Originally published at: Republican Senator Greenlights Russ Vought’s Latest Impoundment - TPM – Talking Points Memo
A Republican Gives a Thumbs Up to White House Effort to Seize Congress’ Power Yesterday afternoon, TPM’s Emine Yucel got word that Senate Democrats would hold a vote on a bill that would block Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought’s latest bid to impound almost a billion dollars. Congress had appropriated the funds…
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Another day of GriftersRUs and the Testosterone Toddlers in the teetering Dis-United States.
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Trump has declared war on mosquitos and tics, once again usurping Congress’ authority.
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I read that MS NOW story yesterday, and it didn’t make any sense. The “unvetted” nature of the texts has absolutely nothing to do with Schmitt’s idiotic screw-up, so how is it relevant? It comes off as a weird excuse for dumbfuckery, as if the problem was that the texts were fake or poorly transcribed rather than that Schimtt and his staff completely misinterpreted them. I’m not even sure what it means to “vet” texts like this. It’s a device text dump that DOJ had access to and shared with Grassley. What’s to vet? You either have the record or you don’t. Or does “unvetted” here imply that even Republicans suspect DOJ may be making shit up and fabricating evidence like fake text messages?
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“Congress, of course, holds the power of the purse under the Constitution. If Congress writes an appropriations bill, and the president signs it, the funds must be spent in the way Congress laid out. But Vought has found ways to claim he does not, in fact, need to abide by that schema, and has used various maneuvers to not just slash funding to government offices and programs but end some entirely. This latest one is a so-called pocket rescission, exploiting a loophole Vought believes exists in the Impoundment Control Act. I won’t unpack it here, but Emine has reported on it extensively.”
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If Vought can ignore signed law concerning spending … why do I need to follow federal and state tax law? Can’t I just ignore those laws as an unjust imposition on my spending on bills and food?
I know, I know …as a sinle voting citizen I lack the standing to tell the IRS to “get lost” but I would be following in dictator trump’s footsteps.
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Overseas visitors to the US are on track to drop by almost two million year-on-year, with even the FIFA Men’s World Cup failing to arrest the decline in tourism.
The slide is hurting the US economy, and as Axios put it, is partly “self-inflicted:” There has been a significant drop in visitors from US allies like Canada and several European countries, which have been a target of Washington’s trade war and taunts…
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Ron Johnson is always someone’s useful idiot.
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If I were a tourist out to see the world I would avoid the US as the land of an autocratic dictator bent on mass cruelty thru wide spread extra‐legal abuse of anyone by ICE thugs.
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Schmitt, Tuberville, Johnson: The Trifecta of Stupid!
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Trinity of stupidity.
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I think he’s a prick: there’s too much too clever by a half in the statement, too much of a chortle about, “You can’t do anything about it.”
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Wasn’t there something about a boost in trade with Korea yesterday?
(@carlquintanilla.bsky.social on Bluesky )
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“I don’t think there’s anything unique or different about it, other than being a normal PSA, the types of PSAs that the government naturally and normally runs,” he said.
I can’t claim credit for this phrase, as it came from the Press Clips writer (Village Voice–Geoffrey Stokes, 1980s) discussing George Will and his various conflicts of interest but here it is, and it’s just as apt for Vought—–what an ‘exquisite moral compass’
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Northern Ontario is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Miles and miles of rocks and trees and lakes. North of the Great Lakes old school by train is awesome, if you have the time.
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Wisconsin had the opportunity to send a great candidate for Senator two years ago.
They fell for the ‘scary, Black man’ trope.
No pity for Wisconsin. None.
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Generally, to obtain corroborating evidence, like in journalism.
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Surely it is only in America that you can send a Death Row inmate to hospital to make sure they’re healthy before you execute them.
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Tourisim is down because there is no law to protect citizens or visitors under Punkin’ Haid.
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Are you going to Taquamenon (sp?) Falls? I still vividly remember a childhood trip to the UP (native Michigander here).
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