The drain is clogged...
Elizabeth Warren gives President Donald Trump 'F' grade on pledge to 'drain the swamp'
Posted on July 20, 2017 at 10:37 AM
By Shannon Young
Although President Donald Trump pledged to "drain the swamp" and remove insiders and special interests from Washington, U.S. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, argued Thursday that the Republican has failed to do so since taking office.
The Massachusetts Democrat, who joined Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, in releasing a "Drain the Swamp Report Card" on the president's first six months in office, gave Trump an "F" grade, contending that he "has not drained the swamp -- he has let the swamp creatures take over."
The report card accused Trump of filling his transition team and administration with lobbyists, relying on industry insiders to run his transition and administration and weakening ethics rules.
Taking aim at what he called the Trump administration's refusal to disclose ethics rules waivers, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston, announced legislation Tuesday that would require such exemptions to be reported and publicly available online.
The president, for example, has hired more than 150 current and former lobbyists, including 57 who served on his transition team and 75 who currently work for the administration, the report card stated. At least 25 worked for both.
He has also hired, nominated or been advised by nearly 40 Wall Street executives, industry insiders and Washington corporate consultants, according to the report card which presents updated results from Warren's ongoing review of Trump.
"President Trump's grade on his first Drain the Swamp Report Card is a big F. His administration and transition team have been filled with at least 190 lobbyists and corporate insiders, betraying his promise to 'drain the swamp,'" the report card stated. "His insider-driven policies are a boon for special interests -- but will hurt millions of ordinary Americans."
The report card, which marked the president's six months in office, further contended that Trump has worked against Americans by "giving in to the demands of big pharmaceutical companies," ditching efforts to protect construction workers from toxic substances and delaying rules protecting students from predatory institutions.
It took specific aim at Trump administration policies surrounding drug pricing; Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules targeting workplace illnesses, beryllium and silica; various Department of Education policies; and the Clean Power Plan's roll back, among others.
Trump repeatedly pledged to "drain the swamp" throughout his 2016 presidential campaign, promising to fill his administration with political outsiders -- like himself -- if elected to the Oval Office.
Warren, who has been an outspoken critic of the Republican, previously raised concerns about ethics rules related to the president's daughter Ivanka Trump's work in the White House and communications between White House strategist Steve Bannon and his former employer Breitbart News.
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