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Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will Congress Finally Defund Planned Parenthood?
Ending federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the United States, has long been a goal of pro-life groups and their allies in Congress. Back in 2007, a Republican congressman from Indiana named Mike Pence introduced a bill to redirect funding for Planned Parenthood to other organizations that didn't perform elective abortions. The measure failed in a Democratic Congress, but Pence told me at the time that his amendment had been a 'successful failure for the pro-life movement' that laid 'the foundation for building an argument for defunding Planned Parenthood in the future.' Pence argued that his bill was an extension of the principle that taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to fund elective abortions—or subsidize the organizations that perform them. In Pence's view, he was following in the footsteps of President Ronald Reagan: While foreign aid to directly fund elective abortions had been banned by Congress since 1973, it wasn't until Reagan first implemented the 'Mexico City Policy' in 1985 that subsidies were cut off to overseas organizations that perform or promote abortion. While Congress has consistently banned the direct federal funding under Medicaid of almost all abortions with the Hyde Amendment since 1976, Pence said that 'we need a domestic Mexico City Policy.' Nearly two decades later, congressional Republicans are still trying to enact the policy that Pence called for back in 2007. 'In the weeks ahead, the House is going to be working on the one big, beautiful bill,' Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told attendees at an event sponsored by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America on April 29. 'We're absolutely making it clear to everybody that this bill is going to redirect funds away from big abortion and to federally qualified health centers.' Johnson's 'one big, beautiful bill' was a Trumpian reference to the budget reconciliation process, which includes special rules that allow the Senate to bypass the typical 60-vote hurdle for legislation and pass a reconciliation bill by a simple majority. Republicans tried—and failed—to defund Planned Parenthood via reconciliation the last time they controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress in 2017. Given that history, one might think pro-life groups would feel a little bit like Charlie Brown watching congressional Republicans play the role of Lucy holding the football. A look back at why Republicans failed to defund Planned Parenthood back in 2017 may shed light on whether they will fail yet again in 2025—especially with such a slimmer and more fractious House majority. The campaign to defund Planned Parenthood—which receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the federal government—picked up a lot of momentum in 2015 after undercover activists released videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the practice of selling the organs of aborted unborn children to biotech companies for research. Even Hillary Clinton, the eventual 2016 Democratic nominee, called the videos 'disturbing.' John McCain, the late moderate GOP senator from Arizona, was willing to entertain a government shutdown if necessary to defund Planned Parenthood. 'I don't like a government shutdown. … But this is a clear case of totally improper use of taxpayers' dollars,' McCain said at the time. 'If [Democrats] want to stand before the American people and say that they support this practice of dismembering unborn children, then that's their privilege.' Congressional Republicans passed a bill via reconciliation that defunded Planned Parenthood, but Democratic President Barack Obama vetoed it in 2016. As the 2016 GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump pledged to defund Planned Parenthood if elected. In 2017, House Republicans passed a reconciliation bill to 'repeal and replace' the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that included a provision to defund Planned Parenthood. But the bill to repeal parts of Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood failed by one vote in the Senate in July 2017, and congressional Republicans lacked the will to put forward a reconciliation bill that simply defunded Planned Parenthood. When congressional Republicans put forward their second reconciliation bill to cut taxes in December 2017, they left out the provision to defund Planned Parenthood because they were worried they needed the votes of two GOP senators who support a right to abortion, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. GOP leaders privately promised pro-life groups they would defund Planned Parenthood in a third reconciliation bill, but then the GOP lost an Alabama Senate special election—and with it the 50th anti-abortion vote in the upper chamber. In a 51-49 GOP Senate with Murkowski and Collins, there was no possibility of defunding Planned Parenthood on an up-or-down vote. Flash forward to 2025: Senate Republicans hold 53 seats, giving them enough cushion to lose the votes of Collins and Murkowski and still pass a reconciliation bill. And it's not entirely clear that a provision defunding Planned Parenthood alone would cost Republicans the votes of those two senators. Asked if defunding Planned Parenthood via reconciliation would be a dealbreaker for her, Collins told The Dispatch in the Capitol on Tuesday: 'I'm going to wait and see what the whole package is, rather than singling out individual provisions. The only red line that I've drawn—it's a big one—is on Medicaid funding. … I am very concerned about Medicaid cuts.' Murkowski declined to comment. At the same time, even staunchly pro-life Republican senators stopped short of saying a reconciliation bill must defund Planned Parenthood to get their votes. 'This is something we feel very strongly about, that health care should be about health, not about taking life,' Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford told The Dispatch. 'We're working to be able to get it done. That's all I'll say,' Lankford added when asked if his vote was contingent on defunding Planned Parenthood. 'There's a lot of potential deal-breakers. That one's pretty important,' Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley told The Dispatch. While Republicans have more cushion in the Senate than they did in 2017, they now have a much narrower majority in the House. With 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats (and two vacancies) at present, Johnson can only afford three GOP 'no' votes and pass a reconciliation bill on a party-line vote. This week, a few moderate Republicans signaled opposition to defunding Planned Parenthood, but they also stopped short of threatening to vote down the whole reconciliation bill over that provision. 'Obviously, Planned Parenthood does provide a lot of services outside of abortion,' Rep. Mike Lawler, who is entertaining a gubernatorial bid in deep-blue New York, told reporters Tuesday while adding that he'd have to learn more about what GOP leaders are proposing. On Thursday, another New York Republican, Rep. Nick LaLota, told The Dispatch: 'I don't think we need to touch Planned Parenthood in this reconciliation bill.' Moderate Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania also told The Dispatch on Thursday he opposed defunding Planned Parenthood. It's unclear how many other House Republicans share their objections. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told The Dispatch he's fine with redirecting Planned Parenthood funding. 'I think a lot of people feel very uncomfortable providing a lot of money to one of the largest abortion providers in the country,' he said, adding that he'd only heard of a couple Republicans who object to defunding Planned Parenthood. Pro-life groups are optimistic that other House Republicans, even if not staunchly pro-life, are comfortable defunding the organization for other reasons. For example, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina—who has been skittish about abortion politics since the Dobbs decision while simultaneously taking an aggressive turn against transgender rights—told The Dispatch that she supports efforts to redirect Planned Parenthood funds to community health centers. Planned Parenthood has faced criticism for prescribing hormones to minors experiencing gender dysphoria after consultations as brief as 30 minutes. In February, the New York Times published a scathing report documenting substandard care at multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates. 'Much of the national [private] funding to affiliates went to legal support, public campaigns to expand abortion access and subsidies for patient navigators who help patients access abortions,' the Times reported. The first sign of whether House GOP leadership will follow through on Johnson's pledge for the reconciliation bill to 'redirect funds away from big abortion' could come as early as Tuesday, when the House Energy and Commerce Committee marks up its piece of the reconciliation package. Pro-life groups told The Dispatch they were confident that provision would be in the Energy and Commerce committee bill, but Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick cast doubt on those expectations following the last votes of the week in the House on Thursday. Fitzpatrick told The Dispatch he had just spoken to Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie on the House floor, and Fitzpatrick said the committee is 'not aware' of any provision to defund Planned Parenthood. A committee spokesman told The Dispatch he couldn't comment on provisions still under discussion If the House GOP folds less than two weeks after Johnson promised to defund Planned Parenthood, it would be the latest humiliation for pro–lifers who have been repeatedly demoted in the party of Trump since the Dobbs decision. But it wouldn't be the most consequential humiliation. The Trump administration is in court defending former President Joe Biden's rules allowing the abortion pill to be prescribed without an in-person visit to a health care provider and shipped through the mail. And any day now it could announce potential executive orders creating federal subsidies or mandates for in vitro fertilization. The latter policy, without limits on the intentional destruction of human embryos, would greatly undermine the principle that tax dollars shouldn't be used to fund the destruction of unborn human life. 'I think you have to view these issues together,' Tim Chapman, the president of Advancing American Freedom, the political group founded by Mike Pence, told The Dispatch. 'In terms of numbers of unborn lives that are protected, the work that needs to be done on [the abortion pill] mifepristone and the work that needs to be done properly on IVF is astronomically higher' than defunding Planned Parenthood. With that said, according to Chapman, defunding Planned Parenthood is nevertheless 'something that Republicans have been promising for a long time. It's time to deliver on it.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Trump chipped away at abortion access in his first 100 days
President Trump steadily chipped away at abortion access during the first 100 days of his second term. Trump campaigned on leaving abortion decisions to the states, and has so far made no push to outlaw the procedure on a national level. But since he returned to office in January, he and his administration have taken steps to support anti-abortion activists and restrict access to abortion care not only in the United States, but around the world. Here are four moves the Trump administration has made on abortion so far in the president's second term. Three days after returning to the White House, Trump signed an executive order pardoning 23 anti-abortion protesters, some of whom were convicted of violating a federal law meant to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats. The law, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, was passed in 1994 when crimes against abortion providers were on the rise. 'They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people,' Trump told reporters while signing the order. 'This is a great honor to sign this.' Trump's pardons included a group of protesters convicted of forcing their way into an abortion clinic in the Washington, D.C., area and blockading the entrance in 2020. Protesters livestreamed the blockade on social media for several hours before they were arrested. Abortion clinics have expressed concern that the pardons will spark an uptick in protests and threats of violence towards patients and workers. In late January, the president reinstated a controversial policy that bars U.S. foreign aid recipients from discussing abortion. The Mexico City Policy, introduced during the second Reagan administration, has been rescinded by every Democratic president and subsequently reinstated by every Republican president since then. Trump previously restored the policy four days into his first term, and former President Biden rescinded it a week into his own four years later. Supporters of the policy argue that it prevents American taxpayer money from being spent on abortions overseas. But opponents of the policy, who refer to it as the 'global gag rule' due to the restrictions it places on what reproductive health providers can talk about with patients, say there is already legislation in place that prevents this from happening. They contend that Trump reinstating the policy will weaken access to abortion care across the globe. In March, the Trump administration dropped a lawsuit filed by the Biden-era Justice Department that sought to protect the right to an emergency abortion in Idaho, where the procedure is severely restricted. After the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, an Idaho 'trigger ban' on abortion went into effect that made performing or assisting in an abortion a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The Biden administration then sued the state, arguing the ban made it impossible for emergency room doctors to provide emergency abortions to patients under their care and violated a federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Under the law, hospitals are required to provide immediate and life-saving stabilizing treatment for patients with emergency medical conditions. Last year, the Supreme Court returned the case to a lower court, which temporarily paused Idaho's abortion ban. But by dropping the case, the Trump administration paved the way for the state's abortion ban to be reinstated. Abortion rights advocates said the administration's decision put the lives of pregnant women at risk. Meanwhile, some anti-abortion groups praised the Justice Department for dropping the case. The Trump administration earlier this year froze millions of dollars of federal funding intended to enable Americans to access birth control, cancer screenings and reproductive health care. The funding had been allocated under Title X, the U.S.'s only federal program solely aimed at providing affordable birth control and reproductive health care to low-income Americans. The program has been around since the 1970s and supported 4,000 clinics serving close to 2.8 million people in 2023 alone, according to the health advocacy nonprofit KFF. At least nine Planned Parenthood affiliates received notices about the program's funding being withheld beginning April 1. The first Trump administration similarly restricted Title X funding, issuing a rule in 2019 that barred reproductive health providers from receiving funds under the program if they mentioned abortion or referred patients for abortions. Planned Parenthood left the program because of the rule and reentered in 2021 after the Biden administration reversed it. While freezing funds to some recipients, the president's second administration has also restored some Title X funding to two state health programs that were kicked out of the program under Biden for failing to comply with some of its rules. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
How Trump chipped away at abortion access in his first 100 days
President Trump steadily chipped away at abortion access during the first 100 days of his second term. Trump campaigned on leaving abortion decisions to the states, and has so far made no push to outlaw the procedure on a national level. But since he returned to office in January, he and his administration have taken steps to support anti-abortion activists and restrict access to abortion care not only in the United States, but around the world. Here are four moves the Trump administration has made on abortion so far in the president's second term. Pardoned anti-abortion activists Three days after returning to the White House, Trump signed an executive order pardoning 23 anti-abortion-rights protesters, some of whom were convicted of violating a federal law meant to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats. The law, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, was passed in 1994 when crimes against abortion providers were on the rise. 'They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people,' Trump told reporters while signing the order. 'This is a great honor to sign this.' Trump's pardons included a group of protesters convicted of forcing their way into a Washington, D.C.-area abortion clinic and blockading the entrance in 2020. Protesters live-streamed the blockade on social media for several hours before they were arrested. Abortion clinics have expressed concern that the pardons will spark an uptick in protests and threats of violence towards patients and workers. Reinstated the Mexico City Policy In late January, the president re-instated a controversial policy that bars U.S. foreign aid recipients from discussing abortion. The Mexico City Policy, introduced during the second Reagan administration, has been rescinded by every Democratic president and subsequently reinstated by every Republican president since then. Trump previously restored the policy four days into his first term, and President Joe Biden rescinded it a week into his own four years later. Supporters of the policy argue that it prevents American taxpayer money from being spent on abortions overseas. But opponents of the policy, who refer to it as the 'global gag rule' due to the restrictions it places on what reproductive health providers can talk about with patients, say that there is already legislation in place that prevents this from happening. They contend that Trump reinstating the policy will weaken access to abortion care across the globe. Dismissed high-profile Idaho emergency abortion case In March, the Trump administration dropped a lawsuit filed by the Biden-era Justice Department that sought to protect the right to an emergency abortion in Idaho, where the procedure is severely restricted. After the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, an Idaho 'trigger ban' on abortion went into effect that made performing or assisting in an abortion a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The Biden administration then sued the state, arguing that the ban made it impossible for emergency room doctors to provide emergency abortions to patients under their care and violated a federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor (EMTALA) Act. Under the law, hospitals are required to provide immediate and life-saving stabilizing treatment for patients with emergency medical conditions. Last year, the Supreme Court returned the case to a lower court, which temporarily paused Idaho's abortion ban. But by dropping the case, the Trump administration paved the way for the state's abortion ban to be reinstated. Abortion rights advocates said the administration's decision put the lives of pregnant women at risk. Meanwhile, some anti-abortion groups praised the Justice Department for dropping the case. Pulled Title X funding The Trump administration earlier this year froze millions of dollars of federal funding intended to enable Americans to access birth control, cancer screenings and reproductive health care. The funding had been allocated under Title X, the U.S.'s only federal program solely aimed at providing affordable birth control and reproductive health care to low-income Americans. The program has been around since the 1970s and supported 4,000 clinics serving close to 2.8 million people in 2023 alone, according to the health advocacy nonprofit KFF. At least nine Planned Parenthood affiliates received notices about the program's funding being withheld beginning April 1. The first Trump administration similarly restricted Title X funding, issuing a rule in 2019 that barred reproductive health providers from receiving funds under the program if they mentioned abortion or referred patients for abortions. Planned Parenthood left the program because of the rule and re-entered in 2021 after the Biden administration reversed it. While freezing funds to some recipients, the president's second administration has also restored some Title X funding to two state health program s that were kicked out of the program under President Biden for failing to comply with some of its rules.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
If we don't act now, we risk losing the institutions that keep our society open, informed and free
Roy Cohn, once an attorney and confidant of Donald Trump, talking to Sen. Joseph McCarthy (right), circa 1954. Photo by Keystone/. I got an unexpected email last week from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It referenced the Prevention Research Center at the University of Minnesota, where I lead work to promote healthy eating and wellbeing among children. The email was notification of a survey for grantees, unlike any I'd seen before in my 20+ years as a researcher, with questions like: 'Can you confirm that your organization does not work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party that espouses anti-American beliefs?' 'What impact does this project have on protecting religious minorities, promoting religious freedom, and combating Christian persecution?' 'Is your organization compliant with the latest Mexico City Policy?' Responses were mandated by midnight the following day, just over 24 hours later. The urgency — and implied threat to our work — seemed designed to sow fear and uncertainty. Prior to receiving funding in 2024, our work and team were scrutinized through multiple layers of scientific and administrative review. Our institution provided all necessary government assurances. There were no doubts raised about our work or the context in which we do it. The questions seemed to be less about our work, and more about advancing an unpredictable and politically motivated agenda in the realm of scientific research. As in psychological warfare — where destabilization is sought through confusion, fear, and mistrust — our current climate of chaos and apprehension has gripped researchers, federal workers, and Americans who rely on the government. Policies change without warning, leaving us scrambling to comply with conflicting directives. Uncertainty reigns — many of us aren't sure if our next project will be delayed, canceled or targeted as an example of defiance. Last week, $400 million in federal funding granted to Columbia University was canceled due to accusations the university failed to address antisemitism on campus. The University of Minnesota was named as one of five universities under similar investigation by the Trump administration in February. As of March 10th, 60 colleges and universities have been named as subjects of investigation. Ostensibly about protecting Jewish students and faculty, these investigations and enforcement actions could in reality be intended to stifle and ultimately censor speech that isn't aligned with Trump's political ideology. The president's unpredictable, often unexplained policy changes affect us all. The CDC's ability to respond to outbreaks of diseases like flu, Ebola, and COVID-19 has been severely hindered since firing 700 staffers, with many more layoffs likely coming soon. Firings, cuts and funding freezes at the NIH have stalled critical research on diseases like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's. These setbacks undermine American health and threaten economic growth, as every $1 invested in NIH generates $2.46. The dismantling of federal training programs and university infrastructure weakens future generations of skilled workers — doctors, engineers, teachers and others we need to drive economic growth, compete globally, and solve complex problems. Compounding today's uncertainty is the president's lack of tolerance for dissent. History shows us the dangers of suppressing opposing views. McCarthyism, for example, fueled a climate of suspicion and alarm in the 1950s, when dissenters were targeted for their political beliefs. Intellectuals were among the first targets in Nazi Germany, seen as threats to Hitler's narratives and his consolidation of power. More recent events in Turkey and Russia show how governments that target dissenters create a climate where citizens are afraid to speak out or pursue truth. An atmosphere of trepidation and uncertainty breaks down society's intellectual foundations, ensuring no one challenges those in power. Importantly, advancement and innovation hinge on our ability to foster a vibrant marketplace of ideas; when diverse ideas are no longer allowed, progress falters. Whether it's sudden inquisitions, unexplained policy changes, on-again/off-again tariffs or constant threat of job loss, these actions seem designed to foster fear and control. This isn't about efficiency; it's about consolidating power and undermining institutions that hold the government accountable. If we don't act now, we risk losing the institutions that keep our society open, informed and free. We cannot afford to stay silent while the foundations of our public institutions are eroded. The future of American democracy depends on it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Independent
12-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
The Latest: Hegseth says Ukraine must abandon hope of restoring pre-war borders
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a major shift in U.S. policy on Ukraine: The way forward, he told allies in Brussels, is to abandon the 'illusory goal' of a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia, backed up with an international force that won't include U.S. troops. In the U.S., bad inflation numbers came in just as President Donald Trump planned to upend global trade by signing a broad reciprocal tariffs order. And Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's longstanding friendly rapport with Trump could be tested as his visit to Washington kicks off. Here's the latest: Global reproductive health advocates decry shuttering USAID, reinstatement of global gag rule Dilly Severin, executive director of the Universal Access Project at the UN Foundation, described Trump's actions as 'forfeiting our role as a leader in global health, including reproductive rights, health and justice.' Dr. Carole Sekimpi, senior director of MSI Africa, said the organization has lost $40 million in funding from the U.S. since Trump took office and warned there will be a spike in deaths of women and girls across the region due to losing 'life-saving, time-sensitive' family planning services. 'Women and girls woke up one morning and there was no care, whether it was contraception or HIV care,' she said. 'There was no forewarning, so there's a lot of panic.' The global gag rule, sometimes called the 'Mexico City Policy,' requires foreign nongovernmental agencies to certify that they don't provide or promote abortion if they receive U.S. federal funds for family planning assistance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he would seek to mitigate damage resulting from shutting down U.S.-funded global aid programs by issuing waivers to exempt emergency food aid and 'life-saving' programs. But Sekimpi said it's nearly impossible to restart the programs on the ground even with the waivers. Danes jokingly petition to buy California as Trump seeks Greenland The idea is a response to Trump's talk about taking control of the vast and mineral-rich Arctic island from Denmark. The petition's website claimed over 200,000 signatures by midmorning Wednesday. 'We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality,' it says. 'California will become New Denmark. Los Angeles? More like Løs Ångeles.' As for Disneyland in Southern California: 'We'll rename it Hans Christian Andersenland. Mickey Mouse in a Viking helmet? Yes, please.' The petition comes with a disclaimer: 'This campaign is 100% real … in our dreams. ▶ Read more about the Danish petition Trump taps oil industry advocate for land agency, former Wyoming official for Fish and Wildlife Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Colorado-based Western Energy Alliance, was named Bureau of Land Management director. Her group has long pushed for greater access by the oil and gas industry to public lands and increased mining. Brian Nesvik led the Wyoming Game and Fish Department until last year. The BLM manages about 245 million acres of federal land, mostly in the West, while Fish and Wildlife oversees fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. Both agencies are part of the Interior Department. Human rights expert praises Trump's order restricting transgender athletes from women's sports Trump's executive order 'mandates the preservation of all-female athletic opportunities and locker rooms, ensuring privacy and dignity for women and girls,' said Reem Alsalem, the U.N. special rapporteur on violence against women and girls. Alsalem is one of dozens of independent experts who work with the U.N. human rights office to keep tabs on human rights and is not a staffer of the United Nations. Affidavits reveal scope of US foreign aid eliminations by DOGE and other outsiders The newly filed affidavits of U.S. Agency for International Development workers describe a lieutenant of Trump ally Elon Musk and other outsiders directing the immediate termination of hundreds of assistance programs, allegedly without required authorization or justification. The groups are suing to roll back the dismantling of USAID by Trump's Republican administration and Musk's government-cutting teams. The affidavits were filed late Tuesday. One says that when USAID contract officers emailed agency higher-ups on Monday asking for the authorization and justification needed to cancel USAID programs abroad, a lieutenant of Musk's responded by asserting that the decisions came from the 'most senior levels.' Trump's ultimate power move could test the Supreme Court's supremacy Trump is clearly pressing the boundaries of the relationship between the executive and judicial branches. And that may test one of the most foundational cases in American constitutional law, Marbury v. Madison, which established the courts as the law's final arbiters. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in the 1803 ruling that while Congress makes the laws and the president enforces them, the courts decide whether the other branches have gone too far. 'It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is,' Marshall wrote. So is the court supreme? Notably, the court lacks any independent means of enforcing its decisions. But Americans have come generally to believe that court decisions should be obeyed, even amid sharp disagreement. ▶ Read more about court precedent on the balance of powers Subcommittee aimed at supporting DOGE's work holds its first meeting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and the subcommittee's chair, described excessive spending as an existential threat to the country at Wednesday's hearing, saying, 'The American people are in debt slavery to everyone who owns our debt.' She said the federal government needs to be held accountable, saying there are 'no consequences' for bad financial management or service to citizens. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Maryland Democrat and the subcommittee's ranking member, said Trump wasn't interested in addressing waste and fraud because he was instead firing inspectors general. 'We have to ask ourselves, what is really going on here?' she said. Stansbury also said it was wrong to let 'Elon Musk and his hackers' gain access to sensitive databases like the U.S. Treasury payment system. Trump teases the release of another American With history teacher Marc Vogel safely back in the U.S., Trump said another American, someone 'very special,' would be released on Wednesday, though he declined to name the person or say from what country. The president also wouldn't say if he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Fogel, who had been jailed in Russia three years ago after being caught with medical marijuana. But Fogel praised the Russian leader as 'very generous and statesmanlike in granting me a pardon.' Trump called the deal 'Very fair, very, very fair, very reasonable. Not like deals you've seen over the years. They were very fair.' The president did not say what the United States exchanged for Fogel's release. ▶ Read more on the prisoner swaps US defense chief calls NATO membership for Ukraine unrealistic In sweeping remarks in Brussels, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the way forward is for Ukraine: Abandon the 'illusory goal' of a return to its pre-2014 borders, and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia, backed up with an international force of troops. Allies have been waiting to hear how much continued military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine's government. What the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of about 50 countries supporting Ukraine heard: Trump is intent on getting Europe to assume the majority of the financial and military responsibilities for the defense of Ukraine. The peacekeeping force would not include U.S. troops. ▶ Read more about Hegseth's speech on Ukraine Trump: 'If they charge us, we charge them' 'It's time to be reciprocal,' Trump said earlier this week as he prepared additional actions to upset the world trade system. With the tariffs he's unleashed so far, Trump has fully taken ownership of the path of the U.S. economy, betting that he can eventually deliver meaningful results for voters, even if by his own admission the import taxes could involve some financial pain in the form of inflation and economic disruptions. With imports totalling $4.1 trillion last year, a broad reciprocal tariffs order could amount to a substantial tax hike to be shouldered largely by U.S. consumers and businesses. Should job gains never materialize and inflation stay high, it's an easy line of attack for Democrats: that Trump helped the ultrawealthy at the expense of the middle class. ▶ Read more on Trump's big bet on the economy U.S. inflation accelerated last month Rising prices on groceries, gas, and used cars make it less likely that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates anytime soon. The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, Wednesday's report from the Labor Department showed, up from 2.9% the previous month. It has increased from a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September. Candidate Trump pledged to reduce prices. Most economists worry that his proposed tariffs could at least temporarily increase costs. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will likely be asked Wednesday by the House Financial Services Committee what the Fed will do. Trump posted on social media early Wednesday that interest rates should be lowered to 'go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!!' ▶ Read more about consumer prices and inflation Saudi Arabia 'instrumental' in negotiations to free Fogel, White House says Witkoff gave some of the credit to Mohammed bin Salman, saying Saudi Arabia's crown prince was 'instrumental' in the negotiations. 'He has a very strong friendship with President Trump, and, behind the scenes, he was encouraging and pushing and looking for the right result. It was helpful, it really was.' Asked if the crown prince was pushing the Russians, Witkoff said he was more of a 'cheerleader.' 'He was a cheerleader for this rapprochement where the two leaders would come together and that's what happened, so thank God. Sometimes you don't get a good result. Here we got a very good result. Mark Fogel is the evidence of that.' American freed by Russia has spoken with family, toured Lincoln Bedroom Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, declined to reveal Marc Fogel 's whereabouts but told reporters that Fogel had spoken with his wife, his two children and his 95-year-old mother. Trump sent Witkoff to bring home the schoolteacher, who had been detained in Russia after his arrest in August 2021. Fogel was brought to the White House late Tuesday so Trump could officially welcome him home. Trump gave Fogel a tour of the Lincoln Bedroom — as he had promised, Witkoff said. The Kremlin said Wednesday that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Fogel's release, but refused to identify him until he arrives in Russia. ▶ Read more about what Russia got from the deal Senate poised to confirm Gabbard for intelligence position The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be the next director of national intelligence. The military veteran and former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii faced criticism that was initially bipartisan over comments sympathetic to Russia and her past support of government leaker Edward Snowden, as well a 2017 meeting with now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad. Democrats remain opposed to her nomination, but Republican support has fallen into line following a pressure campaign by Trump allies including Elon Musk. ▶ Read more about impacts on intelligence sharing with U.S. allies CFPB layoffs begin with fill-in-the-blank firing memo The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has started laying off probationary employees by distributing a form letter that doesn't include their names. 'MEMORANDUM FOR (EmployeeFirstName) (EmployeeLastName),' the letter says. 'This is to provide notification that I am removing you from your position of (JobTitle).' 'Unfortunately, the Agency finds that that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the Agency's current needs.' Probationary employees have less civil service protection because they've been on the job for less than a year. The bureau, which says it has obtained nearly $20 billion in financial relief for U.S. consumers, is the latest target as President Trump and Elon Musk dismantle federal regulators. ▶ Read more on Trump's effort to shut down consumer protection bureau What to expect in Trump and Modi's White House meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's longstanding relationship with Trump could be tested as the Indian leader kicks off a visit to Washington on Wednesday, eager to avoid tariffs that have been slapped on others and threats of further taxes and imports. India, a key strategic partner of the United States, has so far been spared any new tariffs, and the two leaders have cultivated a personal relationship. Modi — a nationalist criticized over India's democratic backsliding — has welcomed Trump's return to the White House, seeking to reset India's relationship with the West over his refusal to condemn Russia for its war on Ukraine. But Trump has repeatedly referred to India as a 'tariff king' and pressed the South Asian country on the deportation of migrants. In response, New Delhi has shown a willingness to lower its own tariffs on U.S. products, accept Indian citizens back and buy American oil. But as tariff threats loom, the question remains how much a good rapport between two leaders matters and how far India will go to cut a deal. ▶ Read more about what to expected ahead of Modi and Trump's meeting at the White House Musk talks DOGE at the White House Elon Musk made a rare public appearance at the White House on Tuesday to defend the swift and extensive cuts he's pushing across the federal government while acknowledging there have been mistakes and will be more. Musk stood next to the Resolute Desk with his young son as Trump praised Musk's work with his Department of Government Efficiency, saying they've found 'shocking' evidence of wasteful spending. The Republican president signed an executive order to expand Musk's influence and continue downsizing the federal workforce. Despite concerns that he's amassing unaccountable power with little transparency, Musk described himself as an open book as he took questions from reporters for the first time since joining the Trump administration as a special government employee. He joked that the scrutiny over his sprawling influence over federal agencies was like a 'daily proctology exam.' He also claimed that DOGE's work was being shared on its website and on X, the social media platform owned by Musk. However, the DOGE website has no information, and the postings on X often lack many details, including which programs are being cut and where the organization has access. The White House has also been moving to limit independent oversight. The inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development was fired a day after warning that it had become nearly impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in humanitarian funds after DOGE began dismantling the agency. ▶ Read more about Musk's comments on DOGE Trump teases matching tariffs on trade partners, possibly setting up a major economic showdown President Donald Trump is taking additional action to upset the world trade system, with plans to sign an order as soon as Wednesday that would require that U.S. tariffs on imports match the tax rates charged by other countries. The president had suggested that the order would come on Tuesday or Wednesday. But when Tuesday passed without the tariffs being officially announced, Trump was asked if he would sign the order on Wednesday and Trump answered: 'We'll see what happens.' A reciprocal tariffs order could amount to a substantial tax hike to be shouldered largely by U.S. consumers and businesses as the Census Bureau reported that the country had total imports of $4.1 trillion last year. The tariffs could set off retaliatory measures by trading partners that could roil growth around the globe and reset where the United States stands with allies and rivals alike. By signing the order, Trump would fulfill his long-standing pledge to raise taxes on most imported goods, a clear break with his recent White House predecessors who saw tariffs as either targeted tools to use strategically or barriers worth lowering. Trump has broken with that precedent by saying he wants to return the United States to the 1890s when taxes on imports were the government's dominant source of revenues. White House fires USAID inspector general whose office warned of $8 billion lacking oversight The White House fired the inspector general for the USAID on Tuesday, U.S. officials said, a day after his office warned that the Trump administration's dismantling of the organization had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian funds. The White House gave no reason for the firing of Inspector General Paul Martin, one of the officials said. The officials were familiar with the dismissal but were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The dismissal, which was first reported by CNN, is the latest action by the Trump administration affecting the aid agency, including efforts to pull all but a fraction of its staffers worldwide off the job. Trump and ally Elon Musk say its work is out of line with the president's agenda.
