The Washington Post: 6 aides form nonprofit to advance Trump causes

Stephen Miller, senior adviser to President Donald Trump, right, and Larry McKenney of Capitol Radiology listen as Trump speaks during a meeting with business leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

By Associated Press 

January 30 at 2:02 PM

WASHINGTON — Six of President Donald Trump’s top campaign aides have banded together to start a nonprofit called “America First Policies” to back the White House agenda. The group includes Trump’s digital director Brad Parscale, onetime deputy campaign manager Rick Gates and two advisers to Vice President Mike Pence, Nick Ayers and Marty Obst. David Bossie and Katrina Pierson also will be involved, according to a forthcoming statement announcing the group.

Parscale said the group aims to “build something unique, just like we did with the campaign.”

America First Policies will conduct research into public policies and promote Trump’s favorite causes, such as dismantling and replacing President Barack Obama’s health care law and changing immigration policies.

One of its first tasks is likely to be a vocal advocate for Trump’s Supreme Court pick, which the president said he would announce Tuesday night.

President Donald Trump has also signed an executive action aimed at significantly cutting regulations for small businesses.

The president was surrounded by small business leaders as he signed the order in the Oval Office Monday morning.

Trump says that the order is aimed at “cutting regulations massively for small business.”

He says it will be the “biggest such act that our country has ever seen.”

Earlier, White House officials called the directive a “one in, two out” plan. It requires government agencies requesting a new regulation to identify two regulations they will cut from their own departments.

Officials say the president is also ordering that there be a zero dollar budget for new regulations through the rest of fiscal year 2017. The White House and agencies will work on a budget for regulations in upcoming years.

The officials insisted on anonymity in order to detail the directive ahead of Monday’s formal announcement.