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Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)
- Thread starter nycfan
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- Politics
lawtig02
Inconceivable Member
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Pretty much. The forces moving our government right now are Miller/Patel/Vought, who want the country to look like Hungary, and Musk/Andreessen, who want the country to look like Twitter. Either way, it’s mindboggling that any Americans support a doddering old fool who’s willing to listen to either one of those groups, much less give them real power.
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“…
The consequences of Musk’s and the OMB’s actions so far have been wide-ranging. A recent OMB memo ordering a freeze of federal grants and loans set off chaos in Washington, leaving lawmakers in Congress, nonprofits and some federal agencies confused as to the impact of the document. Musk’s allies, meanwhile, have acquired positions within the office that emailed a payout offer to thousands of federal employees.
Vought’s expected ascension back to the top of the OMB will test his relationship with Musk and whether the pair will be able to work together seamlessly or if their similar portfolios and mandates—and differing styles—will lead to dissenting viewpoints and turf battles.
A person close to Vought said he has privately asked allies how DOGE is going to operate from a technical perspective. A senior administration official said Vought and Musk have been building a partnership since just after Trump’s victory in November.
… Vought initially told Senate lawmakers during his confirmation process that he viewed DOGE as an advisory panel set to guide the OMB. But Musk was later given a larger government role, with free rein over technology and software, including at OMB and all other federal agencies.
… Musk has been spotted walking into government agencies, including the Education and Treasury departments, and being offered office space for DOGE within those agencies, according to people close to Musk.
…
Amanda Scales, who worked at Musk’s AI company, has been serving as OPM’s chief of staff, while other officials at the agency include Brian Bjelde, who has served as a vice president for human resources at SpaceX.
Musk has made at least two visits to the OPM’s offices to meet with aides, including on Tuesday, the day the agency sent resignation offers to federal workers. …”
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How big is your font? Put your glasses on!Thank you. Understand but yeah there was one time yesterday where I could only see 3 topics on one screen
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“… Musk has also shown an interest in the General Services Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk wants to see changes at the GSA’s real-estate division and hopes the agency will streamline the way it sells unused government buildings and improve the contract process, according to people briefed on his thinking. One of the people added that DOGE officials have discussed the idea of an internal network to track GSA-related contracts and spending deals better.
… After Trump signed a day-one executive order granting widespread pardons to those convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill, members of Musk’s team went to the D.C. jail to make sure all of the prisoners were released, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Elon Musk knew about this and was the mastermind behind it, in a number of respects,” Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Justice Department, said outside the D.C. jail the night of the executive order.
…Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, publicly credited Vought with the original idea of the memo ordering a pause on funding for federal grant programs. The OMB freeze memo was later rescinded by the agency after a federal judge paused the order’s implementation. Another federal judge on Friday blocked the plan, calling it unconstitutional.
The public finger-pointing by White House officials coincided with a behind-the-scenes scramble regarding the funding-freeze memo. OMB officials drafted the memo, and the final document was released without being shown to some White House advisers, including Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, according to people familiar with the matter. The memo set off a firestorm in Congress and across Washington, with lawmakers claiming that constituents were shut out of Medicaid portals after the document was released.
…Vought has been clear that he doesn’t believe Congress should have full control of the purse when it comes to federal spending, despite a 1974 law that limits the White House’s ability to claw back money appropriated by Congress, leaving him with potentially broad authority if he is confirmed as OMB chief.
In January, he told the Senate Budget Committee that he thinks the 1974 Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional. “The president ran on that view. That’s his view, and I agree with it,” Vought told the committee. …”
… After Trump signed a day-one executive order granting widespread pardons to those convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill, members of Musk’s team went to the D.C. jail to make sure all of the prisoners were released, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Elon Musk knew about this and was the mastermind behind it, in a number of respects,” Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Justice Department, said outside the D.C. jail the night of the executive order.
…Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, publicly credited Vought with the original idea of the memo ordering a pause on funding for federal grant programs. The OMB freeze memo was later rescinded by the agency after a federal judge paused the order’s implementation. Another federal judge on Friday blocked the plan, calling it unconstitutional.
The public finger-pointing by White House officials coincided with a behind-the-scenes scramble regarding the funding-freeze memo. OMB officials drafted the memo, and the final document was released without being shown to some White House advisers, including Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, according to people familiar with the matter. The memo set off a firestorm in Congress and across Washington, with lawmakers claiming that constituents were shut out of Medicaid portals after the document was released.
…Vought has been clear that he doesn’t believe Congress should have full control of the purse when it comes to federal spending, despite a 1974 law that limits the White House’s ability to claw back money appropriated by Congress, leaving him with potentially broad authority if he is confirmed as OMB chief.
In January, he told the Senate Budget Committee that he thinks the 1974 Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional. “The president ran on that view. That’s his view, and I agree with it,” Vought told the committee. …”
p5mmr9
Distinguished Member
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- 339
There will be exceptions. This is how he will leverage his political power for his own political (and likely financial) benefit.
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He need them in November, now they can understand that Latin America and Latinos in the US that voted are not really important to him.
lawtig02
Inconceivable Member
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No, but it’s reminiscent of other notable political speeches of old.
“And I would like to close with the declaration that I once made when I began the struggle for power in the Reich. I then said: ‘If our will is so strong that no hardship and suffering can subdue it, then our will and our German might shall prevail.’”
A. Hitler, 9/1/1939, right before invading the Sudetenland
heelinhell
Iconic Member
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"China and Russia have increased their footholds in the region over the past decade, financing major infrastructure projects including deep water ports, and providing more security partnerships for authoritarian states such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela."
makings of a Caribbean Treaty Organization ( CTO ) ?
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FLASHBACK:
“… “We have to reduce spending to live within our means. And that necessarily involves some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity,” Musk stated in the call, fully endorsing the strain Trump’s policies would place on Americans.
Musk’s words make it clear that the disruption is not an unintended side effect but an accepted—if not desired—outcome.
The billionaire went further by responding to an X (formerly Twitter) user who anticipated a market downturn if Trump’s aggressive policies, including mass deportations and extreme deficit cuts, were enacted. The user predicted that with Trump and Musk in charge, the U.S. economy—dependent on debt and vulnerable to asset bubbles—would face a severe reaction before stabilizing under the intended austerity. Musk’s response was a simple acknowledgment: “Sounds about right.” …”
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We will see if Americans are willing to suffer (for how long? a few years(?)) and embrace austerity to live within the country’s means in an age of extraordinary wealth disparity that means most Americans will experience billionaire deployed austerity quite differently from the billionaires themselves.
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Unfortunately many of the raw materials needed are not available in the quantities needed, part of why African relationships and trade are very important.