Washington, D.C
Gov. Tina Kotek reacts to Trump, his policies, after visit to Washington D.C.
An annual business meeting between federal and state leaders at the White House last Friday started off on a good foot, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said.
A bipartisan group of governors met with cabinet secretaries in small groups to talk about their concerns, and she felt like they provided some assurance they would work on the issues the governors raised. Conversations were constructive, she said.
Then a more than hourlong address by President Donald Trump shifted the tone, Kotek said. In what’s become a viral moment, Trump sparred with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over an executive order he’d issued banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports. Trump threatened to cut Maine’s federal funding if it didn’t comply. Mills replied she’d see him in court.
“I was extremely disappointed,” Kotek said. “I think it broke the tenor of the day.”
During the National Governor’s Association event in Washington, D.C., Kotek urged federal officials to provide more clarity and stability around critical funding streams and jobs for the federal workforce, she told reporters at a news conference on Monday. The issue is one of particular importance for rural Oregon, she said, where there are wide swaths of federal land and a host of federal employees.
Kotek raised concerns about staffing at the Bonneville Power Administration with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, she said, and urged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to restore wildfire mitigation grants.
Oregon has already hired people to do fire fuel removal work in the state to prepare for the fire season, she said, but federal wildfire grants need to go forward. Federal officials assured her and other western governors that they are reviewing those grants, Kotek said.
“It will be very difficult for us to be ready for the fire season without full partnership from the federal government,” Kotek said. “My understanding from those meetings is that they are reassessing, and I hope they do that quickly.”
Questioned by reporters on her concerns over a federal lawsuit targeting Oregon’s sanctuary laws for immigrants, Kotek played it cool. Oregon has not seen a specific threat from the Trump administration yet, she said, and if or when one arises she will analyze it with the state’s attorney general.
“Right now, we’re following our law and federal immigration officials are doing whatever they need to do,” Kotek said.
She also said that she is not aware of any plans by the federal government to detain undocumented immigrants at a site in Oregon, as suggested by a Friday New York Times article. Sites in several other states are also reportedly under consideration.
Oregon has a relatively low presence of Department of Defence facilities compared to other states, Kotek said “so I think it’s unlikely that they’d be looking at us.”
While an ominous threat of federal funding cuts looms over state budget items from health care to wildfire to education, Kotek said she’s cautioning legislative leaders and financial planners not to overreact.
Oregon will have to keep an eye on the federal funding situation, she said, but should focus on passing a budget that meets the state’s needs.
“I think it’s going to be quite a while before we understand the full impact of any potential restrictions on federal funding,” she said. “Right now we are just analyzing what we’re seeing from the Trump administration, but I can’t say today what we think is going to happen.”
Sami Edge covers higher education and politics for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
Washington, D.C
DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium
The Commanders are set to build a new stadium in D.C., and the debate over how fans will get to and from games is happening right now. On Wednesday, city leaders will join Metro and the Washington Commanders to talk stadium transit.
Washington, D.C
D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report
TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.
You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.
Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”
Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.
“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.
Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.
While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.
My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”
According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.
Washington, D.C
National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims
The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.
The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.
Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.
Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.
After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.
Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.
Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.
“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”
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