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The White House • June 24, 2019 President Trump sanctions the worst elements of the Iranian regime President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order this morning that imposes tough sanctions to deprive the Supreme Leader of Iran and some of his closest associates of key financial resources.   🎬 Watch: President Trump announces new sanctions on Iranian leaders “Today’s action follows a series of aggressive behaviors by the Iranian regime in recent weeks,” the President said from the Oval Office. “The Supreme Leader of Iran is [the] one who ultimately is responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime . . . His office oversees the regime’s most brutal instruments, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” The President’s actions are a strong yet proportionate response to Iran’s recent string of provocative behaviors. Last week, Iran shot down an American drone over international waters. Earliest this month, Iran attacked two commercial vessels and used proxy forces to attack civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps most alarming, the regime also recently announced that it will be increasing its stockpile of enriched uranium in the coming days. Today’s sanctions send a firm message to Tehran: They’re no longer dealing with an Administration naive or indifferent to their malign behavior. In Fox News, Middle East expert Tom Basile called former President Obama’s “sweetheart deal with Iran” his worst foreign policy blunder of all. “Obama wanted his Iran deal at all costs, and those costs were steep. It amounted to access to more than $100 billion, ending most sanctions, opening the country to foreign investment, among other benefits for the regime,” Basile writes. In other words, the Iran deal handed the world’s largest state sponsor of terror unprecedented financial capabilities. Those days are over. Last year, President Trump withdrew the United States from the deal and put the regime on notice—either change course or face crippling economic pressure. That choice became even clearer today when the President authorized putting sanctions on anyone who provides material support to the Supreme Leader’s Office. America is standing firm against the worst elements of the Iranian regime. Watch: Iran can never get a nuclear weapon, President Trump says   What American patients have a right to know—before they go to the doctor President Trump’s mission for healthcare can be summed up in just four words: put American patients first. Today, he took another step toward that goal, signing an executive order that requires hospitals to publicly disclose what people actually pay for important medical services in an easy-to-read format. For too long, powerful interests have blocked patients from knowing the true price and quality of their healthcare, preventing them from making informed choices. Lack of transparency contributes to soaring costs, suppressed competition, and lower quality of care. As a result, patients face wild variations in prices—often for the exact same services. Publicizing the true prices of healthcare services will allow Americans to make choices that fit their personal healthcare needs and their financial situations. “We believe the American people have the right to know the price of services before they go to visit the doctor,” President Trump said today. Watch President Trump unveil today's landmark healthcare action. Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian President Donald J. Trump signs an Executive Order for Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First | June 24, 2019 The White House • June 26, 2019 Suddenly, Democrats say there is a border crisis On February 15, President Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency to address the security and humanitarian crisis on our southern border. That month, more than 40,000 alien families arrived—an unprecedented surge that America’s outdated and overstretched immigration system is ill-equipped to handle. Something to share: 26 times they called the border crisis fake news Congressional Democrats were swift and nearly unanimous in their response, as Washington Examiner columnist Byron York detailed today: “A fake crisis at the border,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proclaimed.   “A crisis that does not exist,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.   “There is no crisis at the border,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declared. The media was quick to endorse that narrative. Morning Joe deemed the emergency “an imaginary border crisis.” The Washington Post editorial board called it “make-believe.” The New York Times “fact-checked” the President’s claim of a border crisis and reported it false—before contradicting themselves two paragraphs later. How times change. “This nation is facing a humanitarian crisis at the southern border,” House Democrats tweeted today. Don’t mistake that for an admission of fault. They make clear the problem isn’t Congress’ years of refusal to fix America’s broken immigration system. Their culprit is U.S. law enforcement, whose officers are guilty of running “concentration camps” for illegal immigrants, as one freshman Congresswoman put it. President Trump has requested $4.5 billion in emergency aid—$3.3 billion of it marked for humanitarian assistance—to help law enforcement address the historic surge in large migrant groups arriving at our southern border. Congress has yet to pass it. Just as crucial, the only long-term solution to this humanitarian crisis is for Congress to close the catch-and-release loopholes that fuel child smuggling into the United States. As long as children can be used to evade our laws, they'll continue to be put in danger. So far, Democrats have resisted every single effort to shut off the magnets for child smuggling. “Fixing the laws would solve everything,” President Trump said today. “And they could do it so quickly. It’s so simple,” he added. “They know what to do. They just don’t want to do it.” Watch: President Trump says “Democrats are solely responsible” for this crisis. More: Top 5 border falsehoods pushed by Congressional Democrats and the media President Trump is on his way to Japan President Trump took off this afternoon for his second visit to Japan in less than a month—this time to take part in the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka. The G20 is an opportunity for world leaders to discuss the biggest challenges facing our global economy. President Trump’s goal this week, as always, is to fight for the best deals and outcomes possible to lift up America’s workers. 🎬 Watch: President Trump is wheels up for Osaka, Japan A truly level playing field means breaking down foreign barriers—both the tariff and non-tariff kind—that have stifled America’s economy and taken away too many jobs. Unlike his predecessors, President Trump is willing to use every tool at his disposal to bring these countries to the negotiating table and agree to better terms for our citizens. “We are a country that's respected again,” the President said before boarding Marine One this afternoon. Jared Kushner on a pathway to peace in the Middle East In Bahrain this week, senior Trump Administration officials took part in a two-day summit that unveiled a new economic roadmap for the Palestinian people. “The overall consensus is that [Peace to Prosperity] is a very executable plan,” Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner said of the response from representatives of more than 20 participating countries. “There is so much thirst and excitement about investing in the West Bank and Gaza.” See President Trump’s economic vision for the Palestinian people. Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian President Donald J. Trump talks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House prior to boarding Marine One to begin his trip to Japan | June 26, 2019 REAL NEWS PRESIDENT TRUMP DOESN'T WANT YOU TO MISS Mexico Becomes First Country to Approve USMCA -Washington Examiner “Mexico’s Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of approving the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, a deal that would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement,” Zachary Halaschak reports. “[Canadian] Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said last week that Canada would be working ‘in tandem’ with the U.S. in hammering out final passage of the historic trade deal.” Share: President Trump hosts Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau How Trump’s Tax Cuts Are Helping the Middle Class -The Daily Signal “Steve, it’s almost like a light switch was flicked from off to on the day after the election,” one small business owner says about the effect of the Trump Presidency on his company. Tax reform expert Stephen Moore say that “the economic ramifications [of tax cuts] have been almost universally positive . . . Almost 90% of taxpayers don’t have to itemize their deduction any longer because we doubled the standard deduction.” 🎬 Reagan economist Art Laffer receives Medal of Freedom from President Trump Ivanka Trump, Wilbur Ross: President Redoubles Efforts to Ensure Good Jobs for All -Salisbury Post “With a record 48 states registering unemployment rates below 5%, President Trump’s economic agenda is paying off,” which means more opportunities for job seekers, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross write. As of today, the President’s efforts have resulted in more than 250 companies pledging more than 9 million new training opportunities for American workers and students. 🎬 Ivanka Trump in Charlotte: “We are approaching 10 million commitments” Pence Says Maduro ‘Must Go’ as Navy Aids Venezuelan Refugees -The Washington Times “Vice President Mike Pence called anew for the ouster of Venezuela’s embattled President Nicholas Maduro on Tuesday, asserting that the socialist leader’s removal is the only way democracy can be restored in the South American nation,” Carlo Muñoz reports. “We are with our neighbors and we will stand with [the Venezuelan people],” the Vice President said. 🎬 Vice President Pence: U.S. compassion “sets sail” with the USNS Comfort Bahrain Workshop on Palestinian Economy is the Opportunity of a Generation -CNN “This is exciting—an opportunity of a generation. We are grateful to the Kingdom of Bahrain for extending the invitation to [the Trump Administration] to host the June 25 and 26 workshop with them for the benefit of Palestinians and others in the region, offering us a unique opportunity to communicate our economic vision,” White House Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt writes. President Trump’s goal is to present “a realistic resolution and a brighter future for all those burdened with this conflict.” Hundreds of Migrant Caravan Members Found to Have US Criminal Histories: DHS Files -Fox News “Hundreds of illegal immigrants attempting to cross the southern border as part of massive migrant caravans were found to have criminal histories in the U.S., according to newly obtained Department of Homeland Security documents,” Brooke Singman reports. One caravan of nearly 8,000 migrants arrived south of California in December 2018. “660 of them had U.S. criminal convictions—with 40 convicted of assault or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and three convicted of murder.” President Trump Could Revolutionize the Private Health Insurance Market -The Washington Post “Last week, the White House finalized a rule that allows employers to fund health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) that can be used by workers to buy their own coverage on the individual market,” healthcare expert Avik Roy writes. “Some in Washington want to take health insurance choices away from workers and replace them with the diktats of politicians. The Trump initiative moves in the opposite direction.” President Trump's Middle East Plan is a Refreshing Change “The Trump administration is no less committed to peace than its predecessors. The key difference is that Trump does not feel tied down by the unsuccessful formulas of the past, and he and his team are willing to openly challenge that conventional thinking,” Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Jon Lerner writes in CNN. “The goal of the Trump plan is to end this decades-long conflict and create conditions for a better life for Palestinians and Israelis. The plan will begin to be rolled out at this week's conference in Bahrain,” Lerner writes. “Economic conditions are quite poor in the West Bank, and among the world's worst in Gaza . . . The Trump plan contains specific and realistic projects that could double Palestinian GDP, create a million new jobs in Gaza and the West Bank, and cut poverty in half.” Click here to read more. “The White House has unveiled the economic aspects of its Middle East peace plan,” Prof. Emeritus Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School writes in The Hill. “The bottom line is that if Palestinian leaders were to accept — or at least sit down and negotiate about —the proposed peace plan, they could quickly improve the quality of life of their people. This could lead to a two-state solution that would be a win-win for all sides.” “Critics would rather bash Trump than acknowledge Obama’s naïve strategy of Iranian appeasement was a failure,” Middle East expert Tom Basile writes in Fox News. “Democrats and Republicans in Congress need to acknowledge that the Obama approach to Iran emboldened and enriched an enemy never willing to be an honest broker for peace. President Trump is trying to get the West back in a position to effectively isolate Iran and counter the Mullahs aggression before engaging in any form of military conflict.” “Concerns about immigration, and its impact on crime and taxes, have soared to the highest level ever, according to a new survey. Gallup said that more Americans than ever before cited immigration as their top concern in the latest poll,” Paul Bedard reports in the Washington Examiner. “What do Democrats want to do about illegal immigration? Will they ever tell us? Or will they keep emoting about how deeply they care about the issue without ever offering a plan?” Karol Markowicz writes in the New York Post. “Democrats know what they oppose: any proposal from President Trump . . . They want the emotional validation of being the ‘good guys’ without having to actually lay out their positions on what to do about tens of thousands of people entering the homeland illegally.” Trump Administration’s Industry-Recognized Apprenticeships Will Keep America Working “Through the White House’s Pledge to America’s Workers, job creators around the nation have committed to nearly 10 million training, upskilling or reskilling opportunities for American students and workers. Our thriving job market brings with it new challenges, however,” Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta write in the Miami Herald. “Our economy has 7.4 million open jobs, and for 14 months in a row it has had more job openings than job seekers. As businesses look to fill these jobs, we have an obligation to look for new ways to empower America’s workforce with the in-demand skills that employers need,” they write. “That is why the Trump administration is proposing a second apprenticeship model: the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship . . . This program would enable industries to come together through associations, consortia, nonprofits and other mechanisms to offer skills education to American students and workers.” Click here to read more. “This month, the Trump administration served as a catalyst for perhaps the largest criminal justice public-private-partnership ever assembled, jobs for formerly incarcerated people as they reenter society,” John Koufos writes in Fox News. “As a former prisoner myself, this initiative is personal to me . . . Virtually all of my cellmates wanted the dignity of work, so they could support themselves and their families, reunify with their families, and restore their self-worth.” President Trump “understands this challenge and is working to promote second chance hiring to ensure inmates have opportunities to succeed after they have paid their debt to society,” Koufos says. “Mexico has deployed almost 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border, according to the country's Secretary of Defense Luis Sandoval,” Tatiana Arias reports for CNN. “Many migrants begin their journey in Central America and even further south, passing through Mexico on their way toward the United States. The deployments come after renewed pressure from the Trump administration on Mexico to help slow migration flows northward.” “President Trump on Monday signed an executive order demanding the upfront disclosure by hospitals of the actual prices for common tests and procedures,” Andrew O’Reilly reports for Fox News. “Lack of information on health care prices is a widespread problem. It's confusing for patients, and experts say it's also one of the major factors that push up U.S. costs.” Yesterday’s move is part of the President’s agenda to put American patients first.