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Sen. Coons wastes no time taking aim at Trump Administration

Delaware Public Media

 

 

Just over a week into his tenure, President Donald Trump is drawing the ire of Delaware’s junior senator.

 

Since inauguration day, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) has voted against or plans to reject at least four of President Trump’s cabinet picks.

 

“I didn’t think I’d see a cabinet so lacking in relevant experience, in diversity and so focused on either undermining or dismantling the very agencies they’re being nominated to run,” said Coons in an interveiw with Delaware Public Media,

 

Most modern administrations have included at least one member of the opposing party – except Trump’s so far.

 

He’s also taking issue with the lack of specifics from the Trump Administration on some of its key campaign promises.

Coons has called building a wall along the entire southern border of the U-S “an expensive symbol of fear, insecurity and xenophobia.”

Prior to the inauguration, Coons said he’d like to work on rebuilding America’s aging infrastructure with Trump, but so far, no details have emerged from the White House.

“We’ve heard nothing from him about a plan for infrastructure, just as he has no plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.”

Instead, he’s urging the president to join with Senate Democrats’ $1 trillion proposal that strictly relies on federal spending.

The plan as-is seems unlikely to pass, as Trump has said he favors a combination of public-private partnerships and tax credits to incentivize such work.

 

 

Last week, the new president also announced a shortlist of three potential nominees to fill the longstanding Supreme Court vacancy left open since last February when Justice Antonin Scalia died.

 

Coons is reviewing their backgrounds, and says he’s concerned they’re “conservative, activist judges” whose legal opinions are “well outside the mainstream of American legal thinking.”

 

Trump says he’ll reveal his decision on a nominee this Thursday.

 

Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.
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