U.S.A.'s latest

Honoring the victims in Florida 
President Donald J. Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation yesterday morning in response to Wednesday’s tragic shooting at a public high school in Parkland, Florida.

“Our Nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones,” the President wrote. As a mark of solemn respect for the victims, he ordered the United States flag to be flown at half-staff at the White House, all public buildings and grounds, all military posts and naval stations, and upon all naval vessels stationed throughout the United States and its territories.

President Trump addressed the Nation shortly before 11:30 a.m. yesterday to explain the Administration’s response. “Our Administration is working closely with local authorities to investigate the shooting and learn everything we can,” he said. “We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health.”

The flag is to remain at half-staff until sunset on February 19.

Read the President’s full Proclamation here.

Americans are not divided on immigration 
The Schumer Democrats in Congress are trying to convince Americans that the country is deeply divided on immigration reform. Outside the Beltway, the numbers tell an entirely different story.

According to a recent CBS poll, nearly three-quarters of voters favor President Trump’s Immigration Reform and Border Security Framework. The core principles of that framework include 1) securing the border; 2) providing legal status for DACA-eligible immigrants; 3) protecting the nuclear families of immigrants; and 4) eliminating the Visa Lottery and replacing it with a system that prioritizes merit and public safety.

The CBS poll is no outlier. Polls from Harvard Harris (January 2018), Pulse Opinion Research (August 2017), and America First Policies (August 2017) all point to the same conclusion: Americans are more than ready for an immigration system that puts the national interest first once and for all.

Will our leaders in Congress listen?

The bottom line: Americans overwhelmingly support President Trump’s commonsense immigration plan.

On tax reform, the good news keeps rolling in 
The American people overwhelmingly support taking action to rebuild our Nation’s infrastructure—and that support spans across the partisan divide:

• “America’s infrastructure is falling behind other nations, and it’s costing us jobs, compromising safety, and constraining economic growth,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said in 2015.
• “Real action to streamline the permitting process will help jumpstart projects that are vital to our communities and our economy,” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) says.
• “It should never take more than two years to complete all federal permits required for an infrastructure project,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues.

The general public agrees with these views. In a September 2017 Harvard-Harris poll, an overwhelming 84 percent of those polled believe that America needs an investment in infrastructure. Business leaders feel even more strongly: 89 percent of business owners surveyed believe infrastructure investments will improve the U.S. economy.

Read more: Republicans and Democrats both agree it’s time to fix America’s infrastructure.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

President Donald J. Trump addresses the nation after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School | February 15, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

POTUS TODAY

This morning, President Trump will receive a briefing on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy. Later, the President will sign H.R. 582, Kari’s Law.

This afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence will travel to Texas to participate in a walking tour of the Hidalgo Texas Port of Entry and a roundtable discussion on immigration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Later, the Vice President and Second Lady will participate in a boat tour of the U.S.-Mexico border on the Rio Grande and a walking tour along a bollard wall.

No more roadblocks to rebuilding America  The Anderson Memorial Bridge between Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, sits near the heart of Harvard University. An elegant, Georgian Revival structure, it took 11 months to build the original bridge in 1912. When it came time to repair it nearly 100 years later, the project dragged on for close to 5 years—at a significant cost overrun. Why did it take more than 5 times as long to repair the structure today as it did to create it more than a century ago? The Anderson Bridge project was the victim of a bloated, tangled patchwork of regulatory oversight that squanders the advantages of modern technology in building fast, safe, and reliable infrastructure throughout America. This week, President Donald J. Trump laid out six principles for reversing this unacceptable trend. One such principle: Return decision-making authority to the state and local communities whose needs are most at stake. See the President’s 6 principles for rebuilding America here. A special 200th birthday  Most people know February 14 as Valentine’s Day, but today holds another significance that all Americans should be familiar with: It is the 200th birthday of abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass. In honor of African American History Month, Vice President Mike Pence visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington yesterday. Authorized by President George W. Bush in 2003 and opened to the public in 2016, the museum has quickly become a major destination in the Nation’s capital. “It is deeply humbling for me to stand before you today in the midst of this great national monument to the struggles, the sacrifices, and the triumphs of so many American heroes,” the Vice President said. “The history that’s recorded in these halls literally is stitched into every fabric of the American story.” Later yesterday afternoon, African American leaders from across the country joined President Trump and the First Lady for a reception at the White House commemorating African American History Month. Read more about the special meaning of this year’s African American History Month. On tax reform, the good news keeps rolling in  In the weeks following the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, American companies have unleashed a remarkable stream of wage increases, bonuses, and retirement account contributions—all while sharing plans for even greater investment in workers and equipment alike. As of this week, more than 350 companies have made these intentions public, announcing more than $150 billion in planned investments at home and $4.2 billion in bonuses paid to more than 4 million U.S. workers. The largest U.S. company, the largest U.S. bank, and the largest U.S. employer have all announced intentions to raise worker wages or give out bonuses during the past few weeks. What does all of this good news add up to? While it’s impossible to measure with complete certainty the effects of such sweeping legislation, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the total increase in annual pay resulting from tax reform will reach $4,000 per household. Read more: Companies announce benefits of tax reform for American workers PHOTO OF THE DAY President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and U.S. Surgeon General Vice Adm. Jerome M. Adams | February 13, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) POTUS TODAY This morning, President Trump will meet with bipartisan members of Congress about infrastructure. In the afternoon, the President will participate in a working session regarding the opportunity zones provided by tax reform. Later, the President will sign H.R. 4708, the DHS Blue Campaign Authorization Act, and S. 534, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Assault and Safe Sport Authorization Act. ....... WASHINGTON —U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that petitioners and applicants who seek immigration benefits must provide a valid signature on forms submitted to the agency. In an effort to protect and safeguard the nation’s immigration system and those who benefit from it, power of attorney signatures will no longer be accepted. If forms are filed by a corporation or other legal entity, they must be signed by an authorized person. The new policy is effective March 18, 2018.  This final policy memorandum updates an interim memorandum that outlined the elements of a valid signature and permitted entities that filed petitions with USCIS to use the signature of an individual based on a power of attorney. Because of concerns about consistency and program integrity, USCIS reversed the interim memorandum’s policy on power of attorney signatures.   The prohibition on power of attorney signatures does not affect signatures on behalf of individuals younger than age 14 or those with disabilities. The final memorandum makes additional changes such as providing that an authorized signatory must be employed by the petitioner and that USCIS may reject a form submitted with a faulty signature instead of offering the opportunity to fix the deficiency.    USCIS will publish revised instructions for individual forms to clearly specify the applicable signature requirements. USCIS will also address requirements for electronic signatures in future guidance.  For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis), and Facebook(/uscis). -USCIS- WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will now accept credit card payments for filing most of its forms. The new payment option is available for the 41 fee-based forms processed at USCIS Lockbox facilities. To pay by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover, applicants will need to use Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transaction (PDF, 260 KB)s. USCIS will enter credit card data into the Pay.gov system, operated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and will then destroy the Form G-1450 to protect the credit card information. Applicants for naturalization and those renewing or replacing their Green Cards can already use a credit card when they file online at uscis.gov. In addition, USCIS has been accepting credit card payments for naturalization forms filed at Lockbox facilities since 2015. Current versions of all USCIS forms are available free at uscis.gov/forms. Learn more about USCIS resources at uscis.gov/tools. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis), and Facebook(/uscis).