'The plan is to scuttle the agency': Democrats demand answers from Musk on Social Security cuts
New changes to Social Security being implemented at the end of March are seen as a way of degrading services and dismantling the agency without technically implementing "cuts" in payments. Rep. John Larson talks with Rachel Maddow about the upset he hears from constituents over concerns about Donald Trump's threat to Social Security, and demands Democrats in Congress have made to hear directly from Trump officials, including Elon Musk, on proof of the "waste, fraud and abuse" that is supposedly
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson: Two Republican profiles in courage
The passage of the budget reconciliation bill by the House of Representatives in the early hours of May 22 demonstrated once again President Trump's ability to win the votes of Republican members of Congress. But there were two noteworthy exceptions. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) were the only Republicans to resist Trump's pressure and vote against his so-called 'big, beautiful bill.' Both men deserve the country's gratitude, even from those on the political left who would struggle to find much in common with these far-right conservatives. Both men are comfortable with Trump's MAGA-world and both have voting records that put them at odds with Democrats. But in voting to oppose the tax bill, they demonstrated that their convictions are real and lived up to the ideal of an independent legislative branch capable of acting without a president's direction. Alongside a Republican party unwilling to balance the power of the presidency, Democrats have demonstrated an equally unproductive tendency to place loyalty to a party leader above their constituents and the country. The aggressive efforts to downplay, dismiss and cover up former President Joe Biden's declining faculties in 2024 offers a prime example of this type of misplaced loyalty. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) went so far as to explain his support for Biden after the June 2024 presidential debate by saying simply, 'I don't do disloyalty.' This sentiment was indicative of a Democratic Party wholly unwilling to call out the obvious — whose leaders and members chose instead to misinform the American people. With their votes in favor of Trump's tax bill, too many Republican members of Congress have done something similar. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) took a middle path, voting 'present' rather than for or against the bill. But the effect of that meek decision pales in comparison to the clarity offered by Massie and Davidson. Both opposed the bill because they know it massively increases the size of the federal government's annual deficit and relies on future members of Congress to address a problem that needs to be resolved now. Their unwillingness to kick the can further down the road is in keeping with the character it takes to stand up to a president who is willing to threaten the political future of Republicans who oppose his will. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was courageous enough to admit publicly what most Republicans understand in private: 'We are all afraid.' Republican politicians are intimidated by Trump and his allies. Murkowski has consistently demonstrated uncommon fortitude by her principled opposition to Trump when she disagrees with him or believes his policies will harm her constituents. Massie and Davidson have earned their place as the most principled Republicans in the House by sticking with their beliefs when faced with political consequences. They exemplify the idea that it is better to lose with your principles intact than to win after sacrificing them to political pressure and conformity. In recent decades, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have abdicated their proper constitutional role in favor of powerful chief executives from their respective parties. At the same time, the judiciary has replaced Congress as the primary check on presidential power — a development that perhaps encourages courts to overstep their intended role. The rebalancing of power in the federal government will start only when members of Congress are willing to assert their independence. A more confident legislative branch would take pressure off the courts and allow them to return to a less activist role. Neither Massie nor Davidson is likely to earn plaudits from Democrats, who have demonstrated their own willingness to put party loyalty over country and are quick to dismiss the value of political independence. They showed this by their shoddy treatment of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) after he challenged Biden for the nomination in 2024, and by their growing criticism of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) for deviating slightly from the ideology of the far left. Democrats have done and are doing exactly what they now accuse Republicans of doing by mindlessly supporting the president's tax bill. Massie and Davidson showed us something better. We might make real progress if more of their colleagues were willing to follow. Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a registered Democrat and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Walz, Hochul, Pritzker to criticize immigration enforcement in House hearing
WASHINGTON – Three Democratic governors are expected to tell Congress in a June 12 hearing that they coordinate with federal immigration authorities to deport convicted criminals but can't afford to shoulder the burden of tracking down and detaining undocumented immigrants. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee the state transferred more than 1,300 convicts to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since she took office in August 2021. 'But we have to draw a line somewhere,' Hochul said. 'New York cannot deputize our state officers to enforce civil immigration violations, such as overstaying a visa.' The hearing focuses on so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions where state and local officials restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to list the jurisdictions and potentially cut off federal funding to them. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, one of the witnesses, said his state hasn't approved sanctuary legislation but that it respects cities and counties that have. The hearing comes at a flashpoint in Los Angeles over federal immigration enforcement. Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids burned cars, threw rocks and shot fireworks at authorities. But Trump contends he has an electoral mandate for strong border security and mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have exchanged barbs about the protests and the president's deployment of the National Guard to protect federal buildings and agents. Trump called Newsom 'grossly incompetent.' Newsom, a Democrat, called the deployment the 'acts of a dictator.' The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., scheduled the hearing to highlight 'reckless' governors opposing Trump's tougher enforcement. 'The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement,' Comer said in a statement. 'The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable.' The three governors said Congress needs to approve a comprehensive immigration overhaul to avoid tearing apart families of immigrants in search of a better life. Hochul, whose grandparents fled to the U.S. to avoid starvation in Ireland, said most immigrants want to work. Since spring 2022, more than 220,000 immigrants have arrived in New York City, often fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries, she said. But Hochul cited a March 27 case when ICE agents stormed a home in Sackets Harbor, in upstate New York, and arrested a mother and three children while the father was working at a dairy farm. 'They were so-called collateral arrests, suddenly and unjustly cast into a living hell,' Hochul said, before the family was returned after nearly two weeks. 'This is not the America we want to be. We can maintain public safety without tearing children away from their parents.' Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said governors along the southern border have sent more than 50,000 immigrants since August 2022 to be used as 'pawns' in a 'dehumanizing attempt to leverage the crisis for political gain.' Chicago, Cook County and other jurisdictions organized housing through 25 immigrant-focused shelters and helped immigrants find jobs under federal work-authorization programs, Pritzker said. 'At a time when other politicians attempted to distort the truth and disrupt our state, we stayed true to the virtues of the Land of Lincoln,' Pritzker said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said his state helps ICE with criminal cases but that some cities and counties choose not to dedicate time, resources or personnel to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security. Walz, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, blasted the Trump administration's 'cruel and misguided immigration policies.' Minnesotans are 'angry that the federal government has been snatching people up' and detaining them 'without a shred of due process,' he added. Many of the immigrants who have been detained are law-abiding Americans who have or were promised legal status, Walz said. 'It is ridiculous to suggest that Minnesota – a state that is over 1,500 miles away from the southern border and, and 1,000 miles from lawmakers in Washington, D.C. who decide and implement border policy – is somehow responsible for a failure of immigration enforcement,' Walz said. 'Enforcing federal immigration law is not the role of state or local law enforcement.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic governors spar with House GOP over immigration enforcement
The Hill
19 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump launches web site for ‘gold card'
The Trump administration on Thursday launched a website for those interested in a $5 million investor visa for the U.S. to sign up for early access to a newly created 'gold card.' 'Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the world,' President Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social. Trump in February pitched the gold card as a replacement of the EB5 visa program, upping the amount investors would need to spend and promising a path to citizenship. 'This is a gold card. We're going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that's going to give you green card privileges, plus it's going to be a route to citizenship. And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card,' Trump said at the time, adding that those who received the card will be 'paying a lot of taxes.' Gone, however, on the site launched by the administration are any references to the gold card, with the page instead saying, 'The Trump card is coming.' Those interested can enter an email to be notified 'the moment access opens.' As displayed on a mockup of the card, the president is positioned near a bald eagle with the Statue of Liberty in the background. It also includes his signature. The design, modeled after a U.S. dollar bill by displaying the $5 million price tag, draws parallels to cryptocurrency ventures pursued by Trump. The current EB5 program requires would-be investors to invest a little over $1 million and create at least 10 jobs and it also puts investors on a pathway to a green card and later citizenship. Trump has said he plans to end the EB5 program, but it was reauthorized by Congress in 2022.
