2019 in United States politics and government explained

See also: 2019 in the United States and 2019 in politics and government.

Events

September

November

December

History by government agency

Note: This section is provided for updates by government body or agency in narrative format, if desired.

EPA

In December 2019, the EPA announced that it will seek to address concerns emphasized by American farmers over new rules for blending biofuels.[20]

Education Department

In December 2019, consumer advocates sued the U.S. Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, alleging that these government agencies had failed to protect student loan borrowers. The lawsuit provides an overview of the alleged problems. The U.S. Department of Education is the biggest player in the student loan world, handling hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student loan debt. Rather than managing this sprawling portfolio itself, however, the Department outsources operations to several large servicing companies.[21]

Large student loan servicing firms such as Navient, FedLoan Servicing have been faced with allegations of violations of consumer protection statutes. But the Department of Education has largely not addressed these issues, and has omitted to oversee its servicers (who receive billions from taxpayers).[21]

FCC

On December 12 the Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal to designate 988 as the hotline phone number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.[22]

FDA

In late December, the Food and Drug Administration raised the legal age for tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and vaping cartridges from 18 to 21.[23]

Justice Department

A redacted version of the Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election was published on July 21. The report looks at not only Russian interference into the election but also alleged obstruction of justice by President Trump.[24]

The death penalty for federal crimes was reinstated in July. The last federal execution was that of Louis Jones, Jr. in 2003. There are currently five prisoners on death row.[25] In December, the Supreme Court put the executions on hold.[26]

History by issue

Note: This section is provided for issue-based overviews in narrative format, if desired.

Climate change

In December 2019, the World Meteorological Organization released its annual climate report revealing that climate impacts are worsening.[27] They found the global sea temperatures are rising as well as land temperatures worldwide. 2019 is the last year in a decade that is the warmest on record.[28]

Global carbon emissions hit a record high in 2019, even though the rate of increase slowed somewhat, according to a report from Global Carbon Project.[29]

Banking and finance

In the first half of 2019, global debt levels reached a record high of $250 trillion, led by the US and China.[30] The IMF warned about corporate debt.[30] The European Central Bank raised concerns as well.[31] There were concerns about economic conditions in the EU due to high rates of debt in France, Italy and Spain.[32]

Foreign policy

Yemen conflict

In April 2019, Trump vetoed a bipartisan bill which would have ended US support for the Saudi-led military intervention.[33] With 53 votes instead of the 67 needed, the United States Senate failed to override the veto.[34] The legal arguments and policies of the Obama administration were cited as justification for the veto.[35] The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Mulroy stated that US support was limited to side-by-side coaching to mitigate civilian casualties and if the measure had passed it would do nothing to help the people of Yemen and may only increase civilian deaths.[36] Mulroy supported the United Nation's peace talks and he pushed the international community to come together and chart a comprehensive way ahead for Yemen.[37] [38] [39] Writing in The Nation, Mohamad Bazzi argued that Mulroy's defence of US support as necessary to limit civilian casualties was false, and that "Saudi leaders and their allies have ignored American entreaties to minimize civilian casualties since the war’s early days".[40]

World trade

US-China Trade Dispute

A trade dispute between the USA and China caused economic concerns worldwide. In December 2019, various US officials said a trade deal was likely before a proposed round of new tariffs took effect on December 15, 2019.[41] US tariffs had a negative effect on China's economy, which slowed to growth of 6%.[41] In December 2019, new deal was announced regarding US-China trade dispute.[14]

United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement

The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement[42] is a signed but not ratified free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Agreement is the result of a 2017–2018 renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by its member states.[43] Negotiations "focused largely on auto exports, steel and aluminum tariffs, and the dairy, egg, and poultry markets." One provision "prevents any party from passing laws that restrict the cross-border flow of data".[44] Compared to NAFTA, USMCA increases environmental and labour regulations, and incentivizes more domestic production of cars and trucks.[45] The agreement also provides updated intellectual property protections, gives the United States more access to Canada's dairy market, imposes a quota for Canadian and Mexican automotive production, and increases the duty free limit for Canadians who buy U.S. goods online from $20 to $150.[46]

Technology

The introduction of new 5G wireless technology caused major public discussion about possible security risks and safety risks. Many experts said 5G would require new methods to insure security of data.[47] The US Congress passed legislation regarding security concerns about 5G networks.[48] The federal government prohibited the utilization of Huawei equipment for 5G networks due security concerns, and encouraged its allies to also do so as well. The US government imposed strict controls on US companies as to their ability to do business with Huawei, thus disrupting sales of Huawei phones overseas.[7]

Huawei submitted a petition in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit against the FCC's decision to prohibit rural U.S. network providers from using equipment from the China-based vendor due to national security concerns, asking that the recent FCC order be overturned.[9]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yahoo! Finance. Researchers easily breached voting machines for the 2020 election. Christine Fisher. Sep 27, 2019.
  2. https://www.acainternational.org/news/federal-vs-state-data-privacy-laws-debate-continues Federal vs. State Data Privacy Laws Debate Continues
  3. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/04/a-federal-privacy-law-is-starting-to-crystallize-senators-remain-divided-over-details.html A federal privacy law is starting to crystallize, but Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on how to do it
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/26/democrats-propose-online-privacy-laws Democrats propose sweeping new online privacy laws to rein in tech giants: Bill comes after a series of scandals, including Cambridge Analytica, that exposed personal data of millions of consumers
  5. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/26/senate-democrats-reveal-new-copra-digital-privacy-bill.html Senate Democrats reveal new digital privacy bill that would strengthen the FTC’s enforcement powers over tech companies
  6. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/consumers-demand-data-privacy-gop-senator-213309618.html Consumers 'demand' data privacy: GOP senator
  7. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50515426?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/crdnpmp7nllt/5g&link_location=live-reporting-story Huawei: Trouble overseas but boom time in China
  8. https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-policy/house-lawmakers-may-revive-provider-friendly-surprise-billing-proposal House lawmakers may revive provider-friendly surprise billing proposal
  9. https://www.sdxcentral.com/articles/news/huawei-slams-fcc-with-legal-appeal/2019/12/ Huawei Slams FCC With Legal Appeal
  10. News: US unemployment is the lowest in 50 years. Here's why Wall Street thinks that's actually a bad thing.. 6 December 2019. 10 December 2019. Business Insider.
  11. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/06/now-lets-do-everywhere-kansas-city-missouri-approves-free-public-transit-all 'Now Let's Do This Everywhere': Kansas City, Missouri Approves Free Public Transit for All
  12. https://www.vox.com/2019/12/6/20998953/house-bill-voting-rights-advancement-act The House has passed a bill to restore key parts of the Voting Rights Act
  13. https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/trump-wh-threatens-to-veto-restored-voting-rights-act-74683461885?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_lw Trump WH threatens to veto restored Voting Rights Act
  14. https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/16/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html Investors react to initial US-China trade deal
  15. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/17/trump-plans-to-sign-spending-bill-to-avoid-government-shutdown.html Trump plans to sign spending bill to avoid government shutdown, White House’s Conway says
  16. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/476437-trump-signs-bill-to-eliminate-rape-kit-testing-backlog Trump signs bill to eliminate rape kit testing backlog
  17. https://www.npr.org/2020/01/01/792739572/why-the-u-s-embassy-in-iraq-became-a-target-of-anger-again Why The U.S. Embassy In Iraq Became A Target Of Anger Again
  18. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/31/trump-iran-us-embassy-attack-iraq-091592 Trump blames Iran for attack on U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad
  19. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/deploys-troops-iraq-baghdad-embassy-attack-200101023738596.html US deploys 750 troops to Middle East after Baghdad embassy attack
  20. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biofuels/epa-chief-says-addressing-biofuel-industry-concerns-over-blending-mandates-source-idUSKBN1Y92N2 EPA chief says addressing biofuel industry concerns over blending mandates: source
  21. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2019/12/03/new-lawsuit-says-the-government-has-failed-student-loan-borrowers/#4eaea43b232b New Lawsuit Says The Government Has Failed Student Loan Borrowers
  22. News: FCC votes to set up 3-digit suicide hotline number like 911. 12 December 2019. Associated Press.
  23. Web site: The Hill. FDA officially raises tobacco buying age to 21. Dec 27, 2019 . Marty Johnson.
  24. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/18/politics/full-mueller-report-pdf/index.html Read and search the full Mueller report
  25. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/justice-department-bill-barr-orders-revival-federal-executions-lethal-injection.html The Federal Government Plans to Revive the Death Penalty After 16 Years
  26. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/06/politics/supreme-court-blocks-justice-department-executions/index.html Supreme Court blocks Justice Department from restarting federal executions next week
  27. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/climate/climate-change-acceleration.html Climate Change Is Accelerating, Bringing World ‘Dangerously Close’ to Irreversible Change
  28. https://www.iflscience.com/environment/2019-ends-warmest-decade-on-record-state-of-the-global-climate-report-warns/ 2019 Ends Warmest Decade On Record, State Of The Global Climate Report Warns
  29. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-global-carbon-emissions-growth-high.html Global carbon emissions growth slows, but hits record high
  30. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/global-debt-surged-to-a-record-250-trillion-in-the-first-half-of-2019-led-by-the-us-and-china.html Global debt surged to a record $250 trillion in the first half of 2019, led by the US and China
  31. http://thecorner.eu/news-europe/45-6-of-eurozones-corporate-debt-is-bbb/82875/ 45.6% Of Eurozone’s Corporate Debt Is BBB
  32. https://www.euractiv.com/section/economic-governance/news/eu-concerned-over-france-italy-and-spain-debts/ EU concerned over France, Italy and Spain debts
  33. News: Pilkington. Ed. April 17, 2019 . Dismay as Trump vetoes bill to end US support for war in Yemen. The Guardian . April 18, 2019.
  34. News: Senate fails to override Trump's veto of resolution demanding end to U.S. involvement in Yemen war. Demirjian. Karoun. Ryan. Missy. May 2, 2019. May 4, 2019. The Washington Post.
  35. Olsen . Gunar . April 20, 2019 . Add Trump's Yemen Veto to Obama's Spotty War Legacy. . April 21, 2019 .
  36. Web site: Air Force Magazine. 29 April 2019 .
  37. News: Senate fails to override Trump's veto of resolution demanding end to U.S. involvement in Yemen war. Washington Post.
  38. News: Senate doesn't override Trump's veto of resolution demanding end to U.S. involvement in Yemen. Karoun. Demirjian. Missy. Ryan. The Washington. Post. May 2, 2019. StamfordAdvocate. May 5, 2019.
  39. Web site: Senate doesn't override Trump's veto of resolution demanding end to US involvement in Yemen. Karoun. Demirjian. Missy. Ryan. The Washington. Post. 2 May 2019. The Hour.
  40. Web site: Both Saudi Arabia and the United States Are Probably Guilty of War Crimes in Yemen. Mohamad. Bazzi. 17 May 2019. www.thenation.com. 16 December 2019. 19 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191119100504/https://www.thenation.com/article/war-crimes-united-states-saudi-arabia-yemen/. dead.
  41. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/us-china-trade-deal-tariff-increase US, China trade deal expected before tariff increase: Report
  42. Web site: Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada Text. 30 November 2018. Government of the United States.
  43. News: NAFTA deal reached: Canada, U.S., Mexico reach trade agreement under new name . Dangerfield . Katie . . 2018-08-30 . 2018-10-01.
  44. News: Are You Afraid of Google? BlackBerry Cofounder Jim Balsillie Says You Should Be . The Walrus . 10 April 2019.
  45. News: Labour, environment standards key to getting USMCA through: Canadian ambassador. National Post. National Post. December 3, 2018. May 18, 2019. |url=
  46. Web site: USMCA v NAFTA: What's changed and what it means for IP in Canada Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh. www.smart-biggar.ca. 2 October 2018 . 2019-01-27.
  47. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2019/12/03/141-cybersecurity-predictions-for-2020/#10cd75c1bc56 141 Cybersecurity Predictions For 2020
  48. https://fcw.com/articles/2019/11/18/house-5g-supply-chain-bills.aspx House panel moves 5G protection bills

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2019 in United States politics and government".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.