Spidey Sense Level remains elevated…

(Via Reuters)  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will make his first state visit to Washington during the first week of April at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, Egyptian state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Sunday.
The trip will be Sisi’s first U.S. state visit since being elected president in 2014 as former U.S. President Barack Obama had never extended an invitation.

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President Trump’s U.S. trade policy of “America First”, free but FAIR trade, came to the forefront in Germany as Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin subtly yet firmly pushed back against language that affirmed globalism and multilateral trade.
According to the Washington Post German officials urged Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to agree to their customary modern free trade language in the G20’s joint statement.
However, the U.S. Treasury Secretary refused their request and instead urged adoption of more general wording allowing each nation to make their own determinations of what constitutes “free and fair trade” with their own best interests in mind.
This approach is the basis for one-on-one bilateral trade.  It is also the starting point toward negotiating exceptional trade deals by providing leverage which allows President Trump, Secretary Ross and Trade Rep Lighthizer to frame proposals (by competing nations) against each other.  By holding firm to the basic trade outlook Secretary Mnuchin is setting the table for the U.S. trade team to renegotiate everything.
The disconnect from the traditional economic group-think of the G20 finance ministers is a direct break from the past two decades.  This central approach reflects the baseline change in ongoing U.S. trade policy.  It would appear President Trump and his economic team are more concerned about the interests of American workers than foreign nationals. Go figure.
Secretary Mnuchin suggested adding more general language committing to “strengthen the contribution of trade.”   A version of that sentence was included in the statement, despite criticisms from some G20 finance ministers that it was pointless.
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President Trump and German Chancellor Merkel hold a joint press conference Friday March 17th 2017.
Chancellor Merkel again presented her view that globalization was the future of the world economy, and continued advocating for a failing multi-culturalist approach toward blended societies and reductions in national identity.  Merkel, like most of the far-left EU ideologues view Russia as an existential threat to their political objectives.

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President Trump has initiated a new administration protocol of greeting each foreign dignitary personally at the entrance to the White House upon each visit.

Today German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House and attended a cabinet room roundtable discussion with U.S. and German business leaders on the topic of vocational training.  Anticipating a future trade negotiation President Trump also brought Commerce Secretary Wilburne (Ross) to engage:

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12:58 P.M. EDT [Transcript] PRESIDENT TRUMP: Chancellor, thank you very much. Such a great honor to get to know you, to be with you. I want to thank all of the business leaders who have joined us to discuss a subject that’s very important to me — training our workforce for the 21st century, especially with respect to manufacturing jobs.
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Yesterday Japan, today South Korea, tomorrow China. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea to begin his day of official discussions and meetings with South Korean leaders, diplomats and policy makers.
The topic of North Korean aggression was the central topic of discussion and T-Rex pulled no diplomatic punches when he stated the U.S. policy of strategic patience with North Korea has come to an end.

That remark stands as a direct announcement of a change in policy position toward North Korea. “Strategic Patience” was the policy of Secretary Clinton and President Obama that yielded no benefit as North Korea continued testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles throughout president Obama’s terms in office.
President Trump and Secretary Tillerson are taking a different path to shut down the hostilities and aggressions of the North Korean regime. We can anticipate Tillerson to forcefully deliver a message of expectation to China tomorrow. Expectation that China will step in and become more forceful in controlling the N. Korean provocations.
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President Donald Trump, Vice-President Mike Pence and VA Secretary David Shulkin meet today with veterans to discuss ongoing VA programs including healthcare and veterans support initiatives.
The purpose of today’s meeting was to listen to the ongoing concerns, understand the proposals being implemented, and further recommit to institutional reform and improved standards of care for veterans.

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The modern fight for fiscal responsibility has been going on for over two decades.  However, after George W. Bush began spending us into oblivion the urgency increased rapidly; culminating in the uprising in 2008/2009 known as the Tea Party.
The past decade brought us: Bank-Bailouts(TARP,) Auto-Bailouts, Stimulus (ARRA) spending, Omnibus spending, Porkulous bills, Debt Ceiling increases, Continuing Resolutions, the FED buying debt (QE1, QE2), and beyond.

Finally, frustratingly, exhaustively… we arrive in 2017 and for the first time in modern presidential history we have a president proposing to curb the size, scope, scale and cost of government.
The Washington DC UniParty will fight back hard against any curtailment, so here’s some perspective for the upcoming battle:

• The last federal budget was signed into law in September 2007, for fiscal year 2008, by George W. Bush.
• It has been over a decade since the Federal Government operated with a budgetary law guiding spending.
• Because of the two previous points – Over two-thirds of Republican representatives, and over 50% of all reps in the House and Senate, have never held office during a year with a federal budget.
• Let that sink in.

Here’s the top-line overview of President Trump’s budget proposal by department: (more…)

Earlier today President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and a host of congressional politicians and diplomats participated in a luncheon to celebrate St. Patricks Day.
President Trump remarks are below.  [A video of the full event to include all speakers is below the fold]

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AMERICA FIRST

Beginning a New Chapter of American Greatness

A MESSAGE TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people elected me to fight for their priorities in Washington, D.C. and deliver on my promise to protect our Nation.
I fully intend to keep that promise.
One of the most important ways the Federal Government sets priorities is through the Budget of the United States. Accordingly, I submit to the Congress this Budget Blueprint to reprioritize Federal spending so that it advances the safety and security of the American people.
Our aim is to meet the simple, but crucial demand of our citizens—a Government that puts the needs of its own people first.
When we do that, we will set free the dreams of every American, and we will begin a new chapter of American greatness. A budget that puts America first must make the safety of our people its number one priority— because without safety, there can be no prosperity.
That is why I have instructed my Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney, to craft a budget that emphasizes national security and public safety. That work is reflected in this Budget Blueprint. (more…)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Japan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, at the Ikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan. The visit included a joint press conference. The first video below is edited down to present Secretary Tillerson’s statement as well as his answers to a few questions.
With all the challenges facing Asia: North Korea missile tests, China expansion into the S-China Sea etc., the ugly American press corps never fails to deliver the reality of their self-absorption. [04:35] The extremely predictable journalists within the State Department Correspondents Association (SDCA) ask Tillerson about State Department budget cuts; that’s what they are worried about.

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