Trump-era wrong foot on U.S. Republicans first day Congress.

The Republican-led U.S. Congress began its first session of the Donald Trump era in turmoil on Tuesday as the House of Representatives backed away from a decision to defang an ethics watchdog after a public outcry, including a dressing-down from the president-elect.

With Trump set to be sworn in as president on Jan. 20, Republicans will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 2007, and they were set to begin laying plans for enacting his agenda of cutting taxes, repealing Obamacare and rolling back financial and environmental regulations.


But the moment was overshadowed by a surprise move by Republicans in the House of Representatives in a closed-door meeting late on Monday to weaken the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which is in charge of investigating ethics accusations against lawmakers.

Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to "drain the swamp" and bring ethics reforms to Washington, was not pleased.


"With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority," he said on Twitter on Tuesday.

"Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!"
The ethics office was created in 2008 following several corruption scandals but some lawmakers have charged in recent years that it has been too quick to investigate complaints from outside partisan groups.

Lawmakers wanted to have greater control of the watchdog, and inserted changes into a broader rules package, set to pass when the House convenes on Tuesday.


Even before Trump's tweet, many House Republicans, including top leaders, opposed the measure and worried about its ramifications. Trump's tweet prompted an emergency meeting and a quick change of course by Republicans.

"It was taken out by unanimous consent ... and the House Ethics Committee will now examine those issues," said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan.


OBAMACARE IN SIGHTS

Since his election on Nov. 8, Trump has made clear he wants to move swiftly to enact proposals he outlined during the campaign such as simplifying the tax code and slashing corporate tax rates.

He also promised to make good on a Republican pledge to repeal and replace Democratic President Barack Obama’s 2010 signature Affordable Care Act - a law better known as Obamacare.

"People must remember that ObamaCare just doesn't work, and it is not affordable," Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday, adding, "It is lousy healthcare."

In the first step of a process that could take months, Republican Senator Mike Enzi on Tuesday introduced a resolution to provide for the repeal of the law.

House Republicans were set to clear the decks later for Obamacare repeal by tucking a measure to prevent Democrats from slowing or stopping repeal legislation into a vote on rules governing House procedures.

But Republicans face a dilemma on a replacement program to provide health insurance to people who do not have a plan at work or cannot afford private coverage. Republicans have said it could take years to develop a new program.

The White House says the law has expanded coverage for 20 million Americans, including an estimated 13.8 million people who buy insurance on exchanges, many of who receive tax credits to make it affordable.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not address Obamacare in remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday. He has said his top priorities for the new Congress were dealing with the "massive overregulation" he said had been a brake on the U.S. economy and making changes in the tax code to stop companies from moving jobs out of the country.

Republicans might use upcoming spending bills funding government agencies to try to kill some environmental and banking regulations. Trump also is expected to try to use his executive powers toward that end.


OBAMACARE DEFENSE






The first meeting of the 115th Congress was to be full of ceremony, as the 435 members of the House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate are sworn in.
Leading Democrats warned of a fierce battle over Obamacare and said they planned to mobilize grassroots support for it. Obama is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with congressional Democrats to discuss strategies for fending off the Republican attacks on Obamacare.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence said he would meet on Capitol Hill on Wednesday with lawmakers about plans for replacing Obamacare and rolling back other regulations.
Trump's Cabinet nominees were to begin meeting with senators on Tuesday ahead of Senate confirmation hearings.

The Senate also is expected to receive a Supreme Court nomination from Trump early in his term to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last February. Republicans refused to consider Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland last year.

Prominent Republican Senator John McCain has warned that Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state, will have to explain his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who McCain has called a "thug and a murderer."

Tillerson, who spent much of his career at Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), has been involved in business dealings in Russia and opposed U.S. sanctions against Moscow for its incursion into Crimea

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (R) speaks with Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) in the House chamber on the first day of the new session of Congress in Washington, U.S. January 3, 2017. Cheney was in attendance because his daughter Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) was being sworn in to serve in the House.

 

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden takes a selfie with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), his daughter Claire and son David during the opening day of the 115th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2017. 

 

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) receives the gavel from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during the opening session of the new Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2017. 

 

Republican members of Congress watch as they and their fellow members vote for House Speaker on the first day of the new congressional session in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 3, 2017. 

 

The U.S. Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016.