U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (December 14) touted the progress made so far on his plan to sweep away regulations that he says cost America trillions of dollars with no public benefit.
Near the end of his first year in office, Trump said his administration had far exceeded its goal of removing two federal regulations for every one new one put into place.
The steps to eliminate regulations makes good on a much-repeated Trump campaign promise to promote business-friendly policies.
But some former agency officials, mostly from the Obama administration, have decried the regulatory rollbacks, saying the measures being targeted were aimed at protecting the public against significant health and safety threats.
Trump also commented on the Republican tax bill on Thursday, saying he was confident Republican Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Marc Rubio – who has wavered in his support of the plan – will ultimately back the bill.
He also said his White House aid and former reality-TV star Omarosa Manigault Newman, who resigned on Wednesday, was a “good person.” Sources with ties to the White House have said they expect a wave of other departures from the administration once Trump has completed his first year in office.
