Latest news with #economicpolicies
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Chicago mayor calls DOGE ‘an act of war,' compares second Trump term to Third Reich
Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson laid into DOGE and President Donald Trump's economic policies during his weekly press availability, drawing parallels between the Third Reich in Germany and the mogul's second term. Johnson said the Windy City is the most "pro-worker" city in the U.S. but faces "hostility" from Washington: "The fact that the President of the United States of America is cutting off food supply and medicine to working people and families across this country -- that is an act of war," Johnson fumed. "And we're going to need leaders who are prepared and willing to stand up for working people because this battle has reached our front doors all across America where people are struggling and suffering. And in order to alleviate that pain and discomfort, it's going to require bold leadership. We can't tippy toe." Addressing a reporter who had asked how to work with the Trump administration for the benefit of the city from such an adversarial position, Johnson cited Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's State of the State address in February, which referenced how it "took the Nazi's one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a Constitutional Republic." "Governor Pritzker… offered up a warning," Johnson said. "You have a president that is cutting off medicine and food, a president that is working to erase culture. I mean, you can't make this up. He's doing it in plain sight." Pritzker had compared the rise of former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler to Trump's popularity -- in that the eventual national-socialist dictator was seen as the answer to "inflation and [the public] looking for someone to blame." In his remarks, Johnson noted how people have wondered how Germany could have descended into Nazism and anti-Semitism so quickly and dreadfully – saying that Trump is "carry[ing] out the playbook that was done against an entire people-group." "He's doing it right here in this country, against working people, erasing Black folks from museums and the history and the culture -- So, when you ask how we balance that. You have to fight it and resist it with everything that's in you." "The President of the United States of America is capturing the hopes and aspirations of working people and holding us hostage as he works to implement and annihilate democracy," he said, returning to comment on lawsuits the city has joined to halt DOGE-type efforts. Chicago is party to a lawsuit filed by several municipalities, including Baltimore, Santa Clara, and the county that encompasses Houston, which seeks to stop DOGE's slashing of the federal bureaucracy. "Congress created these federal agencies. It funded them. But the president is trying to fire all these people and gut these agencies that Congress created," Chicago Deputy Corporation Counsel Steve Kane told the city's ABC affiliate, calling the situation unconstitutional. DOGE-driven cuts affecting the Windy City have included the Energy Department's 2025 Small Business Expo originally pinned for June. The cut came as part of billions in spending reductions for cabinet agencies, and other closures of clean-energy-centric operations have affected the city, according to reports. Earlier in May, Chicago hired Ernst & Young – an international consulting firm – to find ways to bridge its own budget gaps, according to Bloomberg. The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from sanctuary cities, a definition within which Chicago falls. While city-specific data was not immediately available for DOGE-related cuts, the Trump administration saw the Department of Health & Human Services cut their regional office in Illinois, which served 28,000 low-income families. Efforts to consolidate federal real estate and office space affected America's third-largest city as well: The Federal Transit Administration, SEC, Labor Relations Authority and Civil Corps of Engineers all saw their offices there shut down. A federally-owned art collection in Chicago also sees some of its staffing on the chopping block, according to Axios.
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Ex-Atlanta mayor runs for Georgia governor, framing bid as a check on Trump
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is entering the Georgia governor's race, casting herself as a fighter who would challenge President Donald Trump and uplift the working people she said are suffering from his economic policies. Lance Bottoms, 55, who stepped into the national spotlight as mayor during the unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, announced her bid Tuesday in a campaign video calling the president and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk 'a disaster for our economy and our country.'
Wall Street Journal
09-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Can Trump Raise the American Birthrate?
Editor's note: In this Future View, students discuss the potential for a baby boom. Next we'll ask: 'Are deportation policies for international college students fair, or should there be more protections in place?' Students should click here to submit opinions of fewer than 250 words by May 5. The best responses will be published Tuesday night. We Need an Economic Boom First If the White House wants a baby boom, its time is best spent trying to orchestrate an economic one. Consider Hungary, whose pronatalist policies are praised by Trump officials. Hungary spends 5% of gross domestic product on pro-birth policies, dwarfing the roughly 3.6% the U.S. spends on defense. Hungary's myriad birthrate inducements include income-tax reductions, subsidized mortgages, child-care allowances and interest-free loans of approximately $36,000, which are canceled if a couple has at least three children. These efforts make President Trump's proposed $5,000 'baby bonus'—the most ambitious pro-birth policy floated by the White House thus far—look paltry in comparison. Even if Mr. Trump proposed such an expensive policy apparatus, it wouldn't be the most efficient use of his political capital. Hungary's approach worked for a time, with the country's fertility rate rising through the 2010s to peak at 1.61 births per woman in 2021. It has declined notably in recent years, however, as birth incentives fail to outweigh rising costs and economic uncertainty. While Hungary's policies may help cushion the birthrate blow caused by a global economic contraction, Mr. Trump can do more if he governs judiciously to steer the U.S., and by extension the world, away from a global recession. It won't be only the U.S. birthrate that benefits from his actions. —Rachel Gambee, University of Oxford, Christian ethics We're All Depressed Why should people who don't feel optimistic about the future choose to procreate? Parenthood offers a purpose larger than oneself—a legacy, something to be proud of. It's a taxing responsibility, however, one that requires stability and hope. When people are anxious, uncertain and depressed, they tend to avoid such responsibilities. A 2016 study found that people satisfied with life are more likely to produce more life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42% of high-school students report feeling sad or hopeless most of the time. Another study finds that 58% of young adults feel alone most of the time. This crisis is compounded by economic challenges. A 2021 LinkedIn study found that nearly 40% of entry-level job postings require three years of experience, leaving young Americans shut out, even amid labor shortages. Better mental health, increased economic opportunity and national optimism are the ingredients for a baby boom. The White House must tackle these issues by prioritizing mental-health reform, ensuring fair economic opportunities, and restoring hope in America's future. Only then will we see a future where young Americans feel confident enough to build families and invest in tomorrow. —Mohammad Namous, Moravian University, political science Inspire the Young The Trump administration should champion emerging fertility technology to spur population growth. In vitro fertilization and advanced fertility treatments have transformed the American family's ability to have children. Millions face infertility, and while Mr. Trump supports IVF, his February executive order to expand fertility treatments doesn't do enough. The Trump administration should launch a campaign focused on the consequences of declining birthrates and what new technology can do to mitigate it. It should spotlight Americans who have reshaped society: Who will be the next Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sally Ride or Sonia Sotomayor? These people, products of a robust generation with robust birthrates, have driven the nation forward. This is an opportunity for the administration to inspire the next generation of Americans. —Devin Mehta, University of Wisconsin-Madison, finance Turn to the Church, Not the White House A birthrate in decline is the mark of a nation in decline. America—like much of the developed world—is no longer maintaining its population through births. While it's encouraging that the Trump administration is concerned, the real problem is one of spiritual well-being. Only a return to religion will usher in a baby boom. America's declining birthrate is often attributed to unaffordable housing and child care, economic immobility and a host of others issues that justify expanded government interference. But this fails to address the root of a global issue. While the world's wealthiest—and least religious—nations are seeing a baby bust, the poorest—and most religious—are witnessing a baby boom. Declining birthrates aren't the result of an economic problem. They are a consequence of a religious problem. The administration still ought to pursue a pro-family agenda. Providing incentives narrowly targeted at young families in need can be helpful. Public policy, however, can go only so far. An encouraging number of young Americans are converting to Catholicism—embracing orthodoxy and tradition. This trend must continue. The administration should be applauded for trying to encourage a baby boom. But the answer will be found in the church, not the White House. —Connor Lee, Gonzaga University, political science Click here to submit a response to next week's Future View.
