Rex Tillerson

5 Reasons Rex Tillerson Shouldn't Be The Next Secretary Of State

... foreign governments who committed human rights violations. Tillerson's appointment makes it even less likely that the U. S. will try to defend people's rights on the global stage. As Secretary of State, he will guide the government's foreign aid budget. Even more of a shift towards bringing large international companies into development project raises clear concerns. Projects to promote development and protect human rights around the world must not be sold off to the highest bidder. Experience shows us that privatizing development work benefits corporations not communities. President Trump has already re-instated the "Global Gag Rule" which will undermine women's health and reproductive rights internationally, tying the hands of non-governmental organizations. Any further shifts towards the corporate sector could ...

Rex Tillerson Confirmed As Secretary Of State In Historically Contentious Vote

... twins. Trump tells GOP to 'go nuclear' if Democrats stall SCOTUS nominee. President Donald Trump encouraged Republicans to eliminate the ability for a minority party to filibuster a Supreme Court nominee if Democrats don't fall in line behind his pick, Judge Neil Gorsuch. Trump announced his choice of Gorsuch, a judge for the 10 th Circuit Court of Appeals, to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on Tuesday night. "If we end up with that gridlock I would say, if you can, [Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc Connell], go nuclear. Because that would be an absolute shame if a man of this quality was caught up in the web," President Trump said. "It's up to Mitch, but I would say go for it." Supreme Court nominees normally need 60 votes for confirmation, but the "nuclear option" would allow Republicans to confirm Gorsuch with just 51; the GOP has a 52-seat majority in ...

Gop Blocks Schumer Moves To Rescind Trump Travel Ban

... January 11, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Story highlights. Republicans blocked a move to take up a measure on Trump's travel ban executive order. Senate Republicans blocked two moves by Democrats Monday to try to reverse President Donald Trump's controversial executive order restricting travel to the United States by Muslims and refugees. In a short exchange on the Senate floor, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer sought unanimous consent to begin debate on a bill authored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, which would rescind the executive order. Schumer noted that several Republican senators had raised concerns with the order and how it was developed. "So let's repeal the order and then sit down and discuss a smart, thoughtful, effective way to counter terrorism," the New York senator said. Speaking for Republicans, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, objected. Read More. In a second request, Schumer asked that until the travel restriction is lifted and until secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson explains if he supports the executive order and if he helped in its development, the Senate put off a procedural vote to advance ...

Trump Cabinet’s Ties To Boy Scouts Include Rex Tillerson, Who Once Reportedly Lobbied Group To Accept Gay Youths

... the charge to open the Boy Scouts to gay troop leaders.”. “The Left, which doesn’t usually need a reason to oppose Trump’s choices, won’t find many here, since the Exxon Mobil executive may be the greatest ally liberals have in the Cabinet for their abortion and LGBT agendas,” Perkins wrote in December. “That should be particularly alarming to conservatives, who’ve spent the last eight years watching the State Department lead the global parade for the slaughter of innocent unborn children and the intimidation of nations with natural views on marriage and sexuality.”. Read More. Contrary to Perkins’ statement, liberals found plenty of issues with Tillerson: most notably his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. As president of the United States, Trump is also the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. His relationship with the LGBT community at large has been strained — stemming predominantly from his selection of Mike Pence for his vice president. Before joining Trump’s team, Pence was roundly criticized by the LGBT community for his highly controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which critics denounced as discriminatory and ...

Senate Confirms Ex-exxon Mobil Ceo Rex Tillerson As Secretary Of State

... to push Tillerson's nomination through. They got help from several Democrats who crossed party lines. Tillerson's ties to Russia and his stand on sanctioning Moscow have been a point of contention. Another Trump nomination was running into roadblocks with two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announcing their opposition, in speeches on the Senate floor Wednesday, to education secretary pick Betsy De Vos. If she loses one more Republican and all Democrats vote against her, the nomination would die. Both Collins and Murkowski said that they appreciate De Vos' commitment to children and learning but that her lack of experience in the nation's public schools is a deep concern. "Mrs. De Vos is the product of her experience," Collins said. "She appears to view education through the lens of her experience promoting alternatives to public education in Detroit and other cities.". Murkowski said she believed De Vos, a billionaire Republican donor and school choice ...

Trump Swears In Tillerson To Lead State Dept

... file photo, Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, the committee approved Sessions' nomination. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File). View Larger. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions member Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. listens as left as fellow committee member Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, during the committee's executive session for Education Secretary-designate Betsy De Vos. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). View Larger. FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2107 file photo, Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, the Senate confirmed Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon Mobil, to be ...

Donald Trump 'threatened To Send Us Troops' Across Border To Stop 'bad Hombres' In Call With Mexican President

... K 8 B 36 xu. 7:06 PM. Spicer slams Democrats for obstruction. Sean Spicer says Democrats need to hold themselves to the same standards that they held Republicans to during the Obama administration. That seems to be a "do as you said, not as we did" line of argument, as Republicans did not exactly cooperate with Mr Obama on, well, much of anything. Still, Mr Spicer is playing the same cards the Obama White House did when faced with intransigence from the opposition party. He said: "There's a point at which they need to be asked, why are you obstructing government at every step?". 6:58 PM. National Security Adviser denounces Iran missile launch. Michael Flynn, the president's national security adviser, has taken the podium to denounce Iran over a recent missile test. "As of today we are officially putting Iran on notice," he said, accusing the theocratic state of "destabilising behaviour across the entire Middle East.". Michael Flynn Credit: Reuters. 6:51 PM. Spicer takes the podium. The White ...

Senate Confirms Rex Tillerson As Secretary Of State In Narrow Vote

... to immediately damage our relations with a number of countries as well as to call into question an effort that we've been leading, which is to blunt the social media public relations offensive of Daesh, of these so-called Islamic State. KELEMEN: When the White House heard about the dissent cable on this topic, Spokesman Sean Spicer called on the, quote, "career bureaucrats to get with the program or go." He explained it this way today. (SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE). SEAN SPICER: The point that I was making then is that if you believe so deeply that the policy is offensive to you, you have to understand that the job - the way our government works is we elect a president. That President gets to carry through their agenda that they set out with the American people during the campaign. KELEMEN: The State Department's manual says there can be no retribution for employees who use the dissent channel, and some in Congress concerned about Spicer's comments are now looking into ways to codify these protections. The White House is not making Tillerson's job easy, says Senator Dick Durbin, ...