Schumer Asks for Documents That Prove a Claim on DOGE's Website
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has posted an online 'the Wall of Receipts,' to provide the proof behind its claims to have cut billions from the federal budget.
But one of the most important receipts is missing.
The group says that it saved $318,310,328 by canceling a 'request for proposal' that the Office of Personnel Management put out last year, seeking bids for a potential contract. But it has not provided the request itself.
Neither have the White House or the Office of Personnel Management, despite requests from The New York Times.
On Tuesday, the Senate's top Democrat sent a letter to Charles Ezell, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, requesting that the agency release that document — and proof that it had been canceled.
'By failing to provide clear documentation and denying access to records surrounding this solicitation, O.P.M. has made it impossible to determine whether the cancellation of this proposal resulted in the savings DOGE has claimed,' the senator, Chuck Schumer of New York, wrote in his letter. 'The public is left in the dark as to whether these savings are based on real, verifiable data.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
Cuomo flip-flops on flip-flop, supports NYC congestion pricing — after telling The Post he wanted it paused
Mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo brazenly flipped his flip-flop on congestion pricing – after last year penning a Post op-ed walking back his past support for the scheme. When Cuomo was asked by The New York Times in an interview Tuesday whether he supports congestion pricing now that it shows signs of success, the former governor gave a blunt response: 'Yes.' The supportive stance contrasted with Cuomo's op-ed urging leaders pump the brakes on the controversial plan – which he championed and approved as governor. He had said at the time that imposing the toll on vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street would drive people into an increasingly violent subway system. 3 The op-ed suggested an analysis on the effect of a $15 toll on the city's post-pandemic recovery. 'The people of New York know this is not the time to implement congestion pricing, but where are their local leaders passing resolutions condemning the policy?' he said then. But felony assaults in the subways are 19% percent higher so far this year compared to the same point in 2024, months after Cuomo penned his opinion piece, NYPD data shows. Overall crime in the transit system is down 4.5% over the same span, according to the data. Cuomo insisted during the Times interview that his opinion on congestion pricing has never wavered. 'All I said was, let's study this before we do it in this moment, to make sure people aren't going to say, 'you know what, another reason for me to stay home,'' he said. But Cuomo's apparent flip-flop-flip quickly drew outrage from Cuomo's opponents, political insiders and even supporters of congestion pricing. 3 'He'll say anything and everything to get elected,' Mayor Eric Adams said of Cuomo's congestion pricing about-face. 'He really believes that people don't know his history.' Cuomo had muscled congestion pricing through the state Legislature in 2019, arguing at the time that only 'very rich people' can afford the 'luxury' to drive into Manhattan. After Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal, he returned from the political wilderness in part by calling to pause congestion pricing. He argued that New Yorkers financially hit by the COVID-19 pandemic couldn't be expected to pay another charge, as well as be shunted into dangerous subways. Curtis Sliwa, the presumptive Republican nominee for mayor, however, saw Cuomo's latest about-face on congestion pricing as yet another craven political calculation. 'Andrew Cuomo isn't interested in governing, he's already scheming for the national stage,' he said. 'He's the king of flip flops, who stands for nothing, puts himself above everyone, and says whatever he thinks will help him get ahead.' Democratic operative Ken Frydman said Cuomo won't be the last politician to change his tune on congestion pricing. 'But now that he's running for mayor of New York City instead of governor of New York State, he's clearly appealing for votes from motorists in the five boroughs,' he said. Another Democratic operative was less charitable. 3 'Andrew Cuomo has no core principles, he'll say whatever it takes to claw his way back into power,' the operative said. 'He's exactly why so many people have lost faith in politics: a flip-flopping wannabe king who ran to the Hamptons when things got tough.' Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the pro-congestion pricing NYC Riders Alliance, argued Cuomo has a poor record as governor for mass transit. 'We need a mayor we can trust, not one who lies and falsifies history when it's convenient for him,' Pearlstein said. Cuomo told reporters just after he kicked off his campaign in March that 'preliminary data' pointed to the early success of congestion pricing goals, but added he didn't believe 'all data was in yet.' His campaign officials maintained the ex-gov's stance hasn't changed. 'Governor Cuomo passed congestion pricing in 2019 and nearly two years ago – after being held up for years in Washington – asked the reasonable question about whether we were in the right place economically in our post-pandemic recovery and whether or not drivers had enough confidence in the subways to ditch their cars, or were they just going to work remotely,' his spokeswoman Esther Jensen said. 'These were logical questions that many people were asking. As the governor said yesterday – the indicators are that the program is working.'
Business Journals
28 minutes ago
- Business Journals
Stadium funding, disaster aid set to be debated by divided Missouri Senate
Story Highlights Missouri Senate debates bills for stadium funding and disaster relief. Proposed stadium bill would divert $1.5 billion over 30 years. Disaster relief funding criticized as insufficient for affected areas. The first two days of the special legislative session called by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe to allocate state money for Kansas City sports stadiums, disaster recovery and unfinished spending bills have gone as well as could be expected. The Missouri Senate is poised for Wednesday debates on all the legislation Kehoe wants passed. And that's when the legislation will move from friendly committees to a chamber compromised by clear Republican factional lines and simmering Democratic anger. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Some of the potential problems could be solved by which bills go first. The simplest bill would alter the rules governing the Missouri Housing Trust Fund so it could use $25 million included in an appropriations bill to fund home repairs and other assistance in areas hit by natural disasters this year. The biggest gripes about that plan is that the money is too little and spread too thin — federal disaster declarations have been sought for 37 counties so far this year — to do a lot of good. The biggest disaster of the year, and one that has yet to receive a presidential directive allowing federal aid, is a May 16 tornado that carved a 22-mile path across the St. Louis region, damaging or destroying 16,000 structures including hundreds of old brick homes in North St. Louis. People are sleeping in cars to protect their damaged property while they work to rebuild and wait for help, said state Sen. Brian Wililams, a University City Democrat. 'I'm having a severe challenge with even entertaining this, because I don't know how anyone would be able to go back home and look at their neighbors,' Williams said. The bill with the biggest obstacles would use tax money collected from the economic activity at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to finance renovated or new stadiums. The bill is estimated to divert almost $1.5 billion from state revenues over 30 years. State Sen. Kurtis Gregory, a Marshall Republican and a former NFL player, is sponsoring the bill. The damage it will do to Missouri's national image to lose one or both teams, especially the Chiefs, is as important as the transfer of the economic value to Kansas, Gregory said during a hearing of the Senate Fiscal Review Committee. Kansas is offering to pay 70% of the cost for new stadiums, an offer that is 'very viable,' Gregory said, and must be answered by the end of the month. 'I firmly believe these are Missouri's teams, and if Missouri doesn't have an offer on the table for the teams to even consider, that will speak for itself and how we view then what they bring to our state and our economy,' Gregory said. Lobbyists for the teams would not commit to staying in Missouri if the legislation is passed. That, said state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, is hard to take for residents of eastern Missouri who remember that Chiefs owner Clark Hunt supported moving the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles. 'There was a real begrudgement about whether we were going to root for the Chiefs after the ownership team voted to remove the Rams from this from our side of the state,' said Coleman, a Republican from Arnold. Along with the stadium financing, Gregory's bill includes expanded tax credits for major amateur sporting events and a tax credit of up $5,000 for insurance deductibles paid as a result of disaster damage. The bill where Kehoe's plan could make its biggest political gains is the spending bill. It is mirrored on a construction spending package that the Missouri House refused to consider for a final vote during the regular session. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved two versions Tuesday. One, based on Kehoe's requests, has all the non-general revenue items but only $50 million of the more than $300 million in general revenue spending. Kehoe said he left out the general revenue items because he is concerned about the trend of little growth in state revenues. He cut in half a line item to support a new research reactor at the University of Missouri, leaving $25 million and using the other half for the disaster relief funding. Some lawmakers have called the cut a broken promise to the university. University President Mun Choi, who attended the hearing on the spending bill, said he is happy with the $25 million and the remaining funds will be welcome next year as the multi-year project progresses. 'I am not upset at all,' Choi said. 'I am grateful that the governor and the legislature are considering supporting this very important project here today. There are many other competing interests, especially with the disaster relief in St. Louis, and I really feel for the St. Louisians that are affected.' The other version of the bill is exactly the same as the bill the House spiked. It includes more than 60 projects added by lawmakers, with money to rebuild a sheltered workshop that burned in December and provided needed upgrades at eight hospitals around the state. While many members worried about disaster recovery or the earmarked projects have said they are ready to consider the stadium legislation after those bills are finished, the members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus who have signaled they oppose stadium funding are against it as a government subsidy to wealthy owners. During testimony against the bill, Patrick Tuohey, a senior fellow at the Show Me Institute, summed up why conservatives oppose the bill. 'What's happening here is that the teams want to use Kansas, and want to use fear of losing the teams, to vacuum up as much state subsidies as they can,' said Touhey, who wrote an op-ed about the issue published by The Independent earlier this week. 'And then they are going to come to Jackson County and Clay County and do exactly the same thing, pit them against each other, and try to vacuum up as much public subsidies from taxpayers as possible,' This report originally appeared on Missouri Independent and is republished here under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Influencer Candice Miller Returns to Instagram Nearly 1 Year After Husband's Death Amid $33M Debt
Candice Miller returned to social media with a poignant message nearly one year after the death of her husband, Brandon Miller. 'In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer,' Candice wrote via Instagram. 'And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger – something better, pushing right back.' Alongside the message, the Mama & Tata influencer shared a photo of the sun peaking through cloudy skies over a body of water. News broke in July 2024 that Brandon died. His death was later ruled to be a suicide. (Candice and Brandon tied the knot in 2009 and later welcomed two daughters.) Socialite Candice Miller Rebuilding Her Life in Miami 6 Months After Husband Brandon's Death: Report After his death, a spokesperson for the family said in a statement to The New York Times, 'Candice is devastated by the loss of her soul mate, and her two young daughters' lives are forever impacted by the loss of their beloved daddy.' Months later, court documents obtained by The New York Times revealed that Brandon was $33.6 million in debt at the time of his death. Candice claimed that her husband died without a will, leaving her in debt and only $8,000 in her bank account. Candice, who initially deactivated her social media after Brandon's death, claimed in the docs that he owed more than $20 million in unsecured loans from UBS Bank, BMO Bank and American Express. Hamptons Socialite Candice Miller Reportedly in $33.6 Million Debt After Husband's Death In January, Page Six reported that Candice began auctioning off her husband's belongings. Multiple items were listed on the website Auction Ninja, featuring an 'exclusive curated online auction' sale at the Mecox Bay Water Mill Estate, per the outlet. 'The auction features a carefully selected collection of fine art, furniture, decor, and bespoke pieces that were part of the home's decor, providing an exclusive chance to own a piece of this stunning, meticulously crafted living space,' a description of the auction items read. 'For collectors and design enthusiasts, this is an unmissable opportunity to acquire rare, beautifully curated items with the unique touch of a celebrated designer.' Page Six also reported in January that Candice was moving forward after Brandon's death by attending parties, various events and dinners after relocating to Miami Beach, Florida. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at
