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[Page S3811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Administration Policies
Mr. SCHUMER. Now, if there is one word to describe the State of the
Trump administration, it is ``chaos.'' The administration's policy at
the border is in chaos; the administration's foreign policy is in
chaos; and the Trump administration itself is in chaos: the vacancies
in so many agencies, people within the administration fighting with
each other, and the President tweeting away, even if it is unconnected
to the people who actually administer the policies.
So even though this has been a constant theme in the Trump
Presidency--the chaos within--it is getting worse and more alarming.
On the border, the President announces a new cockamamie policy almost
every day: a national emergency to build a wall, tariffs with Mexico,
shutting down the border entirely, mass arrests and deportations inside
in our borders. Many of these ``policies'' were announced by tweet with
little or no thought or force of action behind them. Not one of them
has been implemented, even though the President could implement many on
his own. Most were tossed aside as casually as they were announced, and
it is easy to see why. The policies he has announced at the border are
cruel, inhumane, ineffective, and most are impossible to carry out.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is cutting off security
assistance to Central American countries--the one thing his
administration was doing to stem migration and address the root causes
in the first place. Even on the issue the President talks about most,
the chaos of his administration is making the problem exponentially
worse, not better.
It doesn't get any better when it comes to the administration's
foreign policy. In response to increased activity from Iran, the
President has now announced two deployments of 1,000 troops or more
without even explaining to the American people what is happening and
why. As Commander in Chief, he owes it to the American people, and
especially our troops, to clarify what he hopes to achieve in the
Middle East. What is the strategy? What is the goal? What is the limit
of what we will do, and what are the things we will do? Any foreign
policy expert will tell you outlining these things helps the strategy
and helps build support for it. Does the President have clear goals?
Does he have a strategy or, once again, when he wakes up in the morning
and thinks--one day, he tweets about it, and the next day he thinks
something else and tweets something different or even contradictory.
We have no earthly clue to the President's strategy or goals because,
like everything else in his administration, his foreign policy is
wracked by chaos.
The Trump administration, in terms of its personnel and leadership,
is in chaos as well. Yesterday the President's choice for Secretary of
Defense withdrew. Where was the vetting? Why wasn't this known by the
White House long before he got to this level? So now the most powerful
military in the world has been without a Senate-confirmed Secretary
since Secretary Mattis resigned in December of last year--6 months
without a confirmed head of the DOD. How can we conduct a foreign
policy, a military policy with no head of DOD?
The administration is escalating tensions in Iran and sending troops
overseas without a permanent Defense Secretary, someone who is really
in charge and thoroughly vetted at the helm. It is not just the Defense
Department where chaos reigns. The positions of Homeland Security
Secretary, OMB Secretary, SBA Administrator, Ambassador to the U.N.,
and even the Chief of Staff in the White House are all in the acting
capacity.
It is a revolving door. People want to leave. Most people of
substance can't stand the chaos and misdirection from the President,
and we have had less focused attention to issue after issue from this
President than any in a very long time because of chaos. The
institutions of our government under Donald Trump lack steady and
experienced leadership. It is a crisis of competence. The President is
making decisions without proper counsel, preparation, or even
communications between the relevant agencies. It is policy by whim. The
withdrawal of his Secretary of Defense nomination is only the latest
example of an administration in chaos.
I raise these points not to disparage the President but because the
swirling chaos in his administration hurts the American people. It has
frustrated our ability to find real solutions at the border and stunted
progress on issues Americans care about, like infrastructure and
healthcare. Above all, I fear the chaos in the White House could lead
our country closer to a conflict with Iran that most Americans want to
avoid.
In short, the amateur hour must end. The U.S. Government is not an
episode of ``The Apprentice.'' It is real life with real consequences.
It is deadly serious business. For the sake of the country, the Trump
administration needs to get its act together.
