The GOP-controlled Senate is apparently not messing around, as it made massive progress in passing three crucial spending bills ahead of the August recess -- a feat that hasn't been witnessed since 2018.
According to the Washington Examiner, three spending bills for 2026 were passed this week, including one regarding agriculture, another involving military spending, and a third that involved legislative branch spending.
Two amendments to the budget bills were also passed by voice vote, according to official reports.
Senate Republicans had faced bipartisan resistance in their attempt to bundle the three spending bills together. The holdup stalled the bills completely and forced Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) to find a new way to get them passed.
Collins' agreement to tackle the bills a different way set up floor votes on a number of bipartisan amendments. She carved out the legislative branch funding bill at the request of Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).
The Examiner noted:
Kennedy opposed the legislative funding bill because it included what he said was the largest spending increase among all the appropriations measures, around 6%. While he credited his colleagues for their “conscientious and thoughtful work,” he argued that Congress should lead by example and rein in its own budget.
Kennedy had a problem with the price tag of the bill, and ultimately said that Congress can do better when it comes to reining in their own budget.
"Every bill that has come out of the Appropriations Committee has represented an increase in spending," said. "I think we can do better."
The Examiner provided details of some of the amendments that were passed for the budget bills.
Two amendments to the budget bills passed by voice vote: one from Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) requiring the VA Secretary to report on staffing models aimed at improving timely, high-quality delivery of care and services; and another from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) prohibiting any cuts to the Veterans Crisis Line.
The passing of the bills was significant, as Congress never enacted a full budget for 2025 and instead counted on three consecutive continuing resolutions to prevent shutdown.
What also delayed the bills, which were set to be passed after President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" was passed, was the immediate recissions package.
As soon as the $9 billion rescissions package was successfully passed, Democrats scattered, walking away from bipartisan talks.
While the August recess will be in effect, senators will stay at the Capitol and help clear a backlog of Trump nominees still awaiting confirmation.
Only time will tell if they're able to clear it.
President Donald Trump is not afraid to hand someone their walking papers, no matter what their status is or how they got the job in the first place, and that was evidenced this week in Washington D.C.
According to the New York Post, Trump dismissed the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) this week after new numbers came out that showed an uptick in unemployment on his watch.
Now-former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer is out, according to reports. She was appointed to the powerful position by former President Joe Biden.
Her latest jobs report sparked major backlash from within the White House, and from President Trump himself, who called the numbers "rigged."
President Trump was apparently so unhappy with the numbers that he accused the former BLS commish of "manipulating" the data, and went as far as accusing her of doing so in the past.
The Post noted:
Now-former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, triggered Trump’s fury after her agency announced lower than expected employment gains in July and revised the numbers for May and June downward by a total of 258,000 jobs.
"I believe the numbers were phony, just like they were before the election," Trump told reporters on Friday. "So you know what I did? I fired her."
Meet Dr. Erika McEntarfer.
Biden appointed her Commissioner of the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Erika was just caught under reporting Trump’s job numbers after over reporting Joe’s to help Kamala’s election chances.
Trump just fired her.
These traitors are everywhere. pic.twitter.com/loHU4TKLgk
— C3 (@C_3C_3) August 1, 2025
The Post added:
A BLS spokesperson confirmed McEntarfer “was terminated today” and Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will take over on an acting basis.
Trump continued his rant against the former BLS commissioner in a Truth Social post.
"This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000,” the president wrote. “These were Records — No one can be that wrong?"
Users across social media reacted to Trump's firing of the McEntarfer.
"This is really upsetting but not surprising, unfortunately. What a shame that so many people are so dishonest," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "I’m feeling like they are all a bunch of crooks and traitors. THE ONLY ONES WORKING HARD FOR MAGA ARE TRUMP AND HIS CABINET!!!"
President Donald Trump is building a big, beautiful ballroom at the White House.
The $200 million renovation will begin in September and is being paid for by Trump and private donors. It is the first major update to the White House complex since Harry Truman was president.
The administration says the project addresses space constraints that have forced presidents to host world leaders in "unsightly" tents on the lawn.
The largest room in the White House currently, the East Room, holds 200 people. The new, 90,000-square-foot ballroom will seat 650.
The White House shared artistic renderings of the "exquisite" white-and-gold ballroom, which will be situated where the "small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits," White House officials explained.
"Nothing will be torn down,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Through the years, Trump has been known to entertain foreign dignitaries at his palatial Mar-A-Lago estate, sometimes called the Winter White House.
In his second term as president, the keen-eyed real estate mogul has endeavored to elevate the presidential mansion with his famous taste for opulence.
Last month, Trump had "beautiful" flagpoles installed on the White House lawn, stopping by to survey the work himself. He is also paving over the Rose Garden and has added gold touches to the Oval Office.
With work beginning next month, there is plenty of time for the ballroom to be finished up before Trump's term ends.
"I'm good at building things. And we'll get it built quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful," he said of the ballroom project.
"I always said I was going to do something about the ballroom because they should have one. So we'll be leaving it. It'll be a great legacy project and I think it'll be special," Trump added.
Trump emphasized his respect for the White House, noting that the ballroom will not touch the main building.
"It won't interfere with the current building ... It'll be near it, but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of. It's my favorite," Trump said.
"The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the special history of the white House, while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future administrations and generations of Americans to come," White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said.
Wiles added, "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Revision while Joe Biden was in office found positions created overestimated by 818,000
The commissioner of Labor Statistics was fired on Friday after the agency released a dismal jobs report based on President Donald Trump's economy, a report that multiple observers said was faulty.
It was the same operation that during Joe Biden's time in the White House overestimated the number of jobs created at that time, by 818,000, and then had to admit its blunders.
"I was just informed that our Country's 'Jobs Numbers' are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala's chances of Victory," Trump announced.
"This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000.:
Trump's statement continued, "These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under 'TRUMP' despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting 'Kamala' elected – How did that work out? Jerome 'Too Late' Powell should also be put 'out to pasture.' Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
In fact, during the Biden regime, the agency had to revise its job creation numbers downward by 818,000, a massive change that had, before being corrected, implied that jobs were booming under Biden when they were not.
It was the largest downward adjustment in 15 years.
At the Gateway Pundit was the comment, "President Trump on Friday fired the Biden-appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after she 'faked' the jobs numbers before the 2024 election to try to boost Kamala Harris's chances of a victory."
President Donald Trump is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test as part of the mission to "make America Healthy again."
From its creation in 1966 until it ended in 2013, the Presidential Fitness Test measured students' strength and endurance with exercises like sit-ups, pull-ups, and one-mile runs. Students who scored in the top percentiles received national recognition.
"It’s a wonderful tradition and we’re bringing it back," Trump said.
The return of the test is a victory for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leader of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement who has long voiced concern about childhood obesity. His uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was sounding the alarm about Americans going "soft" way back in the 1960s.
“He was lamenting the fact that America had prided itself on a beef jerky toughness, and that we were losing -- that we were falling behind Europeans, we were falling behind other nations,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the White House on Thursday.
The Presidential Fitness Test originated during the Eisenhower administration, when the President’s Council on Youth Fitness was established in response to a study on American kids' health that raised concern.
President John F. Kennedy took up the issue, famously writing an article titled "The Soft American" in Sports Illustrated.
He warned about an "increasingly large number of young Americans who are neglecting their bodies -- whose physical fitness is not what it should be -- who are getting soft."
"And such softness on the part of the individual citizen can help to strip and destroy the vitality of a nation," he wrote.
Kennedy also promoted taking the 50-mile hikes that were used by Marines, with his own brother, then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, completing the task in the snow.
President Lyndon Johnson established the Presidential Physical Fitness Award in 1966.
For all of President Kennedy's concern about fitness in the 60s, America's health problems have grown exponentially worse since then, with one in five kids now suffering from obesity.
The fitness test was phased out in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama over concerns that it hurt students' self-esteem. It was replaced with a more individualistic assessment of health as American culture drifted away from meritocracy.
The Trump administration says returning to the old, competitive approach will produce better health outcomes.
“The executive order will be focused on strengthening athletics in our country and making America healthy again,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “And we are going to reimplement the Presidential Fitness Test in America’s schools, which is, I think, something all Americans can get behind.”
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump's effort to help the American economy, specifically the American taxpayers, has taken to new heights his anti-regulation agenda from his first term.
Then, he promised to remove two rules for every new one imposed by the government. Actually, commentator Paul Bedard in the Washington Examiner confirmed he reached the plateau of eliminating four rules for every new one.
Now that's in the distance past.
"With little fanfare, the Trump administration has gone on a regulation-cutting binge, eliminating Biden- and Obama-era rules while slashing the bureaucracy built to impose costly restrictions on Wall Street and Main Street," the report said.
"Early indications from a key regulation watcher confirm that President Donald Trump is not just making good on a campaign promise to cut 10 regulations for every new one his team proposes, but has also paused issuing new regulations."
The confirmation comes from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which monitors that paperwork and its impact on American industry, American consumers, American business.
Clyde Wayne Crews, a spokesman, now is calling it the "Unrule."
"What we're witnessing is the rise of the 'Unrule,' a revolt against the machinery of the administrative state."
He shared with Bedard that some of the new "rules" that are appearing actually are "reversals, delays, withdrawals" of previously created mandates.
That, he said, is "a government-wide recognition that certain, perhaps most, regulations are not merely unjustified but actively harmful."
Some are huge, like the Trump administration's decision to pull back Joe Biden's Environmental Protection Agency demand for "clean" vehicles, considered unrealistic by experts.
Further, Trump's efforts have included the widely publicized effort to reduce the number of federal employees – actually eliminating the posts in which federal workers often spent their careers creating new rules.
"Agencies are being defunded, downsized, and in some cases shuttered. Guidance documents and sub-regulatory decrees — once used to bypass notice-and-comment rulemaking — are now in the crosshairs as well," explained Crews.
He said Congress, which had been urged to take these very actions, should learn.
"When the bureaucracy gets put in time out, nobody but the vast industry surrounding it misses it, and the economy, jobs, and public health and safety get a boost," he said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'The route to a successful career does not have to take you through college'
Artificial intelligence is on the move, advancing quickly into jobs that college graduates heretofore had considered their domain.
But A.I. likely isn't ever going to haul a hot water heater to a residence and install it. Or paint that siding, or replace an air conditioning unit. Or fix that broken transmission or replace a muffler.
And now those who want to get training in those so essential, but more physical, job pursuits will be getting some help.
In fact, a report at the College Fix outlines how President Donald Trump's new budget allows $500 billion for trade schools.
The money now is in 529 accounts, special tax-benefited savings accounts that parents often open for their children. Money there until now has been allowed for college expenses, but faced other limits.
The College Fix now reports in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" is a change that allows 529 savings accounts "to be used to help pay for a broader range of post-high school credentials, like certification in specialties like auto mechanics or food safety, and related expenses."
"This means the estimated $500 billion in 529 plans can now be used to pay for trade school and even tools in some cases," the report explained.
One requirement is that the training come from "an accredited program."
"Higher education consultants interviewed by the NY Times were generally optimistic about the new policy," the report explained.
Andrea Feirstein explained "The route to a successful career does not have to take you through college."
The report noted, "It seems plausible the change, once more people learn about it, could lead to an increase in savings in these accounts. This is because parents may have been wary in the past to tie up money in the accounts, fearing their children might not use it if they ended up going to trade school. Now there is more flexibility and a recognition in law that college is not the only way to success, as Feirstein pointed out to the NY Times."
Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan attempted to block Admiral Daryl Caudle's confirmation as Chief of Naval Operations to try to strong-arm the Pentagon to reopen the state's Adak Naval Air Station, Just the News reported. Sullivan eventually caved, allowing Caudle to be confirmed on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved Caudle in a vote that should have secured an easy confirmation for him. The position was left vacant after President Donald Trump's administration removed then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti from her post in February.
However, Sullivan held out on the final confirmation, stating that he would do so until the Pentagon agreed to reopen the strategic Naval base located on the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. The base has been closed since 1997, but Sullivan is sounding the alarm that it's a vital stronghold to protect Alaska from China and Russia.
This is not the first time Sullivan has used such tactics in an attempt to convince the Pentagon to go his way. In 2020, Sullivan blocked Pentagon nominees during then-President Joe Biden's administration, including Gen. C.Q. Brown’s promotion to Air Force chief of staff.
The Alaskan senator's urgings about the importance of reopening the Naval base hold more weight, considering Russian war planes have been performing exercises just off the coast of Alaska in recent weeks. While speaking on Fox News' Faulkner Focus on Thursday, Sullivan shared how Russian aircraft have recently been spotted near American airspace.
"The Russians have been very aggressive. You know, Billy Mitchell, the father of the US Air Force, called Alaska the most strategic place in the world," Sullivan continued.
"Well, our adversaries know that, which is why they're testing us up there. And we've even had joint Russian naval task forces in our waters and joint Russian strategic bomber task forces in our airspace," Sullivan went on. The lawmaker later explained that Trump is pouring money into military infrastructure in Alaska, including a possible American version of a Golden Dome anti-missile system to protect against attacks from Russia and China.
"We have the technology. We have the ability with a great military, and now with presidential leadership. That's why Russia and China are so scared of this, and I think when they speak out against it, it shows that we're on target," Sullivan said.
After initially holding out, Sullivan later changed his mind after speaking with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday. "Sen. Sullivan had a very constructive conversation with the secretary of Defense, with whom he has a strong relationship," said his spokesperson, Amanda Coyne, in a statement.
"After the conversation, Sen. Sullivan lifted his hold on Adm. Caudle," Coyne added. While Sullivan didn't receive any formal concessions, the White House said in a statement that Trump has "repeatedly stressed the importance of the Senate quickly confirming all of his nominees," suggesting the president was fuming and his intolerance for the gesture swayed Sullivan's acquiescence.
Still, it doesn't seem Sullivan will abandon his advocacy for the military base any time soon, even if Trump wasn't happy with his tactics. According to the Washington Examiner, the lawmaker was banging the drum about the Naval base as recently as May.
"This is part of a broader strategic repository that our military needs to really think hard about, and in the Indo-Pacific, to be honest, their strategic thinking has been lazy," Sullivan said. The base at one time had as many as 90,000 troops in the Aleutian Islands during World War II and was instrumental in an offensive attack against Japanese-held Kiska and Attu islands in 1943.
Holding up the appointment of personnel is not the best tactic for getting things done, and Sullivan was correct in giving up. However, it's clear that the current threats to the U.S. are best addressed from Alaska.
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday declared Brazil a national security threat and sanctioned the nation's head judge (equivalent to the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) over human rights abuses and censorship of conservative viewpoints both at home and abroad.
Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes received sanctions from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under the Global Magnitsky Act because he has engaged in a pattern of arbitrary detentions, denial of fair trial guarantees, censorship, punishing free speech, and other abuses.
De Moraes's actions were all in the name of persecuting conservative political activity, which is prohibited by the act. Consequently, his U.S.-based assets are frozen, and he is banned from transactions involving U.S.
“Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said. “De Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions — including against former President Jair Bolsonaro. Today’s action makes clear that Treasury will continue to hold accountable those who threaten U.S. interests and the freedoms of our citizens.”
“Moraes abused his authority by engaging in a targeted and politically motivated effort designed to silence political critics through the issuance of secret orders compelling online platforms, including U.S. social media companies, to ban the accounts of individuals for posting protected speech,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a separate statement. “Moraes further abused his position to authorize unjust pre-trial detentions and undermine freedom of expression.”
Trump probably feels for Bolsonaro because he was in a similar situation to Trump, being declared the loser of an election while believing that he actually won.
Like Trump, Bolsonaro publicly refused to concede and accused his opponents of voter fraud.
It's probably more likely that Bolsonaro's election was fraudulent than Trump's, but neither one of them could prove it and both ended up having to accept the loss and transfer power eventually.
De Moraes went after Bolsonaro, his family, and his supporters with travel bans, freezing their assets, police raids, and arrests.
He also censored American social media platforms repeatedly, imposing hefty fines for noncompliance so people couldn't see the truth and find out he was wrong.
While de Moraes's actions sound frightfully familiar to how Trump and his allies have been treated, Bolsonaro had no legal remedy against his persecution.
Trump ended up beating all the charges against him, being re-elected by an indignant populace, and being able to pardon all his allies who were unjustly accused of crimes.
The differences highlight the American system's resilience; our democracy just functions better. Trump's sanctioning of de Moraes is an attempt to influence Brazil's government and tell de Moraes he can't get away with his actions consequence-free.
President Donald Trump signed the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act on Wednesday, giving the Department of Veterans Affairs the ability to prevent veterans from losing their homes to foreclosure, Breitbart reported. The bill was sponsored by military veterans Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), and Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL).
There are numerous government programs dedicated to assisting illegal immigrants and giving aid to foreign nations. This time, Orden, a retired Navy SEAL with combat experience, and Bost, an ex-Marine, have crafted legislation that will take care of America's veterans.
The lawmakers stood by Trump as he signed the bill into law. "It's a very important bill," Trump said, holding up the document he just signed in a clip shared to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
President Donald J. Trump officially signs the "VA Home Loan Program Reform Act" into law. pic.twitter.com/IrdRGKqPpl
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 30, 2025
The new law will give veterans some flexibility in their mortgages, helping them avoid foreclosure during times of financial difficulties. The partial claims repayment program allows the VA to buy the delinquent loans and defer the missed payments until the end of the loan, and provide a fixed 2.5% interest rate.
This legislation replaces the Biden-era Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program that was created in 2024 and eliminated by the Trump administration in May to make room for a better version. Under Biden's version of the program, the VA took on $5.48 billion in debt and saved 17,000 homes from foreclosure.
The new law was passed in the House in May, and the Senate passed its own version this month, which went to the president's desk for signature. A joint statement from the House and Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs leaders touted the move.
"This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will assist veterans who are facing financial hardships and provide the VA with a tool to better help veterans stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure. The VA Home Loan Program provides one of the best benefits VA has to offer, and has helped veterans and their families build home equity since its inception in 1944," the July 16 statement said.
A news release from The American Legion also championed the helping hand this would give to veterans. "This critical legislation represents a profound commitment to safeguarding the financial security and dignity of veteran homeowners, especially during times of hardship," James LaCoursiere, the national commander of the patriotic veterans organization, said.
This program offers more than just financial assistance; it also provides homelessness prevention. The New York Post reported in January 2024 that a Department of Housing and Urban Development review found that homelessness among veterans hit a 12-year high after years of trending downward.
The report noted that in just one night in January 2023, some 35,574 homeless veterans were effectively out on the streets. "One veteran experiencing homelessness is one too many, let alone 35,574. We are at a pivotal moment in the national housing and homelessness crises,” Monica Diaz, executive director of the VA Homeless Programs Office, wrote in response to that abysmal statistic.
Jim Whaley, a U.S. Army veteran and the CEO of veteran advocacy group Mission Roll Call, also expressed dismay about this troubling trend. "We have failed as a nation when we look at numbers like that," Whaley said.
"We are not doing a good job as a country in making sure that veterans are not homeless. We’re not doing a very good job of making sure they’re transitioning to civilian life in a successful manner," Whaley added. Trump's program will at least take foreclosure off the table as one of the many reasons for veteran homelessness.
Trump's commitment to caring for veterans is admirable, and now he's putting that philosophy into practical solutions that will help real people. The nation owes an outstanding debt to the men and women who give up years of their lives defending America's freedom, and it's about time that those in Washington, D.C., do something to ensure that's repaid.