Latest news with #Biden-legacy
Atlantic
01-08-2025
- Business
- Atlantic
Trump Gets Rid of Those Pesky Statistics
For decades, Donald Trump has been at war with numbers. Some capitulated more swiftly than others. His weight, his golf scores, and his net worth have long fallen in line. As I understand it, a Trump doctor appointment consists of going to a medical professional and announcing how much you would like to weigh and what your resting heart rate ought to be, and the wise doctor's patriotic, good equipment cooperates to measure you correctly. (I have tried this myself without success. My scale is not a true patriot.) Mean, wicked scales that display unflattering numbers, and foolish, incompetent golf balls that do not traverse the correct distance are promptly discarded and replaced with their more loyal counterparts. This is how value works! As Trump testified once in court, 'My net worth fluctuates, and it goes up and down with the markets and with attitudes and with feelings, even my own feelings … Yes, even my own feelings, as to where the world is, where the world is going, and that can change rapidly from day to day.' Some data, such as the number of votes he received at the polls in 2020, initially refused to budge. But with a little bit of threatening from some extra-patriotic patriots, the election turned out to have been a Trump blowout. Just ask any elected Republican; he'll tell you! Now these politicians are working on gerrymandering the country so that it will understand that Republicans are in the majority everywhere—which poll results would already be saying if they were more patriotic. And now at last Donald Trump has fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Once these disloyal statisticians are out of the way, the data will finally start to cooperate. The ONLY possible reason the economy could be doing anything other than booming is Biden-legacy manipulation. The economy is not frightened and exhausted by a man who pursues his tariffs with the wild-eyed avidity of Captain Ahab and seems genuinely unable to grasp the meaning of a trade deficit. No, the numbers are simply not patriotic enough. We must make an example of them! When they are frightened enough, I am sure they will show growth. Fumbling around in a fog of vibes and misinformation and things you saw on Fox News is good enough for the president; why should the rest of us ask for anything better? Soon no one will know what is happening—what the problem is, or what remedies to apply. What sectors are booming and which are contracting; whether interest rates should be higher or lower; whether it's hotter or colder than last year; whether mortality has gone up or gone down. It will be vibes all the way down. Soon we will all be bumping helplessly around in the dark. That's a good thing. We can all breathe easier and know that the economy is doing just what the president wants it to do. Try feeling like eggs are cheaper! Try feeling like you have a job. Try feeling like you can buy the amount of goods and services with your dollar that you desire. Close your eyes and try a little harder. Then you'll feel the prosperity. Trickling down, so warmly, from Trump on high. And the invisible hand, lifting you up.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans Advance Massive Defense Budget Boost as Pentagon Eyes 'Offsets'
A debate is brewing in Congress over the future of the defense budget as Republicans look to add up to $150 billion more to the existing $850 billion budget at the same time the Pentagon is reportedly weighing a massive cut. In twin developments this week, the Senate advanced a budget resolution that envisions a $150 billion increase to the defense budget, and the Pentagon confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a review to find $50 billion in what the department referred to as "offsets." While many details about the Pentagon plan remain unclear, the developments there and in Congress embody a growing tension in the GOP between fiscal hawks cheering on the Trump administration's slash-and-burn campaign through the federal government and defense hawks who see the Trump administration as a chance to supercharge defense funding after spending four years criticizing Democratic defense budgets. Read Next: New Concerned Veterans for America Director to Lead Group's Effort to Expand Priorities As congressional Republicans debate how high to go on defense funding, the Pentagon is reportedly weighing cuts of up to 8% each year for the next five years. The idea stoked immediate bipartisan backlash, and defense spending will ultimately be set by Congress -- though the Trump administration already has a record of defying congressional spending mandates. Several reports this week said that Hegseth sent a memo to senior Pentagon and military leaders ordering them to identify cuts. In a statement after the reports, Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said that Hegseth "has directed a review to identify offsets from the Biden administration's FY26 budget that could be realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs to align with President [Donald] Trump's America First priorities for our national defense." The statement suggested the review is meant to reallocate funding, rather than cut the overall budget, and Hegseth, in a video posted to social media Thursday night, denounced media reports of a cut. But the Pentagon has not publicly released Hegseth's memo. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who wants to see a $1 trillion defense budget, backed the idea of finding offsets within the Pentagon and downplayed the notion that it would result in an overall cut. "I have spoken with President Trump repeatedly, and he intends to deliver a desperately needed military rebuild and Pentagon reform agenda," Wicker said in a statement Thursday. "This agenda requires significant real growth in the defense topline through the combination of reconciliation and annual spending." Lawmakers in both parties decried Hegseth's moves. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called Hegseth's memo "half-baked," while Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that "hasty, indiscriminate budget cuts would betray our military forces and their families and make America less safe." "Congress is not going to cut our military by 40%," Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, vowed in a social media post. The Trump administration's planning comes against a backdrop of Congress pressing ahead with a plan to infuse billions more dollars into the defense budget. Early Friday morning, the Senate voted 52-48 along party lines to approve a resolution that endorses $340 billion in future spending, including $150 billion for defense. "This budget resolution is a complete game changer when it comes to securing our border and making our military more lethal," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement after the resolution passed. "It will allow President Trump to fulfill the promises he made to the American people -- a very big deal." The resolution itself does not provide the funding, or even specify exactly what the money would be used for. Rather, it unlocks a process known as "reconciliation" that would allow Republicans to pass a bill that enacts Trump's agenda with a simple majority in the Senate, rather than the 60 votes needed on most legislation. The reconciliation process is separate from the annual appropriations process that keeps the government funded and avoids a shutdown. The reported Pentagon cuts, if they come to fruition, would be debated as part of the appropriations process. The reconciliation bill, once it is written, would specify what the defense funding would go toward, but in a summary earlier this month, Graham said he envisions the money boosting the Navy, air and missile defense, and nuclear posture. House Republicans have been pursuing their own reconciliation plan that would boost defense funding by $100 billion. Trump endorsed the House plan, which includes tax cuts he's seeking, but he has also thanked Senate Republicans for their efforts. The House is expected to vote on its budget resolution next week. Related: Hegseth Directs Pentagon to Find $50 Billion in Cuts This Year to Fund Trump Military Priorities
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders Pentagon to make plans for major budget cuts to align with Trump DOGE priorities
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the agency to develop plans to slash 8% from the Department of Defense budget in each of the next five years to align with President Donald Trump's priorities, specifically to achieve peace through strength, officials said. Hegseth is asking for plans in an effort to identify offsets from the Biden administration's fiscal year 2026 budget that could be realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs, a statement from Pentagon spokesman Robert Salesses said. Lawsuit Tracker: New Resistance Battling Trump's Second Term Through Onslaught Of Lawsuits Taking Aim At Eos Hegseth ordered the proposed cuts to be drawn up by Monday, according to a memo. "The time for preparation is over. We must act urgently to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence," Hegseth wrote. "Our budget will resource the fighting force we need, cease unnecessary defense spending, reject excessive bureaucracy, and drive actionable reform including progress on the audit." The Washington Post first reported the memo. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon. Read On The Fox News App Salesses said that the money saved could be used to realign the defense agency towards Trump's new priorities, including the "Iron Dome for America," his catchphrase for a missile defense system. Doge Scores Big Court Win, Allowed Access Data On 3 Federal Agencies "The Department of Defense is conducting this review to ensure we are making the best use of the taxpayers' dollars in a way that delivers on President Trump's defense priorities efficiently and effectively," he said. "The Department will develop a list of potential offsets that could be used to fund these priorities, as well as to refocus the Department on its core mission of deterring and winning wars," he added. "The offsets are targeted at 8% of the Biden Administration's FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump's priorities." The cuts will allow the Defense Department to halt all unnecessary spending that set the military back under the Biden administration through climate change and other "woke" programs, Salesses said. Hegseth has stressed that the U.S. aims to "revive the warrior ethos." The request for cuts comes amid a separate order from the Trump administration to fire thousands of probationary DOD employees, which is being overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency, or article source: Hegseth orders Pentagon to make plans for major budget cuts to align with Trump DOGE priorities
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Hegseth orders Pentagon to make plans for major budget cuts to align with Trump DOGE priorities
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the agency to develop plans to slash 8% from the Department of Defense budget in each of the next five years to align with President Donald Trump's priorities, specifically to achieve peace through strength, officials said. Hegseth is asking for plans in an effort to identify offsets from the Biden administration's fiscal year 2026 budget that could be realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs, a statement from Pentagon spokesman Robert Salesses said. Hegseth ordered the proposed cuts to be drawn up by Monday, according to a memo. "The time for preparation is over. We must act urgently to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence," Hegseth wrote. "Our budget will resource the fighting force we need, cease unnecessary defense spending, reject excessive bureaucracy, and drive actionable reform including progress on the audit." The Washington Post first reported the memo. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon. Salesses said that the money saved could be used to realign the defense agency towards Trump's new priorities, including the "Iron Dome for America," his catchphrase for a missile defense system. "The Department of Defense is conducting this review to ensure we are making the best use of the taxpayers' dollars in a way that delivers on President Trump's defense priorities efficiently and effectively," he said. "The Department will develop a list of potential offsets that could be used to fund these priorities, as well as to refocus the Department on its core mission of deterring and winning wars," he added. "The offsets are targeted at 8% of the Biden Administration's FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump's priorities." The cuts will allow the Defense Department to halt all unnecessary spending that set the military back under the Biden administration through climate change and other "woke" programs, Salesses said. Hegseth has stressed that the U.S. aims to "revive the warrior ethos." The request for cuts comes amid a separate order from the Trump administration to fire thousands of probationary DOD employees, which is being overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
