WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will huddle with congressional Republicans, Cabinet secretaries and aides at Camp David this weekend to discuss their 2018 legislative priorities.
A long list of high-stakes topics are on the agenda, including the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the 2018 midterm elections.
“We’re going to Camp David with a lot of the great Republican senators, and we’re making America great again,” Trump said Friday afternoon as he left the White House for the presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains. He was joined Friday evening by Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, among others.
Republicans are beginning the new year with newfound optimism after finally scoring a win by passing the tax bill at the end of last year.
They face a pile of unfinished business that was punted into this year during the push on taxes. Just two weeks remain until a Jan. 19 government funding deadline, and there is little visible progress on several contentious issues, including a budget deal to boost spending on both the Pentagon and nondefense agencies and to extend protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.
Talks are also expected to touch on a range of other issues, including the opioid epidemic and health care. And lawmakers are expected to hash out the order in which they plan to tackle two top White House priorities: a long-delayed infrastructure drive and welfare reform.
Senate Republicans are already dismissing a promised push by House conservatives to curb benefit programs like welfare and food stamps, and it’s unclear what agenda items would get the requisite Democratic support for success, particularly in the Senate.
Politics, too, is on the agenda, GOP officials say, with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., slated to lead a discussion on the political landscape for House Republicans, who are at risk of losing the majority they’ve held since 2011. McConnell, R-Kentucky, will do the same for the Senate, where GOP losses are possible, too, though many more Democratic incumbents are up for re-election.
The group will be joined Saturday by a number of top administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Trump, GOP lawmakers to take up 2018 agenda at Camp David
Trump, GOP lawmakers to take up 2018 agenda at Camp David
Stranded in paradise: Mideast war traps thousands in Bali
- Limited flights from UAE begin as governments seek to extract citizens from Middle East
- At least 4,400 people had flights to Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi canceled between Saturday and Monday
DENPASAR, LONDON, BERLIN: Passengers stranded on the Indonesian resort island of Bali clamored for flight news on Tuesday as the outbreak of war in the Middle East grounded planes and turned a tropical holiday dream into an ordeal for many.
Hundreds were crowded at Ngurah Rai International Airport, many dressed in shorts, flip-flops and summer dresses, their expressions dour.
Many sat on the floor, exhausted, and one man repeatedly hit a wall in frustration. “I just kind of want to see my family ... right now it’s a bit stressful,” British tourist Adam Woo, transiting through Bali after holidaying on the neighboring island of Lombok, said. The 23-year-old student said he saw the missiles start flying on the news “and I was a bit worried about my flight” — especially after Dubai airport was hit in Iran’s response to a US-Israeli attack.
“Obviously, everyone around the world at the moment is kind of stuck,” said Woo. “All the travel agencies are swamped with people calling in. So, it’s literally impossible to even get on the phone with someone.”
He said he was looking for an alternative flight via China.
Around Woo, many at the airport were lugging around heavy luggage with slumped shoulders, frustration etched on many a face.
Many queued on foot and on chairs outside information centers hoping for news on replacement flights, receiving occasional briefings with little news.
The airport’s immigration office said in a statement at least 4,400 people had flights to Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi canceled between Saturday and Monday.
With would-be passengers at risk of overstaying their visas, the Bali immigration office introduced a same-day emergency stay permit free of charge for affected foreigners.
Thirty-five have applied so far, according to immigration head Felucia Sengky Ratna.
Airports company Angkasa Pura said 15 flights from Bali to Doha and Abu Dhabi, and vice versa, have been canceled between Saturday and Monday.
National carrier Garuda Indonesia has grounded all flights to Doha until further notice.
Meanwhile, stranded travelers began departing the UAE aboard a small number of evacuation flights on Monday, even as most commercial air traffic across the Middle East remained suspended.
The limited flights out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi took place as the US State Department urged its own citizens in 13 countries, including UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and Oman, to “depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks.”
Sweeping airspace closures and flight cancelations across the region left many fewer options for heeding the advice.
The State Department has evacuated non-emergency personnel and families in six nations, adding the UAE to its list on Tuesday.
In Italy, the government has assisted with flights to Milan and Rome in the wake of mounting criticism against Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
The minister sparked a political controversy at home after being stuck in Dubai with his family during the initial phase of the attack on Iran.
Crosetto returned to Rome on Sunday on a military aircraft. The left-wing opposition has called for Crosetto’s resignation, saying he should not have traveled to the Middle East during a crisis.
