Latest news with #Trump-backed
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lindsey Granger: Huge disconnect between Trump and Musk on budget
(NewsNation) — Elon Musk is stepping down from his role in the White House after leading the Department of Government Efficiency, more commonly known as DOGE, to slash government spending. Musk was restricted to serving 130 days in a 365-day period because of his special employment status. The deadline is set to be met Friday, May 30. According to The Hill, during his tenure with DOGE, Musk found only $175 billion in savings with the unofficial agency despite a goal of $1 trillion. FBI will release video of Jeffrey Epstein's death: Bongino In an interview with 'CBS Sunday Morning,' Musk commented on the Trump-backed 'big, beautiful bill,' alleging the spending in the bill would only add to the deficit and undo any of the work the DOGE team did. Musk and President Donald Trump spoke from the Oval Office on Friday following his comments and the news of his departure. NewsNation contributor Lindsey Granger told Connell McShane on Friday's 'NewsNation Now' that Musk was likely vocal about the added spending to the deficit because he does not want his legacy in the government to be in vain. 'But financially and with fiscal responsibility, we know that may be a huge disconnect,' Granger said. 'While they were sitting together and playing nicely and are obviously still going to be friends, I think maybe Elon Musk learned his lesson to be involved on a really high level as opposed to a micro level.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
"Well, we're all going to die": Joni Ernst dismisses concern over GOP Medicaid cuts
At a tense town hall in Butler County, Iowa, on Friday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, faced backlash from constituents while defending the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' a Trump-backed spending proposal that recently passed the House. In one exchange, an attendee challenged the senator over what they characterized as the devastating impact of proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits. While Ernst claimed that those who would lose Medicaid under the legislation are those who were already not eligible under the 'original definition' of the program, an audience member could be heard shouting, 'People are going to die.' 'Well, we're all going to die,' Ernst responded, drawing boos and gasps from the crowd. Ernst appeared unmoved by the reaction, responding: 'What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable.' One Democratic House aide called it 'Legit one of the worst politician quotes I've ever seen." An Ernst spokesperson later defended the senator. 'While Democrats fearmonger against strengthening the integrity of Medicaid, Senator Ernst is focused on improving the lives of all Iowans,' they said in a statement. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the House-passed Republican spending bill could leave more than 7 million people uninsured. The town hall contained other contentious moments, including one attendee who likened the Trump administration's behavior to a 'Nazi blitzkrieg.' This is not the first time that elected Republican officials have had negative experiences at town halls with angry constituents. In March, the chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee told House members to avoid holding in-person town hall events following backlash largely related to the efforts of Elon Musk's DOGE to cut spending. Watch the full exchange here:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk Blasts Trump Mega Bill for Reversing Biden Clean Energy Tax Credit
Elon Musk has hit out at Donald Trump's mega-spending bill for gutting clean energy tax credits, once again breaking ranks with MAGA Republicans as he ends his term as DOGE slasher-in-chief. Ahead of a press conference with the president to mark his departure on Friday, Musk and his Tesla electric vehicle company blasted the plan and warned it could undermine Trump's 'drill baby drill' American energy revival. 'Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America's energy independence and the reliability of our grid,' Tesla posted on X, which Musk then amplified to his millions of followers. Soon after, Musk promoted a post from another user that said, 'slashing solar energy credits is unjust.' 'There is no change to tax incentives for oil & gas, just EV/solar,' Musk added, once again highlighting the fact that clean energy was being gutted while subsidies for other sectors remained. The posts came after Musk expressed his 'disappointment' with the Trump-backed reconciliation bill earlier this week, saying that it undermined the savings DOGE had sought to make. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,' he said. 'But I don't know if it can be both.' This prompted the White House, which has repeatedly claimed the bill would not add to the deficit, to hit back at the former First Buddy. 'DOGE cuts are to discretionary spending,' Trump top aide Steve Miller clapped back on social media. 'Under senate budget rules, you cannot cut discretionary spending (only mandatory) in a reconciliation bill.' The clean energy tax credits formed part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which is set to be repealed through the reconciliation package passed by the House. Among other things, the bill would eliminate most credits for electric vehicles at the end of the year, disqualifying Teslas from a $7,500 incentive at a time when the company's sales have plummeted over Musk's slashing of the federal workforce. It would also end residential solar credit at the end of the year and rapidly wind down the clean electricity investment credit for all forms of generation except nuclear. Musk's latest comments could make the SpaceX boss an unlikely ally for Democrats in the fight to save the Biden-era reforms. Some have even suggested that the billionaire, who once supported the campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden, should consider returning to the fold. 'I'm campaigning for you, Elon,' joked The Five's resident Democrat Jessica Tarlov earlier this week. 'We only talked for a little while when you were on the show, but we'll take you back and we could DOGE this the right way together.' Musk will officially leave the Trump administration after a tumultuous few months in which he upended the federal bureaucracy but ultimately failed to deliver the generational savings he claimed DOGE would achieve. But while Musk's term at DOGE has come to an end, thanks to the 130-day limit for his 'special government employee' designation, Trump has suggested he may be back soon. 'I am having a Press Conference tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office,' Trump posted on Thursday. 'This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way. Elon is terrific!'
USA Today
a day ago
- Politics
- USA Today
US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza; hostage-prisoner swap, plan shows
US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza; hostage-prisoner swap, plan shows May 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. plan for Gaza seen by Reuters on Friday proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages alive and dead in the first week, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians. The document, which says the plan is guaranteed by U.S. President Donald Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar, includes sending humanitarian aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement. The aid will be delivered by the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other agreed channels. On Thursday, the White House said Israel had agreed to the U.S. ceasefire proposal. Israeli media said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted the deal presented by President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters it was reviewing the plan and would respond on Friday or Saturday. The U.S. plan provides for Hamas to release the last 30 of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place. Israel will also cease all military operations in Gaza as soon as the truce takes effect, it shows. The Israeli army will also redeploy its troops in stages. More: Chaos and criticism for Trump-backed Gaza aid plan as 47 are injured Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all 58 hostages still held in Gaza before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack in its south on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and left the enclave in ruins. MOUNTING PRESSURE Israel has come under increasing international pressure, with many European countries usually reluctant to criticise it openly demanding an end to the war and a major relief effort. Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday that Washington was close to "sending out a new term sheet" about a ceasefire by the two sides in the conflict. "I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict," Witkoff said at the time. The 60-day ceasefire, according to the plan, may be extended if negotiations for a permanent ceasefire are not concluded within the set period. More: Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, laments 'cries' of parents of dead children Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Thursday the terms of the proposal echoed Israel's position and did not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by the United States and endorsed by Israel, expanded its aid distribution to a third site in Gaza on Thursday. Heavily criticised by the United Nations and other aid groups as inadequate and flawed, the group began its operation this week in Gaza, where the U.N. has said 2 million people are at risk of famine after Israel's 11-week blockade on aid entering the enclave. The launch was marred by tumultuous scenes on Tuesday as thousands of Palestinians rushed to distribution points and forced private security contractors to retreat. The chaotic start to the operation has raised international pressure on Israel to get more food in and halt the fighting in Gaza. GHF has so far supplied about 1.8 million meals and plans to open more sites in coming weeks. (Reporting and writing by Samia Nakhoul and Hatem Maher; Additional reporting by Washington and Cairo teams; Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk has left DOGE. Was he successful in his mission?
Tech billionaire Elon Musk officially announced Wednesday that his time as a top adviser in the Trump administration has come to an end. His departure from the Department of Government Efficiency marks the end of a bumpy chapter that included thousands of layoffs of federal employees, the shuttering of various agencies and a firestorm of challenges both in the courts and at his companies. Musk took a leading role in the administration with promises to reduce wasteful government spending and end the 'tyranny of bureaucracy.' As he leaves his post to return focus to his business ventures, was he successful with his goals for DOGE? Musk has been leading the department since President Donald Trump's inauguration day in January as a 'special government employee.' A special government employee is someone within the executive branch or federal government who is appointed to serve for a period not exceeding 130 days during a period of 365 consecutive days, meaning Musk's tenure at DOGE would come to an end around this time. Musk shared earlier this month during a Tesla earnings call that his time allocation to DOGE would 'drop significantly' as shares have fallen this year at Tesla and he shifts focus to his rocket company SpaceX. At first, it was unknown when Musk would take a step back from his position with DOGE, but he announced Wednesday on X, the social platform he owns, that his scheduled time as a special government employee was coming to an end. 'I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,' Musk wrote. 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' Musk, the world's richest person, rose to political fame over the last year after spending at least $250 million on Trump's 2024 campaign. His influence grew after being appointed to lead DOGE and he was viewed as a key player in Republican Party politics. However, his efforts to influence the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in April did not pan out. Musk spent at least $3 million of his own money to elect the conservative candidate, gave out $1 million checks through his America PAC and spent more through various groups, but the state elected the liberal candidate in the race, dealing a political blow to Musk. In May, Musk said he would be spending a 'lot less' on political campaigns in the future than he did before, saying he thinks he's 'done enough.' He also criticized the Trump-backed 'big, beautiful bill.' One of Musk's leading goals was to reduce federal spending. Musk and DOGE acted at lightning speed to enact changes across agencies and departments, leaving Congress scrambling to keep up and workers wondering if they would be cut next. While Musk celebrated DOGE's cuts to the federal budget, critics said the savings came at a price — and watchdogs question the numbers, reasoning and logistics behind DOGE's reporting. Musk first promised to cut spending by $2 trillion, which he later reduced to $1 trillion and then down to about $150 billion, The Associated Press reported. As of May 26, DOGE shared it saved an estimated $175 billion through a combination of asset sales, contract and lease cancellations, fraud and improper payment deletion, programmatic changes, workforce reductions and more. DOGE said it has saved the average taxpayer $1,086 through the cuts, its website said. However, DOGE has not said where the remaining spending cuts would come from, and a BBC analysis in April found just $61.5 billion of the total savings were itemized so far. Despite Musk and Trump insisting the administration would cut back on Biden-era spending, a CBS News report found the government spent over $200 billion more in Trump's first 100 days compared to 2024 spending. According to a New York Times analysis of layoffs, nearly 60,000 federal workers have been laid off. About 76,000 took DOGE's buyout offer and nearly 150,000 more are expected to be impacted by reduction plans for the federal workforce. Some of the largest cuts come from DOGE's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Voice of America, AmeriCorps, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education, the analysis found. DOGE said on its website that it terminated nearly 500 real estate leases, totaling $216 million in savings. Nearly 50 Social Security Administration offices are expected to close within the year, even as the agency looks to require in-person identity checks in field offices for new and existing beneficiaries, with some exceptions. The changes will require people to make more trips to understaffed field offices, a new study found. While Musk and DOGE have faced fierce pushback from Democrats in Congress and protesters across the country for the cuts, several of the department's actions have held up in court. According to a New York Times roundup of legal dockets, there are more than two dozen open cases against Musk and DOGE's actions, over various issues including shuttering the U.S. Institute of Peace, the department gaining access to Americans' data and the American Privacy Act, mass layoffs and more. The legal battles have already begun to play out in the courts. Thousands of people fired by DOGE earlier this year were reinstated in February after a court order, but later decisions from the Supreme Court and an appeals court blocked the lower court ruling that would have reinstated the workers. Some of Musk's critics are pointing to the legal battles as a reason for him leaving the administration, noting how the cases are setbacks to DOGE's efforts. Musk's departure from the administration was largely uneventful after he shared the news online later Wednesday. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that Musk's 'off-boarding' process began Wednesday evening and the tech CEO did not have a formal conversation with Trump before his announcement. Musk's departure was decided at 'a senior staff level,' Reuters reported. Musk and Trump are expected to hold a press conference together on Friday. The Trump administration and GOP allies insist that Musk's effort to downsize the government was effective. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed Musk's departure during Thursday's press briefing, saying the administration thanks him for his service and 'getting DOGE off of the ground.' The department's efforts to cut 'waste, fraud and abuse will continue,' Leavitt said. Utah Sen. Mike Lee shared several posts online praising Musk's time in the administration. Lee thanked Musk for his service and said he was 'confident' that Musk's critics will live to see him 'proven right.' 'Thank you for everything you have done, and will continue to do, for our country, Elon,' Lee said in a separate post. 'This is just the beginning.' Musk's critics also weighed in on his step back from the administration. Former White House ethics czar Norm Eisen dismissed the idea that Musk was retreating from DOGE because his 130-day timeline as a special government employee was up. Eisen argued that the legal battles facing Musk and DOGE were the real reason he is leaving his post. 'Give me a break, Musk is not leaving because his scheduled time is up,' Eisen shared Wednesday on BlueSky. 'The litigation held him accountable, & for that & other reasons he became politically unpopular & a liability.' Attorney and fierce Trump critic George Conway agreed with Eisen, noting that the 130-day limit 'just happened to be the one law' Musk complied with. Conway said Musk clashed with the courts and public opinion of him dropped, saying 'good riddance.' After posting his farewell message on Wednesday, Musk spent Thursday posting on X about his other business ventures, including Tesla, SpaceX and X's AI tool grok.
