"Without adequate OSTP staffing, the country will lack key insights from those with deep experience in these fields. We understand that few staff are currently assigned to OSTP, with only one staff member in the Office of the White House Chief Technology Officer as of last month – a position recently authorized by Congress."
Why it matters: The Obama administration's OSTP was bolstered by the White House's close relationship with tech, and worked on bleeding-edge issues like discrimination in big data and automation. It's not clear how Trump plans to tackle those topics and other tech policy issues that would likely be handled by the office.
President Trump praised the Treasury Dept. — and reminisced about Alexander Hamilton — while delivering remarks on his financial services executive order at a presidential lectern between the secretary's desk and a fireplace with a portrait of Hamilton above it. Quotables, per White House pool reports:
Top Trump administration officials are slated to meet with a number of executives from drug companies and government scientific researchers at the White House on May 8, according to an agenda obtained by Bloomberg. The meeting is described in the memo as a chance for "private sector and thought leaders to describe their institution and its connection to federal funding."
Why it matters: This could give biotech executives a chance to make a direct pitch for the value of federal medical research funding, something they've wanted to do ever since President Trump's budget proposed a nearly 20 percent cut in NIH funding.
Who's coming: Vice President Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, HHS Secretary Tom Price, and NIH Director Francis Collins, among others.
Not mentioned: Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney, the main advocate of the NIH cuts.
Trump is about to appoint a special envoy to communicate directly with one of Putin's top aides, Vladislav Surkov, according to a BuzzFeed News report.
The precedent: Obama also had a direct channel with Surkov to work out agreements, and German and French diplomats are supportive of the connection. Surkov serves as the head of the administration of the president, which is akin to the White House chief of staff, according to The Daily Beast, and some say he has long been the mastermind behind Putin's political strategy.
It's because of Ukraine: A pair of ceasefire deals have been largely unsuccessful in brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, which have been clashing in the Donbass region since 2014. This is the US' way of supporting a move toward peace. Surkov has been the political supervisor of the disputed Donetsk and Luhansk regions for the Kremlin since September 2014, according to the International Crisis Group.
President Trump told the Associated Press he will reveal his tax plan next week, and that it includes "massive" tax cuts for individuals and businesses.
The announcement comes ahead of Trump signing his tax executive order and Dodd-Frank memorandums later today.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin gave a background briefing on the financial services Executive Order and Memorandums Friday that Trump is signing later today.
Tax executive order: The Treasury will review all of the tax regulations going back to the start of 2016, and will cut any regulations that are detrimental to U.S. businesses. The priority is making U.S. corporations more competitive and creating incentives that will deter them from moving abroad. Mnuchin also emphasized that Trump will soon be working with Congress on a comprehensive tax reform package.
Memorandums: The two memorandums encompass "all of the aspects of Dodd-Frank, but go much further," said Mnuchin.
Trump will not direct the Treasury to use their Orderly Liquidation Authority (OLA) unless under extreme circumstances
Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has privately expressed concern to lawmakers the defense budget Trump has proposed is not enough to rebuild the country's military, according to CNN. Mattis has publicly aligned himself with the White House's request.
Why it matters: Republican defense hawks are not happy with Mattis' decision to stand down; the $603 billion defense budget isn't a 10% increase as the White House says, but instead is just 3% more than what Obama was already planning for 2018. Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mac Thornberry are pushing for a number more like $640 billion.
Sticking point: The Pentagon was one of the few agencies in Trump's plan that got an increase in the first place, so it would be politically difficult to lobby for more at this point.
Egyptian American charity worker, Aya Hijazi — who has been imprisoned in Cairo for three years and became the international face of Egypt's crackdown on civil society — was released late Thursday following a series of quiet negotiations between Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi.
Flashback: Hijazi, her husband, and four other humanitarian workers were held on child abuse and trafficking charges that were broadly dismissed as bogus by human rights workers and U.S. officials. The Obama administration tried, and failed, to pressure Sissi to free them. But as the Washington Post points out, it wasn't until Trump moved to reset U.S. relations with Egypt that Sissi considered releasing the group.
Between the lines: Trump's focus on repairing relations between the U.S. and foreign countries has helped him become more successful with his international policy goals. The president's attitude toward the leaders of China, Turkey, Israel and Russia have largely departed from that of Obama.
