The Senate voted 52-48 on Thursday to overturn a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that would limit overdraft fees for credit unions and major banks, the Washington Examiner reported. This comes as President Donald Trump's administration reviews the agency for cuts.

The original rule capping the fees was enacted during then-President Joe Biden's term. With the Senate approving the resolution, introduced by Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), the measure will go to the House of Representatives.

While limiting the fees is sold as a measure to help the poor, many believe that it would disincentivize banks from doing business with financially risky customers and be a net negative to the impoverished. Scott said as much when introducing the resolution.

"This overdraft conversation is a critically important conversation if you are like me, a guy who grew up in poverty, a single-parent household, who understands the difficulty, the challenge, of single moms making those ends meet. I want every single hardworking American to have access to our financial system," Scott said.

Biden's Legacy

Scott's Senate resolution was a remedy for the unintended ramifications of the cap while a similar resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives for the same reason. House Financial Services Chairman French Hill (R-AR) called the fee cap a CFPB overreach.

"As I have consistently said, the CFPB needs guardrails on its enforcement and rulemaking powers, and this rule is another clear example of why. The CFPB’s actions on overdraft is another form of government price controls that hurt consumers who deserve financial protections and greater choice," Hill said in a statement.

The original rule came about when Biden, to buy votes, fixated on eliminating so-called "junk fees." One type he addressed was overdraft fees, which he capped as low as $5 for institutions with $10 billion in assets, was done ostensibly to help the poor, who are disproportionately the ones left paying these fees, according to the Associated Press.

The fees charged for an overdraft, which happens when a debit comes through for more than the balance in the account, were upwards of $35. Biden called them "exploitive," though it's a way for banks to collect on poor financial risks that would otherwise be turned away.

Biden's CFPB focused solely on the dollar amount of the fees, touting $5 billion in annual overdraft fees that would not have to be paid. This translated to $225 per household for those whose balances typically hovered between $237 and $439, which make up 70% of overdraft fees paid.

Trump's Plan

Even before the latest resolutions undoing Biden's legacy, Trump signaled that there could be cuts to the CFPB. Last month, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency met with federal employees from the CFPB to let them know most of the 1,700 employees would be cut as they were "winding down" its operations, NBC News reported.

One employee, who identified himself by the pseudonym Alex Doe, said that he had orders to clean house. "My team was directed to assist with terminating the vast majority of CFPB employees as quickly as possible," he told the news outlet.

The three-phase plan would go as many other agencies with probationary and term employees the first out, followed by massive cuts to 1,200 jobs. "Finally, the Bureau would ‘reduce altogether’ within 60-90 days by terminating most of its remaining staff," Doe explained.

The ultimate goal was to get to just a handful of employees who might be absorbed into another agency. "One Senior Executive said that CFPB will become a ‘room at Treasury, White House, or Federal Reserve with five men and a phone in it,'" Doe claimed.

It is a good decision to allow banks to do business in a way that keeps them solvent so they can continue to service all kinds of customers. The fact that Trump is also looking to cut the CFPB is a bonus for businesses and consumers.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a scathing dissent after the court's 7-2 ruling allowing so-called "ghost guns" to be regulated, the Daily Caller reported. The law, which Thomas called an "overreach," was enacted during President Joe Biden's term.

Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion, which struck down a lower court's decision to block the statute the high court determined was in line with the Gun Control Act. The majority opinion was penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who President Donald Trump appointed.

"The GCA embraces, and thus permits ATF to regulate, some weapon parts kits and unfinished frames or receivers, including those we have discussed. Because the court of appeals held otherwise, its judgment is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion," Gorsuch wrote.

Matter of Law

Ghost guns, which are sold as separate parts that can be assembled into a firearm, could potentially fall into a regulatory gray area. The case before the Supreme Court was supposed to answer that category question.

While the majority of the court believed that parts could be regulated, Thomas didn't see it that way. “The statutory terms ‘frame’ and ‘receiver’ do not cover the unfinished frames and receivers contained in weapon-parts kits, and weapon-parts kits themselves do not meet the statutory definition of ‘firearm,'” Thomas wrote in his dissent.

"That should end the case. The majority instead blesses the Government’s overreach based on a series of errors regarding both the standard of review and the interpretation of the statute," Thomas charged.

The 76-year-old justice worries that such a broad application of the law goes beyond this case. "Employing its novel ‘artifact noun’ methodology, the majority charts a different course that invites unforeseeable consequences and offers no limiting principle," Thomas wrote.

Alito's dissent noted that the court could have struck down specific applications of law without threatening the entirety of the legislation. "A law passed by Congress or a State Legislature should not be held to be entirely unenforceable just because it would be unconstitutional to apply it in just a few situations," Alito wrote.

Controversial Weapon

Proponents of rules requiring registration for these do-it-yourself gun kits believe it's necessary and not at all an infringement on Second Amendment rights. According to CNN, the law in question requires that ghost guns be traceable and registered without banning them.

In fact, some believe that the draw of these kits is precisely due to a lack of regulation. "Ghost guns are the gun industry’s way of skirting commonsense gun laws and arming dangerous people without background checks," David Pucino, Giffords Law Center deputy chief counsel and legal director, said.

"We are thrilled that the Supreme Court has upheld the ATF rule that treats ghost guns as what they are: gun," Pucino added. The 2022 legislation came after these weapons were increasingly showing up in crimes.

According to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives statistics, the number of kit guns recovered at crime scenes went from 1,600 in 2017 to more than 19,000 four years later. This led to the necessity of addressing the problem and what to do about it.

Ghost guns are difficult to trace and regulate because of how they are sold. However, if the government has any ability to regulate firearms, then it's necessary to make sure there are no workarounds for people who would otherwise not be able to own or use firearms.

The United States Senate has confirmed investment banker and Trump donor John Phelan as the 79th Secretary of the United States Navy, Breitbart reported. The 62-30 vote Monday showed bipartisan support as Phelan received all 51 GOP senators plus 11 Democrats. 

President Donald Trump nominated Phelan for the job despite his lack of military experience. Instead, Phelan brings his Harvard Business School education and experience with several investment firms to improve the Navy.

"I am honored to be confirmed as the 79th Secretary of the Navy. Thank you to President Trump @WhiteHouse for the trust and confidence he has placed in me, and to @SecDef for his steadfast support. It is the honor and privilege of a lifetime to lead the world’s finest Sailors and Marines," Phelan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday.

A Sinking Ship

Former President Joe Biden has left the military in shambles after four years in office. After pushing destructive initiatives like diversity, equity, and inclusion and other ridiculous woke agenda items, morale is at a low point for the armed services.

Phelan promised to address several problems as he believes the Navy is at a "crossroads," the businessman said during his Feb. 27 confirmation hearing. He cited several personnel challenges, including poor housing, record-high suicides, and extended deployments for seamen.

There are also equipment problems, including deferred maintenance on existing vessels and delays in building new ships, not to mention ballooning costs. "These are systemic failures that have gone unaddressed for far too long. Frankly, this is unacceptable," Phelan said.

"The Navy and the Marine Corps already possess extraordinary operational expertise within their ranks. … My role is to utilize that expertise and strengthen it, step outside the status quo and take decisive action with a results-oriented approach," he added.

Phelan is expected to be sworn in within the next couple of days.  He is the second armed service secretary to take over following Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's confirmation.

High Hopes

Phelan received praise from President Donald Trump, who had high hopes for his time in the Navy leadership. "John will be a tremendous force for our Naval Servicemembers and a steadfast leader in advancing my America First vision," Trump said during his nomination in November.

"He will put the business of the U.S. Navy above all else. John has excelled in every endeavor, from founding and leading Rugger Management LLC to co-founding MSD Capital, LP, the Private Investment Firm for Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies," Trump went on.

"His Record of Success speaks for itself – A true Champion of American Enterprise and Ingenuity!" the president said. Several other lawmakers and officials praised Phelan after his confirmation, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"Congratulations John Phelan on being Confirmed as the 79th Secretary of the Navy! Looking forward to supporting our warfighters together," Hegseth wrote on X.

Trump is great at choosing the right people to staff his administration even if his choices are sometimes unconventional. It's difficult to know how Phelan will perform since he comes from business and not the government, but perhaps that will make him all the better for it.

FBI Director Kash Patel dispelled the CNN-created myth of a "major cutback" of agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Fox News reported. Patel was forced to issue a memo after the network published a report Saturday with the erroneous information.

The report claimed that Patel "had outlined plans to move as many as 1,000 ATF agents to the FBI" and that he would be "cutting ATF’s agents by more than a third." CNN claimed it had three unnamed sources that shared this information.

The left-leaning network explained that the ATF is unpopular with Second Amendment advocates and has been in the "crosshairs of gun rights groups" for some time. "The ATF has about 2,600 agents and more than 5,000 employees, a number that has remained largely unchanged for years," the report said.

CNN later added that it was forced to roll back the information after "pushback," which is also known as the truth. "After the publication of this story and resulting pushback including from Republican allies, FBI officials began to back off aspects of their plan, according to a US official familiar with the matter," CNN's report clarified.

Fake news

Patel issued the memo to ATF personnel that was later shared with Fox News Digital. "I want to address a report from this weekend speculating about the intentions of FBI leadership with personnel decisions at the ATF," Patel wrote.

"This weekend, CNN reported news of a plan on the part of our leadership to ‘cut as many as one third’ of ATF agents and reallocate 1,000 agents over to the FBI. The report even suggested our leadership team altered course after reading a news report, and ultimately backed off certain aspects of changes," the memo went on.

"This ‘report’ is entirely false," he added. "The fake news will NEVER be responsible for operational command authority over the ATF, we are," Patel continued.

"The brave men and women of the ATF who courageously dedicate themselves to protecting the American public will not have their security jeopardized by the media’s disinformation campaigns. When we make decisions, they will be final, regardless of the input of CNN or any other news organization," Patel added.

This news comes a month after President Donald Trump charged Patel with fixing the problems at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He's also serving as the acting director of the ATF and would be within his rights to make personnel changes to the agency, though it appears it was never true.

Sparring with the media

Patel has infamously sparred with the media as he fearlessly defended himself against their attacks. He was sworn in as FBI director on Feb. 21 and had strong words for his detractors in the press.

"You have written everything you possibly can about me that's fake, malicious, slanderous and defamatory. Keep it coming," Patel said at the time.

"Bring it on, but leave the men and women of the FBI out of it. They deserve better," Patel challenged the media. The clip was shared widely on X, formerly Twitter, including by conservative commentator Benny Johnson.

The media is in full attack mode with Trump once again in the White House. Wherever this information about cuts at the ATF came from for CNN, it's clear they're unreliable and willing to believe whatever best suits their narrative whether it's true or not.

The Trump administration is ending a Biden parole program that gave legal status to more than 500,000 migrants who flew to the U.S. from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela with work permits and other benefits as well as protection from deportation.

According to CBS News, 532,000 migrants entered the country under the program, called CHNV after the initials of the countries involved.

A notice will be published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it would be “terminating the categorical parole programs for inadmissible aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members.”

30 days

The migrants admitted under the program have 30 days from when the notice is published in the Federal Register to leave the country on their own or pursue other legal avenues of immigration to the U.S.

The notice is scheduled to be published on March 25, 2025.

The parole program did have expiration dates for benefits, but those will not be honored with the program's termination.

Similar programs for Afghan and Ukrainian parolees will not be affected at this time.

Subject to deportation

The CHNV program was adopted by Biden in 2022 and 2023. It was frozen in August 2024 when evidence came to light that many of the applications for sponsorship were fraudulent.

Still, up to 30,000 migrants from each of the four countries per month came into the U.S. largely unvetted, and Trump's DHS wants them to depart in much the same way.

Ostensibly, migrants who ignore this new directive would be subject to deportation if they are caught. They may also lose their livelihoods with their work permits, since employers will have no way to legally employ them.

Reversing the tide

Some of these moves by Trump and his administration may seem cruel, but it's important to reverse the tide of illegal immigration set off by Biden when he reversed all of Trump's immigration policies.

The longer the millions of illegal immigrants who came in during former President Joe Biden's tenure stay in the U.S., the harder it will be to deport them.

Not only that, but it will be more likely that if Democrats get enough power again one day, they would make them all legal citizens with voting rights.

If this happens, Republicans will never get a majority again because most of them will vote Democrat.

The country as we know it will be over. Trump knows this, and he is willing to withstand being called a meanie for a little while to get the job done.

During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump pledged to usher in a new era of readiness and lethality for the United States military, and just two months into his second term, he is fulfilling that promise.

As the Associated Press reports, on Friday, Trump announced that Boeing had been awarded the contract to build what will be known as the F-47 Air Force fighter jet, a sixth-generation aircraft poised to replace the F-22 Raptor, built by Lockheed Martin.

Trump, Hegseth announce decision

During an event in the Oval Office, Trump, joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, revealed the administration's decision to move forward with production of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter jet platform, as a release from the Pentagon explained.

The platform is described as a “network-connected family of systems -- including a stealth fighter jet component, drone technology and others – that simultaneously interact to ensure air superiority.”

“Nothing in the world comes even close to it,” Trump said of the platform, the aircraft component of which will be dubbed the F-47 in a nod to his current term in office.

Trump added that the contract to build the NGAD is evidence of his commitment to making a “historic investment in the country's defense industrial base, keeping the U.S. on the cutting edge of aerospace technology.”

Hegseth was equally enthusiastic, declaring that the F-47 “sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we're not going anywhere and to our enemies that we can, and we will, be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded, for generations to come.”

Impressive capabilities highlighted

The advanced technology set to be embodied by the project was outlined by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin as part of the administration's announcement.

Allvin explained that NGAD “is allowing us to look into the future and unlock the magic that is human-machine teaming.”

He went on, “We're going to write the next generation of modern aerial warfare with this” and noted that the program's structure will afford the government greater control to update and adapt the platform “at the speed of relevance [and] at the speed of technology.”

The F-47 is projected to cost less than the aging F-22, boast greater adaptability to threats and “have significantly longer range, more advanced stealth, be more sustainable, supportable, and have higher availability than our fifth-generation fighters."

Notably, cost estimates and timelines for production were omitted from the Oval Office announcement event, though Trump did indicate his belief that a fleet of F-47 aircraft would be “built and in the air” before his term ends.

Timely decision praised

Offering high praise for the project outlined by Trump and Hegseth was Dr. Rebecca Grant of the Lexington Institute, a defense and security policy think tank in Arlington, Virginia, who said, “By moving swiftly, the Trump administration has corrected yet another inexplicable Biden-era slip that delayed a program decision last summer,” Grant noted, adding that the move “comes not a moment too soon,” given China's massive existing investments in sixth-generation designs.

Grant concluded her words of support for the program by echoing Trump's bluntly stated belief that, when it comes to this type of advancement in an increasingly dangerous world, “You have to have it.”

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell called on the New York Times to retract its "completely fake" report that Elon Musk was privy to top secret war plans with China, Breitbart reported. Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, was invited Friday as an adviser for a meeting at the Pentagon.

The Times claimed that Musk was scheduled to meet at the Pentagon to receive information about the "U.S. military’s plan for any war that might break out with China" based on tips from two anonymous officials. A third allegedly told the newspaper just that it was "China-focused."

The news outlet ran with the story, but Parnell rebuked the Times for its false reporting in a post to X, formerly Twitter. "This is 100% Fake News. Just brazenly & maliciously wrong. Elon Musk is a patriot. We are proud to have him at the Pentagon," Parnell wrote.

Fake News

Parnell set the story straight on Friday's "Fox & Friends" morning program. "On the record, that is completely fake," Parnell asserted.

"And let me show you — this, this started with this New York Times headline, and they since changed it, but, ‘Musk Set to Get Access to Top Secret U.S. Plan for Potential War with China.’ This is egregious. This is fake. The New York Times should retract this story," the spokesman added.

"Five anonymous sources. I’ve been on bilat[arel] calls with the Secretary. I see how hard he’s working to implement the president's agenda and pursue peace through strength, this type of garbage from the New York Times undermines that process and undermines that mission, it shouldn’t happen at all," Parnell said.

"Elon Musk is just coming over here for a visit. Again, he’s an innovator. This is a guy that shot a rocket at thousands of miles an hour, that’s thousands of pounds, and as it landed back on the earth, it was grabbed out of mid-air by a giant robot arm," Parnell went on about the SpaceX mogul.

"We want a guy like Elon Musk in the Defense Department to help us come up with creative solutions to the problems that we face of the day. But this article, this article is ridiculous. It’s fake, and I can confirm that on the record," Parnell said.

The President Responds

The Times report declared that Musk "is a leading supplier to the Pentagon and has extensive financial interests in China," it said. However, war strategies are "among the military’s most closely guarded secrets" and are kept secret to maintain the element of surprise.

The implication is that the Pentagon was sharing these with Musk and that it would put the U.S. in danger. However, President Donald Trump also attested that Musk was not privy to such plans.

"The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential 'war with China,'" Trump posted on his Truth Social Thursday.

"How ridiculous? China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!" Trump noted.

The mainstream media has it out for Musk, and this hit piece by the New York Times is another attempt to scare the public about his involvement in the administration. However, Musk has a unique set of skills that Trump is tapping into that can help make America even better.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is cashing in on thousands of dollars of taxpayer-funded perks, including a vehicle lease, lodging, and meals, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Crockett does this after claiming last month that she's "not in the business of giving out money" to those same taxpayers after Elon Musk floated $5,000 refund checks.

President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has been slashing wasteful spending and saving taxpayer dollars. Musk, DOGE's leader, suggested returning some of that savings in the form of checks to taxpayers.

Crockett, a rising star in the  Democratic Party, scoffed at that possibility. "We are not in the business of giving out money, and honestly, I don't know what $5,000 will do for you," Crockett claimed.

Another Washington Hypocrite

It's not that Crockett's objection comes because she is some fiscal conservative. On the contrary, she has no qualms about taking advantage of every benefit being in elected office has to offer.

For instance, House disbursement records indicate Crockett has enjoyed a $999.96 per month "vehicle lease" since January 2023, when she was sworn in. It's unclear what kind of vehicle Americans are footing the bill for, but the amount is sufficient for a luxury car.

Most of the lawmakers who utilize this obscure program, which is designed for those with vast districts to get around using EPA-approved vehicles, choose those that are moderately priced, sensible, and domestically produced. Well, that's true for the 15 Republicans who use the programs.

Many of Crockett's 27 fellow Democrats who use the program are leasing high-end vehicles made by Lexus, Tesla, and Volvo. It's not just that Crockett's lease is expensive but also that she has chosen to receive this benefit to jaunt around her Dallas, Texas, district that's only about 335 square miles.

When not in her home district, Crockett has taxpayers covering her expenses in Washington, D.C. In 2024 alone, she received $20,301 for "lodging" and another $2,670 to cover meals while Congress was in session.

Justifying DOGE's Mission

While Crockett is being miserly with taxpayer refunds from DOGE's efforts, her use of these lawmaker perks justifies the mission of the agency she railed against. Meanwhile, there's little transparency about exactly what type of vehicles House members are driving on our dime.

Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of the watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, finds it "disturbing" that the information is so difficult to nail down. "Riding around in a taxpayer-funded Lexus and not being forthcoming with constituents raises ethical questions and is unacceptable, particularly in our current era of rising accountability over government spending," Sutherland said.

"Taxpayers have the right to know what type of vehicle they’re subsidizing to ensure this program is not being abused," she added. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) is an example of that as she utilized the program for her 77.5-square-foot district with reimbursements for her state-funded vehicle going to Lexus Financial Services.

Notably, DOGE is uncovering pockets of wasteful spending all over the government while people like Crockett attack Musk, The Washington Examiner reported. "Starting with on March 29, it’s my birthday, and all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down. Yes!" she said during a livestream on Wednesday.

Crockett is the sort of swampy politician who takes from the taxpayer coffers while giving nothing back to constituents. This conduct will not go unnoticed, even among Democratic voters who are increasingly disillusioned with their party members, and certainly not by DOGE.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday dissolving the Department of Education, Fox News reported. This is yet another campaign promise fulfilled as Trump said the department was overrun with "radicals, zealots and Marxists."

Democrats are beside themselves about the possibility that Trump will "turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies," as the White House fact sheet stated about the move. It explained that "the agency has failed American students."

Journalist Christopher Rufo shared an invitation to X, formerly Twitter, for a ceremonial signing at 4 p.m. on Thursday. "This is the culmination of a long campaign. Republicans have promised to abolish the Department of Education for almost fifty years, but only President Trump is getting it done. An incredible moment in history," Rufo wrote.

Long Overdue

The Department of Education has been an abject failure and the test scores prove it. Even in the past two years alone, there has been no improvement in math for eighth graders and a two-point loss in reading scores for fourth and eighth graders.

"NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores reveal a national crisis — our children are falling behind. Over the past four years, Democrats have allowed millions of illegal minors into the country, straining school resources and diverting focus from American students," White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said to Fox News.

"Coupled with the rise of anti-American CRT and DEI indoctrination, this is harming our most vulnerable. President Trump's executive order to expand educational opportunities will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students," Fields added.

Trump wants to return the responsibility to the states and to parents. "I want every parent in America to be empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice," Trump said.

"The time for universal school choice has come. As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right," Trump added.

The Left Pounces

The Department of Education has been around since 1980 and has demonstrably made things worse despite spending copious amounts of taxpayer money. In fiscal year 2024, the agency's budget was $79.1 billion as students were learning less.

Still, the left is protective over every government bureaucracy that funnels taxpayer dollars its way. Predictably, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and current vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, railed against Trump's move, according to The Hill.

"We should be focused on helping our kids with math and reading — the basics they need to succeed. Absolutely no one is asking for three out-of-touch billionaires to rip apart the Department of Education over some deranged far-right culture war," Murray said.

"In taking a wrecking ball to the department, Trump is making it harder for students to get help getting financial aid, jeopardizing the funding schools and families count on every day, and making it easier for predatory businesses to rip students off," she charged. Of course, the assumption is that the government is entirely above board and benevolent.

Although Trump may ultimately need Congress to abolish the Department of Education, his resolve to do something about it is commendable. It's time the people and those they elect hold these institutions accountable, even if it means their destruction.

A federal judge has blocked the Department of Government Efficiency's effort to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development, Fox News reported. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ordered all employees reinstated, even those on administrative leave in another pusbhak against President Donald Trump's agenda. 

DOGE was created to cut the size of the government. Republicans believe organizations like USAID are wasteful and that DOGE has a right to slash whatever is redundant or useless in the federal budget.

Chuang, an Obama appointee, didn't see it that way. On Tuesday, the judge wrote that DOGE's move "shut down USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways."

The judge also claimed the cuts "not only harmed the plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public’s elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down an agency created by Congress." This case promises to be one of several that will test the court's power to stop Trump.

More Roadblocks

It's clear that the mission of DOGE is just too challenging for Democrats, who rely on government spending to entice voters to continue to pull the lever for them. However, they really have focused their ire on DOGE's leader, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.

Many have questioned the legality of allowing Musk to operate in the government as an adviser to Trump. Chuang laid the groundwork for requiring Senate confirmation for Musk under the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.

In the meantime, DOGE cannot make any more cuts to USAID. In a separate decision, U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali previously ruled that the Trump administration must pay off contractors for work already completed while admonishing it for "unlawfully impounding" almost $2 billion in aid.

Ali demanded the Trump administration pay $1.9 billion in foreign aid that was already promised by a deadline of Feb. 27. The judge claimed that withholding payments due overstepped the powers of the executive branch.

"Here, the executive has unilaterally deemed that funds Congress appropriated for foreign aid will not be spent. The executive not only claims his constitutional authority to determine how to spend appropriated funds, but usurps Congress’ exclusive authority to dictate whether the funds should be spent in the first place," Ali said.

Wasteful Spending

These judges have cut DOGE off at the knees through these decisions despite all of the apparent waste that's already been uncovered. Just after DOGE's investigation effort was underway, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt outlined some of the most egregious expenditures.

A video of her statement was shared to X, formerly Twitter, by Libs of TikTok last month. Leavitt said there were some "insane priorities" the agency used taxpayer dollars to fund.

"$1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia's workplaces; $70,000 for production of a DEI musical in Ireland; $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia; $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru. I don't know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don't want my dollars going toward this crap..." Leavitt said.

DOGE did its job by rooting out some of the most wasteful uses of money from one of the most useless government sectors. These judges are thwarting that noble mission at the moment, but the White House is scrambling to mount a counterattack on these efforts.

Patriot News Alerts delivers timely news and analysis on U.S. politics, government, and current events, helping readers stay informed with clear reporting and principled commentary.
© 2026 - Patriot News Alerts