“Billionaire Elon Musk’s deputies have gained access to a sensitive Treasury Department system responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments after the administration ousted a top career official at the department, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe government deliberations. The sensitive systems, run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, control the flow of more than $6 trillion annually. Tens of millions of people across the country rely on the systems. They are responsible for paying Social Security and Medicare benefits, salaries for federal personnel, payments to government contractors and grant recipients, and tax refunds, among tens of thousands of other functions. To put it bluntly, these payment systems simply cannot fail, and any politically motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said in a letter to Bessent on Friday. “I can think of no good reason why political operators who have demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law would need access to these sensitive, mission-critical systems.” An excerpt of an article on MSNBC outlines the current administration’s desire to control the money spent on social programs, including social security and Medicare. I see no reason for the administration to allow the infiltration of outside groups to these programs unless it is to control and possibly prevent support of those needing these programs for their benefits. I, for one, find it alarming that an outside organization has taken over an integral component of the government. Is there enough support from within the government to stop this abuse before it gets worse? I most certainly hope so.
David A. Lebryk, the highest-ranking career official at the US Treasury Department, will depart following a dispute with allies of billionaire entrepreneur and Donald Trump adviser Elon Musk over access to a sensitive payment system, stated reports. Hmmmmm. Very interesting.
The president signed three executive orders establishing the measures, the first official actions of his second-term trade war, according to a White House official who briefed reporters. American importers will pay a new 25-percent tax on goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10-percent levy on products from China, the president said. Most products from Canada and Mexico currently face no tariffs, under a trade deal Trump signed during his first term, while many Chinese goods incur taxes of up to 25 percent. The new tariffs are in addition to those fees. For the typical American household, the tariffs will mean a loss of about $1,200 in purchasing power, according to the Budget Lab at Yale University, a nonpartisan research center.
OK. NEW: Faculty Political Diversity at Yale: Democrats ... Sep 23, 2024 — With a current ratio of 28 Democrats to every 1 Republican, Yale is falling short in exposing its students to a diverse array of perspectives. Non-partisan - for your reading enjoyment. ANALYSIS: How the 2024 election could affect Yale’s federal research funding - Yale Daily News **Side note: I will not even pretend to know all the nuances of how tariffs work. The thing I do know is why POTUS has signed EO's for them. I am not going to speculate if they will be imposed, or what will happen if they are put in place. Trying to predict the future would be like typing "Joy Baby Joy" in every post, in all caps, Bold, Italics and large font ad nauseum.
“The website for the U.S. Agency for International Development appears to be offline as of Saturday afternoon, as President Donald Trump vows to move the independent agency under the State Department’s control. Many Democrats have criticized the Trump administration’s apparent decision to move USAID under the State Department, questioning its legality. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, as well as Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. and Lois Frankel, D-Fla., said in a statement Friday moving USAID under the State Department would “require an Act of Congress,” adding it is “imperative that we maintain an independent development voice and capability within the U.S. government.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Trump of trying to eliminate USAID, which he called “illegal” and an “assault on the Constitution.” In a post on X, Murphy called the consequences of gutting USAID “cataclysmic,” stating “malnourished babies who depend on U.S. aid will die” and “anti-terrorism programs will shut down and our most deadly enemies will get stronger.” The last posts were an example of this administration’s commitment to undermine the United States Government and its ability to protect the American people. With the current administration attempting to destroy our democracy as we know it, I feel it’s imperative we stay attuned to the actions of the government.
We are a Constitutional Republic. Is America a democracy or a constitutional republic? While often categorized as a democracy, the United States is more accurately defined as a constitutional federal republic. What does this mean? “Constitutional” refers to the fact that government in the United States is based on a Constitution which is the supreme law of the United States.
Research is key. AP News: On Tuesday, new Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a broader waiver for programs that provide other “life-saving” assistance, including medicine, medical services, food and shelter, and again pointed to the possibility of waivers. Rubio pointed to the broadened exemptions in an interview Thursday with SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly. “We don’t want to see people die and the like,” he said. Rubio said there would be a program-by-program review of which projects make “America safer, stronger or more prosperous.” The step of shutting down U.S.-funded programs during the 90-day review meant the U.S. was “getting a lot more cooperation” from recipients of humanitarian, development and security assistance, Rubio said. “Because otherwise you don’t get your money.” The State Department said that since the aid freeze went into effect, it has approved dozens of waivers, although many were returned because they did not include enough detail. It said waiver requests for programs costing “billions of dollars” have been received and are being reviewed. The department did not specify how many waiver requests had been denied but said thus far its actions had stopped more than $1 billion from being spent on programs and projects that are “not aligned with an America First agenda.” Even with the broadening of exemptions for life-saving care, uncertainty surrounds what U.S.-funded programs legally can continue. Hundreds of thousands of people globally are going without access to medicine and humanitarian supplies and clinics are not getting medicine in time because of the funding freeze, aid organizations warn. —— AP reporter Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed.
