Trump presidency leads pack of Top 10 Washington stories of 2017
December 30, 2017 - 9:41 pm

U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg/File Photo

US President Donald Trump takes the oath of office with his wife Melania and son Barron at his side, during his inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017.REUTERS/Jonathan

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined by, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks following a closed-door strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. Sen. McConnell says Republicans will have a "discussion draft" of a GOP-only bill scuttling former President Barack Obama's health care law by Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn leaves federal court in Washington, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to making false statements to the FBI, the first Trump White House official to make a guilty plea so far in a wide-ranging investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., speaks during a bill passage event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, to acknowledge the final passage of tax cut legislation by congress. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

'Dreamers' meet with relatives as they release balloons during the 'Keep Our Dream Alive' binational meeting at a new section of the border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in Sunland Park, U.S., opposite the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, December 10, 2017. Picture taken from the U.S side of the U.S.-Mexico border. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

'Dreamers' hug as they meet with relatives during the 'Keep Our Dream Alive' binational meeting at a new section of the border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in Sunland Park, U.S., opposite the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, December 10, 2017. Picture taken from the U.S side of the U.S.-Mexico border. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Al Franken addresses the media outside his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

Representative Ruben Kihuen D-Nev., makes a statement condemning the temporary immigration ban during a press conference at Dina Titus' office on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, in Las Vegas. Brett Le Blanc/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bleblancphoto

FILE PHOTO: Judge Neil Gorsuch (L) is sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court by Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy (R) , as U.S. President Donald J. Trump (C) watches with Louise Gorsuch in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S. on April 10, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke talks to the media on Sunday, July 30, 2017, outside a private home in Bunkerville. Zinke is in the area to discuss the review of Nevada's Gold Butte and the Basin and Range national monuments. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

FILE - In this May 9, 2017, file photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rides a horse in the new Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah. Utah has long stood out for going far beyond other Western states in trying to get back control of its federally protected lands. When President Donald Trump on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, announces he's going to shrink two national monuments in the state, his warm welcome will stand out in a region that is normally protective of its parks and monuments. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, File)

An overhead look at Yucca Mountain looking west in Nye County in this undated photo. U.S. Department of Energy

Black Cone juts from Crater Flat west of Yucca Mountain, May 3, 2017. Keith Rogers Las Vegas Review-Journal

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, file photo, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference about gun legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington. Seeking momentum for gun restrictions, Feinstein said only broader legislation would be effective in outlawing "bump stocks" like the Las Vegas gunman used. Her comments Sunday, Oct. 8, came as the National Rifle Association reiterated support for more limited regulations that stopped short of a ban. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Shooting instructor Frankie McRae illustrates the grip on an AR-15 rifle fitted with a "bump stock" at his 37 PSR Gun Club in Bunnlevel, N.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. The stock uses the recoil of the semiautomatic rifle to let the finger "bump" the trigger, making it different from a fully automatic machine gun, which are illegal for most civilians to own. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
WASHINGTON — A shift in the political landscape in 2017 begins with the dizzying domination of the news cycle by President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, the reckoning of sexual harassment allegations, tragic mass shootings and the stumbling governance of Republicans in Congress.
The Russia investigation, the tumultuous turmoil at the White House and Trump’s Twitter attacks on Republicans for failing to repeal Obamacare all took center stage during a year that ended with a final legislative victory for Republicans who passed a tax-code overhaul that will add $1.4 trillion to the national debt over a decade.
Trump’s presidency also created a seismic shift in the once-dormant licensing process to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, just 90 miles from the world tourist destination of Las Vegas.
But the year also will be remembered for horrific mass shootings in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas, that reignited a national debate on gun laws and the focus on little-known devices called “bump stocks” used in the attack that left 58 people dead on the Strip.
1 Trump takes office
After a divisive election year that cleaved the nation, Trump was sworn into office Jan. 20 and painted a dire picture of the country in his inaugural address. He pledged to make “Make America Great Again.” Trump shook up the presidency, using his Twitter account to speak unfiltered to supporters without media interpretation and attacking adversaries with blistering blasts that often dominated the news cycle and clouded the official message from the administration.
2 Fight over Obamacare
After gaining control of the House, Senate and White House, Republicans stumbled out of the gate in 2017 with their signature pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. The House initially passed a version of repeal legislation, but the Senate failed to follow suit when several GOP senators defected. Republicans later crippled the Obamacare program when it passed a tax reform bill that eliminated a mandate that everyone purchase insurance or face an IRS penalty.
3 Russia investigation
After the U.S. intelligence community concluded Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election, several investigations were launched to determine possible links between the Kremlin and Trump aides and associates. After Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, the Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the investigation. To date, two people — including former national security adviser Michael Flynn — have pleaded guilty to crimes while two others were indicted on a variety of charges.
4 Tax cut plan
Republicans handed Trump his first major legislative victory this month when it passed a sweeping tax-cut package that slashed tax rates on corporations, businesses and individuals. The tax code overhaul is the most sweeping in 30 years, and Republicans argue it will provide sustained economic growth that will create jobs and raise wages. Democrats say Republicans looted the U.S. Treasury to reward corporate interests and wealthy GOP donors. The bill is expected to be a central issue in next year’s congressional elections.
5 Immigration issues
In a nod to his political base, Trump took aim at U.S. policies on illegal immigration, calling for a physical wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border and ending Obama-era policies that protected children brought to this country illegally from being deported. In the first month of his presidency, Trump also signed executive orders that banned travel from seven mostly Muslim nations, a move that sparked protests and court challenges.
6 Sexual harassment
The #MeToo movement and charges of sexual harassment swept through Capitol Hill in 2017. Trump and politicians in both major political parties were named as offenders. Allegations of sexual misconduct forced Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to announce his resignation. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., also stepped down. Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., and Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, announced they would not seek re-election.
7 Supreme Court appointment
The first major political skirmish in 2017 was the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, appointed by Trump to fill a vacancy following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Seating a conservative justice did not alter the ideological balance of the court, but Senate Democrats, smarting after Republicans failed to hold hearings on President Barack Obama’s pick for the court, fought the Gorsuch nomination. He was confirmed on a 54-45 vote.
8 National monuments
Almost immediately after taking office, Trump announced his challenge to presidential authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act that allows the designation of national monuments to protect public lands. Trump ordered a review of all presidential declarations going back two decades. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has since recommended rollbacks to four monuments, including Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada and two in Utah.
9 Yucca Mountain
In 1987, Congress designated Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the nation’s repository for nuclear waste produced by power plants. President Barack Obama, at the behest of then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., later defunded the program. The election of Trump, however, signaled a reversal as his administration sought $120 million to restart the licensing application process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
10 Gun control
The politically divisive debate on gun control was reignited Oct. 1 when a gunman equipped with at least 12 semiautomatic rifles with “bump stock” devices fired into a crowd of concertgoers on the Strip. Republicans and Democrats joined in calling for a ban or tighter regulations on the devices, which accelerate the rate of fire to mimic an automatic weapon. To date, however, Congress has yet to pass legislation dealing with bump stocks.