Frawley, if you could say a few words.  And Merry Christmas to everybody.  And I said it all, about the Coast Guard: The job they’ve done has been incredible over the last three years.  Thank you.  Go ahead, Michael.

CAPTAIN FRAWLEY:  Good morning, Mr. President.  Merry Christmas from Southeast Alaska.  I appreciate you saving the best for last.

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)

CAPTAIN FRAWLEY:  It’s at -- it’s 5:00 a.m. here, sir.  And I just want to tell you, we’ve got only about 180 active duty Coasties on the island.  And there’s about 25 percent of us here -- showed up.  Really appreciate you taking the time, as everyone else said earlier.  We know how busy you are.

Everybody -- I just want to point out a couple of people.  We’ve got Aids To Navigation Team Sitka, if you guys could raise your hands, please.  Yeah, they showed up.  We’ve also got members of the Coast Guard Cutter Kukui, the 225-foot Buoy Tender that handles the Aids To Navigation throughout Southeast Alaska.  Guys, is anybody from Kukui here?  Feel free to raise your hands.  There you go.  And then, finally, we’ve got the Air Station Sitka.  It’s the best aviation unit in the world.  We’re protecting Southeast Alaska -- from Dixon Entrance, all the way up to Yakutat -- and waiting for the next bad thing to happen.

So we appreciate you being here, sir.  Merry Christmas.  Happy New Year.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you do a great job, Michael.  Thank you very much.  And thank everybody in the Coast Guard.  It’s a big group in Alaska and you need a big group.  It’s a big place.  We just -- a lot of things have happened in Alaska.

One of the -- one of the big ones is ANWR.  You know about that.  The biggest -- possibly the biggest drilling site in the world.  We got that approved.  They’ve been trying to get it approved for 50 years.  I got it approved.  And that’s going to have a tremendous impact.

Plus, you’re doing a lot of logging and lumber work up there.  It’s -- we opened it up for you.

So we always watch the environment -- very important -- but we also open up the business.  And Alaska and the Alaskan people have been very thankful.  So we appreciate it.  Great job, Michael.  We appreciate it.

CAPTAIN FRAWLEY:  Yes, sir.

     THE PRESIDENT:  And just in closing out, I want to wish everybody a really incredible New Year, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah.

Again, we have a special country.  Our country is doing better now than it’s ever done before.  Our economy is the best it’s ever been.

I believe that, as all of this new equipment starts pouring in -- and it already has started for the most part.  In the case of the Air Force, a lot of it is there.  The Navy, a lot of it is there.

We’re building a couple of submarines, by the way, that will be the most lethal weapons anywhere in the world.  I have to tell you that.  It’s what they do.  And how they do it is rather incredible.  But they’re the most powerful weapons in the world.  And unfortunately, the lethal -- and hopefully we never have to use them, from that standpoint.  We hope never to have to use them.  But we’re going to have them very soon.  We already have some, but these are beyond anything that anybody has ever seen before -- the submarines.

So I want to thank everybody.  I want you to have a great Christmas.  I want you to have an incredible New Year.  I think we’re poised for tremendous success in the United States.  And enjoy all that new equipment that we’re getting you.  It’s all made in the USA.  Very important.  It’s made in the USA -- every bit of it.

So thank you all very much.  Merry Christmas.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  

Q    Sir, can we ask you about North Korea?  Kim Jong Un is threatening a Christmas surprise for the world.

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, that’s okay.  We’ll find out what the surprise is, and we’ll deal with it very successfully.  And let’s see what happens.  Everybody has got surprises for me, but let’s see what happens.  I handle them as they come along.

So you saw that?  These are great people.  Our military is now replenished.  We were totally depleted when I came into office.  And it’s great stuff.  It’s great stuff what’s happened.  And you see these incredible people.  We have the best in the world.  So it’s totally replenished.  New equipment is coming in on a daily basis.  It’s being made -- all made in the USA.  And our economy is the strongest it’s ever been.

Q    What options are you considering, Mr. President, if it does end up being a long-range missile test?

THE PRESIDENT:  We’ll see what happens.  (Inaudible.)  We’ll -- let’s see.  Maybe it’s a nice present.  Maybe it’s a present where he sends me a beautiful vase, as opposed to a missile test, right?  I may get a vase.  I may get a nice present from him.  You don’t know.  You never know.

Q    Are you going to pardon Roger Stone, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Say it.

Q    Are you going to pardon Roger Stone, Mr. President?

     THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t understand the question.

     Q    Roger Stone.  Are you going to pardon him, sir?  He’s been convicted of felonies.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Am I going to pardon him?

     Q    Yes.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I hadn’t thought of it.  I think it’s very tough what they did to Roger Stone, compared to what they do to other people on their side.  I think it’s very tough.  I think it’s a very tough situation that they did something like that.

You know, Roger Stone was not involved in my campaign in any way -- other than the very, very beginning, before I -- I think, I -- long before I announced -- a little bit.  I’ve known Roger over the years.  He’s a nice guy.  A lot of people like him.

And he got very -- he got hit very hard, as did General Flynn and as did a lot of other people.  They got hit very, very hard.  And now they’re finding out it was all a big hoax.  They’re finding out it was a horrible thing.  It was -- we were spied on -- my campaign was spied on.

And again, Roger Stone was not a part of it -- the campaign.  He was somebody I’ve known over the years, but not a part of the campaign.  Very, very, very early on -- long before I -- I think long before I even announced, he was involved in a minor way.  But he’s a good person, and what they did to him is very unfair, in my opinion.  And what they did to General Flynn is very unfair, in my opinion.  And what they did to so many others is very unfair.

And now we found out they’re a bunch of dirty cops.  And paid for by the DNC, paid for by Hillary Clinton, in many cases -- and in much.  They did a phony dossier.  They used the dossier for FISA.  And now, as you know, the FISA court -- and your top judge is very much involved -- and hopefully, they’re going to do something about it.  But these were dirty people.  These were bad people.  These were evil people.

And I hope that someday I’m going to consider it my greatest -- or one of my greatest achievements -- getting rid of them.  Because we have no place in our country for people like that.

Q    Sir, what did President Putin say to you that convinced you that the Ukraine interfered in the 2016 Election?

THE PRESIDENT:  What did he say to me?

Q    Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  About what?

Q    What did President Putin say to you when you met?

THE PRESIDENT:  You’re putting words in somebody’s mouth.  Who are you referring to?  Me?  I never said anything about it.  I never said a thing about it.

All right, any other questions?

Q    Mr. President, are you concerned Pelosi will hold up the articles of impeachment indefinitely?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, all I know is my poll numbers are the highest they’ve ever been.  Our fundraising in the Republican Party is the highest it’s ever been.

She hates the Republican Party.  She hates all of the people that voted for me and the Republican Party.  And she’s desperate to do -- look, she got thrown out of Speaker once before.  She lost like 63 seats -- 61 or 63 -- a tremendous, a record-setting number of seats.  I think it’s going to happen again.  She’s doing a tremendous disservice to the country.  She’s not doing a good job.  And some people think that she’s -- she doesn’t know what she’s doing.  A lot of people think that.  A lot of people have said it.

They had no evidence at all.  They had no crime.  We had 196 or so Republicans voting -- 100 percent.  We didn’t lose one Republican vote in the House.  We had three Democrats come over to our side, and two in another instance -- two in an additional instance.  And we’re in a very good position.

Ultimately, that decision is going to be made by Mitch McConnell.  And he will make it.  He has the right to do whatever he wants.  He’s the head of the Senate.

People remember:  They treated us very unfairly.  They didn’t give us due process.  They didn’t give us a lawyer.  They didn’t give us anything.  Now they come to the Senate and they want everything.

If you look back just two weeks -- just look back at what they did.  But over a long period of time, look at what they did.  We weren’t entitled to witnesses.  We weren’t entitled to lawyers.  We sat in a basement.  They would leak everything.  They would leak it.  We weren’t entitled to do anything.  They would leak selectively, with a sick, corrupt politician named Schiff.  He’s a corrupt politician.

No, they treated us worse than anybody has been treated, from a legal standpoint, in the history of the United States.  That’s never happened before, where you can’t have a lawyer, you can’t have a witness, you can’t have time.

You didn’t have -- even recently, when they had the constitutional lawyers, they got three lawyers; we got one.  Fortunately, our one lawyer was better than their three.  And we also had a much better case.  We had -- we have a perfect case.  I say it again:  We have a perfect case.  They had no case.

But they had three lawyers; we were allowed one.  They had three.  Think of that.  They had three lawyers -- constitutional lawyers -- and each one spoke for an extended period of time.  We had one lawyer.  What do you think of that?

So now they get to the Senate.  And now we have the majority, and it’s up to Mitch McConnell.  And we have the majority, and now they want McConnell to do wonderful things for them.  I mean, he’s going to do what he wants to do.  Very smart guy, very good guy, and a very fair guy.

But they treated us very unfairly and now they want fair -- fairness in the Senate.  They ought to look back at the last year to see how they’ve hurt this country.

Fortunately, we have a President that was able to plow through all of the stuff that went on and goes on.

And also, tremendous amounts of information are being written about, even by the fake news, concerning FISA, concerning dirty cops -- the people that started this whole thing.  What they’ve done to this country is incredible.  And hopefully, it’s going to be taken care of.  The Attorney General is working and everybody is working.

But if you just go -- because I like to stay out of it, and I do stay out of it -- if you just go by what you see in the papers, it’s incredible what’s going on.  We had dirty cops.  We had people spying on my campaign.  They did terrible things, the likes of which have never been done in the history of our country.  It’s very sad.

All right, have good time everybody.  Merry Christmas.  Merry Christmas, everybody.

Q    Mr. President, are you going to hold a signing ceremony with Xi?

THE PRESIDENT:  I will be, probably, doing that.  Yeah.  At the right time, we’ll be doing a smaller ceremony.  Ultimately, we will be having one.  The China deal -- we will be having a signing ceremony.  Yes.

Q    Will you sign it -- you and Xi Jinping?

THE PRESIDENT:  We will probably, yes.  We will sign it.  When we will get together --

Q    Do you know where that will be?

THE PRESIDENT:  -- we will do -- but we’ll have a quicker signing, because we want to get it done.  The deal is done.  It’s just being translated right now, okay?

Thank you.

                         END                 9:37 A.M. EST