Latest news with #DepartmentofGovernmentalEfficiency
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Over the finish line': Tuberville says passing spending bill bolster economic growth
ALABAMA (WHNT) — As the Big Beautiful Bill is under consideration in the Senate, an Alabama Senator says his top priority is to get the spending bill passed. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said Thursday the legislation is likely to undergo some significant changes while in the Senate, but he said his ultimate goal was to get the bill over the finish line. Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate to run for lieutenant governor 'The number one priority in this bill is getting the jobs and tax cuts done,' Tuberville said. The spending bill has received criticism from conservatives over the past few days, including the former head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency. Elon Musk has called the bill an 'abomination,' posting on social media platform X about how the spending bill will significantly increase the national debt. 'The problem that Elon Musk looks at, I look at it different,' Tuberville told members of the press on Thursday. 'Number one, the way to grow this country is to get the tax cuts done and that tax cuts are in this bill and we need to make them permanent.' Tuberville said he and his colleagues have complained that Democrats spend too much money. He said he wants to cut back on how much can be cut from this bill. 'There's a lot of things the federal government, in this bill, is trying to send down to the states,' Tuberville said. 'We can't afford it in Alabama. We can't afford to pick up the tab for a federal government agency that was started years ago by the federal government. We don't need it in the state.' Tuberville said he is looking to the future to make changes. 'Remember, we will do another reconciliation after this,' Tuberville said. 'We have two more in the next year and a half, so whatever we don't get done in this bill, hopefully we can get done in the next.' The president has given Republicans in the Senate a tight deadline to pass the spending bill, asking them to have it on his desk by July 4th. The Tax Foundation estimates the bill passed by the House of Representatives will add more than $2 trillion to the national deficit over the next 10 years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senator Lee responds to the Trump-Musk feud
SALT LAKE CITY () — President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's relationship as the two sniped jabs at each other on social media. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) shared his thoughts on the feud in a few posts on his personal X account. Sen. Lee of the Musk and President Trump and stated that he really likes both of them, seemingly disappointed that the two are at odds. Later, Lee also replied to a post by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who said that Musk did not get involved in government to enrich himself and politicians did not understand that. Lee agreed that Musk was never in government for money. PREVIOUSLY: Musk backs call to impeach Trump, replace him with Vance Lee also posted about his desire for Musk and Trump to reconcile, in one post asking people to reply if they agree that the world is a better place with the 'Trump-Musk bromance fully intact.' The feud between Musk and Trump comes after Musk in the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) at the end of May and Musk attended with a black eye. The public disagreements between the President and the richest man in the world began when Musk , calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' Then during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Thursday, Trump said that he was in Musk following his criticisms. In response, Musk took to X, posting claims that Trump had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He claimed that Trump's involvement is the reason that the Epstein files have not been made public. Later, Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, agreeing with the post. Utah man pleads guilty to attempting to hire hitman while behind bars in 2020 Senator Lee responds to the Trump-Musk feud Chrysler at 100: Plans for a bold comeback Wyoming state senator proposes eliminating property taxes More heavy rain, rumbles for southern & central Utah Thursday evening Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk Calls for Trump's Impeachment and Implies He Is a Pedophile
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Well, people have predicted for a long time that there would be a falling-out between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, two narcissists with a tendency to blame other people for their many self-inflicted problems. And now it's very much happening! The background: Trump is trying to pass his One Big Beautiful Bill Act through Congress, legislation featuring enormous tax cuts that will increase the federal deficit by an estimated $2.4 trillion. Musk, meanwhile, was already moping around about how his work with the Department of Governmental Efficiency had not succeeded in slashing enough money from the federal budget (which is in large part because Musk never really seemed to understand how the United States government works or what it actually spends money on). This week, his frustration boiled over when Musk denounced the Trump budget as 'pork' and demanded that Republicans in Congress refuse to pass it. At what was supposed to be a Thursday press conference about his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump took a moment to address Musk's comments, essentially announcing that the world's richest man was being exiled from the presidential inner circle: In response, Musk threatened to launch a new political party: Trump, responding himself, said Musk had been annoying him for a long time, then threatened to terminate the considerable number of government contracts that benefit Musk's SpaceX company: At this point, things really got quite rude, with Musk implying that Trump took part in the sexual abuse of minors with the late Jeffrey Epstein: To be clear, there is no evidence that this is true, or even that Musk is referring to real, actual files, although it is true that Trump and Epstein were friendly, and that minors who competed in the Miss Teen USA competition complained that Trump walked into their dressing room while they were changing clothes. Musk then retweeted a prominent far-right user who called for Trump to be impeached and replaced by Vice President J.D. Vance, writing, 'yes.' He also said he would 'immediately' begin decommissioning the Dragon space shuttle, which carries astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Could be bad news for the four astronauts who are up there now. No response to any of this from the president, although right-wing nationalist Steve Bannon—who has always been suspicious of Musk's foreign birth and ties to international corporate capital—is calling for him to be deported (and, honestly, with this administration, is anything out of the question here?). Look, the record of Donald Trump's second term so far is one of illegal overreach, naked corruption, and dalliance with catastrophe. Its lasting effects could include the end of the United States' primacy in world affairs and the permanent kneecapping of its prosperity. The qualities that for hundreds of years have made the U.S. a destination for the world's brightest and hardest-working strivers are being destroyed by men and women whose unfamiliarity with the subjects under their control is matched only by their history of being into weird Nazi stuff online. Trump himself seems to be getting mentally slower and often appears unfamiliar with actions taken by his own government. It's bad stuff. On the other hand, this—today—is all pretty funny. Unless you're an astronaut.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After All the Trouble He's Caused, Where Has Elon Musk Been Hiding?
Has anyone seen Elon Musk these days? What's he been up to? Because Musk (really, his money) was part of the reason Donald Trump won the presidency. In the run up to the election, the South African billionaire donated close to $300 million to the Republican presidential campaign. For this, it seems like Trump gave Musk carte blanche to recreate the U.S. Government in his (extremely scary) image. But now...? We aren't hearing much about Musk as we head into the summer. So, let's look into it. When President Trump took office, one of the first things he did was create the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) and placed Musk in charge of it. With this newfound power, Musk went on a rampage. He terminated over 100,000 government employees by either forcing them to take buyouts or outright firing them. He is responsible for ending contracts for programs related to climate change, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, environmental protection, international aid, and science research. Musk was so active and visible in the President's first few months in office, that it inspired TIME to put him behind the Resolute Desk on the cover of one of its magazines. Just a few months ago, it seemed like Musk was everywhere. He gave a huge speech when Trump was inaugurated. (And did what still feels like a Nazi salute.) He had his kid playing in the Oval Office while talking to the media. He gave interview after interview to the media. But now he is nowhere to be seen. It seems like my man just dropped off the face of the Earth. No one seems to know what happened to him. But it is clear what's going on. In Wisconsin, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, a long-time judge on the state's Supreme Court, retired opening the door for an election. Susan Crawford, a liberal, faced off against Brad Schimel, a conservative. This would have not been a notable race, but Musk took an interest in the race because he wanted to turn this liberal leaning court into a conservative one. So he sunk millions into the campaign for the conservative thinking he could influence the outcome of the election. He did not. Well, on second thought, he did. Just not the way Musk wanted. Voters found Musk's attempt to buy the election distasteful. Those who opposed him mounted a campaign entitled 'People Vs. Musk' and defeated the candidate he supported by 10 percentage points. If you think Kamala Harris got mollywhopped by Trump, then this would be the political equivalent of what Homey the Clown used to do on In Living Color. After that, Musk got quiet. He was not talking to the media anymore. He was not trying to influence elections like he once was. Now, seven weeks after that embarrassing defeat, he has announced that he will step away from political spending. Saying, 'I've done enough.' Good riddance. Dude can kick rocks. One less white nationalist leaning billionaire to worry about. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Amidst FEMA staff cuts, worries grow about summer hurricane, tornado seasons
Federal Emergency Management Agency employees are trained to respond to disasters, but have struggled this spring with the situation unfolding at their agency. While they've been deployed to wildfires in Los Angeles, flooding along the Kentucky River and throughout the southeast in response to Hurricane Helene, FEMA workers have watched a roiling turmoil of staff cuts, slashed budgets and threats to dismantle their agency. They're fielding difficult questions from friends, co-workers and disaster victims about what the future holds. 'It's caused a lot of confusion,' said Michael Coen, a FEMA veteran of more than 15 years who left his position as chief of staff on Inauguration Day. At least 2,000 of the agency's roughly 6,100 full-time employees have either left or plan to leave under the waves of terminations and voluntary retirements ordered by Elon Musk's Department of Governmental Efficiency, Coen told USA TODAY. That doesn't include a reduction in force expected to take place in the federal government in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump also has launched an agency review and cut funds for some FEMA grant programs, outraging officials in states where those funds already had been committed. The controversy taps into a long-running debate over the role of states and the federal government in disaster response. It's hard to find a public official who doesn't think the way the nation responds to disasters could be improved, but the 30% cut in its full-time staff raises concerns about whether FEMA will be able to respond to major disasters during the approaching summer storm season that could bring hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. Jay Inslee, whose term as the Democratic governor of Washington State ended in January, is among those gravely concerned about FEMA's ability to respond. 'Gutting FEMA is just going to make more and more families have to be living under blue tarps for years, and not to have the financial assistance they deserve when they pay their taxes," Inslee said. 'I'm outraged on their behalf.' Major disasters require federal resources, and state and local governments cannot cope on their own, said Shana Udvardy, senior climate resilience policy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists 'With the summer danger season of extreme weather, including climate-fueled disasters, getting underway soon, these attacks on FEMA could not come at a worse time,' Udvardy said. "Congress must push back assertively on these egregious plans in a bipartisan way ‒ disasters do not discriminate based on politics.' When enormous natural disasters befall communities, especially small ones, they just don't have the local resources, Inslee said. 'It's basically everybody pitching in together from the county to the Red Cross to the state, to the federal government.' FEMA's remaining full-time employees, even those who work at headquarters and don't typically deploy, have been warned to be ready to deploy to disasters this summer. The agency has been short-staffed for years, federal documents show. The staff flexes up and down as the need arises, with roughly 12,000 employees who respond as reservists or local temporary hires. Among the cuts this year to the permanent employees were 200 probationary staff, dismissed because they had been either recently hired or recently promoted. Coen said another 800 took the 'fork-in-the-road' plan that placed employees on administrative leave with pay until the end of the summer, when they'd lose their jobs. 'A lot of people with the agency were just exhausted,' he said. 'Last year was a very challenging year for FEMA employees with all the disasters that took place, plus all the (Hurricane) Helene misinformation.' In the aftermath of Helene, some FEMA officials found their personal information had been made public on the web, and some were threatened. 'Getting rid of FEMA:' Takeaways from Trump's trip to two disaster zones The inauguration opened a new chapter. Trump had been critical of FEMA during the campaign, and his first official trip was to visit the Helene disaster zone in western North Carolina, where he said the administration was "very disappointed" in FEMA. After information was leaked from one early meeting with the new FEMA officials, at least a dozen staff members were asked to submit to lie detector tests, Coen said. Employees are afraid to talk, even to former colleagues, because they're afraid they might be subjected to a lie detector, Coen said. 'If the head of the agency isn't even respected by the Secretary's office, if he's being subjected to a lie detector test, you know, why would I stay here?' Even some of the younger staff are thinking, 'I don't need this anxiety," he said. FEMA responds to every major natural disaster, assessing damage and providing assistance under pre-established guidelines and state agreements. In Washington State, "FEMA has been a tremendous, absolutely essential partner," Inslee said. "From a boots-on-the-ground perspective, FEMA has been incredibly valuable." In recent years, FEMA has seen an enormous increase in the number of disasters that require a response. That's, in part, because the number of extreme weather events is rising, with more intense rainfall and larger wildfires brought on by climate change, Inslee said. That's backed up by numerous federal reports. The scope and complexity of disasters are also growing because more people live in vulnerable areas, where they're more exposed to storms and fires. In the current fiscal year, the agency carries financial obligations for 30 major disasters, dating back to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to its February 2025 monthly report. Its actual and estimated total obligations for those disasters are around $57 billion. Its budget authority for this year was $33 million. The agency's reputation has struggled in part because FEMA meets people when they are likely to be at their lowest, most desperate point, and, in part, because its mission is often misunderstood, Coen said. FEMA is supposed to function primarily as a backstop for people who don't have insurance. It covers uninsured losses, so if you have homeowners insurance, "you're probably not going to be eligible," he said. "That frustrates people who feel like they did everything right." Victims often expect FEMA to be there first, even though the agency must wait to be requested by state government. That message is often hammered home by emergency management officials, who remind residents to store enough supplies for five to seven days after a disaster. What does FEMA do? What to know after Trump considers 'getting rid' of agency The agency's mission has evolved and it walks a tightrope at times between trying to battle fraud and not attach so many rules that money can't get where it needs to. State and local officials often refer to the recovery phase as the "disaster after the disaster." A General Accounting Office Report in 2022 made numerous suggestions for addressing "red tape" in disaster recovery. Coen said a prime example of the misunderstandings is the frustration from states where the Trump administration recently denied claims for disaster assistance and denied extensions of certain assistance in others. "I'm personally not critical of that," he said. When the federal government takes the bulk of the financial responsibility, it often slows down recovery, he said, adding that when new bridges or other infrastructures are complete, other officials and organizations sometimes take credit and forget to acknowledge FEMA's role. By executive order on Jan. 24, Trump ordered a "full-scale review" of FEMA. Federal responses to Helene and other disasters "demonstrate the need to drastically improve" the agency's efficiency, priorities and competence, his executive order stated.. Appointees to the review council, announced April 28, will be tasked with taking a sweeping look at everything from disaster aid during periods before and after FEMA, the traditional role of states and citizens in securing life, liberty and property and how FEMA could serve as a support agency if the states were in control of disaster relief. They're expected to make recommendations to Trump for improvements or structural changes to promote the national interest and enable national resilience. Members include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Florida's emergency management chief Kevin Guthrie and Tampa, Florida, Mayor Jane Castor. Noem already has stated she wants to eliminate FEMA. On Truth Social, Trump posted: "I know that the new Members will work hard to fix a terribly broken System, and return power to State Emergency Managers." Udvardy, with the Union of Concerned Scientists, is among many who agree there's room for reform at the federal agency. Genuine reforms, she said, "should be informed by science, expertise, and the experiences of disaster survivors." Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. The start of the Atlantic hurricane season is just a month away. Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate change, disasters and the environment for USA TODAY. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FEMA staff gutted as nation debates agency's future
