Law be damned, Trump asserts unilateral control over executive branch, federal service (4 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]

It has nothing to do with what I said.

It has everything to do with what you said. You don’t like DOGE, so you ran a candidate (and voted for her) who led to DOGE’s arrival. Elections have consequences hermano. Maybe next time you will check yourself before you wreck yourself.

 

[wardorican]

It has every last bit to do with what you said. You don’t like DOGE, so you ran a candidate (and voted for her) which led to DOGE’s arrival. Elections have consequences hermano. Maybe next time you will check yourself before you wreck yourself.

You are just trolling at this point.

I was actually interested in what DOGE could have been. I do want to curtail govt spending. Very underwhelmed and disappointed in how they've deliberately shut things down without thought and all of the blatantly illegal actions. It's a clown show. But it's owning the libs, right?

 

[wardorican]

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Then do it the right way. Review all govt spending for the year, and create a new budget proposal for the next fiscal year and get your party in congress to vote on it. The executive doesn't just get to shut down programs and funding they don't like, for dubious, at best, reasons.

Just because you don't agree with sending US rice overseas to starving people who have food scarcity, it doesn't make it waste.

Just because you have an issue with people getting limited govt backed loans to use for their education, with the general idea that there is a decent probability of that investment paying off in higher wages, thus higher taxes... does not make it waste.

You may not trust government, but I definitely do not trust your ability to find your own amswers, comprehension, nor your decision making.

QFT

This very point has been brought up multiple times and not a single DOGE-bro has even attempted to answer. All they could do is deflect or offer up a tired "both sides" false equivalency.

 

[barbar]

This is a thing that drives me nuts. Why would you trust DOGE? Musk has a huge conflict of interest, and no experience with this sort of thing at all. He's already released outright falsehoods.... and people are still saying, "I just want to see what he'll find"?

Not to mention they have just made all the documents "presidential records" which means that we will never see them. Sure they will say some bullshirt on TV like the stuff about trans opera and condoms for Gaza or whatever to keep the base riled up, but they will not provide real, concrete data. They have not done any audit that they can provide, anyway.

I still understand how anyone thinks a few software engineers plus a billionaire CEO who's best quality is taking credit for other people's work are qualified to perform an audit.

It's really mind-boggling the level of mental gymnastics people are doing here.

 

[J-DONK]

It has everything to do with what you said. You don’t like DOGE, so you ran a candidate (and voted for her) who led to DOGE’s arrival. Elections have consequences hermano. Maybe next time you will check yourself before you wreck yourself.

"Elections have consquences" when talking about an unelected billionaire making a unconstitutional power grab for the executive.

Great takes as always el caliente.