WASHINGTON—It’s the first full work week for the Trump administration, and the talk is all about emoluments, executive orders, a border tax, TPP and much more.
If you’re rusty on some of those terms, grab this glossary to help get up to speed on what’s afoot.
ADVICE AND CONSENT
Under the Constitution, the Senate has the final say on President Donald Trump’s choices for his Cabinet. That includes nominations for 15 department secretaries and six people selected by Trump to lead agencies or serve in roles with Cabinet-level status, such as the EPA and U.N. ambassador. So far, three nominees have been confirmed by the Senate, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Monday. With Republicans in control of the Senate by a 52-48 margin, most of the rest are expected to easily win confirmation. Democrats will put up a fight on some, but there’s a limit to what they can do. Under rules changes approved in 2013—when Democrats were in charge of the Senate—Cabinet picks can be confirmed with a simple majority, preventing Democrats from demanding 60 votes to move forward.
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
The first thing to know: The Affordable Care Act is the same thing as “Obamacare.” The latter was a nickname coined by opponents of the health law, but President Barack Obama eventually embraced it. The law reduced the nation’s uninsured rate to a historic low of around 9 percent but failed to win broad public support. With Republicans in control of both the White House and Congress, undoing the law is a top priority for Republicans.
In the meantime, Trump has signed an order that gives federal agencies broad leeway to chip away at the measure. The law requires individuals to carry health insurance or face fines, and provides subsidies to help people who can’t otherwise afford insurance. Trump has said he wants to keep some of the measure’s more popular provisions, including allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26 and preventing insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-exiting conditions. But critics say Trump can’t cherry-pick to keep popular portions of the law and get rid of the requirement for everyone to have insurance. Democrats say that requirement, called the individual mandate, is what pays for expanded coverage.
BORDER TAX
