Law be damned, Trump asserts unilateral control over executive branch, federal service (1 Viewer)

[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

 

[DaveXA]

Until this, all the current Joint Chief of Staff positions were nominated by Biden. But so far only Lisa Franchetti (the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Charles Q. Brown Jr. have been removed. So if they're removing them solely because they were appointed under a democratic president, why those two and not the others who were also appointed under a democratic president?

And do you think that's ok? Bearing in mind that the answer to the other question is...


Never. As far as I can see, since the first appointment to the role of chairman, when it was created permanently in 1949, none of the 20 chairmen were replaced within six months of an inauguration... until this one, the 21st, removed within a month and a day, making him the shortest non-acting appointment to the role with one year and 143 days in the post.

The point of the posts being apolitical that @DJ1BigTymer has outlined has been continuously respected.

Until now.

You'd think that would be sufficient...but he'll keep making lame excuses like he usually does. The carrying of Trump's water is unsurprising though. He's been doing it since he started posting here. Independent my arse.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Elon Musk said that blanket emails sent to federal employees asking for a response about their weekly accomplishments or risk termination was a test to see if they “had a pulse.”

The tech billionaire, tasked by President Donald Trump to slash bureaucracy and federal spending through his Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on his X platform Friday that all government staff would receive an email requesting specifics of what they had achieved last week.

Workers reportedly received the email Saturday afternoon from the Office of Personnel Management with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The deadline given to respond, according to emails reviewed by Reuters, was 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday. Failure to reply would be “taken as resignation,” Musk tweeted.

Less than 24 hours before the deadline, Musk hinted that the emails were simply a rouse to ensure federal employees were “capable of responding” to his correspondence.……

Elon Musk admits email to government workers was a ruse

Department of Government Efficiency head says he wants to test whether federal employees are ‘capable of replying to an email’

www.independent.co.uk

 

[DaveXA]

Elon Musk said that blanket emails sent to federal employees asking for a response about their weekly accomplishments or risk termination was a test to see if they “had a pulse.”

The tech billionaire, tasked by President Donald Trump to slash bureaucracy and federal spending through his Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on his X platform Friday that all government staff would receive an email requesting specifics of what they had achieved last week.

Workers reportedly received the email Saturday afternoon from the Office of Personnel Management with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The deadline given to respond, according to emails reviewed by Reuters, was 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday. Failure to reply would be “taken as resignation,” Musk tweeted.

Less than 24 hours before the deadline, Musk hinted that the emails were simply a rouse to ensure federal employees were “capable of responding” to his correspondence.……

Elon Musk admits email to government workers was a ruse

Department of Government Efficiency head says he wants to test whether federal employees are ‘capable of replying to an email’

www.independent.co.uk

We've already received multiple "test" emails. This is just Musk spouting his usual nonsense.

 

[MT15]

We've already received multiple "test" emails. This is just Musk spouting his usual nonsense.

It’s not nonsense, well it is, but it’s far more sinister. I truly believe the scenario Dragon laid out is correct. He will use AI to search for some key words in the responses and then fire people over them.

There’s some evidence they used AI to find the probationary employees and initiate their firings, without regard to role or department. And without regard to some employees being probationary because they were just promoted, not because they were just hired.

And what he is saying now is just a bald-faced lie. He’s hiding what he is doing.

 

[DaveXA]

It’s not nonsense, well it is, but it’s far more sinister. I truly believe the scenario Dragon laid out is correct. He will use AI to search for some key words in the responses and then fire people over them.

There’s some evidence they used AI to find the probationary employees and initiate their firings, without regard to role or department. And without regard to some employees being probationary because they were just promoted, not because they were just hired.

And what he is saying now is just a bald-faced lie. He’s hiding what he is doing.

A number of agencies have told all of their employees NOT to respond to any emails from the OPM HR without guidance going out from the employee's respective agencies. Essentially, they're rejecting the validity of the most recent email and I suspect they will instruct employees to ignore future emails from that OPM email account.

They can't fire people for following their respective agency guidance. Or at least that shouldn't be legal. That OPM account can't compel people to submit performance criteria because that info flows through the respective agencies' chain of command. The State Department and DOD both have already stated they will provide a response on behalf of their employees and any performance reviews will continue to flow through the chain of command as per proper SOP.

 

[superchuck500]

Lengthy new injunction ruling from district court in DC - holding that the OMB freeze on federal payments likely violated law and injured the plaintiffs and many others. The court orders immediate resumption of program funding pending additional review on the usual case track.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.276842/gov.uscourts.dcd.276842.51.0.pdf

 

[Dragon]

Far-right House Republicans are pushing to impeach federal judges, alleging “high crimes and misdemeanors” in response to rulings that opposed actions by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). One congressman denounced a judge as a “predator” and a “radical anti-LGBTQ activist,” while another argued that blocking DOGE reflected bias against Trump voters. A third asserted that Congress has the “authority to impeach judges to defend the will of the people.”

https://www.rawstory.com/grave-mora...ing-to-impeach-judges-over-anti-doge-rulings/

Pure fascism. Those who break the law now seek to prosecute the judges who uphold it.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

https://www.rawstory.com/grave-mora...ing-to-impeach-judges-over-anti-doge-rulings/

Pure fascism. Those who break the law now seek to prosecute the judges who uphold it.

This is the product of our Gerrymandered Congressional Districts! This Rep. Andy Ogles is acting as if he represent the will of the majority of American voters when, in fact, he does not because the Congressional majority represents a minority of voters.

The President is attempting to govern as if the majority of voters support his actions when, in fact, 51% of the voters rejected his campaign. Perhaps he needs to recognize that fact and adjust his approach to governing this country.

 

[MT15]

https://www.rawstory.com/grave-mora...ing-to-impeach-judges-over-anti-doge-rulings/

Pure fascism. Those who break the law now seek to prosecute the judges who uphold it.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Since congressional House Republicans have failed to make a call, the call is coming from inside the DOGE!

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.”

“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”

The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump’s administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them.

Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE

Twenty-one civil service employees have resigned from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they're refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.”

apnews.com

 

[bird]

Sure. I support impeaching 6 of the 9 SCOTUS justices.

 

[superchuck500]

Another one

 

[brandon]

Another one

Constitutional crisis right on schedule.

 

[MT15]

So, if you want to do research in the health field, you cannot even have the words “female” or “females” or “women” appear in your grant proposal. So they are saying explicitly that women are expendable and not worth anything, right? No more research on how drugs or diseases affect women.

And you know what word is not excluded? Male.

Excluded: female, trauma, and victim. Along with a bunch of other words that will just erase people of color as well.

 

[fooferdoggie]

So, if you want to do research in the health field, you cannot even have the words “female” or “females” or “women” appear in your grant proposal. So they are saying explicitly that women are expendable and not worth anything, right? No more research on how drugs or diseases affect women.

And you know what word is not excluded? Male.

Excluded: female, trauma, and victim. Along with a bunch of other words that will just erase people of color as well.

this is so past the its into just crazy area. its so stupid its hard to believe it.

 

[coldseat]

So, if you want to do research in the health field, you cannot even have the words “female” or “females” or “women” appear in your grant proposal. So they are saying explicitly that women are expendable and not worth anything, right? No more research on how drugs or diseases affect women.

And you know what word is not excluded? Male.

Excluded: female, trauma, and victim. Along with a bunch of other words that will just erase people of color as well.

Don't worry. They are prohibiting trans-woman from participating in sports. That's the most important type of protection women need and the only kind they will receive.

Everything else, especially when it comes to sexual health and pregnancy, is on women. The women of the US can expect the men in this administration to care about that insignificant stuff. After all, Republican voting women agree.

 

[bird]

So, if you want to do research in the health field, you cannot even have the words “female” or “females” or “women” appear in your grant proposal. So they are saying explicitly that women are expendable and not worth anything, right? No more research on how drugs or diseases affect women.

And you know what word is not excluded? Male.

Excluded: female, trauma, and victim. Along with a bunch of other words that will just erase people of color as well.

What the absolute fork is wrong with this country?

 

[MT15]

What the absolute fork is wrong with this country?

We’re being inundated with the Musk/Trump version of “free speech”. Just like everything else these two do, what they say is the opposite of what they mean.