Trump’s new CIA pick not a sure thing

President Donald Trump announced drastic plans to overhaul leadership in his administration on Tuesday, but the new team might not come together as quickly as he had planned.

Trump fired Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and asked CIA Director Mike Pompeo to become his administration’s foreign policy chief. Meanwhile, Pompeo’s deputy, Gina Haspel, got the president’s nod to head up the CIA.

Pompeo and Haspel need Senate confirmation before assuming their new roles. While Pompeo shouldn’t meet much resistance, Haspel’s role in several controversies at the agency may cause some backlash in the Senate. The 30-year CIA veteran ran a “black site” prison for the agency in Thailand in 2002, where suspected terrorists were subjected to enhanced interrogation tactics, including waterboarding. Later, she allowed the destruction of tapes from the prison’s interrogation sessions.

“Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA’s interrogation program during the confirmation process,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in a statement. “The torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced Wednesday he intends to oppose both Haspel and Pompeo’s nominations. A no vote from Paul may not hurt Pompeo, but with McCain’s concerns and a thin 51-49 Republican majority in the upper chamber, Haspel’s fate is not certain.

Groundwork for infrastructure

The Trump administration brought out five of its Cabinet secretaries Wednesday to convince lawmakers to work with them on their grand infrastructure proposal.

Last month, President Trump unveiled a blueprint for $1.5 trillion in new U.S. building projects over the next 10 years. The plan calls for $200 billion in initial federal dollars to kick-start the project and help drum up support at the local level and with private businesses.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry appeared before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Wednesday to discuss the plan.

Committee Chairman Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., expressed optimism that both parties could agree on an infrastructure bill sometime this year. Democrats and Republicans have pointed to infrastructure as an arena for bipartisanship, but neither camp has a good idea for how to fund the projects.

Chao said Wednesday some estimates indicate it could take as much as $4 trillion to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, ports, and airports: “We cannot address a challenge of this magnitude with federal resources alone or by borrowing.”

The Trump administration hopes an investment in infrastructure would lead to new jobs and stimulate the economy. The president tweeted Wednesday that time is of the essence: “We need to build FAST & we need to build for our FUTURE.” —E.W.

No deal

Broadcomm withdrew its blockbuster $117 billion bid to buy U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm on Wednesday, two days after the White House blocked the deal over security concerns. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is concerned that the Singapore-based company would slow research and development at Qualcomm given its reputation of cutting costs. CFIUS determined this would have weakened the United States and strengthened China during the development of the next generation of wireless technology. Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has invested heavily in the ultra-fast 5-G technology. —E.W.