Confusion and legal issues surround the Trump administration’s directive to stop federal financing. A Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Additionally, the Year of the Snake officially begins today.
What to know today is as follows.
Trump s efforts to withhold federal funding sets up a constitutional showdown
A buyout offer for some 2 million federal employees and an order to stop federal funding this week brought President Donald Trump’s goal of reducing government spending into greater focus.
With a few exceptions, all full-time federal employees are eligible for benefits and salary through the end of September under the Trump administration’s offer. According to a senior administration official, they anticipate that between 5 and 10% of the workforce will leave, which may result in savings of almost $100 billion.Learn more about the offer for the buyout.
Meanwhile, the government was left in a state of disarray after an abrupt suspension on federal grants and loans was announced Monday night. The Office of Management and Budget made it clear in a memo sent yesterday afternoon that federal Pell Grants for college students, Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, small business support, and rental assistance would not be included in the halt or subject to review.
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A federal district court granted an administrative stay in a complaint contesting the Trump administration’s directive just minutes before the freeze was scheduled to go into effect. According to the judge’s ruling, the proposal is put on hold for a week, and a hearing for additional arguments is scheduled for Monday.
A long-running legal struggle over the fundamental constitutional premise that states Congress has the authority to decide how to spend taxpayer money is being fueled by Trump’s determination to freeze spending. It might not take long for a lawsuit to reach the Supreme Court.
The Impoundment Control Act, which was passed in 1974 to limit the president’s authority over the budget, is probably going to be brought up by opponents. That argument is already being refuted by the Trump administration. Although the cash has been approved by Congress and signed into law, rendering it exempt from the Impoundment Control Act, the Trump administration stated in the OMB statement that it seeks to assess the programs that get government funds to make sure they are in line with Trump’s goals.
Sam Bagenstos, the former chief counsel for the OMB under former President Joe Biden, stated, “It seems obvious to me that the Trump administration is desperate to take this matter to the Supreme Court.” It’s obvious that the Trump administration believes their court is on their side.
However, a number of legal experts believe the administration will face significant challenges.
Go here to read the entire story.
More politics news:
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Elected Republicans
largely expressed support
for the freeze, though some asked for more clarity to ensure certain services weren t affected.
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Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
made her debut
in the White House briefing room, where she defended Trump s mass deportation efforts and plans to slash federal spending.
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Republican lawmakers three-day policy retreat in Florida was filled with sunshine, palm trees and a call for unity. But intraparty fights
seem to be bubbling just below the surface
.
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Trump signed a sweeping executive order
to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for minors
.
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The inside story of Kamala Harris lost gamble on Joe Rogan, Beyonc and a late Texas rally:
Read an excerpt
of a new book by Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill on the 2024 fight for the White House.
The latest immigration news:
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Trump administration officials
are considering pulling funding
from the Transportation Security Administration to make up for a budget shortfall within ICE.
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American citizens, including citizens of Native tribal nations,
have been snagged in recent ICE operations
, raising concerns about racial profiling in Trump s efforts to carry out mass deportations.
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ICE raids in the Bronx in New York City
took neighborhood residents by surprise
.
Senators weigh RFK Jr. s nomination as health secretary
As President Donald Trump’s candidate for secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to go before senators today for his first confirmation hearing. Kennedy would be in charge of strong organizations including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the FDA, the NIH, and the CDC as director of HHS. Few Trump Cabinet candidates have drawn as much external criticism from the left and right as Kennedy, despite the fact that a few of them have caused controversy.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views have drawn criticism from liberals. His views on abortion have drawn criticism from conservatives. Beyond politics, 77 Nobel laureates in the fields of medicine, chemistry, physics, and economics raised a number of concerns about the nomination, and over 15,000 doctors condemned it in a letter this month, calling Kennedy “actively dangerous.” Autism activists worry that Kennedy’s confirmation could reverse years of development that have shown a connection between autism and vaccines. Caroline Kennedy, who described her cousin as a predator who is unfit to head the department, penned a harsh letter yesterday pleading with the Senate to reject his nomination.
Kennedy’s fate will eventually be decided by Senate Republicans. No Democrats have openly opposed Kennedy, even though he can only afford to lose three GOP votes if they band together against him.For daily updates, visit our live blog and read the entire story here.
Slithering into the Year of the Snake
The Lunar New Year begins today, and with it come two weeks of festivities, traditions, and feasts honoring the coming of spring. This year is the Year of the Snake, an animal that is frequently connected to love, resiliency, and cleverness in Asian culture. Those born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2013 are represented by the snake.
In many Western civilizations, snakes are seen negatively, yet in the Eastern hemisphere, they are honored and revered. According to Jonathan H.X. Lee, a professor of Asian and Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, this year is all about removing toxicity from personality and character traits. That kind of growth, both internal and external, personal and macro, is quite likely to occur this year.
More precisely, as wood has deep symbolic meaning in Buddhism, Confucianism, and Doaism, this year is the year of the wood snake. Kimmy Yam, an Asian America reporter for NBC, provides additional details about this year’s plans.
Read All About It
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Federal Reserve officials are
expected to leave interest rates steady
in their first policy meeting of the new Trump administration.
-
The White House said the FAA
authorized most of the mysterious drones
that caused alarm among many New Jersey residents.
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As a ceasefire unfolds,
Hamas is again displaying its authority in Gaza
, posing a challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy the militants grip on power.
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Some of the more than 3.2 million people set to see increased Social Security benefits under a new law
might have to wait for more than a year
until they see the extra money that s due to them.
-
A tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas that killed two people last year
is still growing
, state health officials said.
Staff Pick:
The things they carried: What Californians saved from the fires
Residents in the Los Angeles region who were in the path of the wildfires had to make the difficult decision of which possessions to leave behind and which to shield from the flames. They had only minutes to make a decision because of the swift-moving fires. Passports were taken by many. A few seized jewelry. Others carried priceless artwork or their kids’ favorite teddy animals.
Five family told us about the magnitude of their losses three weeks after the fires destroyed their houses. Photographers were able to document the destruction at the site as the families returned to the communities where their homes had previously been.
We hope that these families’ moving images speak to you, and we are honored that they shared their tragic stories with us.National reporters Daniel Arkin and Elizabeth Chuck
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
The Wthn Acupressure Mat set promises to increase circulation and relieve aches and pains if you’re experiencing back issues. After using the mat for over a year, one NBC Select reporter revealed her opinions. The top productivity and focus applications to help block out distractions were also evaluated by professionals.
Subscribe to The Selection email to receive weekly updates on the biggest specials and discounts, in-depth product evaluations, and professional buying advice.
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