Welcome to Monday, October 7th, SSRIs and SNRIs...

President Donald Trump is suspending visas for uninsured immigrants.

Immigrants to the U.S. must prove that they are insured or able to cover their own healthcare costs to be approved for a visa, Trumps declared in a late-night proclamation Friday.

Trump said he took the action to “protect the availability of health care benefits for Americans,” adding that “taxpayers bear substantial cost” in paying for medical expenses for those without health insurance.

"Immigrants who enter this country should not further saddle our healthcare system, and subsequently American taxpayers, with higher costs," Trump said.

Steve Yale-Loehr, an immigration scholar at Cornell Law School, told the New York Times that “President Trump has failed to build a physical wall along the U.S. – Mexico border to deter illegal immigrants, but he has effectively built an invisible wall to keep out legal immigrants.”

Should the U.S. deny visas to uninsured immigrants?

On the Radar

Impeachment Vote Before Complying With Subpoenas

President Trump recently told reporters that the White House is planning to send House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a letter informing her that it won’t comply with impeachment-related subpoenas unless the House of Representatives votes to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry.

Pelosi responded to a Thursday letter from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that aired those grievances with a statement of her own, which read in part:

“The existing rules of the House provide House Committees will full authority to conduct investigations for all matters under their jurisdiction, including impeachment investigations. There is no requirement under the Constitution, under House Rules, or House precedent that the whole House vote before with an impeachment inquiry.”

While there isn’t an explicit requirement in the Constitution or House rules that the House adopt a resolution formally authorizing an impeachment inquiry, it did so before proceeding with the two most recent presidential impeachment probes.

Should the House vote to launch the Trump impeachment inquiry like it did for Nixon & Clinton?

Under the Radar

The Latest: McConnell Vows to Block Impeachment in Fundraising Pitch

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) reelection campaign is running ads saying he will spearhead GOP efforts to stop Trump from being removed from office.

"Nancy Pelosi's in the clutches of a left wing mob. They finally convinced her to impeach the president. All of you know your Constitution, the way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader," McConnell says in an ad that began running on Thursday.

"But I need your help. Please contribute before the deadline," McConnell continues in the ad.

 Likewise, 2/3 of the Senate would need to vote “Yea” to convict Trump. This is unlikely, given what’s being called “Trump’s red wall in the Senate.”

Per Axios: “Here’s a visual look at just how strong that wall is: 51 Republican senators from states Trump won in 2016. He only needs 34 to save him from being convicted and removed from office if the House impeaches him.”

How do you feel about the Trump impeachment probe?

Unemployment Rate Drops to 50-Year Low

The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday released its jobs report for September 2019, which found that non-farm payrolls grew by 136,000 and the unemployment rate declined to 3.5%, its lowest level since December 1969 when it was also 3.5%. 

Healthcare added 39,000 jobs, in line with its average monthly gain over the past 12 months.

Professional & business services added 34,000 jobs ― on pace with its monthly average for 2019 but down from the 2018 average of 47,000 jobs per month.

Read a breakdown of the numbers here, then tell your reps:

How do you feel about the economy?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should ‘Dreamers’ Be Eligible for Federally-Backed Mortgages?