Latest news with #House-passed
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Obscure provision in House bill threatens enforcement of court rulings on Trump
Obscure provision in House bill threatens enforcement of court rulings on Trump The legislative provision echoes a memo Trump signed March 11 directing the Justice Department to request bonds in all cases where judges block his policies. Show Caption Hide Caption House passes President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' The House passed President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' It will now move onto the Senate. A provision in the House-passed package of Trump's priorities would require litigants to post a bond before a judge could enforce an order blocking a Trump policy. Judges have blocked Trump policies in 180 cases, which would all have to be reviewed for bonds if the Senate approves the House provision and Trump signs it into law. Judges have discretion to set bonds in civil cases, but legal experts say they have waived bonds in lawsuits against the government because the disputes are typically over policy rather than money. WASHINGTON – A provision in the House-passed package of President Donald Trump's priorities would erect what one judge called a trillion-dollar barrier to challenging his policies in federal court. At stake is whether judges can enforce their orders blocking Trump policies that are ruled unlawful, as they already have 180 times. The muscle behind court orders is that judges could find government officials in contempt if they disobey, threatening fines, sanctions or even jail. But the obscure House provision, which even a Republican supporter of the legislation disavowed, would prevent judges from enforcing their orders unless litigants post a bond. The bond could match the amount at stake in the lawsuit, which in one case was trillions in federal grants. More: From gym memberships to gun silencers, Trump's tax bill is full of surprises Without the threat of contempt, legal experts say the Trump administration could ignore court orders with impunity. 'What this provision would do, is say that actually, no court of the United States could enforce an injunction or restraining order using their contempt authority,' Eric Kashdan, senior legal counsel for federal advocacy at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, told USA TODAY. Judges, litigants and waiving bonds The legislation deals with one of the rules governing federal civil lawsuits - known as 65(c). It calls for litigants to post a bond if they win a court order such as an injunction or a temporary restraining order to block something from happening, in case the defendant ultimately wins the case. Judges have discretion about how much to set the bond. But the goal is to have the bond comparable to how much the defendant might lose while the case is litigated, such as a lost sale or blocked merger. For decades judges have waived bonds in cases against the government because the lawsuits aren't typically over money - they are about a disputed policy or the Constitution. More: How Trump's clash with the courts is brewing into an 'all-out war' In February, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan refused a request from Trump's White House Office of Management Budget to require a bond from the National Council of Nonprofits when she blocked the government from freezing all federal grants. 'The court declines,' Alikhan wrote. She noted the government was 'alleged to have unlawfully withheld trillions of dollars of previously committed funds to countless recipients.' But she said OMB would suffer no monetary injury from her injunction. Why is Trump pushing for this? The legislative provision in the budget reconciliation bill prohibits federal courts from enforcing contempt citations unless a bond was posted when an injunction or temporary restraining order was issued. It applies to court orders before, on, or after the legislation is enacted, meaning it would apply to all the orders already issued. Judges would have to weigh proposals to determine what bonds should be required in each case, according to legal experts. With discretion, a judge could impose a nominal $1 bond but the process would still take time, experts said. 'All temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and permanent injunctions where no bond had been posted no longer would be enforceable by contempt,' Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of law school at the University of California, Berkeley, told USA TODAY. The legislative provision echoes a Trump memo signed March 11 that called for the Justice Department to request bonds in all lawsuits to protect against 'potential costs and damages from a wrongly issued injunction.' 'Federal courts should hold litigants accountable for their misrepresentations and ill-granted injunctions,' the memo said. Which Trump policies have been blocked in federal courts? Trump signed 157 executive orders by May 23 – an unprecedented number four months into a presidential term – to put sweeping policies in place quickly, without waiting for legislation through Congress. The orders led to 250 lawsuits challenging Trump's dismantling of federal agencies and firing federal workers, swiftly deporting immigrants, ending diversity initiatives and imposing tariffs. The rulings in deportation cases include: U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., found probable cause April 16 the government acted with criminal contempt for his order blocking the deportation of Venezuelans who were accused of being gang members before they had a chance to fight the designation in court. The government appealed his ruling. U.S. District Paula Xinis in Maryland has held repeated hearings asking for updates from the government on the deportation of a Salvadoran immigrant who was mistakenly deported despite an immigration court order preventing his removal. Government officials have argued they no longer have custody of the migrant to return him because he is in a Salvadoran prison. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts ruled May 21 the government violated his order temporarily halting deportations to countries other than where migrants were from, after six migrants were flown to South Sudan. The government asked the Supreme Court on May 27 to lift Murphy's block. Trump and his allies have argued that judges are infringing on his authority to protect national security and negotiate foreign affairs with other countries. More: Trade whiplash: Appeals Court allows Trump to keep tariffs while appeal plays out 'We hope that the Supreme Court will weigh in and rein them in,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said May 29 of "rogue judges." Trump directed the administration to comply with court orders, Leavitt said, 'but we're going to fight them in court and we're going to win on the merits of these cases because we know we are acting within the president's legal and executive authority." But legal experts said requiring the deported immigrants to post a bond would likely prohibit them from having cases heard in federal courts. If courts are no longer able to enforce their orders under the legislation, experts said the government might just ignore the orders. 'If they can simply ignore the order, they don't have to appeal it. They can simply not do it," said Mark Foley, a 43-year lawyer in Milwaukee. 'It's a heads they win and tails I lose.' Fight over injunctions 'a huge separation of powers issue': Legal experts The dispute over enforcing court orders adds Congress' legislative branch to the raging debate the separation of powers between Trump's executive branch carrying out laws and judges interpreting some of his actions as unlawful. Trump has blasted judges who ruled against him but said he will obey court orders and appeal the ones he doesn't like. As Trump appeals, the Supreme Court faces an unprecedented 14 emergency requests from the administration to green-light his policies, including four that are still pending. In the legislative debate, legal experts say Trump's fellow Republicans leading Congress will decide whether to hinder courts at the president's request from enforcing orders against the executive branch. 'This is Congress saying, 'No, we don't think you can enforce these orders' and they're doing that at the strong demands of the executive branch,' Kashdan said. 'It's a huge separation of powers issue for what underlies our democracy, and all the checks and balances we're supposed to have.' 'I do not agree': GOP lawmaker who supported legislation The provision was obscure enough in the 1,100-page legislation that some who supported the bill were unaware of it. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Nebraska, told a raucous town hall May 27 that he was unaware of the provision and didn't support it. He added that he would urge the Senate to drop it. More: Who are the GOP senators balking at Trump's tax bill? 'I do not agree with that section that was added to that bill,' Flood said. 'I do believe that the federal district courts when issuing an injunction, it should have legal effect. This provision was unknown to me when I voted for the bill.' Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told a town hall May 30 in Parkersburg that the bond provision 'will not be" in the Senate version of the bill because she expects the parliamentarian to rule that it doesn't have a financial impact on the budget, which is required for this type of legislation."I don't see any argument that could ever be made that this affects mandatory spending or revenues," Ernst said. "It will not be in the Senate bill." Senators will begin next week reviewing the legislation with a goal of sending any changes back to the House and to Trump before July 4.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk Might Not Be Genuine. Democrats Should Still Take Him Back.
Will Democrats welcome Elon Musk back as an ally? They should. After months of Musk acting as Donald Trump's chainsaw-wielding right-hand man, Democrats are conflicted about Musk's pivot Thursday to criticizing the House-passed megabill and its gutting of clean energy tax credits. But they're slowly starting to realize that they should use him to their advantage. 'Musk and I have had deep disagreements on his approach at DOGE, but on this issue he is correct,' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of Musk's chief antagonists in the House, said in an email. 'Democrats should be able to recognize that.' Khanna's plea appears to be driven by the reality that on climate issues, Democrats have almost nothing left to lose. Democrats and green advocates have been spectacularly unsuccessful so far at retaining the Biden administration's billions in incentives for solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles, despite having spread them around as bipartisanly as possible (see the American Clean Power Association's new quarterly report, which notes that 'Eight of the top ten states for Q1 clean power additions voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election'). So when Musk and Tesla Energy went after Trump's House-passed 'big, beautiful bill' for scrapping tax credits for solar and batteries, some realized it might help their case to have one of the world's most famous billionaires with a direct line to the president on their side. 'Elon Musk and Tesla hit the nail on the head,' said Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of the solar industry's main trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association, in a statement. 'Rolling back credits for residential solar, utility-scale solar, and manufacturing would put our grid's reliability at risk and dismantle one of the greatest industrial revivals in American history. We hope the Senate is listening.' Even if the Senate is listening, Musk will have to speak louder. He didn't take the opportunity in Friday's valedictory Oval Office appearance with Trump to air his disagreement over the megabill when asked to elaborate on what he'd like to change. And other Democrats doubt Musk has enough clout left with lawmakers, after he spearheaded the controversial Department of Government Efficiency and dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into boosting Trump and Republicans. 'I don't know that they're actually all that helpful as the bill moves over to the Senate,' a senior House Democratic staffer granted anonymity to discuss ongoing legislative debates told me Friday, referring to Musk's comments. 'Musk himself is not very popular and [that] is one reason he's leaving. Democrats have obviously spent lots of time beating him up because of his DOGE activities. ... Democrats love somebody who's popular. It's always great to throw a Ronald Reagan quote at them, but I just don't see it as being very helpful to move the needle at this point.' There's also a very real question about how much Musk has hurt public opinion on clean energy beyond his own brand. He's so toxic to Democrats that one pollster thinks he's not only tainted Tesla, he's damaged support for anything that will help Tesla, like California's clean vehicle rules. 'Elon has negatively polarized a lot of Democrats against pro-EV policy, without having a real impact on positive polarization among Republicans,' Democratic consultant and pollster Evan Roth Smith told my colleague Alex Nieves this week. 'What you wind up with is the worst of all worlds, where there isn't enough support for any of this stuff.' Of course, Musk wasn't advocating for EVs at all — that was the whole problem. He steadily pushed for the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act, including its rebates for electric vehicles, and never said anything against Congress' overturning of California's electric vehicle sales targets, as the Senate did last week. But he could still be a powerful ally, if Democrats let him. He has Trump's ear, plus his platform on X. And there's a widespread acknowledgment of his clean energy bona fides. Musk's roots with solar are nearly as deep as his electric vehicle allegiances: Along with his cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive, Musk helped found SolarCity, the panel installer that Tesla bought outright in 2016 (and that received some $500 million in grants from the Obama administration's American Reinvestment and Recovery Act). 'If Musk is coming back to a better place, they will welcome him with open arms,' predicted Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'He did more to change the auto industry with Tesla than all of my work and all of my colleagues' work to try to change the auto industry from the outside.' Both sides have their work cut out for them. 'Welcome back, but I think it's just too little, too late,' said Margo Oge, the former director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality and chair emeritus of the International Council on Clean Transportation, an automotive think tank. 'People really question his sincerity. Where has he been all these months?'
Politico
20 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Musk Might Not Be Genuine. Democrats Should Still Take Him Back.
Will Democrats welcome Elon Musk back as an ally? They should. After months of Musk acting as Donald Trump's chainsaw-wielding right-hand man, Democrats are conflicted about Musk's pivot Thursday to criticizing the House-passed megabill and its gutting of clean energy tax credits. But they're slowly starting to realize that they should use him to their advantage. 'Musk and I have had deep disagreements on his approach at DOGE, but on this issue he is correct,' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of Musk's chief antagonists in the House, said in an email. 'Democrats should be able to recognize that.' Khanna's plea appears to be driven by the reality that on climate issues, Democrats have almost nothing left to lose. Democrats and green advocates have been spectacularly unsuccessful so far at retaining the Biden administration's billions in incentives for solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles, despite having spread them around as bipartisanly as possible (see the American Clean Power Association's new quarterly report, which notes that 'Eight of the top ten states for Q1 clean power additions voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election'). So when Musk and Tesla Energy went after Trump's House-passed 'big, beautiful bill' for scrapping tax credits for solar and batteries, some realized it might help their case to have one of the world's most famous billionaires with a direct line to the president on their side. 'Elon Musk and Tesla hit the nail on the head,' said Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of the solar industry's main trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association, in a statement. 'Rolling back credits for residential solar, utility-scale solar, and manufacturing would put our grid's reliability at risk and dismantle one of the greatest industrial revivals in American history. We hope the Senate is listening.' Even if the Senate is listening, Musk will have to speak louder. He didn't take the opportunity in Friday's valedictory Oval Office appearance with Trump to air his disagreement over the megabill when asked to elaborate on what he'd like to change. And other Democrats doubt Musk has enough clout left with lawmakers, after he spearheaded the controversial Department of Government Efficiency and dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into boosting Trump and Republicans. 'I don't know that they're actually all that helpful as the bill moves over to the Senate,' a senior House Democratic staffer granted anonymity to discuss ongoing legislative debates told me Friday, referring to Musk's comments. 'Musk himself is not very popular and [that] is one reason he's leaving. Democrats have obviously spent lots of time beating him up because of his DOGE activities. ... Democrats love somebody who's popular. It's always great to throw a Ronald Reagan quote at them, but I just don't see it as being very helpful to move the needle at this point.' There's also a very real question about how much Musk has hurt public opinion on clean energy beyond his own brand. He's so toxic to Democrats that one pollster thinks he's not only tainted Tesla, he's damaged support for anything that will help Tesla, like California's clean vehicle rules. 'Elon has negatively polarized a lot of Democrats against pro-EV policy, without having a real impact on positive polarization among Republicans,' Democratic consultant and pollster Evan Roth Smith told my colleague Alex Nieves this week. 'What you wind up with is the worst of all worlds, where there isn't enough support for any of this stuff.' Of course, Musk wasn't advocating for EVs at all — that was the whole problem. He steadily pushed for the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act, including its rebates for electric vehicles, and never said anything against Congress' overturning of California's electric vehicle sales targets, as the Senate did last week. But he could still be a powerful ally, if Democrats let him. He has Trump's ear, plus his platform on X. And there's a widespread acknowledgment of his clean energy bona fides. Musk's roots with solar are nearly as deep as his electric vehicle allegiances: Along with his cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive, Musk helped found SolarCity, the panel installer that Tesla bought outright in 2016 (and that received some $500 million in grants from the Obama administration's American Reinvestment and Recovery Act). 'If Musk is coming back to a better place, they will welcome him with open arms,' predicted Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'He did more to change the auto industry with Tesla than all of my work and all of my colleagues' work to try to change the auto industry from the outside.' Both sides have their work cut out for them. 'Welcome back, but I think it's just too little, too late,' said Margo Oge, the former director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality and chair emeritus of the International Council on Clean Transportation, an automotive think tank. 'People really question his sincerity. Where has he been all these months?'
Politico
20 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Chamber drops six figures on megabill ads
With Daniel Lippman AIR COVER: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is rolling out a six-figure ad blitz to provide backup for key Republican lawmakers for their support of the House-passed reconciliation package — and knocking several Democratic frontliners for their votes against the bill. — The business lobby is going up with billboards and digital ads thanking 10 House Republicans for voting last week to extend the 2017 tax cuts: Pennsylvania's Mike Kelly, Oklahoma's Stephanie Bice, Ohio's Mike Carey, Utah's Blake Moore, Indiana's Rudy Yakym, South Dakota's Dusty Johnson, California's Davd Valadao, Michigan's Lisa McClain and Arkansas' French Hill and Bruce Westerman. — The campaign will also include ads preemptively thanking Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito ( for their support of the bill. — On the flip side, the Chamber is cutting ads going after a handful of House Democrats in battleground seats for voting against the bill, which the Chamber's ads argue is tantamount to supporting 'the largest tax increase in American history.' Those spots will run in the districts of Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Emilia Sykes of Ohio, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Derek Tran of California, according to a spokesperson. — The ad buy reiterates messaging from the reconciliation bill's supporters that will surely continue through next year's midterms. It is meant to counter the deluge of ads that are already hitting Republican lawmakers over the reconciliation bill's cuts to programs like Medicaid. In addition to the Chamber, which has also been holding events with local affiliates and GOP lawmakers in their districts, groups like the Business Roundtable and Americans for Prosperity have dropped millions in ad support for the package. — 'There is a lot of misinformation being spread about this legislation,' Chamber senior political strategist Ashlee Rich Stephenson said in a statement. Extending the 2017 tax cuts is one of — if not the — top policy priorities for business groups like the Chamber, which said the ad blitz is likely to expand and is aimed at 'educat[ing] the public on why the bill is good for the economy and for creating more jobs with higher wages,' even as deficit hawks on the right call for steeper spending cuts. TGIF and welcome to PI. What's going on out there? You can add me on Signal, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. BURR LOBBYING FOR TOBACCO COALITION: Former Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has continued to add new lobbying clients since his cooling-off period to lobby the Hill ended at the beginning of the year. — Among the newest clients for the former ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee is the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine. Though the group has a barebones online presence, lobbying disclosures show it is backed by tobacco giants Altria, Japan Tobacco International, Reynolds American and Reynolds parent company British American Tobacco. — Burr and a pair of former staffers who have joined him at DLA Piper began lobbying last month on FDA regulation and enforcement policy on behalf of the coalition, according to a disclosure filing. — A spokesperson for the coalition, whose members also sell e-cigarettes, told PI that the group's aim is 'to advocate for urgent reform of FDA regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, in the face of a mass-scale illicit market crisis.' — Cheap, black market vape products have flooded into the U.S. from China in recent years, cutting into sales of FDA-approved products and triggering calls from the tobacco and vape industries alike for a crackdown on illicit vapes, as well as an overhaul of the FDA process for approving and bringing more new products to market — objectives the coalition spokesperson echoed. CHIP SHOT: 'Since the start of this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been thrust into an unexpected new role — chief lobbyist for his company — forcing him to carry its hopes, suggestions and pleas directly to President Donald Trump,' The Information's Qianer Liu and Wayne Ma report. — 'Many of Huang's conversations with Trump have happened at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's residence and private club in south Florida, and Huang has made far more visits there than have been publicly reported, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.' — 'Indeed, these tête-à-têtes in Palm Beach have become frequent enough for one Nvidia executive to remark on Huang's absence from the company's Santa Clara, Calif., headquarters 'We see a lot less of Jensen,' the executive said. 'He's traveling to Florida a lot.'' — 'Huang's direct approach to dealing with Trump is a marked break from the past, when Huang generally left it to his lieutenants — and his lieutenants' lieutenants — to handle the company's relationships with the U.S. government. Generally, they engaged in traditional lobbying efforts, speaking regularly to bureaucrats and policymakers in an effort to shape public policy that favored Nvidia.' FORMER FDA POLICY CHIEF RETURNING TO K STREET: Kim Trzeciak, who served as the FDA's deputy commissioner for policy, legislation, and international affairs during the Biden administration, has joined Capitol Hill Consulting Group as a senior vice president. — Trzeciak joined the FDA in 2022 as its top policy official, where she oversaw the agency's policy and legislative strategy and led engagement with Congress and the rest of the federal government as well as state, local and tribal governments and international partners. — She previously worked on the Hill as a top aide on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee and for the late Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), with stints at Glover Park Group (now FGS Global) and as an in-house lobbyist at Mylan in between. — Trzeciak will be registering to lobby at CHCG, which represents a number of health care clients like Purdue Pharma, generic drugmaker Teva, Cigna, the Association for Accessible Medicines and dialysis giant Davita. WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT: 'Federal authorities are investigating a clandestine effort to impersonate White House chief of staff Susie Wiles ... after an unknown individual reached out to prominent Republicans and business executives pretending to be her,' people familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal's Josh Dawsey. — 'In recent weeks, senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff, the people familiar with the messages said.' — 'But the messages weren't from Wiles—and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House are trying to figure out who is behind the effort and what the goal is, according to some of the people. FBI officials have told the White House they don't believe a foreign nation is involved, some of the people said.' — Wiles, who 'is widely viewed as President Trump's closest adviser' and 'has a deep bench of contacts in Republican circles,' reportedly 'told associates that her [personal] cellphone contacts were hacked, according to some of the people, giving the impersonator access to the private phone numbers of some of the country's most influential people.' Jobs report — Molly Fromm is now vice president and general counsel at the Nickles Group. She previously was general counsel and parliamentarian for House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). — Growth Energy has added Jared Henderson and Emma Keiser as directors of government affairs. Henderson was most recently a senior policy adviser for Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Keiser was most recently a legislative assistant for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). — Sam Alleman is now director of coalitions for the Human Rights Campaign. He previously was national LGBTQ+ engagement director for the Harris campaign and is a DNC and Planned Parenthood Action Fund alum. — Prominent conservative attorney Kannon Shanmugam is joining the Harvard Corporation. He's a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and is a George W. Bush DOJ alum. — Matthew Creegan will be director of media relations at General Motors. He previously was head of executive comms at the Ford Foundation. — Gautam Raghavan is now a partner in the nonprofit and social impact practice at True Search. He previously was director of presidential personnel in the Biden White House. — Jordan Brewer is joining the State Department's Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy as a special adviser. Brewer was previously manager of government affairs at the Cato Institute. — Josué Estrada is now COO at the Center for AI Safety. Estrada was previously chief operating officer at both Salesforce and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. — Alyssa Penna is now director of federal policy at United States of Care. She most recently was an analyst at CMS' Office of Legislation. — Jenna Sumar and Kevin Lowery are launching a creative studio, Collection Media. Sumar previously was chief official videographer for the Biden White House. Lowery previously was creative director at Weymouth Watson and is a Stacey Abrams alum. — Cambridge Global Advisors has added Patrick Lechleitner, Elaine Duke, Katie Tobin, Ryan Scudder, Paul Thomas, Tim Devine and Morgan Ryan. — Cindy Dyer is now chief program officer at the McCain Institute. She most recently was U.S. ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons. New Joint Fundraisers MARSHALL VICTORY FUND (Steve Marshall for Senate, Fighting for Alabama PAC) New PACs ALABAMA CONSERVATIVES (Super PAC) ALABAMA STRONG PAC (Super PAC) AMERICAN MADE AND POWERED (Super PAC) BRINGING VIRGINIA BACK PAC (Super PAC) Dems 2025 (Hybrid PAC) FIGHTING FOR ALABAMA PAC (Leadership PAC: Steven T Marshall) Justice Unites Liberty, Integrity, and America PAC (Leadership PAC: Julia Hashemieh) NESTPOINT PAC (PAC) Power of the People (PAC) United States Working Class Republican Caucus (Hybrid PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Continental Strategy, LLC: Avangrid Continental Strategy, LLC: Lkq Corporation Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: National Disability Rights Network Dlg Partners (Fka Dragon List Global): White Star Capital USA Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Pattern Inc. Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Johns Hopkins University Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Sidley Austin LLP (On Behalf Of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.) Foxhound Advisors: Bell Geospace Foxhound Advisors: Medexpert Goodrx, Inc.: Goodrx, Inc. Icebreaker Strategies, LLC: Community Development Foundation Porterfield, Fettig & Sears, LLC: General Catalyst Group Management, LLC S-3 Group: Oshkosh Corporation Snyder Gressard Strategy: Alaska Wilderness League Snyder Gressard Strategy: League Of Conservation Voters Snyder Gressard Strategy: Oceana Snyder Gressard Strategy: Tides Center Theyfeartruth Federal Government Of America: Theyfeartruth Federal Government Of America Tusk Strategies, LLC: Somos Healthcare Providers, Inc. New Lobbying Terminations Venable LLP: It'S Electric Inc. Venable LLP: Newrange Copper Nickel LLC
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Trump backs Musk's cost-cutting after report on billionaire's alleged drug use
Trump backs Musk's cost-cutting after report on billionaire's alleged drug use Trump's support for Musk came the same day the New York Times reported on the billionaire's alleged drug use during the 2024 campaign. Show Caption Hide Caption Elon Musk officially departs Trump administration Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration as his allotted 130 days as a "special government employee" ends. Trump said Musk suffered 'outrageous abuse' the same day the New York Times reported on the billionaire adviser's alleged drug use. When asked about the report, Musk criticized the paper and said, 'Let's move on.' WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump commended Elon Musk for helping cut government spending despite "outrageous abuse" on the day of a report about the billionaire adviser's alleged drug use during the 2024 campaign. 'He willingly accepted the outrageous abuse and slander and lies and attacks because he does love our country,' Trump said in the Oval Office. 'Americans owe him a great debt of gratitude.' 'He had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame because he's an incredible patriot,' Trump added later. A reporter tried to ask Musk about a New York Times report about his alleged drug use during the 2024 campaign. But Musk, who said, "some of the slingers are in this room," dismissed the question from a publication that he said had falsely written about Russian interference in the 2016 election. "Let's move on," Musk said, standing behind the president at the Resolute Desk. The meeting came the same day the New York Times reported that Musk allegedly used drugs such as ketamine more frequently than previously known while campaigning with Trump in 2024. The paper said it was unclear whether Musk used drugs while working for Trump in the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump commended Musk repeatedly during the press conference for finding at least $160 billion in savings and said the billionaire corporate chief would continue to offer advice about how to make the government more efficient. 'Elon has worked tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations," Trump said. Musk, whose last day as a government adviser was May 30, has been critical of the House-passed package of legislation filled with Trump's priorities to cut taxes and bolster border enforcement. As the Senate prepares to debate the bill, Musk argued it didn't cut government spending enough. 'Elon's really not leaving," Trump said. "He's going to be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling." What drugs has Musk acknowledged using? Musk, the CEO of carmaker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, and owner of social-media platform X, acknowledged in March 2024 that he used prescription ketamine to combat bouts of depression. He worried corporate executives by puffing on a marijuana cigarette during a podcast in 2018. The New York Times story built on a Wall Street Journal story in January 2024 that alleged Musk used drugs such as LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. The campaign featured some erratic behavior, such as Musk jumping on stage behind Trump during an October rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk didn't respond to reporters' questions related to his drug use, but he has previously acknowledged using "small amount" of ketamine "once every other week" and marijuana "almost never." The New York Times reported that his ketamine use was often enough to affect his bladder. Ketamine is an anesthetic that also has some hallucinogenic effects, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug gained widespread recognition after the overdose death of 'Friends' television star Matthew Perry in October 2023. Musk told journalist Don Lemon during a YouTube interview in March 2024 that he took ketamine occasionally to combat depression. 'Ketamine is helpful for getting someone out of a negative frame of mind,' Musk said. He denied abusing it. 'If you use too much ketamine, you can't really get work done,' Musk said. 'I have a lot of work.' Musk puffed marijuana cigarette in 2018 Musk could also be seen on video smoking marijuana during the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in September 2018. He said he partook 'almost never.' Tesla's chief accounting officer, Dave Morton, quit just a month into the job, the company said in a filing the same day as that podcast. The company's chief people officer, Gaby Toledano, also announced she would not return from a leave of absence, just over a year after joining the company. Lemon asked Musk about smoking marijuana. 'I had one puff,' Musk said. 'I think anyone who smokes pot can tell I don't know how to smoke pot.' 'I can't really get wasted because I can't get my work done,' Musk added. FBI investigates drugs at White House but not necessarily Musk FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on May 26 that the agency was investigating cocaine found in the White House when President Joe Biden was in office in 2023. The Secret Service closed that investigation in July 2023, citing "a lack of physical evidence," and concluded an investigation into the cocaine mystery without identifying a suspect. "Shortly after swearing in, the Director and I evaluated a number of cases of potential public corruption that, understandably, have garnered public interest," Bongino wrote. The FBI didn't respond to a request for comment about Musk's alleged drug use. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, brushed off a reporter's question on May 30 about whether the administration was concerned about Musk's possible drug use. 'The drugs that we are concerned about are the drugs coming across the southern border,' Miller said.
