Presidency of Hillary Clinton (The More Things Changed)

The presidency of Hillary Clinton began at noon EST on January 20, 2017, the day that Hillary Clinton became the 45th President of the United States, succeeding Barack Obama. Clinton was a former Secretary of State, Senator from Virginia, and First Lady at the time of her victory in the 2016 presidential election over Republican Donald Trump. Her running mate, Representative Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois, took office as the 48th Vice President of the United States on the same day. Clinton is the first woman and the first former First Lady to serve as President. Clinton's term in office is set to end on January 20, 2021, and she is eligible to be elected to a second term.



During her time in office, she has signed several consequential executive orders and bills, including the Effective Capital Investment Act and and the Offshore Finances Repatriation and Reinvestment Act, as well as seeking to re-negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.

2016 Elections
Main Article: United States Presidential Election, 2016 (The More Things Changed)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, running on the Democratic ticket, defeated the Republican Party's nominees of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence and the Libertarian Party's nominees of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and former Massachusetts Governor William Weld.

2018 Midterm Elections
Midterm elections will be held on November 6, 2018. All 435 House seats and one third of the Senate (Class I) will be up for election.

Transition Period and Inauguration


On August 16, 2016 Clinton named Ken Salazar, former Secretary of the Interior and former Senator from Colorado, to lead her White House transition team.

On November 9th, following her election, Clinton's transition team launched the website StrongerTogether.gov.

At 69 years and 20 days old, Clinton became the second-oldest person to assume the office of the Presidency, surpassed only by Ronald Reagan (aged 69 years, 345 days). She is the first woman and the first former First Lady to become President.

Cabinet
Main Article: Cabinet of Hillary Clinton (The More Things Changed)

Executive Order 13769
Main Article: White House Task Force on the Minimum Wage (The More Things Changed)

Executive Order 13769, signed on January 27th, 2017, titled Supporting Workers with a Living Wage, created a task force to research the effects of raising the minimum wage and to determine the best strategies to do so - the White House Task Force on the Minimum Wage. The task force has three co-chairs: David Rolf, Board President of Working Washington; economist Katharine Abraham, Director of the Maryland Center for Economics and Policy and member of the Council of Economic Advisors; and Rick Santorum, former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania.

Effective Capital Investment Act
Main Article: Effective Capital Investment Act (The More Things Changed)

The Effective Capital Investment Act was signed into law on February 13th, 2017, to promote long-term investments. Throughout her presidential campaign, Clinton called for an end to "quarterly capitalism" that prioritized short-term gains over long-term goals.

White House Task Force on the Opioid Crisis
On March 15th, with the support of staff from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Director Linda Rosenberg, Clinton established the White House Task Force on the Opioid Crisis, to research and recommend policy solutions to the opioid crisis and prevent opioid-related deaths. The Task Force has three co-chairs: Kate Walsh, the President and CEO of Boston Medical Center; Patrick Kennedy, former Democratic U.S. Representative from Rhode Island; and Mary Taylor, Republican Lieutenant Governor of Ohio.

The choice of Taylor drew criticism from David Pepper, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, as Taylor announced her candidacy for the 2018 gubernatorial election shortly after the task force was created. Pepper stated: "Taylor is the wrong choice for this effort. She is complicit in cutting funding to local governments to deal with the opioid epidemic."

OFRRA
Main Article: Offshore Finances Repatriation and Reinvestment Act (The More Things Changed)

The Offshore Finances Repatriation and Reinvestment Act is a bill introduced in the Senate on March 27th, 2017, by Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rob Portman (R-OH) with the twin aims of raising revenue for infrastructure investment while repatriating revenue held by United States companies in offshore accounts. The bill was signed into law by President Clinton on May 24th the same year.

In its original form, the bill has drawn criticism from members on each side of the aisle. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) repeated her claim that it was a "giant wet kiss for the tax dodgers" while Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) called it a "betrayal of the American taxpayer." Representative Justin Amash (L-MI) referred to the bill as "fiscally irresponsible and fundamentally opposed to free-market principles."

Trans-Pacific Partnership
During her campaign, Clinton opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, despite referring to it as setting the "gold standard" in trade agreements. However, during the first Democratic primary debate in October 2015, Clinton said:

"'I did say, when I was Secretary of State, three years ago, that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week, and in looking at it, it didn’t meet my standards.'"

On February 21, 2017 President Clinton appointed Esther Brimmer, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, to the newly-created post of Deputy Trade Representative for Review and Renegotiation. In this capacity, Brimmer will seek to review and amend the TPP agreement.

Syrian Policy
On March 30th, Secretary of State Gary Locke and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu issue a joint statement, supporting a no-fly zone in Northern Syria, a key foreign policy issue of her campaign.

On April 4th, a chemical gas attack in the town of Khan Shaykhun by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad killed at least 74 people and injured more than 557. On April 6th, President Clinton announced joint air strikes on many of Assad's air fields with Turkish and Qatari forces; following the strike a letter to Speaker of the House Charlie Dent, and Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, notifying them.

In phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary Locke assured his counterpart that the Syrian governorates of Latakia, Tartus, and Damascus would not be targeted by the coalition airstrikes.

Child Care
As First Lady of Arkansas, Clinton helped start Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; child care has since been a top issue for Clinton.

President Clinton has championed legislation to guarantee up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to care for a new child or a seriously ill family member, and up to 12 weeks of medical leave to recover from a serious illness or injury of their own.

Drug Policy
On January 20th, the day of her inauguration, President Clinton nominated Linda Rosenberg as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position which was elevated to Cabinet-rank. Rosenberg previously served as President and CEO of National Council for Behavioral Health; she was confirmed by a 91-9 vote in the Senate.



In February, Secretary of Homeland Security Martin O'Malley formed the National Dashboard on Overdose to coordinate the nationwide response to the crisis, targeting resources to in-need communities, and collecting and sharing the data with law enforcement, first responders, and physicians. It is overseen by Sherri A. Berger, who previously served as Chief Operating Officer at the CDC.

On March 15th, Clinton established the White House Task Force on the Opioid Crisis, to research and recommend policy solutions to the opioid crisis and prevent opioid-related deaths. The Task Force is chaired by Kate Walsh of Boston Medical Center, former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor of Ohio.

Secretary of Transportation Michael Huerta has directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to institute greater training standards regarding opioid use - including the use of naloxone (commonly known under the brand name Narcan) to reverse opioid overdoses - into the National Standard Curriculum for EMT training. The President's budget for the fiscal year 2018 provides for federal funding to equip EMTs with naloxone.

The administration has also allowed states that have enacted marijuana laws to be free from federal prosecution, and has rescheduled marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II substance.

Legal Challenges
Sheriff Richard Butler, of Jones County, Ohio, has been an opponent of having his deputies administer Narcan since he was first elected in 2004. In April 2017, Butler sued the Department of Homeland Security, refusing to share data about opioids in his county on the grounds that doing so would only promote the use of naloxone, and, by extension, the use of opioids.

The case Butler County Sheriff's Office v. Department of Homeland Security is currently being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Justice Department
President Clinton and Attorney General Granholm have doubled funding for the Department of Justice's “Collaborative Reform” program.

Quarterly Capitalism
In a July 2015 speech at the New York University Stern School of Business, Clinton condemned what she called "short-termism" and "quarterly capitalism" With the aim of cutting back on the risks of quarterly capitalism, Clinton has championed the Effective Capital Investment Act, which was signed into law on February 13th, 2017.

Minimum Wage
With Executive Order 13769, Clinton established the White House Task Force on the Minimum Wage. The task force has three co-chairs: David Rolf, Board President of Working Washington; economist Katharine Abraham, Director of the Maryland Center for Economics and Policy and member of the Council of Economic Advisors; and former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum.

When the Effective Capital Investment Act (ECIA) was signed into law on February 13th, 2017, it affirmed the task force's authority to propose "guidelines for states and municipalities seeking to raise their minimum wages."

The six-month report is expected to be released on July 27th, 2017.

Clinton has also expressed her support for the Original Living Wage Act of 2017, introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Al Green (D-TX-9).

Education
President Clinton has championed the COLLEGE Act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives by her daughter, Arkansas Representative Chelsea Clinton. The stated goal of the legislation is to provide every student with "the option to graduate from a public college or university in their state without taking on any student debt."

On May 26th, 2017, Clinton gave the commencement speech at her alma mater, Wellesley College, where she had given a commencement speech as a student in 1969. In her address, she stated:



"'Our country, like this college, was founded on the principles of the Enlightenment—in particular, the belief that people, you and I, possess the capacity for reason and critical thinking, and that free and open debate is the lifeblood of a democracy. Not only Wellesley, but the entire American university system—the envy of the world—was founded on those fundamental ideals. We should not abandon them; we should revere them. We should aspire to them every single day, in everything we do.'"

Secretary of Education Randi Weingarten has launched the Reclaim Our Schools initiative, with the aim of promoting "Sustainable Community Schools", slowing the expansion of for-profit charter schools, and reducing the relative emphasis placed ion standardized testing.

As part of the Offshore Finances Repatriation and Reinvestment Act, $20 billion has been allocated to public schools, given to each district on a per-capita basis. The Education Department has released a set of guidelines for how the funds should be spent.

Former President and First Gentleman Bill Clinton has launched the "Every School a Village" initiative, "a national campaign to elevate and modernize the teaching profession, by preparing, and supporting, teachers."

Clinton has also supported the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act - while being sponsored by Republican Glenn Thomson, of Pennsylvania, the bill was opposed by other Republican members of Congress following the leak of emails by and related to Secretary Weingarten.

Environment and Energy
As President, Clinton launched the Clean Energy Challenge - an initiative to promote a federal partnership with states, cities, and rural communities on clean energy. As part of this initiative, Clinton has placed particular emphasis on reducing energy waste in buildings, tasking the EPA, HUD, and DOT to reduce energy waste under their areas of purview.

Clinton has also pushed for an amendment to the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, first enacted in 1967, to have the FTC and FDA institute standards for "Buy Clean" labeling. The amendment passed in March of 2017, and both agencies released their designs in July that same year.

In April 2017, Paul Hawken, Director of the Office of Research and Development at the Environmental Protection Agency, released a list of 100 solutions to combating energy waste and climate change - solutions described as: "actions that make sense to take regardless of their climate impact since they have intrinsic benefits to communities and economies."

Energy Secretary Adam Kinzinger, in his first address to the Department's staff, said "Energy security and diversity is an important aspect of the country's future." As head of the DoE, Kinzinger and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) have targeted refrigeration and cooling management systems, potentially responsible for over 90 gigatons worth of emissions over the next three decades.

Syria
Since becoming President, Clinton has intensified the current air campaign against ISIL's strongholds in Iraq and Syria. She has also stepped up American commitment to fighting Bashar al-Assad, including an aerial campaign against Syrian airfields.

In conjunction with Turkey and Qatar, President Clinton has established a no-fly zone in northern Syria. As of July 2017, the no-fly zone remains in place.

Turkey
Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Turkish-American relations have suffered - a pattern that continues in the Clinton administration. During the Turkish Civil War, President Erdoğan of Turkey accused the head of United States Central Command, General Joseph Votel, of "siding with coup plotters", after Votel accused the Turkish government of arresting the Pentagon's contacts in Turkey.



During a state visit on May 17, 2017, to Washington, DC, bodyguards of Erdoğan clashed violently with protesters; nine people were hospitalized. The Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Serdar Kılıç, was summoned to the State Department, and two days later, Kılıç was relocated back to Turkey. The American ambassador, John Bass, was recalled back to Washington.

Despite the recent tensions, on March 30, 2017, a breakthrough agreement was reached between Secretary of State Gary Locke and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who issued a joint statement, supporting a no-fly zone in Northern Syria.

On May 31, 2017, Clinton announced her selection of Ellen Tauscher - a former United States Representative and former Under Secretary of State - to serve as the next United States Ambassador to Turkey.

On July 11th, Wikileaks published several hundred documents taken from The New York Times, some of which implicated Secretary of Education Randi Weingarten of targeting charter schools run by the Gülen movement while collaborating with the Turkish government.

Qatar
On June 5, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, several countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar. Clinton has offered the services of the United States in bringing an end to the impasse.

In July 2017, the Washington Post reported that several incriminating documents that had sparked the diplomatic crisis, allegedly written by the Qatari government, had been fabricated by the United Arab Emirates.

ISIL/ISIS
As President, Clinton has intensified the coalition air campaign against ISIL fighters, leaders, and infrastructure.

On July 9th, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul and announced the victory over ISIL in the city, which had been the largest city occupied by the terrorist group. An official declaration of victory was proclaimed the following day, July 10th. President Clinton called al-Abadi to personally congratulate him.

Kurdistan and the Assyrian National Homeland


Throughout her campaign, Clinton supported arming the Kurds more aggressively than the Obama administration was willing to do. On February 16th, 2017, the Clinton administration sold approximately $68 million worth of arms to the Kurdish government of President Masoud Barzani.

Clinton has expressed support for the Kurdish independence referendum, scheduled to be held on September 25th, 2017, three years after the originally scheduled date.

On July 12th, 2017, the Assyrian Democratic Movement proclaimed the "Assyrian National Homeland," and elected Yonadam Kanna as President. Kanna has stated his intention to vote in the Kurdish independence referendum; the ANH is working with the Barzani administration to schedule a second referendum, to give Assyrians the chance to vote for autonomous status within an independent Kurdistan, or full independence.

Cuba
The Clinton administration has largely continued the policies of the Obama administration towards Cuba, promoting further tourism and business ties between the two countries.

Secretary of State Gary Locke has expressed that it is the administration's hope that Cuba "rejoins the Organization of American States and continues reaching out to its neighbors in the Americas."

Although the Clinton administration supports terminating the embargo on Cuba as key to strengthening ties between the two countries, as well as vital to the island nation's economic liberalization, the proposal has stalled in Congress.

Venezuela
Main Article: 2017 Venezuelan Crises (The More Things Changed)

The Clinton administration has expressed its desire to see "free and fair elections in Venezuela."

Along with Cuba, the administration is pushing for Venezuela to rejoin the Organization of American States. The diplomatic effort is being spearheaded by: Mari Aponte, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Craig Cohen, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs; and Lincoln Chafee, U.S. Ambassador to the OAS.

In this effort, the United States has initiated talks with the ALBA allies of the Maduro government - such as Ecuador and Cuba - as well as American allies such as Canada, Mexico, and France. The talks have informally been called the "Continuar Caucus."

Russia
As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton attempted to "reset" the relationship between Russia and the United States. As President, she currently leads the most tense relations between the two countries since the Cold War, largely stemming from supporting opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, and a vitriolic, antagonistic personal relationship between Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus
Since February 2017, Belarus has been the site of intensifying protests against the government of Alexander Lukashenko - who has sometimes been called "Europe's last dictator." Lukashenko has held power since 1994.

In her trip abroad to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit, Clinton directly addressed the protests in Belarus, and stated "the Belorussian people have a right to speak, and the right to have their leaders listen."

North Korea


On March 15, Secretary of State Gary Locke began his first trip abroad - to east Asia - beginning with a visit to Beijing. While in Beijing, on the subject of North Korea, Locke stated the administration's position as:

"'Ultimately, I think a diplomatic solution will include a level of U.S. troops in South Korea and protection of North Korea by China. North Korea is going to want some assurances of its safety and of its viability from invasion or overthrow by the United States and South Korea. The future bodes well for a stronger U.S.-China relationship. The administration endeavors to put aside those issues that separate us.'"

By July 4th, 2017, North Korea had tested a total of 11 missiles.

Career diplomat Christopher Hill has been appointed Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks, and is the chief contact person for Amer0can-DPRNK relations.

China
Clinton has made clear that she views China as the key partner in reining in North Korea.

Clinton opposes China’s efforts to be recognized as a market economy, which would weaken the effects of United States anti-dumping laws.

Trans-Pacific Partnership
On February 21, 2017 President Clinton appointed Esther Brimmer, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, as Deputy Trade Representative for Review and Renegotiation. In this capacity, Brimmer will seek to review and amend the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. In conjunction with Tom Perez, Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, the goal of renegotiation is to improve the standard of living for workers within the agreement, with an emphasis on amending Chapter 19 - Labour.

Office of the Trade Prosecutor
On February 8th, 2017, President Clinton announced the creation of the Office of the Trade Prosecutor, to report directly to the President with the directive to triple the number of trade enforcement officers in the United States.

The current Trade Prosecutor is Jeffrey D. Kovar, who previously served as the Assistant Legal Adviser for International Claims and Investment Disputes at the State Department.

The New York Times Document Leaks
Main Article: The New York Times Document Leaks (The More Things Changed)



On July 10th, The New York Times reported that several hundred documents had been stolen from its servers. The following day, the documents were published by Wikileaks.

Among the documents leaked were communications between Gene Bruskin, Senior Advisor to the Education Secretary, and Serdar Kılıç, Turkish Ambassador to the United States. Further emails showed that Secretary of Education Randi Weingarten had sought contacts with the Turkish government and hid them from the public.

Press Secretary Brian Fallon has characterized the attack as "an assault on the free press - the cornerstone of democracy and civil liberty in the United States." On the connection between Weingarten and the Turkish government, Fallon stated "This administration is taking the allegations very seriously. We will comment further when we can properly asses the situation."

President Clinton has since stated that she still has confidence in Weingarten's ability to due her job at the Education Department, but called on her to "be open with other cabinet departments, particularly the State Department. We want to be as transparent as humanly possible."

RNC Chairwoman Carly Fiorina has said: "How can we trust President Clinton? We now know that her Education Secretary was conducting foreign policy. The administration attacked our schools and students on behalf of a dictator." She further called for investigations into the matter, a sentiment later repeated by Speaker of the House Charlie Dent and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.