Key Senator to Vote 'Yes' on Tax Bill in Exchange for DACA Commitment

U.S. Senator Jeff Flake now says he will vote for the Republicans' massive $1.5 trillion tax bill. And in return for his "yes" vote, he says he has obtained a commitment to pass legislation that would safeguard almost 800,000 undocumented young people who were brought to the U.S. as children.

In a statement released Friday, Flake said he had obtained a "commitment from the Senate Leadership and the administration to work with me on a growth-oriented legislative solution to enact fair and permanent protections for DACA recipients."

President Donald Trump rescinded the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program earlier this year, calling on Congress to pass legislation that would provide DACA recipients with a path to permanent status in the U.S. before the program phases out in March 2018. Finding a solution for DACA has been kicked around both houses of Congress but has not yet been acted on.

Flake's vote has helped put the tax bill on track for passage.

"We have the votes," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters Friday.

Senate Republicans were pushing ahead Friday with efforts to overhaul the U.S. tax code after a last-minute delay, prompted by Republicans concerned about an analysis that found the bill would add at least $1 trillion dollars to the debt over 10 years.

They delayed a final vote on the legislation late Thursday amid furious, behind-the-scenes efforts to help offset its cost and satisfy the small group of fiscally conservative lawmakers whose support is needed to pass one of President Donald Trump’s core campaign promises.

On Friday, Trump tweeted Republican senators are "working hard" and added, "The Bill is getting better and better."

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said further votes pertaining to the tax bill would take place Friday.

Three Republicans, led by Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee and including Flake, had held firm to a demand that proposed tax cuts be paired back if future U.S. economic performance does not meet projections.

Republicans have a two-seat Senate majority, and three defections from within their ranks could torpedo the bill, given unified Democratic opposition.

Details of plan

The underlying proposal would permanently cut corporate taxes, temporarily cut taxes on wages and salaries, boost some tax deductions Americans can claim while eliminating others, and increase the U.S. national debt, which currently stands at more than $20 trillion.

The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation issued a report Thursday estimating the Republican plan would sap federal coffers by more than $1 trillion over a decade, even taking into account more than $400 billion in new revenue generated by a projected increase in economic activity.

"The [JCT] score ends the fantasy about magical growth, about unicorns and growth fairies showing that tax cuts pay for themselves," Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said.

Republicans have maintained that a vibrant economy is necessary for fiscal health, and that tax cuts will promote growth.

"If this legislation is signed into law, we are going to have a smaller deficit in future years than we are on the path to have now," Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said. "The right incentives lead to stronger growth."

Democrats said the federal deficit and income inequality both expanded after every tax cut enacted in recent decades.

"Trickle-down economics did not work under Ronald Reagan, did not work under George W. Bush," said independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats. "It is a fraudulent theory."

"All we are doing is shifting the tax to our kids," Maine Senator Angus King, another independent who also caucuses with Democrats, said. "If five-year-olds knew what we were doing and could vote, none of us would have a job."

Corporate tax rate

The tax plan would cut corporate taxes from a maximum rate of 35 percent to 20 percent.

"Other countries have learned how to use their tax codes to entice U.S. businesses overseas, businesses around the globe to their country – to move away from the United States to their countries’ more competitive tax code," Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado said. "That disparity between the U.S. tax code and foreign tax rates has literally chased jobs and wages out of this country."

Some Democrats agreed that U.S. corporate taxes should be lowered, but said the Republican plan goes too far and would eventually trigger painful cuts to federal programs that benefit the poor and elderly in the future.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey accused Republicans of mounting a "con game" in which they tout tax breaks but gloss over "their brutal, vicious cuts to programs for the poorest, the sickest, the elderly, neediest in our country."

In a sign that Republicans were confident of passing the bill, House Speaker Paul Ryan laid the groundwork for creating a bicameral committee to reconcile differences between the Senate’s legislation and a House version that was approved several weeks ago.

A unified tax plan would have to pass both chambers before it could go to the White House for Trump’s signature.

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Texas Congressman Used Taxpayer Money to Settle Harassment Claim

Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold used $84,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim against him, Politico reported Friday. He is the first lawmaker to be revealed as having used Capitol Hill's "hush" fund.

The Republican congressman's former communications director, Lauren Greene, sued her boss in 2014 over allegations of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and creating a hostile work environment, Politico said.

In a closed-door meeting Friday, House Administration Committee chairman Gregg Harper told lawmakers that an Office of Compliance account had been used to settle the accusation, and that the settlement had totaled $84,000.

Neither Farenthold nor Greene has commented on the Politico report, which cites a copy of a statement written but never released following the agreement.

The hush fund was revealed to the American public recently as Representative John Conyers acknowledged he had reached a $27,000 settlement with a woman who formerly worked on his Washington staff and alleged Conyers fired her after she rebuffed a sexual advance from him.

The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Conyers used taxpayer money in his office funds to settle the case and whether he engaged in the sexual harassment of other women.

Congress on Wednesday introduced legislation that, if passed, would end the two-decade-old practice of paying settlements with taxpayer money. The Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act would require transparent disclosure of the nature of claims settled in the Office of Congressional Compliance.

Katherine Gypson contributed to this report.

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US Envoy: Economic Support for Cambodia to Continue

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — 

Despite criticism from Washington over Cambodia's crackdown on the opposition and accusations that the U.S. helped plot Prime Minister Hun Sen's downfall, U.S. Ambassador William Heidt has said that America's support for Cambodia's economy will not be negatively impacted.

Heidt told VOA's Khmer service on Wednesday that the embassy's mission to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Cambodia remained of paramount importance.

"For me, the key next step is helping to connect Cambodia's technology sector with the big American technology companies, which are investing throughout Southeast Asia, mostly in Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City," he said.

"I think Cambodia is developing fast in technology, but it has not yet broken out of Cambodia, gotten a hook in with the regional technology network. And, that's what I am going to do next and I hope to do that in the first half of next year," he added.

Economic growth

The United States is focused on promoting Cambodian economic growth to connect U.S. investors with Cambodian technology companies, Heidt said.

The U.S. Embassy and Cambodian government have been at odds over accusations that Washington conspired with the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to overthrow Hun Sen in a so-called "color revolution" — a reference to attempts by pro-democracy movements to overthrow autocratic regimes in parts of the former Soviet Union, the Balkans and the Middle East.

The U.S. Embassy has denied allegations of interference.

Heidt said the allegations were categorically false.

"I don't spend a ton of time on this issue because there's really no more for us to say. And, I mean, nobody, nobody believes this in America. Nobody in our government, nobody in our society," he said. "We, on the American side, feel very strongly that we have been a great partner for Cambodia. We really helped Cambodia to develop in many ways and we want to keep doing that."

Hun Sen, one of China's closest regional allies, is a former Khmer Rouge officer who has ruled the southeast Asian country for more than three decades. He has intensified his rhetoric against the United States amid a crackdown on opponents and the media before next year's general election.

Earlier this month, Cambodia banned the opposition party after arresting its leader, Kem Sokha, and charging him with treason in September.

Heidt said he felt a deep regret at the government's decision to move to dissolve the CNRP, which has led the White House to reconsider its foreign relations with Cambodia. He said the Trump administration was reassessing Cambodia's eligibility for preferential trade agreements.

"Since I came here, let's be honest, the Cambodian government has taken a lot of steps against the government of the United States," he said. "They cut our military exercises, they threw [a] detachment out of the country, they made all of those accusations against us related to the political situation.

"I feel like there has never been an honest desire by the Khmer government to have a good relationship with the United States," Heidt added.

Some changes needed

Phay Siphan, government spokesman, said Phnom Penh did not desire to sour the relationship with the United States, but added that there were "some little activities" that needed to end in order for relations to improve, including suggesting Cambodia was "pro-China."

Hun Sen is in China — Cambodia's biggest donor and lender — this week for a Communist Party conference in Beijing, where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Actions seen as anti-U.S. have included Hun Sen's request that the U.S. forgive a $505 million debt for food and agricultural goods. Cambodia's Lon Nol government borrowed the money in the 1970s, during its civil war with the Khmer Rouge. China wrote off debts incurred in the 1970s by the Khmer Rouge regime about 15 years ago.

In January, Phnom Penh suspended joint military exercises with the U.S., citing the local June elections as the cause, while rejecting suggestions that its decision was related to military and financial ties with China.

Most recently, after the U.S. announced on November 17 that it was ending funding for the upcoming election, the pro-government Fresh News website reported that Hun Sen said in a speech to garment workers that he welcomed the cut in U.S. aid, and urged Washington to cut all assistance.

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Trump Slams Acquittal of Mexican Immigrant Charged with Murder

The acquittal Thursday of a Mexican immigrant accused of murdering a woman in the western U.S. city of San Francisco has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who said the verdict was "disgraceful" and suggested it would cost Democrats in upcoming elections.

The case against Jose Ines Garcia Zarate became a rallying cry for Trump during his run for the presidency. Garcia Zarate, who immigrated illegally to the U.S. and was deported five times, was charged with fatally shooting Kathryn Steinle in July 2015. After several days of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of a less serious charge of felony possession of a weapon.

Trump frequently cited the case on the campaign trail as he called for an end to illegal immigration and for the penalization of sanctuary cities, which protect undocumented immigrants by limiting their cooperation with the federal government to enforce immigration laws.

Trump denounced the verdict by in a series of tweets Thursday night. He accused former President Barack Obama's administration of weak border protection and suggested the verdict would cost Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in the 2018 midterm elections and the general election in 2020.

The case has reignited debate over cooperation between federal immigration authorities and state and local law enforcers who focus on crime prevention, not deportation.

The case also has prompted many legislators to favor restrictions on the allocation of federal funds to sanctuary cities, which include San Francisco.

Garcia Zarate's attorney Jeff Adachi, who argued the gun was fired by accident, said his client was "extremely relieved."

Adachi added, "I think he feels tremendous sympathy for Kate Steinle and her family, we do as well, but unfortunately these types of horrible tragic accidents happen every day."

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Flynn to Attend Plea Hearing

U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United
States, the U.S. special counsel's office charged in a court
filing made public on Friday.

The Office of the Special Counsel said a plea hearing for Flynn had been set for 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) on Friday.

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Lawmakers Call on John Conyers to Resign His House Seat Amid Harassment Allegations

Another woman — the fourth — has spoken out against the longest-serving member of Congress, Democrat John Conyers, Thursday, accusing him of harassing her repeatedly over the decade during which she worked for him. Meanwhile, Conyers' lawyer told reporters that the 88-year-old congressman has been admitted to the hospital. Esha Sarai reports.

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White House Denies Planning to Replace Tillerson With CIA Director

The White House dismissed reports Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo as reported in the news media. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and other major U.S. news outlets quoted senior administration officials saying the plan to oust Tillerson could be set in motion as early as December or January. But as VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports, it is not clear the president has made a final decision on the issue.

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