A power hungry man who thrives on chaos and theatrics. Hoping and praying the Republicans in congress grow a backbone and put a stop to these shenanigans. We're only a week into his term. Lord have mercy on us all.
This hurts so many people. Cancer research is so important. I lost two brothers to rare forms of cancer that may be curable in the future with all the trials that have been funded by the government. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma last year and 5 years ago he would have only had months to live because the cancer was spreading so rapidly but because of immunotherapy drugs which had been developed through research trials he is cancer free today. All of this funding impacts many, many people in so many ways. Cancer research is just one of so many things wrong with what he’s doing.
Yeah, this was one where I was like “WHY IS HE DOING THIS?!?” It’s not a revenge thing. Or a “you’re poor and you’re an immigrant so I hate you” thing. It’s just EFFED UP. I literally finished radiation for breast cancer yesterday — my case was very simple and straightforward so the research needed to treat ME was done decades ago… but I obviously feel for all my fellow patients who are suddenly halted midstream in clinical trials, etc. My partner also works in medical research — so far he’s unaffected, but I’m sure it’s coming! Proj 2025 wants us as sick and dumb and poor as possible and we need the people we elected to grow spines and stand up to the tyrant!
I work in medical research and specifically NIH funded cancer clinical trials. All of this is so disheartening. We just had a meeting today and now one knows what to do. We fear that all our trials will be put on hold and trials stopped for patients. Sad day for this country.
I feel that this requires longterm thinking. Pres Trump is pushing the bounds of the powers of the presidency in this case and in others. Whether or not you believe Pres Trump has honorable intentions, one day there will likely be a president who would use the additional powers to further dismantle the checks and balances that our country was founded on. I strongly believe in checks and balances. I also believe that Congress has done a disservice to our nation with its infighting, lack of willingness to compromise, and complacency. Many are frustrated. They want the government to begin working for them. Because of this they are willing to allow the president to accumulate more power, but we need to be cautious. Democracy is fragile. Checks and balances safeguard democracy. I believe that we the people also have a responsibility to our beautiful Constitution. We the people have a responsibility to make our voices heard and call for checks and balances to be upheld while holding Congressional leaders to account. We need to think longterm. I hope that when this and other similar situations come to Supreme Court, that they think longterm as well and uphold the safeguards that protect our democracy.
Actually I agree with you. When I said “one day,” it was for those who don’t see Pres Trump’s action as dangerous. I have some friends who voted for Pres Trump who don’t view him the same way as I do, so it helps them to think in terms of “one day” if they were as alarmed at a president’s intentions as I am Pres Trumps. Would they want that president to have the same powers that Trump is attempting to usurp now.
The day is here. The calm kind of discussion you are talking about does not address the sheer chaos and fear he has unleashed amongst us. We are all intensely affected by this as these services are integral to our communities even if you don’t use them yourself. This kind of negotiation should occur without destroying people’s lives first.
I wish more politicians in general, but Republicans more specifically, would use some longer term thinking. Many of the things they do are to help themselves in the here and now, but what if, at some point, Democrats get control of everything. Are they then going to be happy they expanded the Presidential powers? It would be unreasonable to think that your party could maintain power always, unless you were actually in favor of getting rid of democracy.
Also, I find this exercise to be helpful... whatever your party/politician says or does, just then imagine someone from the opposite party saying it or doing it. Does that make it less palatable? Then you probably shouldn't support your party doing it. A simple thought exercise that could prevent so much of the (on both sides) weird obsession with defending whatever your party does.
I understand that there is, and has long been, a great deal of wasteful spending in our government; however, this one seems to have attacked our most vulnerable citizens, when raising the income tax rate on billionaires (which is currently only 8%!) would generate trillions of dollars in income for the government to both pay down debt and increase services to citizens. I don’t think that we can excuse this, because it is unquestionably corrupt.
Exactly! It’s glaring that the cuts are for people in need. I don’t see any cuts to corporate subsidies. What a cruel and heartless country we have become.
Actually, if you think about it, there is no way in H that Nixon would've resigned in this day and age. Maybe he would have been impeached if there were enough sane Congresspeople in the House but I'm pretty sure that no Republican would have voted to convict. Look what's in the Oval now, convicted felon, inveterate liar, sexual abuser, insurrection instigator, money-grubbing Emoluments Clause eviscerator, etc., who didn't even get a majority of the votes and Republicans across the board are on bended knee. Poor Nixon, thinking back then that he was caught doing something awful, so far outside the bounds of propriety for a U.S. President, that he had to resign. Such a quaint, antiquated mindset.
It is possible Nixon would not have resigned. He was a stubborn B. All of the R’s around him urged him to resign for the good of the party.
Everything you say about T is true. The difference is the R’s around him. So, it’s not a fair comparison. And I would never say, “poor” Nixon. He led us to this day.
I may have fallen a bit short but my reference to "poor Nixon" was meant to be facetious. And you are exactly right, the biggest difference is the R's around T today.
I don't understand how congress and the courts are letting this happen (and so quickly) - regardless of political party. Isn't the entire foundation of our government based on checks and balances?
I honesty think Trump has his followers so controlled that whether or not they agree with him, they are too afraid to speak up which is so wrong. We’ll have to vote them out!
Trump trying to expand the president’s power is troubling on its own. But add that to his view that people are criminals if they aren’t politically loyal to him (and innocent no matter what they have done if they *are* loyal to him) and it’s really scary.
Thank you Trump voters and those who wasted their votes on third party candidates, including all of the Preamble subscribers who argued that Project 2025 was never going to happen and was simply a creation of an hysterical media out to hurt poor Mr. Trump.
I have to wonder- is this enough for trump supporters? Do they get it yet? Trump has acted as a domestic terrorist with this act. This money- that we all paid into and advocated for were cut off in a day by a wanna be King. The power he grabbed by itself should be enough- do you want him to just declare he will take your house? Your job? Your daughter? That is the foundation of why our country exists. The fear and harm he caused is terrorism. I volunteer for meals on wheels- the people who need these meals can’t wait months to find out if they have food- all hardworking seniors who can’t make it on social security alone. The very poorly paid staff need to pay their rent. My neighbors who depend on Medicaid for healthcare for their children. Our friend who is fixing our shower- he is in cancer treatment and he was devastated that the trial he needs is cut off. My very young friend who finished active treatment and closely follows trials praying for a vaccine. I am so not surprised by Trump- he is a comic book villain. I just keep wondering “is this enough yet?” to trump supporters.
I don't think so, sadly. Many people who are safe from the effects of these actions believe either that it's not really happening, OR that it's acceptable collateral damage for the greater good. They don't understand that taking a wrecking ball to the entire government is massively damaging.
Unfortunately for some people, the line will never be crossed because of the sunk-cost fallacy: they've invested too much of their identity into Trump, so it would be shattering to admit they've been conned.
Just wait till you see what got sent to Federal workers.... We're in trouble. It's easy to say "he can't do that because Constitution and laws and decorum," but the definition is a constitutional crisis is that those things are ignored. All 3 branches of the government are aligned. At least some of those Federal workers are going to take that buyout. It will take time, if the judiciary is even willing, to ultimately stop the illegal activity. And I'm not even sure SCOTUS will. Ultimately, though, who is literally going to stop him?
Many Federal works are being advised to not take it. The wording is verbatim from a similar offer that Twitter employees got. Basically HR and Supervisors are calling it a scam. Union workers are told to not quit
FYI - What is being reported on the “buyout” is not true. They were “offered” a deferred resignation through an anonymous email, where they were to respond “resign” to the email and they get to get paid at a reduced rate until the end of September and they don’t have to return to the office.
It has not been funded or approved by congress. The email was almost exactly the same email Musk sent to the employees of Twitter.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's legal. But I'm pretty certain that it was authorized and/or ordered by the president. It appears to be a valid email address, and there have been a couple reported test emails in the past week. But I think the whole point is that this administration is going to test what's legal and what's not. And maybe even ignore when it's illegal.
If you need something uplifting today, read this Reddit thread (I know, stay with me) of federal employees expressing their commitment to their oaths of public service in the face of OPM's manipulative attempt to make them resign:
I worry because SCOTUS is firmly in Trump’s web and I fear they will allow Trump dictatorship that he so badly craves. Why anyone would think this a good thing is beyond me
Thank you for continuing to write about what's happening with a historical context Sharon. You and a few other honest voices are who I'm coming to for information to stay connected and sane at the same time.
I don't think most people understand how fragile democracy really is. Yes, we have systems and guardrails in place, but we can't be complacent and think they are permanent, especially when we have one branch that is trying to expand its powers more than the constitution allows. This should be troubling to everyone. If we know nothing else about our founding, is that they did not want to be ruled by a king, one person/branch making and changing the rules. It's appalling and disheartening that Congress is becoming less and less effective in doing its job. I don't believe that we have three co-equal branches. I believe that Congress has more power than the other two, but you would never know that today. The power is supposed to come from the people (Congress), so we need to keep pressing them even when it seems hopeless; to not be distracted from our important work, because I'm afraid it's not going to get better any time soon. The chaos is the point, unfortunately. Chaos makes us distracted and makes us feel like we are powerless.
A power hungry man who thrives on chaos and theatrics. Hoping and praying the Republicans in congress grow a backbone and put a stop to these shenanigans. We're only a week into his term. Lord have mercy on us all.
This hurts so many people. Cancer research is so important. I lost two brothers to rare forms of cancer that may be curable in the future with all the trials that have been funded by the government. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma last year and 5 years ago he would have only had months to live because the cancer was spreading so rapidly but because of immunotherapy drugs which had been developed through research trials he is cancer free today. All of this funding impacts many, many people in so many ways. Cancer research is just one of so many things wrong with what he’s doing.
Yeah, this was one where I was like “WHY IS HE DOING THIS?!?” It’s not a revenge thing. Or a “you’re poor and you’re an immigrant so I hate you” thing. It’s just EFFED UP. I literally finished radiation for breast cancer yesterday — my case was very simple and straightforward so the research needed to treat ME was done decades ago… but I obviously feel for all my fellow patients who are suddenly halted midstream in clinical trials, etc. My partner also works in medical research — so far he’s unaffected, but I’m sure it’s coming! Proj 2025 wants us as sick and dumb and poor as possible and we need the people we elected to grow spines and stand up to the tyrant!
I work in medical research and specifically NIH funded cancer clinical trials. All of this is so disheartening. We just had a meeting today and now one knows what to do. We fear that all our trials will be put on hold and trials stopped for patients. Sad day for this country.
Thank you for your work. There are many hardworking people counting on you.
I am sorry. This is heartbreaking.
I’m sorry, Becky. Thank you for sharing.
Hope and prayers are good. But please also include pressure from constituents.
I have and will continue to do so.
Thank you. And please encourage others, too.
I feel that this requires longterm thinking. Pres Trump is pushing the bounds of the powers of the presidency in this case and in others. Whether or not you believe Pres Trump has honorable intentions, one day there will likely be a president who would use the additional powers to further dismantle the checks and balances that our country was founded on. I strongly believe in checks and balances. I also believe that Congress has done a disservice to our nation with its infighting, lack of willingness to compromise, and complacency. Many are frustrated. They want the government to begin working for them. Because of this they are willing to allow the president to accumulate more power, but we need to be cautious. Democracy is fragile. Checks and balances safeguard democracy. I believe that we the people also have a responsibility to our beautiful Constitution. We the people have a responsibility to make our voices heard and call for checks and balances to be upheld while holding Congressional leaders to account. We need to think longterm. I hope that when this and other similar situations come to Supreme Court, that they think longterm as well and uphold the safeguards that protect our democracy.
One day?!? That day is here.
Actually I agree with you. When I said “one day,” it was for those who don’t see Pres Trump’s action as dangerous. I have some friends who voted for Pres Trump who don’t view him the same way as I do, so it helps them to think in terms of “one day” if they were as alarmed at a president’s intentions as I am Pres Trumps. Would they want that president to have the same powers that Trump is attempting to usurp now.
The day is here. The calm kind of discussion you are talking about does not address the sheer chaos and fear he has unleashed amongst us. We are all intensely affected by this as these services are integral to our communities even if you don’t use them yourself. This kind of negotiation should occur without destroying people’s lives first.
I wish more politicians in general, but Republicans more specifically, would use some longer term thinking. Many of the things they do are to help themselves in the here and now, but what if, at some point, Democrats get control of everything. Are they then going to be happy they expanded the Presidential powers? It would be unreasonable to think that your party could maintain power always, unless you were actually in favor of getting rid of democracy.
Also, I find this exercise to be helpful... whatever your party/politician says or does, just then imagine someone from the opposite party saying it or doing it. Does that make it less palatable? Then you probably shouldn't support your party doing it. A simple thought exercise that could prevent so much of the (on both sides) weird obsession with defending whatever your party does.
Couldn’t agree more.
I understand that there is, and has long been, a great deal of wasteful spending in our government; however, this one seems to have attacked our most vulnerable citizens, when raising the income tax rate on billionaires (which is currently only 8%!) would generate trillions of dollars in income for the government to both pay down debt and increase services to citizens. I don’t think that we can excuse this, because it is unquestionably corrupt.
Exactly! It’s glaring that the cuts are for people in need. I don’t see any cuts to corporate subsidies. What a cruel and heartless country we have become.
“This is within the president’s power to do it and therefore he’s doing it,”
I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this phrase a lot in the next 4 years. The question is, how far will he go and will Congress allow it?
My first response is: The answer may be as far as Speaker Johnson allows.
My second: The answer, my friend, is in Project 2025.
Two things stood out to me.
Can we all just agree being compared to Nixon is always a bad thing?
Every defunded organization has to go hat in hand begging the OMB to restart their funding on a case-by-case basis in the meantime.
Trump makes Nixon look like a Boy Scout.
True. Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment.
Actually, if you think about it, there is no way in H that Nixon would've resigned in this day and age. Maybe he would have been impeached if there were enough sane Congresspeople in the House but I'm pretty sure that no Republican would have voted to convict. Look what's in the Oval now, convicted felon, inveterate liar, sexual abuser, insurrection instigator, money-grubbing Emoluments Clause eviscerator, etc., who didn't even get a majority of the votes and Republicans across the board are on bended knee. Poor Nixon, thinking back then that he was caught doing something awful, so far outside the bounds of propriety for a U.S. President, that he had to resign. Such a quaint, antiquated mindset.
It is possible Nixon would not have resigned. He was a stubborn B. All of the R’s around him urged him to resign for the good of the party.
Everything you say about T is true. The difference is the R’s around him. So, it’s not a fair comparison. And I would never say, “poor” Nixon. He led us to this day.
I may have fallen a bit short but my reference to "poor Nixon" was meant to be facetious. And you are exactly right, the biggest difference is the R's around T today.
I’ve worked under federal grants. I shudder to think of the hour by hour, case-by-case, chaos that this is causing
The heart is a dislike for the chaos. Unfortunately, that may be the point?
Please share your experience with those you know. They need to know how this affects real people.
I don't understand how congress and the courts are letting this happen (and so quickly) - regardless of political party. Isn't the entire foundation of our government based on checks and balances?
You are assuming that the President, Congress, and the Courts want the entire foundation of our government to stand?
I honesty think Trump has his followers so controlled that whether or not they agree with him, they are too afraid to speak up which is so wrong. We’ll have to vote them out!
So far on this one, the Courts are working. It’s been blocked by a federal judge. Stay tuned
Trump trying to expand the president’s power is troubling on its own. But add that to his view that people are criminals if they aren’t politically loyal to him (and innocent no matter what they have done if they *are* loyal to him) and it’s really scary.
I actually don’t have faith in the courts or Congress to hold the president accountable. Which is really sad.
Same, I have no faith that anything escalated to the Supreme Court would ease our concerns.
Thank you Trump voters and those who wasted their votes on third party candidates, including all of the Preamble subscribers who argued that Project 2025 was never going to happen and was simply a creation of an hysterical media out to hurt poor Mr. Trump.
I have to wonder- is this enough for trump supporters? Do they get it yet? Trump has acted as a domestic terrorist with this act. This money- that we all paid into and advocated for were cut off in a day by a wanna be King. The power he grabbed by itself should be enough- do you want him to just declare he will take your house? Your job? Your daughter? That is the foundation of why our country exists. The fear and harm he caused is terrorism. I volunteer for meals on wheels- the people who need these meals can’t wait months to find out if they have food- all hardworking seniors who can’t make it on social security alone. The very poorly paid staff need to pay their rent. My neighbors who depend on Medicaid for healthcare for their children. Our friend who is fixing our shower- he is in cancer treatment and he was devastated that the trial he needs is cut off. My very young friend who finished active treatment and closely follows trials praying for a vaccine. I am so not surprised by Trump- he is a comic book villain. I just keep wondering “is this enough yet?” to trump supporters.
I don't think so, sadly. Many people who are safe from the effects of these actions believe either that it's not really happening, OR that it's acceptable collateral damage for the greater good. They don't understand that taking a wrecking ball to the entire government is massively damaging.
Unfortunately for some people, the line will never be crossed because of the sunk-cost fallacy: they've invested too much of their identity into Trump, so it would be shattering to admit they've been conned.
This administration is clearly disorganized and out of touch. I don’t know what could possibly be the line in the sand at this point.
Just wait till you see what got sent to Federal workers.... We're in trouble. It's easy to say "he can't do that because Constitution and laws and decorum," but the definition is a constitutional crisis is that those things are ignored. All 3 branches of the government are aligned. At least some of those Federal workers are going to take that buyout. It will take time, if the judiciary is even willing, to ultimately stop the illegal activity. And I'm not even sure SCOTUS will. Ultimately, though, who is literally going to stop him?
Many Federal works are being advised to not take it. The wording is verbatim from a similar offer that Twitter employees got. Basically HR and Supervisors are calling it a scam. Union workers are told to not quit
FYI - What is being reported on the “buyout” is not true. They were “offered” a deferred resignation through an anonymous email, where they were to respond “resign” to the email and they get to get paid at a reduced rate until the end of September and they don’t have to return to the office.
It has not been funded or approved by congress. The email was almost exactly the same email Musk sent to the employees of Twitter.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's legal. But I'm pretty certain that it was authorized and/or ordered by the president. It appears to be a valid email address, and there have been a couple reported test emails in the past week. But I think the whole point is that this administration is going to test what's legal and what's not. And maybe even ignore when it's illegal.
If you need something uplifting today, read this Reddit thread (I know, stay with me) of federal employees expressing their commitment to their oaths of public service in the face of OPM's manipulative attempt to make them resign:
https://www.reddit.com/r/fednews/comments/1icj3wc/this_non_buyout_really_seems_to_have_backfired/?share_id=Po2-ydCITo-65j8lUjs95&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1
Thanks for sharing that! Those are patriots!
This thread is amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I worry because SCOTUS is firmly in Trump’s web and I fear they will allow Trump dictatorship that he so badly craves. Why anyone would think this a good thing is beyond me
Thank you for continuing to write about what's happening with a historical context Sharon. You and a few other honest voices are who I'm coming to for information to stay connected and sane at the same time.
I don't think most people understand how fragile democracy really is. Yes, we have systems and guardrails in place, but we can't be complacent and think they are permanent, especially when we have one branch that is trying to expand its powers more than the constitution allows. This should be troubling to everyone. If we know nothing else about our founding, is that they did not want to be ruled by a king, one person/branch making and changing the rules. It's appalling and disheartening that Congress is becoming less and less effective in doing its job. I don't believe that we have three co-equal branches. I believe that Congress has more power than the other two, but you would never know that today. The power is supposed to come from the people (Congress), so we need to keep pressing them even when it seems hopeless; to not be distracted from our important work, because I'm afraid it's not going to get better any time soon. The chaos is the point, unfortunately. Chaos makes us distracted and makes us feel like we are powerless.
Courts have no ability to enforce their decisions. Challenging this in the courts makes no difference to a president who simply ignores them.