Law be damned, Trump asserts unilateral control over executive branch, federal service (16 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

Following the Project 2025 playbook, in the last week, Trump and his newly installed loyalists have moved to (1) dismiss federal officials deemed unreliable to do his bidding (including 17 inspectors general) - many of which have protections from arbitrary dismissal, (2) freeze all science and public health activity until he can wrest full control, (3) freeze all federal assistance and grant activity deemed inconsistent with Trump's agenda, and (4) moved to terminate all federal employee telework and DEI programs.

The problem is much of this is controlled by federal law and not subject to sudden and complete change by the president through executive order. Most notably is the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 that simply codifies what is the constitutional allocation of resources where Congress appropriates money to the executive branch for a specific purpose, the executive branch must carry out that statutory purpose. This is indeed a constitutional crisis and even if Congress abdicates to Trump by acquiescing, the courts must still apply the law - or rule it unconstitutional.

And meanwhile the architect of much of this unlawful action is Russell Vought, Trump’s OMB nominee who the Senate appears ready to confirm.

120. The Impoundment Crisis of 2025

The Trump administration's Monday spending freeze is likely to provoke a crisis over the constitutionality of "impoundment"—one that the justices could well have to resolve *very* soon.

www.stevevladeck.com

 

[el caliente]

Sure they did…lol. They obviously didn’t teach you how to spot BS. You seem to swallow every right wing piece of propaganda on the internet.

This is rich coming from you. “I dOnT lIkE yOu So YoU mUsT hAvE vOtEd FoR tRuMp.”

 

[el caliente]

Do you just believe everything on the internet?

No, I can’t believe the majority of opinions in this thread.

 

[el caliente]

What are you on about? If you had a time machine you could travel back to 2022 and pop to Bogota’s Teatro Libre de Chapinero and buy a ticket. How is that even remotely relevant??

USAspending.gov

www.usaspending.gov

This is the relevant matter that I’m on about.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

USAspending.gov

www.usaspending.gov

This is the relevant matter that I’m on about.

Right and it was put on at a Colombian University in 2022. What's nefarious about that? And why this particular performance and not any of the other performances that are put on through various grants with US origins?

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

It's a cult!

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

It's a cult!

Not to mention some of these DEI initiatives were funded during the first Trump administration.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Google Calendar has removed references to months celebrating and honoring African Americans, women and LGBTQ+ communities because keeping the events wasn’t “sustainable”.

The tech giant previously marked the start ofBlack History Month in February and Pride Month in June but the events don’t appear for 2025.

The company has also removed references to Women’s History Month in March and Indigenous Peoples Month in November among other observances.

A Google spokesperson said the changes took place in the middle of last year.……

Google Calendar no longer includes start of Black History Month, Pride Month

Tech giant continues to fall in line with Donald Trump’s DEI crackdown

www.independent.co.uk

 

[RobF]

Right and it was put on at a Colombian University in 2022. What's nefarious about that? And why this particular performance and not any of the other performances that are put on through various grants with US origins?

And he's literally linked to a page showing that it was in fact entirely transparent and not at all hidden.

And I still don't get what him not knowing how to buy a ticket for it has to do with anything.

@el caliente is the premise that the US government shouldn't fund anything at all that you, as one taxpayer, aren't invited to purchase a ticket to? That seems a bit nuts.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Mapped: All the countries Trump has threatened in his first weeks as president

Dozens of countries have already been directly affected by Trump’s threats of tariffs and the withdrawal of US aid since he assumed office two weeks ago

www.independent.co.uk

 

[DaveXA]

Of course there is auditing. But then there is auditing auditing, and it seems that that is what hasn’t been going on.

Source?

Heck as previously mentioned, this DOGE is the 3rd of its kind, so obviously things tend to slip through the butt crack of government.

No it's not. There's nothing that really compares to this that I'm aware of.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Goldman Sachs and Deloitte have become the latest corporate giants to redraw policies in the face of Donald Trump’s anti-diversity drive.

The banking giant has scrapped a policy meant to encourage diversity on the boards of companies that it takes public. Under the 2020 policy, Goldman had stated that it would only take on a company’s initial public offering if the company had at least one board member from a diverse background.

Deloitte US has instructed staff working on contracts for the American government to remove pronouns from their emails, becoming the latest company to change policies in wake of Trump’s anti-diversity push.


The consultancy and accounting giant reportedly gave contracted staff until 7 February to scrub pronouns from email signatures, while also announcing it would end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programme.

The instructions were sent in an email to 15,000 staff in Deloitte’s government and public services practice, which explained the move was meant to “align with emerging government client practices and requirements”.

Staff were also told on Monday that the company was planning to “sunset” its annual diversity report and wider DEI programming, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Goldman said it was reacting to a court decision that removed a requirement by Nasdaq, the tech-led stock market, for companies to disclose board-level diversity information.

“As a result of legal developments related to board diversity requirements, we ended our formal board diversity policy,” Goldman said in a statement. “We continue to believe that successful boards benefit from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and we will encourage them to take this approach.”

It is the latest sign that private companies are bowing to pressure from the White House to ditch DEI policies that conservatives claim result in “reverse discrimination”.…..:

Goldman Sachs and Deloitte are latest to scrap diversity initiatives

Banking giant drops policy pushing for board diversity, while major consultant tells staff to ditch pronouns in email

www.theguardian.com

 

[cuddlemonkey]

This is rich coming from you. “I dOnT lIkE yOu So YoU mUsT hAvE vOtEd FoR tRuMp.”

She didn't say you voted for Trump. She said you are ignorant and gullible.

 

[t_rav_82]

they dont.

I went to Tulane. Can confirm.

 

[MT15]

What are you on about? If you had a time machine you could travel back to 2022 and pop to Bogota’s Teatro Libre de Chapinero and buy a ticket. How is that even remotely relevant??

Trolling is a pastime for him. He already admitted it once today.

 

[MT15]

This is rich coming from you. “I dOnT lIkE yOu So YoU mUsT hAvE vOtEd FoR tRuMp.”

Adding that you obviously lack reading comprehension. I said nothing to you about voting for Trump. The fact is that you came on here spouting off about certain activities that were promoted by the State Department but that MAGA and right wing propagandists have been claiming were funded by USAID in order to justify their unlawful actions taken against them. You obviously just believed the lies.

Oh, dear, probably should have used shorter sentences.

 

[superchuck500]

That said, I hope that the screws are put to DOGE so that everything is done above board.

See here's the thing - you use the present tense of "so that everything is done above board" but they've already been working for a couple of weeks and nobody is really sure if any of it is above board. In fact, there's quite a bit of reason to think it's very specifically not being done above board.

For starters, what authority does "DOGE" have? The only official document stating was DOGE is and can do is the executive order that basically renames the US Digital Service (an Obama-era 'task force' to modernize federal IT systems) and gives it the task of commencing "a Software Modernization Initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, network infrastructure, and information technology (IT) systems."

That's literally the only thing DOGE is formally authorized to do. Yet DOGE has been closing offices, shutting down systems and parts of systems - including the things those systems do, removing websites, data sets, etc., and placing thousands of federal employees on administrative leave.

How can DOGE be "above board" when it's already quite clear that they are operating well beyond the DOGE authority - but so what authority are they operating on? Some have said it's OMB's authority but DOGE isn't an OMB office and it's similarly legally suspect to claim OMB has such broad authority without any additional authorizing instruments (such as an executive order or a statute). While others have said that Trump has the power and he's simply giving it to DOGE to "advance his agenda" but it's that damn easy, what was the point of the DOGE executive order about software modernization?

The answer is it's not that damn easy . . . and while we agree that DOGE should definitely be above the board, it's highly suspect at this point and they're doing very little to demonstrate it.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

Did anyone catch Musk's rant/interruption of Trump's interview today? How is any of this real?

MSN

 

[Neworleansfan]

Did anyone catch Musk's rant/interruption of Trump's interview today? How is any of this real?

MSN

It is super weird. Was wondering why our “president” is standing instead of sitting in his chair.