Constitutional illiterates are shocked by the ruling. 
CONTINUING THE REDUCTION OF THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
On March 14 Trump issued an Executive Order on the CONTINUING THE REDUCTION OF THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. This order continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.
Sec. 2. Reducing the Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law: ….
No Authority
The problem is Trump has no clear authority to block programs funded by Congress.
The Desk reports Judge orders USAGM to restore Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty grants
The Executive Order required USAGM and six other federal agencies to wind down their activities and suspend non-essential federal employees, a move that led to layoffs affecting more than 1,000 journalists at media organizations directly under USAGM’s control, including the Voice of America (VOA).
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an independent, non-profit broadcaster that provides news, information and entertainment to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It is distinct from VOA and other USAGM-controlled broadcasters in that it operates separate from the U.S. government and its agencies. But it receives federal funding through acts of Congress, and that funding allows USAGM to have oversight of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and its operations.
Earlier this month, USAGM understood its oversight to include the ability to withhold federal grant money from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, which triggered an immediate legal challenge.
This week, attorneys representing Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty moved for a restraining order that prevents USAGM from further withholding federal grant money intended for its operations. On Monday, USAGM said it made a payment to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty totaling $7.4 million, which was intended to offset immediate damages caused to the broadcaster.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Royce Lambert ruled Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s motion for the $7.4 million disbursement was moot, given that USAGM had already committed to making the payment. Lambert otherwise approved the restraining order, which prevents USAGM from withholding further grant payments while the lawsuit proceeds.
“The leadership of USAGM cannot, with one sentence of reasoning offering virtually no explanation, force RFE / RL to shut down — even if the President has told them to do so,” Lambert wrote.
Reasonable Ruling
The ruling by Judge Royce Lambert is correct.
Jackasses act shocked. Since they are jackasses, they might even be shocked.
“WTF? HOW IS THIS REAL?” says Nick Sortor.
Here’s the deal. Congress funded the program. Unless and until the Supreme Court rules that the President can overrule Congress, judges are compelled, to follow Supreme Court precedent.
Jackasses either don’t understand that (or worse yet don’t give a damn) and act shocked.
Constantly throwing red meat to a pack of howling hyenas while acting shocked over nothing while trumping up favorable nothingness is how you get 1.9 million views.
Congrats, I guess.
A Retreat in the War of Ideas
The WSJ makes that case in A U.S. Retreat in the War of Ideas
On Saturday Mr. Trump ordered the termination of grants for Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and Television Marti), the Open Technology Fund and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks are also being dismantled. This is a retreat in the global war of ideas.
The news agencies were created to counter communism and spread the truth in countries where media are controlled by governments that lie about the world. As Natan Sharansky and other former prisoners of communism attest, Radio Free Europe was a source of inspiration as it broadcast throughout countries like Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. It’s the same in China, Cuba and other dictatorships today.
In February Elon Musk posted on X.com that the U.S. should shut down the networks because “Europe is free now (not counting stifling bureaucracy). Hello??” and “Nobody listens to them anymore.” He said the outlets are “just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”
Sometimes reality is more complicated than 280 characters. Radio Free Europe/Radio Farda runs Persian language outreach that is heard or seen by 10% of the Iranian population each week, some 6.5 million people, according to RFE. Those broadcasts include informing Iranians about Mr. Trump’s discussions with the Iranian regime.
The networks operate in countries where a free media is restricted. Radio Farda delivered news during the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and had two billion views across Instagram in 2024. They also bring sunshine in Russia and eastern Ukraine, where few reporters can operate.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) delivers news and content in Tibetan, Mandarin, Cantonese and to North Korea. Its reporters broke critical stories about Chinese ethnic cleansing of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang as well as early stories countering the Chinese coverup of the progress of the Covid epidemic.
RFA has some 38 million followers on social-media platforms. Following the implementation of Hong Kong’s draconian national-security law, RFA’s Cantonese Instagram account grew rapidly and now has some 150,000 followers. The Open Technology Fund helps locals circumvent internet firewalls—supporting VPNs and other ways for Chinese citizens to evade government censorship. China bans or restricts Western social-media platforms even as Chinese-owned TikTok operates freely in the U.S. and uses algorithms to mute criticism of China.
The networks of the Agency for Global Media provide original reporting in more than 100 countries in 63 languages, reaching 420 million people. Radio Free Asia has an annual budget of $60.8 million and reaches some 58 million people a week. The cost is inconsequential compared to the value of news that challenges the narratives of autocratic regimes.
The Real Issue
Please note that I am not saying we should fund these programs. The Wall Street Journal laid out the case.
Feel free to disagree. Many do. However, it is not relevant to the discussion at hand.
The only relevant thing is Congress funded the program and Trump is unilaterally and unconstitutionally blocking it.
If Trump can make the case to Congress, he can easily get funding stopped.
If Trump can win an appeal (color me very doubtful), then he can also get funding stopped.
Meanwhile, it is important to understand that barring a Supreme Court verdict to the contrary, Trump does not have authority to make the Executive Order that he did.
Related Posts
On March 14, I commented Why Did Trump Lose in Court on the Mass Firing of Government Workers?
The short answer is DOGE did not follow the law. The long answer is complex.
Alsup Wants an Appeal
“If you want to appeal this, God bless you. I want you to because I am tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth, giving me snippets. I want someone to go under oath and tell us what happened in these phone calls, and agencies claiming they did this on their own” .
So Stupid
This is all so stupid. Team DOGE did mass firings of people, including those with perfect reviews, on grounds of performance.
Alsup says that the government can reduce its force under the RIF Act, but has to follow the process. So why not follow the process?
Trump was supposed to give 30 days’ notice but did not bother. And he fired people with impeccable reviews on grounds of incompetence.
Should Congress Eliminate the US Department of Education?
On March 19, I asked Should Congress Eliminate the US Department of Education?
The answer to the question is yes, of course. Let’s discuss why.
Properly executed, I am 100 percent in favor of efforts to abolish the Department of Education. But good luck doing it by Executive Order.
March 20, 2025: Trump Signs Order to Eliminate the Education Department, Here Comes the Court
Expect another court battle that Trump will mostly, but not entirely, lose.
March 18, 2025: Supreme Court Justice Roberts Issues Warning to the Trump Cancel Culture
Republicans now act just like AOC and the Progressive cancel culture activists.
Birthright Citizenship
No president has ever challenged birthright citizenship by executive order.
Supposedly it’s “activism” to reject Trump’s ridiculous claim despite the fact that the circuit and appeals court have no choice other than follow the law of the land, as already ruled by the Supreme Court.
I have discussed this subject many times, most recently in Appeals Court Rejects Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
The Appeals Court ruling was 95 percent likely, so this is no shocker. But let’s review the case.
Trump will lose.
Trump Cancel Cultural Activism – Ten Things
- Ending Birthright Citizenship by Executive Order
- Firing employees without required 30-day notice
- Firing employees for no reason despite that RIF requirement
- Openly defying court orders, triggering as statement from the Supreme Court
- Acting against law firms and lawyers for representing clients the TCC doesn’t like
- Ridiculous Litigation Cost mandate
- Funding new programs not authorized by Congress
- Blocking programs funded by Congress
- Cancelling pardons
- Rejecting Autopens used since Jefferson
That’s 10 extreme to obviously unconstitutional things that Trump has done.
Once again, I support DOGE provided it is done in accordance with the law. Otherwise I don’t.
With a majority in Congress, Trump can and should be able to win many things, but not everything.
Irony of the Day and Hoot of the Year
Team Trump and Constitutional illiterates moan about activist judges.
Actually, it’s the opposite. Team Trump demands activist judges who will wreck the Constitution to do whatever Trump wants.
That’s the hoot of the year.
No such thing as independent if you’re being paid.
Is a prostitute an independent girl?
There were 130,000 NGOs in Georgia before they decided to introduce a USA style FARA law. The USA penetrates the information and political space in countries around the globe, identifies discontent and social seams, aggravates and exacerbates them, and tries to overthrow the regime with hosts of paid actors to install US friendly (US multi-nationals) regimes. This is actually the most successful US weapons program. They just succeeded in finally enthroning al-Qaeda head-choppers in Syria.
Since Congress delegated its power to the Executive, the Executive decides how to run the program. Cogress funds it but does not determine whether its doors are open. IN FACT, an agency can spend none of its money and return it all to Congress!
This is the awful panic in the federal agencies each year: “We have to spend ALL our money by years’ end, or it gets sent back to Congress and they’ll give a smaller budget next year!” Heaven forbid! And is that unconstitutional, not to spend every cent Congress sent to the? Is it?
Clearly not. So why does the Judiciary feel it can interfere with the Constitutional exercise of power by the Executive?
Didn’t have time to watch the entire thing, but Trump just won an appeal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf6qaSBesYI
To this day since the 90s, Greece is the No. 1 western country in youth migration (450,000 educated have left the country since 2000). It’s not just the money, it’s very low morale, when the population saw firsthand in the 80s millions of people (“friends of the party”) hired in the public sector to do nothing. With salaries and pensions guaranteed for life.
— If a country is struggling, people may stay and work hard to revive it.
— If a country is corrupt and unfair, people don’t care about it anymore.
— If I were the main character in the movie “Falling down”, I’d probably sell the missile secrets to the Chinese and retire in Europe as a beloved suave millionaire for the “educated elite”.
“Radio Free Europe” in the year 2025. Just like Greece established entire organizations in the 80s for projects that had been completed in the 70s. The following clip from “Yes Minister” actually refers to a real case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAk448volww
When are you voters going to get into your thick skull that the laws in the books and the constitution are the two issues that protect the citizens that means you from mayhem . From Captain confusion .
– The problem is Trump has no clear authority to block programs funded by Congress.
> While that may in fact be an issue, the Far Bigger problem however, is WTF are we doing so in the first place? I know two wrongs don’t make a right…
– The Desk reports: The Executive Order required USAGM and six other federal agencies to wind down their activities and suspend non-essential federal employees.
> Wind down very highly questionable actions, highly despised by these Counties, and against any and all attempts at cooperation between the U.S. and these adversaries. In fact, these are the very sort or “War Monger Moves” and extremely Adversarial every step of the way. No wonder they are sending people here to disrupt Our Country, just as it appears we are doing to theirs!!
– it operates separate from the U.S. government and its agencies. But it receives federal funding through acts of Congress.
> Great! Another independent group, taking American Tax-dollars and spending Our Money, to piss off Our Enemies, so they could Rush across Our Open Border, to get back at us for it. Did I say “Thank You” to Congress for this war attempt? Did You? We should, as this is one more “Unchecked” major reason we have such…
– Reasonable Ruling > Yes, but ONLY for the money and jobs to come back. What about the Transgressions that Congress and Our War Machine is ginning up, with all of this bogus, BS, Propaganda and Gaslighting in our Adversaries Countries? Thy just upped there discourse even further…
– Constantly throwing red meat to a pack of howling hyenas
> The other side gets to do it ALL the time, so we wanted to jump in and have some. We can toss red meat to our base too! Alls fair in Love and War!
– The news agencies were created to counter communism and spread the truth in countries where media are controlled by governments that lie about the world.
> So what we do, but with USAID it was even worse, but I digress…
As Natan
– The networks operate in countries where a free media is restricted.
> So once again, WHYTF Do we keep on doing so. Are we the bullies on recess that takes the other kids lunch money? We are absolutely LIVID when countries do (minus TikTok $$$) this to is, and we don’t see “Our Cut” Damn Hypocrites! (More good news – They also bring sunshine in Russia and eastern Ukraine, where few reporters can operate AND Radio Free Asia (RFA) delivers news and content in Tibetan, Mandarin, Cantonese and to North Korea. SWELL!!
– The Real Issue
> It’s none of our damn business, and we shouldn’t be doing it, and I hope it stops. We can’t keep being Hypocritical about these sort of things anymore. The World is far too small now…
– The only relevant thing is Congress funded the program and Trump is unilaterally and unconstitutionally blocking it. > True
The Constitution places foreign policy under the Executive branch with the caveat Congress can refuse to fund. Radio Free Europe is a foreign policy issue. Congress approves then appropriates then the Executive branch executes. Clinton advocated for a line item veto. Trump is doing a line item veto. If we didn’t have TDS the applause would be thunderous and universal.
If you go back to original discussions, many asked what power the judicial branch would have and wouldn’t they be ignored? Both sides have decried using judicial branch to legislate. Trump is testing that status quo and may answer those founding questions.
Total bullshit
The SC has consistently ruled – and logically so – by the Constitution itself
That Congress controls the purse
Get a grip on reality
I am an observer and have no skin in the game. I am no US Constitutional Authority, but had a long career in personnel/human resources and board governance, which often involves legal matters leading to litigation. Words have meanings and in legal documents have legal meanings. If Congress has approved specific funding, and a POTUS has signed off on it, making it law, the law has to be followed. If the funding is designated discretionary within a department, then the policy can determine how it is spent.
It seems to me, that Trump is operating backwards. The policy should be determined, then how the various government departments carry out the policy needs to be determined, which includes staffing levels needed. What Musk and his cult of efficiency is doing is declaring the number of staff necessary in a department without knowing or understanding how a policy will be carried out. The irony is that the worst offender of waste, the Department of Defense which has never come close to passing an audit, is off limits.
The “law” goes other places as well “The Alien Enemies Act” is subject to the legal meanings of words. https://thelawdictionary.org/enemy/
When did Congress declare war on countries from which the aliens were rounded up? In the above matters, the question is the process in which Trump’s objectives are to be achieved not the policy. Sometimes the process will be lengthy, whether we like it or not.
Its all about protecting the Democrat gravy trains from the EPA grants to the Stacey Abrams NGO’s (which ultimately make it to the AntiFa operatives via Bend The Arc and Act Blue) to all the federal bureaucracy jobs staffed by Democrat militants and operatives.
That is why the Democrats are screaming holy hell at town halls.
Actually it is about the law and our President is breaking the law. Unfortunately Trump disregards laws and the contracts or treaties he signs. This is hurting our nations credibility. It should be no surprise that the Russian Ruble has rallied by 25% under Trump.2.
The vast majority did not vote for Trump and he is an embarrassment to our great nation.
Um, He was in fact voted in by the overwhelming Public. This despite efforts to thwart such an occurrence. It would have been higher otherwise.
How can a President (your too) be chastised, and by the “Taxpayers” of ALL People (ones he’s helping) for Finding $Trillions” in Waste, Fraud, Abuse, and Corruption throughout Our Own Country. We are NOT (supposed to be) the Communist, or maybe for the last 4 years one could rightfully argue, but this Administration is the the Anti to all of such things, quite obviously!!!
it doesn’t matter how many people voted for him. what don’t MAGA understand?? the judicial branch is a CO-EQUAL branch of government, and made so by the Constitution.
there’s no “but he won by a lot so he can do what he wants and ignore the courts”. it doesn’t matter under the Constitution, which sets out the roles of the branches AND gives the power to the judiciary to determine when either the executive or congress exceeded theirs.
if you want to stop waste etc., that’s fine, do it the right way under the Constitution. obviously one issue with a single person claiming everything is corrupt and wasteful is he can just label anything he doesn’t like as that. it’s a joke anyway, because he’s completely ignoring the military where DOGE supposedly found a tiny amount and then stopped looking, when any military person I know will talk your ear off about the waste and corruption in the military. And its not about newest weapons–most of that budget is personnel and hundreds of pointless military bases all over the world.
And stop saying Trump won ‘overwhelmingly”. it’s false. he won by a narrow margin, an it was even NOT a majority of the votes, he won 49.8% of the popular vote. Anyway, point is even if he won 100% of the vote, it still doesn’t allow him to do what he wants.
– It doesn’t matter how many people voted for him. > It does to you? It does to people who care, and that was by far “The Majority”
– what don’t MAGA understand? > To “Make America Great Again” We ALL Need to fight together Against the Cheating, living, gaslighting, decrepit, Corruption, and quite frankly “The Decay” of America. You should too…
– there’s no “but he won by a lot so he can do what he wants and ignore the courts” > Correct, which is why those examples are being tossed back, or ruled against entirely. Sows Our Government is working!
From his actions, it appears MAGA means “Miriam Adelson’s Goals Achieved”
Did the MAGA voters really vote for a “Peace President” to continue the genocide in the Middle East? How does sullying the ever dwindling US reputation make it “great again”?
The Biden budget is what Trump is challenging. So Congress authorized and appropriated money to Radio Free Europe.
Trump does not want to spend that money but I see the point it is an appropriations law as Congress grants or authorizes what the President requests in their budget.
So is it that Congress authorized that the money can be spent, but Congress cannot require it be spent ?
So any unspent money gets returned to the US Treasury Department at the end of the fiscal year ?
All the employees are on administrative leave and it is physically impossible to get into the building without permission from Trump so effectively most of the money allocated for 2025 cannot be spent anyway.
These stupid injunctions only slow down the process but also increase support for Trump because of their ridiculous nature. Only dyed-in-the-wool Democrats see these as a good thing sort of like keying a Tesla. Makes them feel warm inside.
I am beginning to wonder if this is a test to see what the judges are will to fight for a right and those that are just part of sheepeople. I can see the down side to leading to the removal of some of them.
Either way it shows congress has not been doing its job, no matter which group is in charge as all these programs that they pay for should be under a yearly review. Any program that congress passes should always be subjected to a a renewal each year.
Federal District Court judges think they are above the law. FAFO
no, in fact they know very well that their orders are appealable.
On the birth right issue there are exceptions to granting rights to individuals born in the US. Hence, the scotus will consider expanding the exceptions. For example marriage tourist
The govt is currently under a CR. Hence no new funding is available beyond what was included in last year ( 2024 base). All expenditures are frozen beyond 2024 base. It would behoove knowledge individuals to consider what is the real impact
Agencies, judges cant authorize payments that would be breach the base line
Program created by legislative branch but not part of legislative branch or judicial which makes it fall under executive branch.
It will have to be shut down by force. NPR and PBS also defunded. Congress is not needed. Shut it all down. Lincoln did the same with free press to save the Republic. He saved it by force. Technically wrong but big picture correct. Even if the south had won, the British moved on to India for cotton. It was the right move. We can’t have this toxic media anymore. It’s morally disgusting and shall be crushed.
Nyet… comrade
Congress is very much needed, at least if you believe the law matters. And Republicans have a majority there so nothing should be easier than achieving whatever Trumps want to achieve legally. It’s nothing but hubris that drives Trump and Musk to believe they are above the law.
It’s worth re-trying the citizenship issue. The supreme court very often changes its mind or makes mistakes in earlier cases. (Loper, abortion, etc…)
Yep… let’s mess with the constitution. In other words… the law is pointless. The constitution is pointless. Amendments to the constitution need to be revised. Let’s do it. It’s all a ridiculous dance.
We DO need a new Constitution with modern wording and full consideration for the society of today, not the society and mores of 250 years ago.
This administration is the least likely to give us a well thought out New Constitution. He knows nothing about history or our values. Primarily, he’s a grifter. His money helped him learn a fair amount about the judicial system. He’s been in court his whole life…generally waiting out the bank accounts of his poor contractors. I’m unsure why conservatives are good with this.
Again, I’m an outsider, but it seems to me that the problem in not “modern wording” rather the change in definition of words. Using the word “gay” to describe homosexuals then is about 50 years old. People my age understand that the alteration of the meaning is an abomination of the real meaning of the word. An illegal (at the time) act being declared “happy, joyful” would be ridiculous. Would murder be “gay”?
The men who engaged in writing and debating the US Constitution were classically educated and well understood what they were writing. Rather than “modern wording” a return to classical education would be more helpful. Here is a quote from an English politician known for his classicist style of speaking: “Yet we slink about like whipped curs:;… our self-abasement principally takes the form of subservience to the United States:;… we are under no necessity to participate in the American nightmare of a Soviet monster barely held at bay in all quarters of the globe by an inconceivable nuclear armament and by political intervention everywhere from Poland to Cambodia. It is the Americans who need us in order to act out their crazy scenario… We simply do not need to go chasing up and down after the vagaries of the next ignoramus to become President of the United States.” ~ Enoch Powell
And, ladies and gentlemen, the final results are in! It’s now 2028. The democrats reverse the 2024 elections because Trump would not moderate or work to meet the wants of all the 49% of people who may want a little something different. I continually complain about democrats when they do exactly what Trump us doing! It is when they think the goal or idea is so noble, how you get there doesn’t matter. He continued his bombastic agenda until……it was too late. In many respects Trump is acting like a Democrat! He needs to back off teaching any lessons. Maybe he will. I doubt it. We can’t escape it for some reason. Oh well.
A little something different. You are all a national security risk. Good god what a bunch of posers you are…republicans are democrats now…idiot!!!
It is now 2028. The Dems hold the Presidency and have a supermajority in Congress. Thanks Trump!
The Dems are working hard to bring back everything that Trump and his cronies killed, from DEI to trans men playing women’s sports to recreation of USAID, to etc., etc. Elon Musk ha shad all contracts with the US government cancelled and any economic support payments eliminated. All his loans have been called in.
Should I buy Hunter Biden art now? You can get them for pennies and when the Democrats come back in his paintings will go into the National Gallery. I’d make a killing.
Twenty six states secede from the union. Civil war breaks out on the west coast. China makes it’s move. Bullshit runs wild.
Trump’s desire to ‘un-unite’ Russia and China is unlikely to work – in fact, it could well backfirehttps://theconversation.com/trumps-desire-to-un-unite-russia-and-china-is-unlikely-to-work-in-fact-it-could-well-backfire-252243
Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty are obsolete. Voice of America may not be. All governments have their propaganda outlet (BBC and Duetch Welle being two). I met a couple of foreign students on college who listened to VOA with the English as a second language series being quite popular.
How much is it worth is a fair question. Do they still broadcast on shortwave? My shortwave broke years ago. How do they get the content out in the modern world?
American conservatives are a national threat. At home and globally. I’m guessing you think that is great. Grow the f**k up!!
Radio Free Europe, RFA, etc are monsters pretending monks. They broadcast propaganda which don’t serve the local people but divide them and ruled by the imperialist America.
They are private co. supported by tax payer’s money ? ? ? ? $1B/year of US taxpayer money.
Of course Deep State will block it.
Sure thing
“Deep State” (which is a ridicuous concept, but hey, let’s assume it exists for the argument) can’t stop anything if the Republicans simply let their congress majorities work for them. There’s no conspiracy why things are not moving, merely incompetence from the administration.
I agree with you on this & others, definitely not all! He still CAN MAKE their lives miserable, holding back payments, finding rules they have broken, etc, believe me they are doing this! Biden ignored AND PLAYED GAMES WITH THE SUPREMES ON THE STUDENT LOANS! The masses seem to ignore this!
You had me at ‘Europe’.
Its all a game to him. He has no skin in it. He wants to have everyone oooh and ahhh over his greatness and superiority to all lowly Americans, and so he flitters thru life doing whatever he wants, reminding us that the laws are indeed only for the little people. But everything he does, its all illegal. All of it. Does he care? Does a 14 year old care? All they care about is the car runs when we stomp on the accelerator ….
It appears that the Trump administration wants to eliminate these pesky court rulings by defunding the courts.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-mike-johnson-floats-eliminating-federal-courts-rcna197986
This will make the United States a good place for investment with the rule of law.
You are correct on some issues. Incorrect on others.
But I fear you are developing TDS. You are also missing the forest for the trees.
What is happening is obvious. The radical Dems, aided by their UniParty RINOS, funded by your tax dollars, are using radical, activist judges and lawyers who hate Trump, who are at risk of seeing their gravy train disappear, to try and neuter his Presidency right out of the gate.
And so, the administration is fighting back. Is it pretty? No. But it’s an ugly game.
You live in a total dreamworld if you think it woukd be any different if things were being done in the ‘right’ way. The radicals don’t care. They are going to try and destroy him again. One example.
Trump invoked the State Secrets Act and told Boasberg to pound sand. Here’s the law:
SCOTUS opinion
! Ludecke v Watkins (1948) held:
“The very nature of the President’s power to order the removal of all enemy aliens rejects the notion that courts may pass judgement upon the exercise of his discretion…and every judge before whom the question has since come has held that the statue barred judicial review.”
That’s pretty clear. Instead the Judge has said he doesn’t care what SCOTUS has ruled and continues to make his demands.
Another example.
5 minutes after Trump signed the EO on election integrity today, the first lawsuit was filed. Why? Because they know if voter ID is codified they will never win again.
The radicals nearly destroyed the country over the past 16 years. They are close enough now to taste it. The administration is trying to fight back. Sometimes they get it wrong.
TDS is a debilitating disease. Just sayin.
Apparently it is debilitating those who support Trump.
Yes, and you have TDS II.
You seem to fail to understand that as a budget resolution all Trump needs is a simple majority and that he would have that majority for perhaps 2/3 of what he wants to do. Yet, I am certain you know that.
I proposed two bills. Put all of this stuff in one, then focus on the other.
You voted for a convicted felon. You have TDS. You are in a cult. Easily swayed by authoritarianism. Good lord! What a mess you folks have brought on this country. Seek medical care…you are deranged!!
A “cult” of 77 million, I love that one, keep repeating it so we can have another chuckle.
Yes, a cult of 77 million. How is that a challenging thought for you? The whole planet sees you folks as lost. You can’t grasp a cult with large numbers? Check out Hitler and nazi Germany. I get that you think it’s a cliche. It’s not. You are sick people. Not sure what will happen to you and us as this develops. But, I can guarantee you it will be bad for you and us.
“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
–George Carlin
Clearly that 77 million are the half that Carlin was referencing!
Carlin! A political genius!! Love him. Miss him.
“Here’s all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid.”
-George Carlin
16 years? Looks like you just never got over Obama’s presidency.
You are commenting on the wrong board. Most of the people here including the author aren’t interested in reality. They just want to sneer and virtue signal their way through any discussion about Trump or his policies.
Sure thing buddy
It’s sad to watch yet another person blinded by unquestioning fealty to the cult figure he worships.
It really is.
the POTUS doesn’t get to randomly select enemies and then deport them. it’s obvious that this would literally make them dictators. Use your brain.
there has to be a “declared war” by Congress, the Enemies Act says so expressly, and even then there has to be due process, otherwise POTUS could pick out US born citizens he doesn’t like and deport them as enemies because according to you there’s no jurisdiction for a court to even look at the argument that he’s not an “alien”.
You’re saying there’s no independent oversight which is what the judiciary does, so the executive could just claim someone is an enemy alien and throw them out and there’s no possibility of fighting that.
FDR had 100 days to get things done when he came in. That’s how long it takes for the opposition to get organized enough to fight back. He moved fast and broke rules because the banking system was broken. Trump has the amount of time and is doing the same thing but this time it’s a total restructuring of the government and its finances. It is desperately needed. I wish him luck.
Nothing Trump/Felon has done is going to fix anything. True believers think anything he does is god-like. In reality, it is all in service to King Donald. You cannot fix a heavily indebted system like ours without more revenue (from the rich that evaded proper taxes for 50 years) or the majority of Americans willing to live a very different life.
You are a follower of AOC I expect from the solutions you propose. Instead of cutting waste you want to raise taxes. That’s why you lost the election. People have caught on that raising taxes will just go to creating more waste and gravy trains for well-connected people in useless jobs.
Trump never stood a chance, and I agree with Mish that Trump in several of these cases is acting unilaterally, especially when it comes to defunding, and this is unconstitutional.
It astounds me that he hasn’t invoked the Impoundment Act of 1974. He has the authority to impound all sorts of funding that then Congress is required to vote on it within 45 days.
Again, I have no idea why he wouldn’t take this approach, unless he’s not serious or I just don’t understand the statute. And I say thing as a Trump supporter. Forcing Congress to vote on USAID, et al would show how the Dems are completely against cutting funding and make them look very bad.
Idiot!! Give him time. The one thing the Felon in Chief is good at…it’s finding loopholes. Hang in there buddy, your apocalypse can still happen. Why don’t you email your man, with your splendid plans? If he’s who I think he is… he will LOVE your idea!!
ROTFLMAO!
Keep it up, Bridge. I love it.
Remember how the ridiculous court cases against Trump actually increased his popularity because seen as a travesty of the justice system? This is just its continuation and the result will be the same.
I agree, and I would also assume that part of Trump’s strategy is to coax the liberal justices into overstepping their boundaries to be exposed for their partisan ties. It certainly seems like the DOJ under Bondi is prepared to take this to SCOTUS to get this district injunctions from affecting the entire nation. Like you, I certainly hope there’s a method to the madness.
Me too.
He knows Congress won’t work with him because even if the Reps do, the Dems won’t on principal of never making the other party look good.
So without super majorities, all he can do is issue executive orders, wait for them to be stayed BUT hope to sway public opinion until Congress is forced to act.
Glad to see that trump continues to focus on high priority items.
Perhaps if Trump would decide to work within the system that he might have more success.
“America is at that awkward stage; it’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards.”
― Claire Wolfe
Given the Socialists are firebombing car dealers the latter time is nearly here.
Terrorist conservatives tried to over throw our government on January 6, 2020. Yeah, but Tesla…that poor car company. What will it ever do to help us defend democracy now? Poor, poor, Tesla!!
You can only work within the system if the system wants to work with you.
Absolutely no Dems will work with Trump regardless of the issue. The same goes for Reps when there is a Democratic president. The one rule is you must NEVER EVER make the other party look good on anything even if it helps the American people.
Don’t know if you ever catch Bill Maher but he had an interesting point last Friday eve. That sometimes following the letter of the law is more important than the actual remedy that Trump is seeking.
Similarly Maher, you, me are all game for some things (although I am likely for less than you), but it MATTERS how things get done. Trump acting like either a baby or a King when he doesn’t get his way is in effect childish. Obama, and most all Presidents have had FAR, FAR more respect for the 3 CO-EQUAL Branches of Government. And when we used to have a regular GOP that wasn’t kissing Trump’s tail the GOP respected the integrity of the process and prior president.
One thing for sure republicans and dems.voters enjoy to be promised by their elected officials sh t that will never be fulfilled .
I always state that as people ALWAYS want a “kinder gentler way”. And they’re happy to be tricked and not look under the hood at real facts b/e it’s too difficult for them. (And their stupid fallable shallow life.)
Good commentary, Mish.
Thanks
I expect a lot of flack.
I am sure you will unleash the nimbots – lol.
Your comment sums it up. No one could ever reasonably object to the the views of the author (or you). The only sensible response to anyone disagreeing with you is to find some creative term for use in name calling that person.