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Blue Star Brief February 2017
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Blue Star Strategies is a global strategic consulting, public affairs, and government relations firm, based in Washington, DC with offices in Europe and Latin America. We work with public and private sector partners to help solve their business and policy challenges in the United States and in emerging markets around the world.
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U.S. Government Transition
With the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017, a new U.S. administration continues to take shape.
President Trump has announced his nominations for all but one (Council of
Economic Advisers Chair ) of the appointed members of his presidential cabinet as well as senior level Executive branch positions that must be confirmed by the Senate.
To date, the eight appointees who have been confirmed so far are:
Attorney General—Jeff Sessions Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) Director—Mike Pompeo Secretary of Defense—Gen. James Mattis Secretary of Education—Betsy DeVos Secretary of Homeland Security—Gen. John Kelly Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs)—Rex Tillerson Secretary of Transportation—Elaine Chao United Nations Ambassador—Nikki Haley
Since taking office, President Trump's brief tenure
has been punctuated by a number of unilateral presidential directives, including executive orders and memoranda. Historically, such actions have been used by all presidents to declare government policy by giving guidance to federal agencies on how they should operate. Presidents have also issued such orders to revoke or otherwise reverse those actions of their predecessors. However, while these actions are legally binding, they cannot be used to create new laws or reverse previous laws. In contrast to legislation passed by Congress which is far broader in scope,
executive actions are typically more limited and targeted in their reach. Further, any executive order whose implementation requires new funding will, by necessity, also require Congressional oversight and legislative approval.
Some of President Trump's executive actions have perhaps not been surprising in light of his campaign promises, such as rolling back
President Obama's regulatory agenda, withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, and impacting implementation of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature health care initiative . However, other such actions have been seen as highly controversial, in terms of both policy as well as process. These include his January 27 action to temporarily suspend entry to the U.S. by citizens of seven Muslim majority nations and related reports that actions were planned quietly and without consultation and legal review by relevant
Executive branch stakeholders and department agencies, including newly confirmed cabinet members. As a result, a number of these actions are under criticism from both Democratic and Republican Party leaders, State Department officials, and civil society organizations as well as through protests, state attorneys general lawsuits, and other legal and policy challenges.
To buttress his executive directives, President Trump has reiterated or otherwise signaled his intent to pursue a variety
of specific policies, which include renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, canceling or replacing the Affordable Care Act, reshaping immigration and border enforcement policies, and approving oil and gas pipelines.
As expected, the Trump administration portends a number of new as well as previously uncharted approaches to both U.S. domestic and foreign policy. As the new administration, leadership, and policies of President Trump continue to take shape, we will be tracking developments, reaching out to our contacts, and look forward to sharing additional insights with you.
With best regards,
The Blue Star Strategies Team
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Above: The White House welcomed Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States.
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Insight and Analysis
Blue Star Strategies and our partners bring seasoned perspective to our work across diverse industry
sectors, which inform our strategic consulting and advocacy services.
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Mexico's Energy Sector Reform
Amanda Valdez of Dentons Lopez Velarde based in Mexico City charts emerging opportunities for foreign investors based on the country's reforming energy sector.
Click here to read the full article...
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Can Trade Agreements Be Renegotiated?
Newly inaugurated President Trump has said that his administration will renegotiate multilateral trade agreements such as NAFTA and others. Blue Star looks at what such an approach entails.
Click here to read the full article...
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Brexit Update
James Le Grice of Insight Consulting Group based in London shares an update on Brexit and focusing on Prime Minister May's efforts to recast Britain's relationships with the U.S. and the EU.
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Karen Tramontano recommends...
The Sympathizer: A Novel, by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
“I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces...” Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the author—a Vietnamese- American refugee—of this thrilling spy novel explores dual identify and the complexity of the Vietnam-U.S. war.
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Karen Tramontano Addresses Fair Labor Association Board Outlines New Approach to International Trade and Global Labor Rights
Blue Star Strategies professionals are active in our community and provide regular commentary and analysis on television, online, and in print.
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At a time when political leaders are actively seeking new approaches to international trade, Karen Tramontano recently published an innovative proposal for addressing this challenge.
Karen continued to outline her vision in a recent interactive discussion at the annual Board of Directors meeting of the Fair Labor Association, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting workers’ rights around the world.
Click here to read Karen's latest op-ed in The Hill that urges Congress to
demand that President Trump bring improved worker protections to any proposed NAFTA renegotiation.
Photo: Karen (far right) addresses the FLA's board meeting in Washington, DC.
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Blue Star Strategies, LLC Solving the complex problems facing today's global businesses, governments, and organizations.
Washington,
DC, USA ▪ Buenos Aires, Argentina ▪ Hanoi, Vietnam ▪ London, UK ▪ Rome, Italy ▪ Vienna, Austria
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Blue Star Strategies USA 888 17th Street, NW Suite 800 Washington, DC 20006 +1 202-833-1281
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Blue Star Strategies Europe Goldschmiedgasse 4 1010 Vienna, Austria +43 1 532 56 35 13
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Blue Star Strategies Latin America Avenida Santa Fe 1752 Piso 3° A Buenos Aires, Argentina +54 11 5238 5510
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Our Name We named our firm after the Native American Hopi tradition which teaches that when the Blue Star appears, it will provide answers to global challenges confronting us today. Our name signifies our commitment to pursue truth and excellence until the star appears. We work with companies, leaders, and partners who understand these challenges and drive the solutions that will bring about a better and more integrated world community.
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