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

[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

 

[fooferdoggie]

I’m pretty sure Trump has said explicitly that if you oppose him you’ll be primaried which would be funded by Musk

yet if they don't say anything they are totally useless and should be voted out. so do something go down in flames or dont do anything and go out as a coward. hard choices.

 

[Optimus Prime]

The United States has refused a request by Mexicofor water, alleging shortfalls in sharing by its southern neighbor, as Donald Trump ramps up a battle on another front.

The state department said on Thursday it was the first time that the United States had rejected a request by Mexico for special delivery of water, which would have gone to the border city of Tijuana.

“Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture – particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley,” the state department’s bureau handling Latin America said in a post on X.

The 1944 treaty, which governs water allocation from the Rio Grande and Colorado River, has come under growing strain in recent years due to the pressures of the climate crisis and the burgeoning populations and agriculture in parched areas.……

US rejects Mexico’s request for water as Trump opens new battle front

State department turns down special request to supply city of Tijuana in drought-affected north for first time ever

www.theguardian.com

 

[longtime lurker]

Trump rescinds executive order after law firm agrees to provide $40m in free services

US president reverses threat to suspend security clearances and cancel federal contracts after meeting with chair of Paul, Weiss

www.theguardian.com

 

[longtime lurker]

Other options House GOP hard-liners have been discussing include cutting off funding for the federal district court in Washington and other lower courts, and even breaking up the existing system of district and circuit courts. That’s a fight likely to come to a head in the upcoming funding talks for fiscal 2026, according to three Republicans familiar with the conversations…

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/21/congress-judges-gop-impeachments-injunctions-026855

 

[longtime lurker]

Trump administration guts homeland security department’s civil rights office, according to report – live

Almost all employees told they are being fired, media reports say, in move that further limits transparency on immigration crackdown

www.theguardian.com

 

[longtime lurker]

Trump Loses Second Bid to Pause Fired Worker Reinstatements (1)

The Trump administration failed to convince another federal appeals court to immediately suspend the rehiring of thousands of terminated federal workers, this time at 18 agencies.

news.bloomberglaw.com

 

[brandon]

Trump rescinds executive order after law firm agrees to provide $40m in free services

US president reverses threat to suspend security clearances and cancel federal contracts after meeting with chair of Paul, Weiss

www.theguardian.com

So we’re at the “openly doing mob-boss extortion” phase of oligarchy.

Ahead of schedule.

 

[MT15]

So we’re at the “openly doing mob-boss extortion” phase of oligarchy.

Ahead of schedule.

To be fair, we’ve been there since he tried to extort Ukraine during his first term.

 

[longtime lurker]

How frightening….

Trump says he didn’t sign proclamation invoking Alien Enemies Act

By Jeff Zeleny and Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed his involvement in invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants, saying for the first time that he hadn’t signed the proclamation, even as he stood by his administration’s move. “I don’t...

abc17news.com

 

[cuddlemonkey]

How frightening….

Trump says he didn’t sign proclamation invoking Alien Enemies Act

By Jeff Zeleny and Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed his involvement in invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants, saying for the first time that he hadn’t signed the proclamation, even as he stood by his administration’s move. “I don’t...

abc17news.com

Autopen! Impeach him now!

...or something like that.

 

[MT15]

 

[zztop]

I just came here to post about Maine ^
Trump demands Maine governor apologize — or the state will face consequences
President Donald Trump is demanding a “full throated apology” from Maine Gov. Janet Mills in his spat with the state over transgender athletes, implying his administration will continue to target the state unless he gets one.

The Democratic governor got into an argument with the president during a governors’ meeting at the White House in February, telling the president “we’ll see you in court” when he threatened to pull federal funding from the state if it failed to comply with his order to ban trans athletes from playing in women’s and girls sports.

His administration subsequently opened overlapping investigations into Maine, including probes launched by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Agriculture.

 

[MT15]

I just came here to post about Maine ^
Trump demands Maine governor apologize — or the state will face consequences
President Donald Trump is demanding a “full throated apology” from Maine Gov. Janet Mills in his spat with the state over transgender athletes, implying his administration will continue to target the state unless he gets one.

The Democratic governor got into an argument with the president during a governors’ meeting at the White House in February, telling the president “we’ll see you in court” when he threatened to pull federal funding from the state if it failed to comply with his order to ban trans athletes from playing in women’s and girls sports.

His administration subsequently opened overlapping investigations into Maine, including probes launched by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Agriculture.

Clearly impeachable IMO.

 

[DaveXA]

Clearly impeachable IMO.

It'll never happen though.

 

[bird]

It'll never happen though.

No, it won’t.

The United States has been destroyed without a shot being fired.

In one of Heinlein’s novels a character says that the main character’s country, the U.S., should last a long time unless it is destroyed from within.

It has been.

 

[superchuck500]

 

[samiam5211]

Elon Musks pulse needs to stop.

 

[superchuck500]