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Trump's Remarks on Proposed National Environmental Policy Act Regulations: January 9, 2020
REMARKS
Remarks by President Trump on Proposed National Environmental Policy Act Regulations
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Issued on: January 9, 2020
Roosevelt Room
11:19 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everyone.
PARTICIPANTS: Good morning.
{snip}
After years of stagnation, real wages have increased nearly 10 percent for low-income workers — the biggest beneficiaries. Our regulation cuts are giving the average American household an extra $3,000 per year. And if you look at the tax cuts and all of the other cuts, it’s close to $10,000 a year — with all of the cuts that we’re getting. And that’s for an average median-income family — $10,000.
You know, I’ve talked about past administrations — the one was $475, and the other one was $975 — the last two, $975. And we’re $10,000, and the number is actually higher that — than that, if you include certain regulations that we got cut. So that’s an amazing thing, and that’s one of the reasons consumers are doing so well and leading us so strongly in this boom that we’re in.
But this is just the beginning. We’ll not stop until our nation’s gleaming new infrastructure has made America the envy of the world again. It used to be the envy of the world, and now we’re like a third-world country. It’s really sad. You get approval — they even get financing for jobs, and then they can’t build them for 15 years, and then it ends up costing five times more than it was supposed to cost.
{snip}
ADMINISTRATOR WHEELER: Thank you, Mr. President. I’m pleased to be here today to celebrate yet another promise this President has fulfilled: to update the NEPA regulations.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the EPA and the NEPA law. A lot has changed over the last 50 years, and we have made tremendous progress in protecting both the environment and growing our economy. From 1970 to 2018, the emissions of the six criteria air pollutants have decreased by 74 percent, and all six have gone down during the Trump administration. Likewise, on the water side: In 1970, over 40 percent of our nation’s drinking water systems failed to meet the EPA standards.
Today, over 92 percent of all water systems meet the EPA standards every single day. And at the same time, our economy has grown by 275 percent, with record-breaking growth over the last three years.
{snip}
I’m going to Ohio in a little while. We have crowds of people that for, two and a half, three days, have been standing out in the cold. I don’t know how they do it. They’re strong people. But they’ve been out there, and it’s pretty much zero degrees. And it’s a great state. And we have a tremendous crowd, so I look forward to that. I’ll be leaving in a little while.
{snip}
But phase one was — is a phenomenal deal. Could be up to $50 billion in farm product. So that’s something that — the most they ever did was $16 billion. So they go from $16 billion to up to $50 billion. So that’s numerous times more than they were buying in the past. It’s going to have a huge impact. And I see farm prices are going way up. I see corn is just — had some big increases over the last little while. Cattle has been doing really well. And the farmers liked me anyway. That’s what I like about the farmers. (Laughter.)
But you know what I did do — and you know this better than anybody — I got — I was able — they were targeted by China. You know — look, China is negotiating. I don’t blame them. But they were targeted. They say, “You know, the farmers like Trump so we’ll target the farmers.” And they did. And the first year was $12 billion, and I took $12 billion and I asked Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture, “What do you think, Sonny?” He said, “It’s $12 billion.” And I think that would’ve caused tremendous consternation. And they were hit for $12 billion, and I took $12 billion out of the tariffs.
We had tens of billions of dollars left over; I gave it to the farmers. The next year it was $16 billion. I took $16 billion out of the tariffs; I gave it to the farmers. So the farmers did pretty well, and now they’re doing great. And the prices are going up very substantially, and China is kicking in. China has already started to buy. Japan — the deal is done. They have been buying. It’s a $40 billion deal.
But the big question I have is whether or not the farmers will be able to supply that much. Because it’s much more than — it’s the biggest contract ever signed. So I think it’ll be great for the farmers, but also great for regulatory, great for banks. You know that. Great for finance companies. Really, a lot.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, I’m sure you saw Mike Lee’s comments. Did your national security team really say that it would be wrong for Congress to debate military action on Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: So here’s what happened on that: I had calls from numerous senators and numerous congressmen and women, saying it was the greatest presentation they’ve ever had.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, I’m sure you saw Mike Lee’s comments. Did your national security team really say that it would be wrong for Congress to debate military action on Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: So here’s what happened on that: I had calls from numerous senators and numerous congressmen and women, saying it was the greatest presentation they’ve ever had.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, you said Iran was trying to blow up the embassy in Baghdad. Can you provide more details on what that plot was?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I think it was obvious. If you look at the protests — and this was the anti-Benghazi. This was — Benghazi was a disaster. They showed up a long time after it took place. They saw burning embers from days before.
I said, “Get out today, immediately.” They were saying, “We think we can have them tomorrow.” I said, “Nope. They got to go right now.” And they were on their way very quickly. And they got there almost — I mean, they got there quickly.
They could have done that with Benghazi too, by the way. Same — same thing. Had they gotten there — had they done what I did, you wouldn’t have had — you wouldn’t know the name “Benghazi.” It would not be a very famous name. Now it’s a very famous name.
{snip}
Q Have you gotten any indication from them that they might do more?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I spoke to them yesterday. I spoke to the Secretary General yesterday, and we had a great conversation. He was very — I think he was actually excited by it.
And I actually had a name — “NATO,” right? And then you have “M.E.” — Middle East. You’ll call it “NATOME.” I said, “What a beautiful name.” NATOME. I’m good at names, right? “USMCA.” Like the song, “YMCA.” (Laughter.) Everybody — nobody could remember “USMCA.” I said, “Think of the song, ‘YMCA.'” Now everybody says it. They don’t remember the previous name of the bad deal, okay — commonly known as “NAFTA.”
{snip}
So I think that NATO should be expanded and we should include the Middle East. Absolutely. And we pay for a big percentage of NATO.
And by the way, if you look at and speak to Secretary General Stoltenberg — who’s doing a terrific job, by the way — he will tell you that I raised $130 billion more than they were getting. It was going down from past administrations every single year. It was down to a very low number. I came in. I said, “You got to pay, folks. You got to pay. We’re working with you. We’re protecting you. We’re a part of this. You got to pay.” We don’t want to be the fools, like we have been for so many years.
So we raised $130 billion almost immediately. We had a meeting with all of the countries. I said, “You got to pay.” I mean, I can imagine they don’t like me as much as Obama and other people. But they got to pay. We’re protecting; you got to pay. We got $130 billion more — more. Not $130 [billion]; $130 [billion] more.
{snip}
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a big number. And I, to this day, say, “I wonder if it mattered,” because I never noticed myself getting any credit for that. I did; I spent a lot of my own money. You know, tens of millions of dollars, times a lot. But I spent a lot of my own money.
And I always asked the question. I said, “I wonder if it was necessary.” Because I don’t think anybody even knew that I was spending it. I’d mention it every once in a while, but I don’t — for instance, I give up my salary. It’s $450,000 — approximately $450,000 — presidential salary. I give it up. It goes to — usually, I give it to drugs. I give some to Elaine, sometimes, for transportation.
But every quarter — I think it’s paid on a quarterly basis — I give up 100 percent of my salary that I make as President. I don’t think anybody has written that story. You guys don’t want to write that kind of a story, but that’s okay with me.
{snip}
END
12:06 P.M. EST
Remarks by President Trump on Proposed National Environmental Policy Act Regulations
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Issued on: January 9, 2020
Roosevelt Room
11:19 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everyone.
PARTICIPANTS: Good morning.
{snip}
After years of stagnation, real wages have increased nearly 10 percent for low-income workers — the biggest beneficiaries. Our regulation cuts are giving the average American household an extra $3,000 per year. And if you look at the tax cuts and all of the other cuts, it’s close to $10,000 a year — with all of the cuts that we’re getting. And that’s for an average median-income family — $10,000.
You know, I’ve talked about past administrations — the one was $475, and the other one was $975 — the last two, $975. And we’re $10,000, and the number is actually higher that — than that, if you include certain regulations that we got cut. So that’s an amazing thing, and that’s one of the reasons consumers are doing so well and leading us so strongly in this boom that we’re in.
But this is just the beginning. We’ll not stop until our nation’s gleaming new infrastructure has made America the envy of the world again. It used to be the envy of the world, and now we’re like a third-world country. It’s really sad. You get approval — they even get financing for jobs, and then they can’t build them for 15 years, and then it ends up costing five times more than it was supposed to cost.
{snip}
ADMINISTRATOR WHEELER: Thank you, Mr. President. I’m pleased to be here today to celebrate yet another promise this President has fulfilled: to update the NEPA regulations.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the EPA and the NEPA law. A lot has changed over the last 50 years, and we have made tremendous progress in protecting both the environment and growing our economy. From 1970 to 2018, the emissions of the six criteria air pollutants have decreased by 74 percent, and all six have gone down during the Trump administration. Likewise, on the water side: In 1970, over 40 percent of our nation’s drinking water systems failed to meet the EPA standards.
Today, over 92 percent of all water systems meet the EPA standards every single day. And at the same time, our economy has grown by 275 percent, with record-breaking growth over the last three years.
{snip}
I’m going to Ohio in a little while. We have crowds of people that for, two and a half, three days, have been standing out in the cold. I don’t know how they do it. They’re strong people. But they’ve been out there, and it’s pretty much zero degrees. And it’s a great state. And we have a tremendous crowd, so I look forward to that. I’ll be leaving in a little while.
{snip}
But phase one was — is a phenomenal deal. Could be up to $50 billion in farm product. So that’s something that — the most they ever did was $16 billion. So they go from $16 billion to up to $50 billion. So that’s numerous times more than they were buying in the past. It’s going to have a huge impact. And I see farm prices are going way up. I see corn is just — had some big increases over the last little while. Cattle has been doing really well. And the farmers liked me anyway. That’s what I like about the farmers. (Laughter.)
But you know what I did do — and you know this better than anybody — I got — I was able — they were targeted by China. You know — look, China is negotiating. I don’t blame them. But they were targeted. They say, “You know, the farmers like Trump so we’ll target the farmers.” And they did. And the first year was $12 billion, and I took $12 billion and I asked Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture, “What do you think, Sonny?” He said, “It’s $12 billion.” And I think that would’ve caused tremendous consternation. And they were hit for $12 billion, and I took $12 billion out of the tariffs.
We had tens of billions of dollars left over; I gave it to the farmers. The next year it was $16 billion. I took $16 billion out of the tariffs; I gave it to the farmers. So the farmers did pretty well, and now they’re doing great. And the prices are going up very substantially, and China is kicking in. China has already started to buy. Japan — the deal is done. They have been buying. It’s a $40 billion deal.
But the big question I have is whether or not the farmers will be able to supply that much. Because it’s much more than — it’s the biggest contract ever signed. So I think it’ll be great for the farmers, but also great for regulatory, great for banks. You know that. Great for finance companies. Really, a lot.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, I’m sure you saw Mike Lee’s comments. Did your national security team really say that it would be wrong for Congress to debate military action on Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: So here’s what happened on that: I had calls from numerous senators and numerous congressmen and women, saying it was the greatest presentation they’ve ever had.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, I’m sure you saw Mike Lee’s comments. Did your national security team really say that it would be wrong for Congress to debate military action on Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: So here’s what happened on that: I had calls from numerous senators and numerous congressmen and women, saying it was the greatest presentation they’ve ever had.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, you said Iran was trying to blow up the embassy in Baghdad. Can you provide more details on what that plot was?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I think it was obvious. If you look at the protests — and this was the anti-Benghazi. This was — Benghazi was a disaster. They showed up a long time after it took place. They saw burning embers from days before.
I said, “Get out today, immediately.” They were saying, “We think we can have them tomorrow.” I said, “Nope. They got to go right now.” And they were on their way very quickly. And they got there almost — I mean, they got there quickly.
They could have done that with Benghazi too, by the way. Same — same thing. Had they gotten there — had they done what I did, you wouldn’t have had — you wouldn’t know the name “Benghazi.” It would not be a very famous name. Now it’s a very famous name.
{snip}
Q Have you gotten any indication from them that they might do more?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I spoke to them yesterday. I spoke to the Secretary General yesterday, and we had a great conversation. He was very — I think he was actually excited by it.
And I actually had a name — “NATO,” right? And then you have “M.E.” — Middle East. You’ll call it “NATOME.” I said, “What a beautiful name.” NATOME. I’m good at names, right? “USMCA.” Like the song, “YMCA.” (Laughter.) Everybody — nobody could remember “USMCA.” I said, “Think of the song, ‘YMCA.'” Now everybody says it. They don’t remember the previous name of the bad deal, okay — commonly known as “NAFTA.”
{snip}
So I think that NATO should be expanded and we should include the Middle East. Absolutely. And we pay for a big percentage of NATO.
And by the way, if you look at and speak to Secretary General Stoltenberg — who’s doing a terrific job, by the way — he will tell you that I raised $130 billion more than they were getting. It was going down from past administrations every single year. It was down to a very low number. I came in. I said, “You got to pay, folks. You got to pay. We’re working with you. We’re protecting you. We’re a part of this. You got to pay.” We don’t want to be the fools, like we have been for so many years.
So we raised $130 billion almost immediately. We had a meeting with all of the countries. I said, “You got to pay.” I mean, I can imagine they don’t like me as much as Obama and other people. But they got to pay. We’re protecting; you got to pay. We got $130 billion more — more. Not $130 [billion]; $130 [billion] more.
{snip}
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a big number. And I, to this day, say, “I wonder if it mattered,” because I never noticed myself getting any credit for that. I did; I spent a lot of my own money. You know, tens of millions of dollars, times a lot. But I spent a lot of my own money.
And I always asked the question. I said, “I wonder if it was necessary.” Because I don’t think anybody even knew that I was spending it. I’d mention it every once in a while, but I don’t — for instance, I give up my salary. It’s $450,000 — approximately $450,000 — presidential salary. I give it up. It goes to — usually, I give it to drugs. I give some to Elaine, sometimes, for transportation.
But every quarter — I think it’s paid on a quarterly basis — I give up 100 percent of my salary that I make as President. I don’t think anybody has written that story. You guys don’t want to write that kind of a story, but that’s okay with me.
{snip}
END
12:06 P.M. EST
Trump pushes some extremely dubious numbers about median household income during his term. See a fact-check here: https://www.factcheck.org/2019/11/trumps-shaky-5000-boast/ …
Link to tweet
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