Latest news with #ExecutiveOrders
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Citigroup reverses firearms policy after pressure from Trump administration on big banks
A month after the 2018 mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Citigroup enacted restrictions for its clients that sold firearms — the first major bank on Wall Street to do so. On Tuesday, the bank rolled back that policy. 'We also will no longer have a specific policy as it relates to firearms,' the company said in a statement Tuesday. 'The policy was intended to promote the adoption of best sales practices as prudent risk management and didn't address the manufacturing of firearms.' The decision comes as the Trump administration alleges that Wall Street is biased against conservatives — a right-wing talking point since more than a dozen state auditors accused Bank of America of 'politicized de-banking' in an open letter last year (de-banking is when a bank closes an account for a customer it deems high risk). At the time, Bank of America said it has 'no political litmus test.' On Tuesday, Citi said it was 'following regulatory developments, recent Executive Orders and federal legislation.' In 2018, Citi said it would ban banking services to businesses that sold firearms to those under 21, those who didn't pass a background check, or sold bump stocks (used by the gunman in the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas) or high-capacity magazines. The policy applied to small businesses, commercial and institutional clients, and credit card partners, but did not restrict how individual customers used their cards. Big banks have recently caught the ire of the president as well as the crypto industry. In January at the annual World Economic Forum, President Donald Trump scolded Brian Moynihan, the CEO of Bank of America. 'You've done a fantastic job, but I hope you start opening your bank to conservatives, because many conservatives complain that the banks are not allowing them to do business within the bank,' Trump said. 'You and Jamie and everybody… What you're doing is wrong,' referring to JPMorgan Chase head Jamie Dimon. Citigroup also announced on Tuesday that it will update its employee Code of Conduct and its external Global Financial Access Policy 'to clearly state that we do not discriminate on the basis of political affiliation in the same way we are clear that we do not discriminate on the basis of other traits such as race and religion.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Administration Makes New Federal Employees Write Essays to Prove MAGA Loyalty
New hiring guidelines from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management reveal that government applicants will have to answer four 200-word essay questions to be considered for a job in the Trump administration. Questions include an inquiry into which of Trump's executive orders have been "significant" to their lives. Trump implemented a government-hiring freeze upon his inauguration on Jan. 20, which is expected to be lifted on July 15. While the first four months of President Donald Trump's second term have been characterized by mass layoffs and hiring freezes, the government is about to start accepting new employees — with one major new requirement. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management laid out the guidelines for hopeful applicants in a May 29 memo. In keeping with Trump's rejection of diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, the memo stresses that the 'Merit Hiring Plan' focuses on 'skills-based hiring, eliminating unnecessary degree requirements, and requiring the use of rigorous, job-related assessments to ensure candidates are selected based on their merit and competence, not their skin color or academic pedigree.' One of those "assessments," the memo explains, is four 200-word essay questions each applicant must answer in order to prove that they would be a good fit for the Trump administration. The questions, particularly the third, ask the applicant to prove their mettle not only through personal qualification, but also with an ideological alignment with the administration's existing policies. Read the full essay questions below:How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump implemented a federal hiring freeze, which he later extended to July 15. In February, he issued another executive order implementing a 'workforce optimization initiative" with the assistance of the Department of Government Efficiency, which was headed by Elon Musk until recently. The order explained that, when the hiring freeze was lifted, government agencies were to hire only one employee for each four that had left or been laid off. Following that order and several others reflecting the administration's plan to 'prioritize recruitment of individuals committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution,' 21 DOGE employees submitted their resignations. The employees claimed that, beginning one day after Trump's inauguration, they had been taken in for 15-minute interviews with individuals wearing White House visitor badges, who refused to identify themselves and 'asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability.' 'We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services,' the letter continued. 'We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE's actions.' For his part, Musk left the White House on Friday, May 30, as his 130-day limit as a special government employee had come to an end. On his way out, the tech billionaire also issued some criticisms of Trump's administration, claiming that the president's touted 'Big Beautiful Bill' was set to undermine all the work he'd done at DOGE. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' he told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview that aired on June 1. The "Big, Beautiful Bill" is funding its tax cuts and military spending in part by cutting some federal health and energy programs. However, it is also poised to add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the national deficit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both," Musk said. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After DOGE firings White House asks new job seekers to write Trump loyalty essays, from lawyers to janitors
After a months-long freeze on hiring new federal employees and the Elon Musk-led DOGE cuts to the government workforce, the Trump administration is ready to resume civil service hiring — as long as the applicants answer a few essay questions about their level of loyalty to the president and his mission. The Office of Personnel Management last week quietly published a memorandum authored by Vince Haley, the White House's head of domestic policy that was addressed to the head or acting head of every agency across the entire executive branch. According to the White House's directive, a copy of which was reviewed by The Independent, anyone applying for a civil service position at entry level or above — including such jobs as nurses, janitors, economists and lawyers, among others — must respond to a series of essay questions before they can even be considered for an interview. The 'merit hiring plan' lays out in detail how to implement a January executive order signed by Trump to 'prioritize recruitment of individuals committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.' The plan also seeks to prevent anyone who is 'unwilling to defend the Constitution or to faithfully serve the Executive Branch' from being employed in the civil service. One question asks applicants about their 'commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States,' while another question asks applicants to state how they would 'help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities' and to 'identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives' that they find significant to them. They must also explain how they'd help implement these orders or initiatives. If applicants write answers that are satisfactory enough to land them an interview, the memorandum also states that they must participate in an 'executive interview' with a political appointee from 'agency leadership' who will evaluate their 'organizational fit and commitment to American ideals.' For civil service experts and good-government advocates, the new applicant screening process is setting off alarm bells. Adam Bonica, a Stanford University political scientist who publishes the 'On Data and Democracy' newsletter on Substack, wrote on Sunday that the White House's directive 'signals a profound departure from a cornerstone of American democracy: the non-partisan, merit-based civil service' and looks to implement Project 2025 efforts to deconstruct the nonpartisan civil service in favor of a return to the 'spoils system' that was in place until the late 1800s. 'A merit-based civil service that took generations to build is being dismantled via memo,' he charged. The new hiring guidelines aren't the only way Trump and his allies are upending the nonpartisan system that was set up to govern federal hiring in the wake of President James Garfield's 1881 assassination by a disgruntled office seeker. Shortly after he returned to power in January, Trump signed an executive order that ordered agencies to reclassify career employees who work on policy matters into a new 'schedule' that strips them of nearly all civil service protections. The directive largely re-implements an October 2020 order Trump signed to establish what was then called 'Schedule F' and was set to be comprised of any federal worker in 'confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating positions.' That broad category includes most of the government's non-partisan experts such as scientists, doctors, lawyers and economists, whose work to advise and inform policymakers is supposed to be done in a way that is fact-driven and devoid of politics. Combined with the more than 100,000 open positions created by the massive number of firings and resignations across the entire executive branch during Trump's first few months back in power, these new policies could allow the administration to recruit an equal number of MAGA devotees who would eventually acquire protection from removal by future administrations. Max Stier, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, told Axios on Monday that it looks like the administration is 'emptying the shelves of the existing nonpartisan expert civil servants' and 'restocking' those same shelves with 'loyalists.' Jeri Buchholz, a former head of HR at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, told the outlet that traditional federal hiring, by law, was meant to 'focus on the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position.' She said the Trump White House's required questions are by contrast 'philosophical' and 'not even aptitude related,' making them difficult to square with the 'merit hiring plan,' especially since it purports to require agencies to speed up hiring decisions. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Trump Weekly: Appeals court halts block on tariffs, talks with China stall
Catch up on the top industries and stocks that were impacted, or were predicted to be impacted, by the comments, actions and policies of President Trump with this weekly recap compiled by The Fly: Confident Investing Starts Here: TRUMP TARIFFS: After the United States Court of International Trade entered judgment against the United States and permanently enjoined certain Executive Orders imposing various tariffs, the United States moved to consolidate its appeals from those rulings and has applied for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to stay the judgment and injunction pending these appeals and for an immediate administrative stay while the court considers that motion. The United States' request for the Court of International Trade to grant the same relief remains pending before that court. The appeals court ordered that the motions to consolidate are granted and the request for an immediate administrative stay is granted to the extent that the judgments and the permanent injunctions entered by the Court of International Trade in these cases are temporarily stayed until further notice while this court considers the motions papers, a ruling posted to the site of the court stated. Of note, this comes after the U.S. Court of International Trade had ruled that President Trump does not have the authority under economic emergency legislation to impose sweeping global tariffs. 'There is no question here of narrowly tailored relief; if the challenged Tariff Orders are unlawful as to Plaintiffs they are unlawful as to all,' the court's opinion reads. CHINA TRADE: President Donald Trump stated in a post to Truth Social, 'Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger! The very high Tariffs I set made it virtually impossible for China to TRADE into the United States marketplace which is, by far, number one in the World. We went, in effect, COLD TURKEY with China, and it was devastating for them. Many factories closed and there was, to put it mildly, 'civil unrest.' I saw what was happening and didn't like it, for them, not for us. I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation, and I didn't want to see that happen. Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual. Everybody was happy! That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!' CHIP EXPORT: The Trump administration has suspended sales of more U.S. technology, including chips and jet engines, in response to China's critical mineral export restrictions, The New York Times' Ana Swanson reports. The new U.S. restrictions appear to be part of a broader review within the Commerce Department of exports of strategic goods to China. Publicly traded companies in the chip space include AMD (AMD), Intel (INTC), Marvell (MRVL), Microchip (MCHP), Micron (MU), Nvidia (NVDA), Qualcomm (QCOM) and Texas Instruments (TXN). TARIFFS ON EU: President Donald Trump stated in a post to Truth Social, 'I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union. I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – It was my privilege to do so. The Commission President said that talks will begin rapidly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Further, he also stated on Truth Social that, 'I was extremely satisfied with the 50% Tariff allotment on the European Union, especially since they were 'slow walking (to put it mildly!), our negotiations with them. Remember, I am empowered to 'SET A DEAL' for Trade into the United States if we are unable to make a deal, or are treated unfairly. I have just been informed that the E.U. has called to quickly establish meeting dates. This is a positive event, and I hope that they will, FINALLY, like my same demand to China, open up the European Nations for Trade with the United States of America. They will BOTH be very happy, and successful, if they do!!!' NUCLEAR ORDER SIGNING: President Donald Trump signed orders meant to accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants, including small, newer reactor types. 'We're signing tremendous executive orders today that really will make us the real power in this industry,' Trump said as he signed the directives in the Oval Office, adding that nuclear technology 'has come a long way, both in safety and costs.' Trump was joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and energy industry executives including Constellation Energy (CEG) CEO Joseph Dominguez and Jake DeWitte, the co-founder and CEO of Oklo (OKLO). Other publicly traded companies in the nuclear energy space include Nuscale Power (SMR), Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE), BWX Technologies (BWXT), Centrus Energy (LEU) and Cameco (CCJ). GOING PUBLIC: In a post on Truth Social, President Trump stated: 'Our great Mortgage Agencies, Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC), provide a vital service to our Nation by helping hardworking Americans reach the American Dream – Home Ownership. I am working on TAKING THESE AMAZING COMPANIES PUBLIC, but I want to be clear, the U.S. Government will keep its implicit GUARANTEES, and I will stay strong in my position on overseeing them as President. These Agencies are now doing very well, and will help us to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' MUSK LEAVING DOGE: In a post on X, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk stated, 'As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government. GOLDEN SHARE: The U.S. government will have veto power over key decisions relating to U.S. Steel (X) as part of a national security agreement deal with Nippon Steel (NPSCY) that would approve the Japanese company's bid for the steel company, Bloomberg's Joe Deaux and Josh Wingrove report. The deal put forward to the Committee on Foreign Investment int he U.S. and to the President includes the original $55 per share acquisition offer, plus $14B in new investments, two people familiar with the matter say. Senator Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican and Trump ally, confirmed some of the details on Tuesday, including $2.4B to be invested in the Mon Valley plant. 'The control structure is going to be somewhat unique,' McCormick said. 'It'll be a U.S. CEO, a U.S. majority board, and then there'll be a golden share, which will essentially require U.S. government approval of a number of the board members, and that'll allow the United States to ensure production levels aren't cut and things like that.'
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Former Assistant AG: Local Nonprofit Workers Are Public Safety Heroes Too
It's been one month since the Department of Justices ended 373 grants worth $820 million in federal support for a wide range of state and local public safety programs. Now, the ripple effects are coming into focus—and the full reach of the cuts is far broader than initially thought. With the mass termination of DOJ funding, more than 200 grant recipients in 37 states lost federal funding overnight. But so did hundreds of other partner organizations, which were slated to receive "subgrant" support to collaborate with direct grant recipients on a broad range of projects. Department of Justice text on the side of their HQ in Washington, D.C. Department of Justice text on the side of their HQ in Washington, D.C. TheA new Council on Criminal Justice analysis finds that altogether, the funding cuts hit an estimated 554 nonprofits, government agencies, and other public safety institutions across 48 states and territories. This means that more than twice as many organizations were affected by the cuts than originally believed. The vast majority of terminated funds—more than 93 percent, or about $769 million—supported nonprofit organizations. The Justice Department contends that the cuts are justified in large part because the terminated grants were mostly to nonprofits, rather than "to states or local jurisdictions that directly serve our communities." In response to congressional inquiries, department officials say the money recouped from nonprofits could be reallocated to "new grants that more effectively support law enforcement operations and the Department's broader goals, consistent with President Trump's Executive Orders and applicable law." This is a flawed and misinformed argument based on the theory that only law enforcement keep us safe. Police are an essential piece of the nation's public safety infrastructure. But countless police leaders have told me that they can't—and shouldn't be asked to—do the job alone. Research and experience make clear that public safety is a shared responsibility between police and communities. Nonprofits serve our communities directly, often in close partnership with law enforcement and other city officials. Many of the terminated grants to nonprofits were doing just that—working hand-in-hand with local public safety agencies to provide a multitude of services, from victim assistance to violence intervention, substance use treatment, intervention in mental health crises, and much more. By expanding our portfolio of crime control and prevention strategies, community-based providers reduce the burden of social issues like behavioral health disorders or homelessness that would otherwise fall to law enforcement, freeing up officers to focus on deterring and responding to serious crimes. I saw the power of these partnerships first-hand—dozens of times—during my time as the assistant attorney general of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the federal government's primary source of support for state, local, and tribal public safety efforts. In each city I visited, I heard stories about exposure to violence and its deep impact on families and neighborhoods. I also heard about hope, optimism, and the integrity with which frontline service providers approach their very tough work, every day. A prime example is UTEC, a community nonprofit working to interrupt violence and improve prison reentry outcomes in Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, Mass. On a visit there in 2023, I joined other Justice Department officials for an in-depth look at how UTEC's street outreach workers get through to the highest risk youth and help them change their lives. The voices of these heroes rang with pride as they described how they instinctively react "like firefighters" to emergency calls and "plant seeds of hope" in some of the hardest hit neighborhoods. We were joined that day by a local police chief and sheriff, both full of praise for the work of UTEC as a key partner in keeping their communities safe. OJP funding was expanding UTEC's capacity to prevent violence in more neighborhoods before the grant was abruptly terminated a few weeks ago. This is just one among the hundreds of nonprofits that lost funding last month. Nearly every one of those organizations has a story to tell about ways they are helping make their communities safer, stronger, and healthier—and many have the data to back it up. Regardless of our personal politics, we all share a common goal: to live in thriving communities where our children can play, and where our families and friends are safe. Getting there is the job of law enforcement and communities working together. Federal disinvestment in justice-focused nonprofits threatens to destabilize public safety at a time when we should be doubling down on our collective responsibilities. Amy L. Solomon, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice, oversaw federal justice grantmaking as U.S. assistant attorney general in the Biden administration. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
