As federal workers remain in limbo amid government shutdown, President Trump is trip to asia In an effort to highlight key foreign policy themes at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits.
Trump is also scheduled to meet his high-ranking counterparts during stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. Planned meetings include a interact with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
South Korea is still waiting for a concrete trade deal with the White House to help strengthen taxes on imports and exports. Hopefully the trade discussion will reach Americans as they grapple with rising grocery prices gas cost and products such as toys ahead of the holiday season.
Earlier this week, Sanae Takaichi Elected to serve as the first woman Prime Minister of Japan. She will lead the implementation of Tokyo’s $550 billion investment in US projects over four years in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, energy, shipbuilding, computer chips and metals.
The president has signaled initial approval of Takaichi, who is known as a conservative leader and disciple of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Earlier this month, Trump called him “A highly respected man of great intelligence and power.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who is joining Trump on the trip, has been at the helm of trade talks and will be at the forefront of discussions during the Asia tour. He will likely preview his purpose for the meetings during appearances on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week.”
Meanwhile, tensions are rising between the US and Venezuela amid recent military retaliatory attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and elsewhere.
Dozens of people have been killed after the Trump administration claimed they were attempting to transport drugs. Venezuelan authorities launched their own independent investigation of the targeted individuals and said allegations of their involvement in drug trafficking were false.
“I don’t think we would necessarily be asking for a declaration of war,” Trump said. told reporters on ThursdayReferring to attacks on Venezuelan civilians. “I think we’re going to kill the people who are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to kill them.”
Some members of Congress have called the foreign attacks an act of war initiated without input from lawmakers.
“The president has turned the volume up to 11 and said, ‘No, we’re going to stop drugs coming into our country that are killing people,'” said Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.). said on Thursday,
He said, “It’s completely appropriate to do that. What we’re missing is the ability to communicate, coordinate and be able to say, let’s talk about this out loud. We’re not their rivals on this. We’re allies to be able to solve this, but we need to be able to have a voice on this as a co-equal branch.”
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has also spoken out against attacks on Venezuelan ships. He will likely address the attacks again during an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday.”
Representative Steve Womack (R-Ark.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on defense, is also expected to discuss the topic during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
Elsewhere, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is expected to rail against Republicans as the government shutdown and its effects continue during an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
One impact of the shutdown has been on flight safety and delays, as air traffic controllers are forced to work without pay. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will likely address these developments during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
These topics and others will be discussed on this week’s Sunday morning news show. Please see the full list of planned guest appearances below:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Representative Greg Landesman (D-Ohio), Representative Steve Womack (R-Ark.), Cato Institute Vice President Scott Lincicome
CBS News’ “Face the Nation”“: Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Representative John Moolenaar (R-Mich.)
NBC “Meet the Press“: Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
ABC’s “This Week“: Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), journalist and author Jonathan Karl
CNN’s “State of the Union“: Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.), Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)
Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday”“: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures“: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Nobel Peace Prize winner Marina Corina Machado of Venezuela, author Lee Smith
