Reason #5 to Vote Blue on Nov 5
Known famously for “I’m gonna drain the swamp!” – he instead did the opposite; he appointed corporate executives (the wealthy elite) or more often corporate lobbyists (the wealthy elite stooges) to Cabinet positions. They did whatever they could to disable the mission of their respective departmental assignments. A few examples:
Labor Secretary. The most famous was Frances Perkins, appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt and the first woman to be appointed a cabinet secretary. She was the longest serving (1933-1945) and championed the minimum wage and child labor prohibitions, among other labor reforms. By contrast, Trump appointed Eugene Scalia who had built a reputation as a “go-to” lawyer for big corporations challenging worker rights and safety rules. Clients included Boeing, Chevron, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, United States Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute, United Parcel Service, Anheuser-Busch, and Facebook.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. Trump’s first appointment was Scott Pruitt who, as Attorney-General for the State of Oklahoma, described himself as a “leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.” He brought 14 lawsuits against the EPA while a State A-G. Pruitt was forced to resign over a number of unethical actions taken to enrich his own life and family. The replacement was Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist whose top corporate client was Murray Energy. That company’s CEO, Robert Murray, is a climate change denier and a major backer of Donald Trump.
Energy Secretary. Trump appointed Texas politician Rick Perry who, in 2011 advocated abolishing the Department of Energy when he ran for President. No wonder, since Perry received $14 million in oil and gas industry campaign contributions over the years. After Trump appointed him Secretary, Perry filled the top ranks of the department with former fossil fuel industry lobbyists and executives, and fought to keep dirty coal plants in business.
These appointees had no intentions of fulfilling the mission of these departments created by Congress. Just the opposite. They dismantled or simply ignored safeguards created by Congress over 60 years to protect the average guy from the greed of the elites.
Resource: The American Prospect: https://prospect.org/mapping-corruption-interactive
