Karen Kadish  //  1/18/19  //  Daily Update

In response to Nancy Pelosi’s threat to cancel the State of the Union, President Trump cancelled a congressional delegation to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan. Lack of funding for HUD means that rent for seniors and people with disabilities living in HUD-subsidized housing are facing poor housing conditions and could lose their housing altogether if the shutdown persists. The State Department will call back its furloughed diplomats next week, after finding enough money to cover payroll for two weeks. President Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, used his technology company to try to rig online polls in President Trump’s favor during his presidential campaign. The GAO has released a report regarding the impact of global migration on climate change. The DOJ has submitted a filing indicating that it no longer believes that Texas should be put under federal supervision for voting under the Voting Rights Act.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Lack of funding for HUD means that rent for seniors and people with disabilities living in HUD-subsidized housing are facing poor housing conditions and could lose their housing altogether if the shutdown persists. (The Hill)

Thousands of federal employees have filed for unemployment benefits as the government shutdown continues and federal workers remain unpaid. (NYT)

The State Department will call back its furloughed diplomats next week, after finding enough money to cover payroll for two weeks. (WaPo; NYT)

The government shutdown is also impacting digital services such as websites, data, and encryption for online portals, writes Matt Rumsey at Sunlight Foundation. 

In response to Nancy Pelosi’s threat to cancel the State of the Union, President Trump cancelled a congressional delegation to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan. (NYT)

• President Trump’s letter to Ms. Pelosi is available here.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATION AND LITIGATION

Barbara Babckock, Deborah Pearlstein, Aziz Huq, and Victoria Nourse analyze the investigation of President Trump and the role of the special prosecution in their discussion of a new book, Prosecuting the President: How Special Prosecutors Hold Presidents Accountable and Protect the Rule of Law on TakeCare Blog.

President Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, used his technology company to try to rig online polls in President Trump’s favor during his presidential campaign, report Michael Rothfeld, Rob Barry, and Joe Palazzolo at The Wall Street Journal.

Text in a filing submitted by Robert Mueller suggests that Paul Manafort kept working as a political consultant in Ukraine four months after he was charged with crimes relating to his work there. (WaPo)

IMMIGRATION

The GAO has released a report regarding the impact of global migration on climate change (ImmigrationProf Blog).

Thousands more children than reported were most likely separated from their families at the border by the Trump administration. The exact figures cannot be known because of poor tracking and a lack of integration between the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the DHS. (NYT; WSJ)

ICE enforcement was high in FY 2018, but was not as high as its peak in FY 2012, reports crImmigration.

CIVIL RIGHTS 

The DOJ has submitted a filing indicating that it no longer believes that Texas should be put under federal supervision for voting under the Voting Rights Act, writes Rick Hasen at Election Law Blog. 

David Gans addresses the importance of the district court’s opinion disallowing a citizenship question on the 2020 census at TakeCare Blog.

JUSTICE & SAFETY

Tess Bridgeman and Andy Wright at Just Security discuss Bill Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, his motivations, and his position with regards to the Mueller investigation.

The killing of four Americans in Syria, two soldiers, a Defense Department employee and a contractor, calls into question the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, writes Karen DeYoung at The Washington Post. 

The Pentagon is trying to expand the scope and sophistication of American missiles, including investments in missile-defense technology. (WaPo)

CHECKS & BALANCES

New rules in the House of Representatives increase congressional oversight, mainly by increasing the number of people who can subpoena individuals to testify before congress, writes Andy Wright at Just Security.

Tags: