FIXES FOR HUGE, BILLIONAIRE-OWNED NEWS AND MEDIA COMPANIES

Huge news and media companies are dangerous and harmful. They control the information and disinformation we receive. They are not providing voters with the information they need to maintain a well-functioning democracy. Here are steps to rein in and compensate for their dangers and harm.

Huge news and media companies owned by billionaires are dangerous and harmful. They control the information and disinformation we receive. They are not providing voters with the complete, balanced, factual information they need to maintain a well-functioning democracy. Therefore, we need, individually and through government policy, to take steps, such as those below, to rein in and compensate for their dangers and harm.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

My previous post focused on the dangers of huge, for-profit, billionaire-owned news and media companies in the TV, radio, print, and social media markets. It noted how their profit motive drives divisive content and a focus on culture war issues. And how this skews our politics and the focus of politicians and the public, while it undermines democracy.

This post focuses on how we can respond to this corruption of our news and media both personally and through government and institutional actions, including the following: [1] [2]

  1. Most immediately, patronize independent, reader / viewer funded news media. In particular, support local media, including local Public Broadcast System (PBS) radio and TV, as well as local print and on-line news sources. Your time spent reading / viewing and subscriptions to these outlets and, if you can, your financial support boosts their viability. Share their content; comment on and like their reporting. (Here’s a link to a previous post that identifies eight sources of news and analysis that I recommend. Much longer lists by topic are available here from Project Censored. Note: Project Censored’s primary goal is to highlight stories un- or under-reported by the mainstream media, i.e., effectively censored by them.)
  2. Enhance media literacy for ourselves, our families, friends, and colleagues. Build critical thinking skills so we and everyone we know can distinguish truth from misinformation, disinformation, lies, and fiction, i.e., real news from fake news. Encourage schools and adult learning programs to include courses on critical thinking and media literacy. More information is available from PBS here.
  3. Expect and, where possible, require news and media companies to clearly and fully disclose conflicts of interest and biases. When they don’t, call them out with comments, posts, letters to the editor, etc. Media watchdogs and professional associations should lead the way on this. Ultimately, ownership of news and media companies by individuals and entities with other business interests should be banned. This would prevent many conflicts of interest and biases. It would also insulate the news and media companies from being manipulated by government officials or others through leverage via other business interests. For example, Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post and also Amazon, which has significant government contracts and is affected by many government labor regulations. Similarly, Elon Musk owns X and has many interests via government contracts and regulations on his other companies. Therefore, they are both susceptible to manipulation by President Trump.
  4. Viewers’ and readers’ personal information should be protected (e.g., ban its collection) and it should be illegal to use it to tailor individual’s news feeds. Personal information is currently used to feed audiences one-sided and slanted information, including disinformation, to spark their emotions and therefore their engagement. This is divisive for society and undermines democracy by failing to provide voters with complete, balanced, factual information.
  5. Regulate social media with a combination of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards and public utility regulations. These would require them to serve the public interest and to stop harming children. They should be liable for failures to moderate content for accuracy, to prevent hate speech and other inflammatory messages (e.g., calls for violence), and to prevent harm.
  6. Reinstate rules on fairness and accuracy in broadcast media that the FCC repealed in the 1980s. Require that news divisions operate independently of executives, advertising, and shareholders, as they did prior to the 1980s. The relicensing of TV and radio stations for their use of the public airwaves should enforce these standards and serious fines should be levied for violations of them.
  7. Use antitrust laws and anti-monopoly regulations to stop any further consolidation in the news and media industry. Ultimately, the huge conglomerates should be broken up. The FCC should change its rules and lower the number of news and media outlets any one entity is allowed to own in local, regional, and national markets.

Huge news and media companies are dangerous and harmful. They control the information and disinformation we receive. Their billionaire owners have biases, including politically. They are not providing voters with the complete, balanced, factual information they need to maintain a well-functioning democracy.

This situation is not inevitable. Personal and institutional actions, including public policies of governments, can change it. Steps, such as those above, need to be taken to rein in and compensate for the dangers and harms of huge news and media companies with billionaire owners.

[1]      Reich, R., 11/26/25, “The billionaires destroying our media system and what to do about it,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/billionaire-ownership-media)

[2]      Reich, R., 12/2/25, “The monetization of rage,” (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-monetization-of-rage)

THE DANGERS OF MEDIA CONSOLIDATION AND BILLIONAIRE OWNERS

The creation of huge mega-companies is harmful, in part because they have monopolistic powers. It is particularly concerning in the media and news industry because they control the information we receive. Recent and proposed mergers and acquisitions in the media industry have heightened concerns about politically slanted “news” due to billionaire owners. A citizenry that’s well informed is essential to a well-functioning democracy and there’s a growing danger that these huge media companies and their billionaire owners are not providing citizens and voters with the information they need.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

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The consolidation of companies through mergers and acquisitions to produce huge mega-companies is harmful for consumers, workers, small businesses, innovation, our economy, and our country. Huge companies have monopolistic powers over prices, product quality, and jobs because of limited competition.

Huge companies, owned by billionaires, are particularly concerning in the media and news industry because they control the information we receive and, therefore, what we know. A citizenry that’s well informed with important and truthful information is essential to a well-functioning democracy. Disinformation and a lack of information are what allow authoritarians and dictators to rule.

Because of consolidation and limited local competition, the costs of Internet access and cable TV have been going up. Costs have been increasing too for content providers and streaming services because of consolidation in those areas as well.

Recent and proposed mergers and acquisitions in the media industry have heightened concerns, not only about competition and prices, but also about politically slanted “news” as directed by billionaire owners. There are concerns about Trump’s influence on the owners and bias in reporting on him and his administration. For example, Paramount, owner of CBS and lots of other media companies, and its new billionaire CEO David Ellison have already installed a right-leaning journalist with limited experience as editor in chief of CBS news. Ellison has also gutted CBS’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and installed a right-winger as “ombudsman” to (supposedly) ensure the fairness of news coverage. Paramount and Ellison are bidding to acquire Warner Brothers, which owns CNN among other entities, and are reportedly soliciting money from the Saudis and other Mideast sovereigns to help fund their bid. Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, billionaire owner of Oracle and the world’s second richest person, has reportedly told President Trump that Paramount would fire CNN personnel that Trump doesn’t like if a deal for Warner Brothers is made and Trump’s regulators approve it. [1]

Billionaire owners of media companies generally have strong biases that are likely to affect the news and information (or disinformation) their companies report and spread. For example, billionaires (and other wealthy people) want public policies that allow them to make and keep great wealth. They often view democratic governance as a threat because it holds equal opportunity and equity as foundational principles. Billionaires may well want to suppress information on and criticism of their great wealth and the actions of their companies, or the private sector and unregulated markets in general. They may want to hide the ways they influence public officials and public policies, as well as the favorable policies they get.

The goals of billionaire media owners are not to provide valuable information to the citizens of a democracy, but rather to enrich and protect themselves. They also know that President Trump can and will support their companies (e.g., with government contracts and subsidies, by approving their proposed acquisitions) if they are on good terms with him. However, if they have a bad relationship, he can wreak havoc on their companies with regulations, tariffs, selective law enforcement, suits, penalties, or by using antitrust laws to block their acquisitions. [2]

Billionaire media owners include:

  • Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, who bought the major social media platform, Twitter, and rebranded it, X. He has allowed and encouraged it to become a purveyor of right-wing disinformation, hate speech, and dangerous rhetoric.
  • Larry Ellison, the second richest person, who, with his family, owns Paramount, CBS and many other media companies as described above. They are big supporters of Trump and Republicans. CBS paid Trump $16 million to settle a frivolous lawsuit and canceled Stephen Colbert’s show because he was often critical of Trump. (Some senior CBS staff, including at 60 Minutes, resigned because of presumably because they were told to treat Trump favorably.) The Trump administration then approved a multi-billion-dollar merger of Paramount and Skydance.
  • Mark Zuckerberg, the third richest person, who owns Meta, which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. He has allowed his companies to spread disinformation, hate speech, and messaging dangerous to the health and safety of children. He has also been a Trump supporter.
  • Jeff Bezos, the fourth richest person, who owns The Washington Post and Amazon, including all its media entities. He blocked the publishing of an editorial endorsing Kamal Harris in 2024 and has directed the Post’s editorial and opinion writing to support “personal liberties and free markets.” (The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times also blocked an editorial endorsing Kamal Harris.) Bezos is a Trump supporter and paid Melania Trump (the President’s wife) a staggering $40 million for the right to make a documentary about her.
  • Billionaire Rupert Murdoch and his offspring, who own Fox, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post. It’s widely recognized that Fox spreads disinformation favorable to Trump and Republicans, up to and including false election fraud disinformation that led to a court decision requiring Fox to pay nearly $800 million for defamation of an electronic voting machine company.

It’s impossible to know how these billionaires have skewed coverage of President Trump and his administration, as well as the criticism and protests of them, but it’s hard to believe they haven’t had considerable influence. There is a growing danger that these huge media companies and their billionaire owners are not providing citizens and voters with the information they need to have a well-functioning democracy.

More on the effects of billionaire ownership and media consolidation in my next post, as well as what can be done about it.

[1]      Myerson, H., 11/20/25, “Ellisons tap Saudis to fund news media takeover,” Today on The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/2025/11/20/ellisons-tap-saudis-to-fund-news-media-takeover/)

[2]      Reich, R., 11/26/25, “The billionaires destroying our media system and what to do about it,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/billionaire-ownership-media)

PUBLIC POLICIES TO REDUCE ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN AMERICA

Economic inequality is at record breaking levels in the U.S. The American oligarchy is powerfully wielding its economic and political power. Public policies can stop and reverse the growing economic inequality. See examples below. If Democrats or others want to garner support and votes, they should support policies to reduce economic inequality and create a secure economic future for working Americans.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

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Economic inequality is at record breaking levels in the U.S. America now has 916 billionaires whose combined wealth is $8 trillion (yes, trillion). Their wealth has increased by over $1 trillion in the first nine months of 2025. Since the passage of the Republican tax cut bill in 2017, it’s increased from $3 trillion to $8 trillion. For comparison, the least wealthy 167 million Americans (half the population) have combined wealth of just $3.6 trillion. In other words, the combined wealth of 167 million Americans is less than half the wealth of the 916 billionaires. The rise in billionaires’ wealth reflects the transfer of profits of economic activity away from workers and to owners and investors.

A big part of this is the increase in the value of the stocks of companies these billionaires own and in which they invest. Provisions in the 2017 Republican tax cut bill (that were continued by the GOP’s Big Ugly Bill in July 2025) give huge tax breaks to corporations. For example. Alphabet (Google’s parent) gets $17.9 billion, Amazon gets $15.7 billion, and Microsoft gets $12.5 billion.

With their great wealth, these billionaire oligarchs have great political power, especially given the laws and court decisions allowing unlimited spending in political campaigns. This basically allows them to buy our elected officials, as Elon Musk bought Trump with the over $250 billion he spent on Trump’s campaign. “Highly concentrated wealth leads naturally to concentrated political power.” [1] As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote almost 100 years ago, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

The oligarchs have been wielding their political power very effectively for the last 45 years, and especially in the last ten years. They’ve succeeded in getting policies enacted that enrich themselves and leave American workers not just short changed, but shafted. Public policies to provide economic security for working Americans will never happen if the oligarchs retain their political and economic power. (This previous post presented policies to increase workers’ incomes and this post highlighted policies to reduce the cost of living for them.)

Therefore, the policies that allowed economic inequality to grow over the last 45 years, and to explode in the last 25 years, need to be changed. A group called Patriotic Millionaires has proposed “The Money Agenda,” a set of policies that would reduce economic inequality and “permanently stabilize the economic lives of working people, stimulate wide-spread economic growth, and ensure prosperity and stability for America’s next 250 years.”

The Money Agenda includes four pieces of legislation. Here’s a quick overview of them:

  • The Equal Tax Act
    • Increase tax rates on income from wealth (e.g., capital gains) so they are the same as the tax rates on income from work
    • Close the loophole that allows the wealthy to give away appreciated assets and dodge anyone having to pay tax on their increase in value (i.e., the stepped-up basis loophole)
  • The Anti-Oligarch Act
    • Phase 1: Stop the growth of economic inequality by putting a reasonable tax on the true income of the wealthy (e.g., including increases in wealth) and on the intergenerational transfers of wealth
    • Phase 2: Reduce economic inequality by implementing a wealth tax on the ultra-rich
  • The “Cost of Living” Tax Cut Act
    • Establish a Cost of Living Exemption of about $45,000 in order to eliminate income tax on income up to a reasonable cost of living for a single adult without children
    • Pay for the lost revenue by putting a surtax on incomes over $1 million
  • The “Cost of Living” Wage Act
    • Raise the minimum wage to a living wage for a single adult with no children, or about $21 per hour (roughly $45,000 per year for full-time work) and index it to inflation
    • Protect workers from loss of income due to automation or AI

The Economic Policy Institute recently issued a report titled “Raising taxes on the ultrarich: A necessary first step to restore faith in American democracy and the public sector.” It states that if “policymakers are unwilling to raise taxes on income derived from wealth, the tax system can never be made as fair as it needs to be.” Its recommendations echo the provisions of The Equal Tax Act and The Anti-Oligarch Act above.

It also proposes:

  • Replacing the estate tax with a progressive income tax on those receiving an inheritance.
  • Raising the top marginal income tax rate back to its pre-2017 level (i.e., from 37% to 39.6%). This would generate revenue of over $30 billion a year. (Note: In 1980, the top rate was 70% and it was over 90% in the 1950s.)
  • Returning the corporate tax rate to 35% (where it was before the 2017 Republican Tax Cut Act reduced it to 21%). This would generate over $250 billion a year in revenue.
  • Closing tax loopholes that the ultrarich and corporations use to evade taxes.
  • Strengthening the IRS’s capability to enforce tax laws. The IRS estimates that $600 billion in taxes that are owed are not paid each year. However, in recent decades it has lacked the resources to enforce the laws and collect those taxes because Republicans have underfunded it.

If Democrats, or another party such as the Working Families Party, want to garner support and votes, they should support these policies to reduce economic inequality and the economic and political power of the American oligarchy. These and related policies would also provide economic security for working Americans. Democrats should be unequivocal in embracing economic populism and stop cozying up to the oligarchy and their PACs for campaign contributions. [2] To consistently win elections, Democrats need to loudly and unequivocally promote a vision of a more economically secure future for working Americans.

[1]      Bivens, J., 11/17/25, “Raising taxes on the ultrarich,” page 5, Economic Policy Institute (https://www.epi.org/publication/raising-taxes-on-the-ultrarich-a-necessary-first-step-to-restore-faith-in-american-democracy-and-the-public-sector/)

[2]      Reich, R., 11/3/25, “What the Democrats must do. Now!” (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-the-democrats-must-do-now) /

WHAT EVERYDAY AMERICANS WANT FROM GOVERNMENT Part 2

Many Americans are worried about the cost of living. Government policies can reduce or control the costs of everyday expenses. If Democrats or others want to garner support and votes, they should aggressively promote such policies. Some examples are presented below.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

Many Americans are worried about the cost of living. The affordability of the cost of living has two components: 1) the amount of money people make and the benefits they get from their employer, and 2) the costs of everyday expenses from food to housing to health care to utilities. If Democrats, or another party such as the Working Families Party, want to garner support and votes, they should focus on the affordability of day-to-day life. They need to promote a vision of and policies for a more economically secure future for working Americans. This means embracing economic populism, including reducing economic inequality. [1]

This previous post discussed the first component, workers’ compensation. This post discusses ways public policies and government action can reduce, or at least control increases in, the cost of living, i.e., inflation. Over the last 45 years, the cost of everyday necessities has increased faster than workers’ wages, including for food, housing, child care, utilities, health care, and medicine.

Here’s an overview of some government policies that would reduce or control the cost of living. [2]

  • Rescind Trump’s tariffs. As even President Trump is now acknowledging, his tariffs have and will drive up consumer prices. He recently rescinded some tariffs on beef, coffee, tea, fruit and fruit juice, cocoa, spices, tomatoes and other commodities. He acknowledged that his tariffs may have contributed to higher prices at the supermarket. Since the first day that Trump announced his intention to impose tariffs, every reputable economist has stated that tariffs increase prices for consumers. (Note: Tariffs can be good policies if implemented as part of well-planned, comprehensive jobs or national security policies. However, Trump’s tariffs clearly do not meet this criterion.)
  • Enforce antitrust laws. Forty-five years of failure by the federal government to enforce antitrust laws (except for efforts to revitalize them under President Biden) have allowed the emergence of huge companies with monopolistic powers. This has harmed everyday Americans in many ways as outlined below. If Democrats or others, such as the Working Families Party, want to attract support and voters, they should unequivocally call out these huge companies and their oligarchic executives and investors for their greed and monopolistic behavior. This does mean that Democrats will have to stop cozying up to the oligarchs to get campaign donations.

Stop price gouging. Monopolistic or near monopolistic size allows companies to raise prices on consumers who have few if any options. In the short term, governments should implement windfall profits taxes and/or price controls to stop price gouging. In the longer term, governments should enforce antitrust laws and break up or impose very large fines on companies that engage in price gouging and other unfair, monopolistic business practices. This applies to a wide range of consumer goods and services from food to rent to air travel to health care to drug prices. It also applies to the big tech companies, Amazon, Meta (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, and Apple.

Restore competition. By stopping mergers and acquisitions that lead to monopolistic power, and by breaking up monopolistic companies, competition could be restored to consumer markets. Without competition, prices go up and quality goes down, and consumers suffer.

Restoring competition would also reduce employers’ power over workers. Although this wouldn’t reduce costs, it would improve workers’ compensation and therefore the affordability of the cost of living. Employers’ power over workers has grown in multiple ways. The huge and monopolistic size of many employers limits the options for employees and, along with globalization, has allowed employers to undermine unions and cut workers’ compensation. Furthermore, many employers, including some fast-food chains, require employees to sign non-compete employment contracts that limit their ability to move to other employers for better jobs and better pay. President Biden took steps to ban non-compete agreements, but President Trump stopped this effort.

  • Stop privatization of public services and public goods. Privatization is often sold to the public with claims that the private sector will deliver cheaper and better services or products. This rarely turns out to be true. Once the profit incentive is introduced, prices are likely to go up and quality is likely to go down.

Nowhere is this clearer than in our health care system. The privatized system in the U.S. is the costliest system in any of the well-off countries of the world and its outcomes are among the worst. All elements of the system are putting profits before patients. Medicare is much more efficient than any of the private health insurance companies. The health care industry vehemently resisted including a public, Medicare-like option in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) because it knew the public option would deliver better care at lower prices. (See this previous post for more information on the failures of for-profit health care.)

Numerous other examples exist. Rail transportation in the rest of the world is more efficient, dependable, and convenient than the privatized system in the U.S. Internet service is cheaper and faster in Europe than in the U.S. (I’ve been criticizing privatization since way back in 2012. See this previous post and this one for more information.)

  • Stop the abuse of patents. Pharmaceutical companies abuse patent laws to keep cheaper generic versions of drugs from being introduced to the market. Classic cases of this are insulin and EpiPens. (See this previous post for more information.)
  • Enhance regulation. Regulations and enforcement of regulations need to be strengthened to protect consumers from fraud, price gouging, and unsafe food and products. Particularly where large companies have monopolistic power, strong regulation is needed. For example, millions of homeowners lost their homes in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis because large financial institutions were pushing fraudulent mortgages. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created to protect consumers from financial fraud and abusive practices, such as exorbitant late and overdraft fees. The Trump administration is trying to eliminate the CFPB so big financial institutions can maximize their profits by ripping off consumers. (See this previous post for more information on the Trump administration’s weakening of regulations and the scams that are likely to be the result.)

My next post will discuss economic insecurity and inequality and the government policies that are needed to address them.

[1]      Reich, R., 11/3/25, “What the Democrats must do. Now!” (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-the-democrats-must-do-now) /

[2]      Kuttner, R., 11/12/25, “A blessing in disguise?” Today on The American Prospect (https://americanprospect.bluelena.io/index.php?action=social&chash=9a32ff36c65e8ba30915a21b7bd76506.3779&s=6009966078bda0f5 056f960a346ead8a

WHAT EVERYDAY AMERICANS WANT FROM GOVERNMENT

Many Americans are worried about being able to afford the cost of living. Government policies can increase the amount of money they make and the benefits they get, as well as reduce the cost of everyday expenses. If Democrats or others want to garner support and votes, they should unequivocally advocate for policies that would improve the affordability of day-to-day life. Some examples are presented below.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

Polls have shown for some time, and elections results on Nov. 4 underscored, that many Americans are worried about being able to afford the cost of living. This has two components: 1) the amount of money they make and the benefits they get from their employer, and 2) the cost of everyday expenses from food to housing to health care to utilities.

If Democrats, or another party such as the Working Families Party, want to garner support and votes, they should focus on the affordability of day-to-day life. They need to promote a vision of a more economically secure future for working Americans. They should embrace economic populism, including reducing economic inequality. [1]

Workers’ wages haven’t kept up with inflation over the last 45 years. The value of the federal minimum wage is 60% of what it was 45 years ago. Similarly, workers’ wages have not kept up with their increases in productivity. The result has been that investors and corporate executives have gotten rich, very rich, billionaire rich, off the big profits companies make on the backs of underpaid workers. Meanwhile, workers’ standard of living has been falling, and, for many, their economic security is gone. Government has helped, but its safety net is fragmented and full of holes. It prevents some workers, some of the time, from becoming destitute. Nonetheless, many workers are anxious, distraught, depressed, and even suicidal. Meanwhile, the government safety net is in effect subsidizing large companies that don’t pay their employees enough to live on. However, these big companies and their owners and investors don’t want to pay a fair share of the taxes needed to fund even this limited safety net.

Here’s an overview of some government policies that would increase workers’ compensation, including both wages and benefits. [2]

  1. Increase the minimum wage. Government officials and candidates at all levels, national, state, and local, should work toward increasing the minimum wage. If Democrats want to continue the winning momentum from the recent elections and want to win back one or both chambers of Congress, they should run hard on increasing the minimum wage and put questions to do so on the ballot wherever they can. (Note: An enormous body of research on the effects of higher minimum wages has shown that past minimum wage increases have meaningfully raised pay for low-wage workers without causing significant increases in unemployment. Moreover, increases in the minimum wage often lower worker turnover, a major cost savings for employers, and can attract  better workers.)
  2. Support unions and unionization. Unions built the American middle class, but Republicans have been undermining unions and the ability to unionize for 45 years. (See Story #2 in this previous post and also this previous post for more background.) Democrats weren’t actively supporting unions either and were complicit in expanding global trade and the off-shoring of jobs, which undermined unions and workers’ wages here in the U.S. Elected officials and candidates need to stand up for unions and strengthen federal laws and agencies that support and protect workers right to unionize. For example, federal laws and regulators should not allow companies to do what Starbucks has done. It has been stonewalling its workers since the first votes to unionize in December 2021. It has refused to meet with union representatives and has failed to engage in any serious bargaining. It has shut stores where workers voted to unionize. While its workers face low pay, rising health care costs, and working conditions that are not worker friendly, Starbucks’ CEO made $96 million last year.
  3. Other ways to increase workers’ incomes. The federal and state governments should take action to enforce labor laws and reduce wage theft. Wage theft occurs when employers don’t pay overtime as they’re supposed to, don’t pay workers for some of the time they spend on the job or in job-related activities, etc. It adds up to billions of dollars a year. In addition, overtime rules should be strengthened so employers can’t dodge overtime pay by claiming that low-level, low-pay workers are members of management who aren’t eligible for overtime pay.
  4. Ways to increase benefits. The federal and state governments could increase unemployment benefits, strengthen regulations on employer offered health insurance, and enhance requirements for employer-supported retirement savings programs. They could require minimum amounts of paid sick leave and vacation time.
  5. Enhance public supports and the safety net. The federal and state governments could expand food, heat, and utility cost assistance programs. They could also enhance subsidies for early education and child care, as well as implement paid family leave. They could increase support for renters and first-time home buyers, while also better regulating private owners of large rental properties and single-family homes, which are increasingly being bought up by investors. They could help alleviate the student debt crisis. Perhaps, most importantly, they could make health insurance and health care more affordable and accessible. Over half of Americans support creating a Medicare for All type universal health insurance program. These public supports and the safety net are underfunded today because wealthy individuals and corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes. More on this in my next post.

My next post will discuss policies that would tackle the cost of goods and services. It will also discuss economic inequality.

[1]      Reich, R., 11/3/25, “What the Democrats must do. Now!” (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-the-democrats-must-do-now) /

[2]      Dayen, D., 7/28/25, “Greg Casar is organizing to win,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/2025/07/28/2025-07-28-organizing-to-win-greg-casar/) 

EVERY REPUBLICAN WHO DOESN’T STAND UP SHARES THE BLAME

Every Republican, especially those in Congress, who does not resist the undemocratic and illegal actions and his administration shares the blame for what’s happening. The Republican Party of Trump is a dark shadow of its former self. Many past Republican leaders would be horrified.

Every Republican, especially those in Congress, who does not stand up and push back against the undemocratic, unconstitutional, and illegal actions of Trump and his administration shares the blame for what’s happening. They are enabling a Trump dictatorship or monarchy. Congressional Republicans are unilaterally surrendering their constitutional powers. The Republican Party of Donald Trump is a dark shadow of its former self. Many past Republican leaders would be horrified.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

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Although President Trump and his administration get blamed (and rightly so) for the undemocratic and illegal policies and actions they’re taking, every Republican, especially those in Congress, who does not stand up and push back is also to blame. This includes Governors, state Attorneys General, state legislators, Mayors, and others, as well as former elected Republican officials. If there was a loud chorus of Republicans, including current and former elected officials, standing up and criticizing Trump and his administration, it would make a dramatic difference.

Silent and acquiescent Republicans, particularly those in Congress, are enabling the dismantling of democratic norms, processes, and institutions. Congressional Republicans are unilaterally surrendering their constitutional powers to the Trump administration. They are ceding the separation of powers, which is the Constitution’s remedy for potential executive tyranny (and the tyranny of the King of England). They are enabling a Trump dictatorship or monarchy.

Congress by its inaction and, on occasion, by its actions is: [1]

  • Surrendering the power of the purse, i.e., the appropriation of funds and the requirement that the executive branch spend money as appropriated.
  • Surrendering the power to legislate and set policy, e.g., on immigration policies and enforcement, declarations of war and use of military force, tariff and trade policies, etc.
  • Surrendering meaningful scrutiny of Trump appointees and agencies.
  • Surrendering oversight of the President and his actions, i.e., any Congress with any integrity would have impeached and convicted Trump multiple times for his unconstitutional and illegal acts.

In the current budget crisis and government shutdown, Trump is refusing to meet with Democrats to negotiate a resolution, Republican House Speaker Johnson is refusing to even have the House in session to work on budget bills or compromises, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Thune is refusing to hold any meaningful negotiations with Democrats on a resolution to reopen the government. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to withhold available funds for food assistance (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP]), which puts food on the table for 41 million Americans (roughly 1 out of every 8 residents).

Even before the government shutdown, the Trump administration was illegally withholding (aka impounding) funds appropriated by Congress. Head Start programs, which provide early education and child care, as well as other supports, to low-income children under school age and their families, have been forced to cut back and now, with the shutdown, some are closing. This jeopardizes young children’s growth, development, and health, and means parents can’t go to work because they don’t have child care. Foreign aid, research grants, and emergency response funds for natural disasters are other examples of illegally withheld funding.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is illegally using public and private funds to finance favored people and initiatives, such as paying military personnel, funding ICE, prosecuting personal enemies, deploying the National Guard and military personnel on American soil, and demolishing part of the White House and building Trump’s new ballroom. [2]

Republicans and Americans who are not standing up and calling out these undemocratic, unconstitutional, and illegal actions are unpatriotic and share the blame. These actions are hurting Americans and undermining our democracy.

The Republican Party of Donald Trump is a dark shadow of its former self. Ronald Reagan, John McCain, Bob Dole, George H. W. Bush, and many other past Republican leaders would be horrified at the behavior of today’s Republicans and Republican Party.

[1]      Nader, R., Fein, B., & Fisher, L., 10/31/25, “The spinelessness of Thune and Johnson is destroying American democracy,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/johnson-thune-congress)

[2]      Hubbell, R., 10/27/25, “Democrats continue to stand strong,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/democrats-continue-to-stand-strong)(

A SUCCESS FOR DEMOCRACY: PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING

The campaign finance system in the U.S. is corrupt. It allows wealthy individuals and corporations to effectively buy and bribe candidates. One of the signs of resurgent democracy is the passing of campaign finance reforms in many states and municipalities. One very effective way to democratize campaign financing is a public matching funds system that amplifies the campaign contributions, and therefore the voices and power, of everyday Americans. New York City’s public financing system is credited with allowing Zohran Mamdani to run a competitive race for Mayor.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

The campaign finance system in the U.S. is corrupt. It allows wealthy individuals and corporations to effectively buy and bribe candidates. This fosters oligarchy. However, as noted in this previous post, one sign of resurgent democracy is the passing of campaign finance reforms in many states and municipalities.

Making campaign financing more democratic is quite difficult, given that the Supreme Court has equated political spending with speech, including for corporations, and ruled that free speech rights, therefore, allow unlimited campaign spending by wealthy individuals and corporations.

However, there is one very effective way to democratize campaign financing and level the playing field between candidates with access to big sums of money and everyday people running for elected office: a public financing system. More than 14 states and 25 municipalities have enacted campaign finance reforms with some form of public financial support. The most effective of these systems gives a candidate the option of participating in a public matching funds system. If they do, it requires them to agree to restrictions on the size of donations and the use of their own funds. Without voluntary opting in, these restrictions would be prohibited by the Supreme Court’s rulings. [1] Public matching funds amplify the small campaign contributions, and therefore the voices and power, of everyday Americans. [2]

New York City’s public financing system, which has been in place since 1988, is credited with allowing Zohran Mamdani to run a competitive race for Mayor. He won the Democratic primary and is favored to win Tuesday’s final election. (He’s facing disgraced former New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, whom he beat in the primary. Cuomo, a lifelong Democratic, is running in the final election as an independent with backing from the oligarchy, including President Trump.)

Whether Mamdani wins the final election or not, this is a huge win for democracy. (See this previous post for more detail on public financing systems and their benefits for democracy.) It shows that a public financing system like New York City’s allows a serious candidate, but one who lacks access to big money, to run a competitive campaign against candidates with the backing of the big money oligarchs. It allows candidates to run and win without big money from private donors who want policy favors.

In New York City’s public financing system, small donations of up to $250 from constituents (i.e., residents of the City) are matched by public funds 8 to 1. Therefore, a $50 contribution is worth $450 to the candidate and a $250 contribution is worth $2,250. Mamdani raised over $4 million from over 40,000 contributors, making his average contribution amount under $100. He received over $13 million in public matching funds for his qualifying, private contributions.

Without these public matching funds, Mamdani probably would not have had the resources necessary to effectively reach out to enough New Yorkers to be competitive against the oligarch-funded Cuomo. As Mamdani said, “it allows … the amplification of the voice of ordinary New Yorkers, as opposed to the billionaires who have grown used to buying our elections.” [3]

The public financing of campaigns is not a new idea. It was first proposed by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907 as part of his effort to rein in the Robber Barons and their monopolistic trusts of the Gilded Age, as well as to rein in the political corruption they fostered. In 1974, after the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Nixon, a public financing system was created for presidential campaigns. The Senate passed legislation creating a public financing system for congressional elections, but it was not passed by the Democratic-controlled House. In the 1990s, after the savings and loan crisis and scandals, Congress passed public financing for congressional elections, but Republican President George H. W. Bush vetoed it. Democratic President Clinton promoted public financing legislation, but Republicans blocked it with a filibuster. Some presidential candidates opted out of the presidential public financing system because they found its spending limits constraining and too low. As the cost and spending of presidential campaigns escalated, the public financing system failed to keep up. In 2008, candidate Barack Obama opted out of the system, which was essentially its death knell.

Public campaign financing systems at the state and local levels will hopefully gain enough support so that eventually such a system will again be proposed for our national elections. Without public financing, many candidates face a wrenching choice: run a race standing up for everyday people and challenging the oligarchs but that fails to be competitive due to a lack of resources, or sell out to the big donors who are looking for policies to be shaped to their benefit. In the current big donor dominated campaign finance system, multiple studies and many, many anecdotes show that broadly popular policies don’t get enacted because policies are consistently formulated to benefit the wealthy and their companies.

[1]      Brennan Center for Justice, retrieved from the Internet on 10/17/25, “Reform money in politics,” (https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics)

[2]      Sirota, D., 10/22/25, “The real lesson from Zohran Mamdani’s ascent,” The Nation (https://thenationmagazine.substack.com/p/the-real-lesson-from-zohran-mamdanis)

[3]      Sirota, D., 10/22/25, see above

CRYPTO AND AI PRESENT ECONOMIC RISKS

The crytpo and AI industries present serious risks to the U.S. economy. They may be economic bubbles whose bursting would have serious negative effects. Crypto is a Ponzi scheme. Both industries pose serious threats to the environment and are vulnerable to China’s control of rare earth minerals.

The crytpo and AI industries present serious risks to the U.S. economy. Crypto and AI may be economic bubbles that have the potential to burst with serious negative effects on the whole U.S. economy. Crypto is truly a Ponzi scheme. Both industries pose serious threats to the environment and are vulnerable to China’s dominance of rare earth minerals mining, processing, and subsequent use in manufacturing.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

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The crytpo and AI industries present serious risks to the U.S. economy. Both have grown quickly and dramatically. Both are supported by risky financing and high levels of investor speculation. Both are industries that many people and investors do not understand well and that are largely unregulated, especially under the Trump administration. [1] (I’m not an investment advisor and claim no special knowledge, but, at best, investments in these industries are likely to be quite volatile. At worst, they have a quite high risk of loss.)

Crypto and AI may be economic bubbles. If, or perhaps when, they burst, they have the potential to have serious negative effects on the whole U.S. economy. They have features that are reminiscent of the housing and mortgage bubble of 2008 whose bursting created the Great Recession and almost brought down the whole U.S. economy (which was saved from far worse by massive government bailouts for large financial firms). Before that, there were the dot-com bubble bursting in the late 1990s and the savings and loan housing and mortgage bubble bursting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Another historical economic bubble bursting was the 1929 stock market crash.

Crypto is truly a Ponzi scheme. There is no underlying asset. The only thing supporting the value of any cryptocurrency is someone else’s desire to buy it. Its only real value is facilitating get rich quick schemes, money laundering, and money transfers among criminals. The cryptocurrency industry is trying to transform its image from that of a scandal-ridden and crime-enabling financial technology (aka fintech) experiment into that of a mainstream financial and commercial investment and transaction vehicle. The Trump administration is doing everything it can to support this perception transformation without doing anything to actually clean up the industry – and while Trump is enriching himself, his family, and his cronies with crypto investment schemes.

The crypto industry’s nine-month stock market rally has been fueled by optimism due to Trump’s presidency and support, as well as by a shaky financial foundation built on huge amounts of borrowed money. On October 10, Trump’s statement about big tariffs on China sent the crypto stocks plummeting, 12% to 30%, reducing the value of crypto assets by $19 billion. (See previous posts on the risks of the crypto industry here and here.)

The crypto industry is dependent on lots of computer processing and massive amounts of electricity. The associated risks will be discussed more below in an examination of the AI industry, which shares these vulnerabilities.

The threats and promises of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry are widely discussed and debated. Its appropriation of copyrighted information without compensation or attribution, both to train its software as well as to answer questions posed to it, is the subject of multiple copyright infringement lawsuits. Its ability to create and disseminate misinformation and disinformation, including by amplifying it via fraudulent chatbots on social media, are widely recognized as a threat to an accurately informed public, and therefore to elections and societal cohesion, among other things. It’s also recognized as a threat to workers by automating jobs and displacing human workers. Its chatbots that serve as personal companions or mental health counselors seem to help some people and harm others. Their overall value and safety are widely debated.

Perhaps the most immediate threats of the AI industry are to our economy and the environment. The stock market values of AI-involved companies have soared based not on profits or even revenue, but on hype and hope. This includes Amazon, Google, Meta (parent of Facebook, Instagram, etc.), Microsoft, Nvidia (a computer chip maker), OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI (a Musk company). AI-related companies account for about 75% of the increase in stock market values this year, yet 95% of these companies aren’t making profits from their AI activities. The Bank of England recently warned that AI stock values may be overvalued and at risk of a sudden loss of value that could have global effects.

The building of AI-related infrastructure, including chip manufacturing and data and computing center construction, has represented 90% of capital expenditures in the U.S. A good portion of this is taxpayer subsidized, not just through federal tax breaks, but hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax breaks for building facilities in at least 37 states. And, as with the crypto industry, a good part of this growth is built on a shaky foundation of borrowed money.

The data and computing centers required by both AI and crypto need large amounts of electricity to run them and large amounts of water to cool the computers. The availability of both electricity and water may be a constraint and will require large investments in public infrastructure, e.g., electricity generation and distribution. For example, as you may have heard, Microsoft is planning to reopen a Three Mile Island nuclear power reactor to provide electricity for its data processing centers. (As you may remember, Three Mile Island was the site of the most serious accident in the U.S. nuclear power industry, a partial reactor meltdown in 1979.)

Another vulnerability of both the AI and crypto industries is the need for chips and other electronics whose manufacture requires rare earth minerals. China is responsible for 70% of the mining of rare earth minerals, 90% of their processing, and 93% of the manufacturing of a key product. This is why Trump’s threat of tariffs on China and a possible trade war with China dramatically affected AI and crypto stocks. If China were to deny the U.S. AI and crypto industries access to rare earth minerals or the products that use them, or even increase their prices significantly, it would be a very serious blow to the companies. This in turn would be a very serious blow to the whole U.S. economy. [2]

The Trump administration has further weakened or removed even the weak regulations and restrictions that were in place on crypto and AI. Moreover, it has been opening the door to investments in crypto and AI by pension funds, individuals’ retirement and savings accounts (e.g., 401(k)s), and banks and financial institutions. This exacerbates the negative impacts of a serious downturn in either industry.

Economic bubbles typically make a few people rich, sometimes very rich, but many people lose money, sometimes lots of money, when the bubble bursts. If the overall threat to the economy is bad enough, the government will step in and provide a bailout, usually to the larger entities that often were at least partially responsible for the bubble. However, millions of Americans could lose their jobs, and, if they or their pension plans had been lured into investing in crypto, lose significant chunks of their savings.

For lots of good news see Jess Craven’s Chop Wood Carry Water blog here and here.

[1]      Reich, R., 10/14/25, “Beware the oligarchs’ two bubbles,” Blog post (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/beware-the-oligarchs-ai-bubble)

[2]      Dayen, D., 10/14/25, “Why China can collapse the U.S. with one decree,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/2025/10/14/why-china-can-collapse-the-u-s-with-one-decree/)

SIGNS OF A RESURGENCE OF DEMOCRACY AND PROGRESSIVE POLICIES

An American oligarchy has battled for control of our country since its founding. Today, there are signs of a resurgence of democracy and a third progressive policy era. These signs include a resurgence of unions, campaign finance reforms at the state and local levels, and the growing public and private protests and pushback against the Trump administration. We, the American people, must stand up for democracy. We can defeat the oligarchy.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

An American oligarchy based on wealth and privilege, with race and religion lurking behind them, has battled for control of our country since its founding. Two progressive eras have pushed back against oligarchy, heralded a resurgence of democracy, and made progress toward the founding principles of America. These efforts relegated and regulated the oligarchy to the back seat, putting we the people back in control of America. (See this previous post for more details.)

Today, there are signs of a resurgence of democracy and a third progressive policy era. After 45 years of dramatically increasing income and wealth inequality, shrinkage of the middle class, and workers’ wages not keeping up with inflation or increases in productivity, many Americans are ready to throw the oligarchy out. They recognize that:

  • Unrestrained capitalism is not good for consumers, workers, communities, or our planet.
  • Huge corporations tend to engage in monopolistic behaviors.
  • Oligarchs are anti-democratic and are focused on feathering their own nests.

One sign of surging democracy and progressive politics is the resurgence of unions. Collective bargaining by unionized workers levels the balance of power between oligarch business owners and workers. Unions improve workers’ compensation and working conditions. Evidence of the union resurgence includes:

  • The number of union elections has more than doubled since 2021.
  • Workers have won 70% of those elections, the highest win rate in 15 years.
  • Petitions for union elections increased by 27% in 2024.
  • Public support for unions is at 70%, the highest level since the 1960s.
  • 60 million non-union workers (40% of the workforce) report they would vote to join a union if they got the chance.

Another sign of surging democracy and progressive politics is the passing of campaign finance reforms in multiple states and municipalities. Although reforms to enhance disclosure of campaign donations are very important, and election reforms to make it easier to register and vote are important, the most impactful reforms are ones that provide public financial support to candidates. There are multiple ways to do this, including giving vouchers or tax credits to voters to use to support the candidates of their choice. More than 14 states and 25 municipalities have enacted campaign finance reforms with some form of public financial support.

Perhaps the most effective way to level the playing field between candidates with access to big sums of money and everyday people running for elected office is a public financing system like the ones in New York City and more recently in New York State. These systems require the candidate to opt into the public financing system, which means the candidate agrees to restrictions on the size of donations and the use of one’s own funds that would otherwise be prohibited by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. (As you probably know, the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision equated the spending of money on election campaigns with speech. Therefore, freedom of speech means there can be no limits on campaign spending or donations.) [1]

In these public financing systems, small donations (generally less than $200) from constituents (i.e., residents of the candidate’s district) are matched by public funds (up to 8 to 1) for candidates who agree to limits on the size of donations and other restrictions. A candidate must qualify for public financing by garnering a certain number or dollar amount of small donations from constituents. Studies of campaign public financing systems find that they have many benefits including increased diversity of candidates (by class, race, and gender), increased civic engagement and voting, and increased focus of candidates on issues (as opposed to fundraising).

Another sign of the resurgence of support for democracy is the growing resistance to the Trump administration. Institutions from the mainstream media to colleges and universities to law firms are starting to stand up and push back. Elected officials at the state and local levels are pushing back more and more. Democrats in Congress are becoming more organized and effective in pushing back. The courts for the most part, except for the Supreme Court and certain other very right-wing judges, have been pushing back.

Various elections all around the country have also quite consistently shown that voters are standing up and voting against those who are undermining our democracy and supporting the oligarchy. We need to keep up this momentum in statewide elections in Virginia and New Jersey and state and local elections elsewhere this fall. And we need to continue to work to build a strong wave in support of democracy in the 2026 elections for Congress and other offices.

Most importantly, a growing segment of the public is standing up and pushing back. The millions of Americans who engaged in the Oct. 18 No Kings protests sent a strong, unequivocal message in support of democracy. The many, many other smaller protests that are occurring daily reinforce that message. The pushback on media executives, who were compromising freedom of speech by taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air, sent out shock waves that made those media executives change their minds. We’ll need to continue to do these things again and again to put democracy back in the driver’s seat.

Thank you for all you’re doing! Please keep up the great and important work to save our democracy! We, the American people, as citizens, consumers, and workers, must stand up for democracy. We can defeat the oligarchy, and its authoritarianism and fascism.

For lots of good news on the fight for democracy see Jess Craven’s 10/12 Chop Wood Carry Water post.

[1]      Brennan Center for Justice, retrieved from the Internet on 10/17/25, “Reform money in politics,” (https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics)

THE AMERICAN STRUGGLE BETWEEN OLIGARCHY AND DEMOCRACY

An American oligarchy has battled for control of our country since its founding. In 1980, the American oligarchy re-emerged and has been undermining democracy and skewing government policy. Defenders of democracy are fighting back, including with growing protests against and resistance to King Trump and his administration. Please find and participate in an Oct. 18 No Kings protest near you.

SPECIAL NOTE: We need millions of Americans at the No Kings protests on October 18 in defense of democracy. Please support this however you can. You can find an event near you here.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

An American oligarchy based on wealth and privilege, with race and religion lurking behind them, has battled for control of our country since its founding. The southern plantation owners were the first American oligarchy. The businessmen and industrialists of the late 1800s and early 1900s, who were dubbed the Robber Barons, were the second American oligarchy.

The first American progressive era from the 1890s through 1945 pushed back against oligarchy and the Great Depression, which was caused by the greed of the oligarchs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the growth of government and government power due to World War II relegated and regulated the oligarchy to the back seat. This put democracy and we the people in the driver’s seat and in control of America.

The period after World War II, from 1945 to 1980 was the second progressive era. An unwritten post-war social compact framed American society and the economy. It was based on three pillars:

  • Corporations served all stakeholders: workers, customers, communities, and shareholders;
  • Workers had a right to unionize and receive fair wages and safe working conditions; and
  • Government provided a safety net, managed capitalism, and leveled the playing field.

The result was an economy and society where, from 1945 to 1980, the rising tide did lift all boats. Economic inequality narrowed and America moved toward its promise of equal opportunity for all. Workers’ wages increased in accordance with their increases in productivity. The middle class grew along with economic security. Each generation was better off than the previous one. Democracy was working well.

In 1980, with the election of President Reagan, the American oligarchy re-emerged. For the last 45 years, it has been undermining democracy and skewing government policy in its favor. (See this previous post for more details.) Although Republicans have been the driving force, Democrats have contributed to this shift by supporting business deregulation and unconstrained globalization. Democrats also failed to support unions and failed to reform our campaign finance system. Moreover, they have come to rely on campaign contributions from wealthy individuals and corporations.

All this has led to 45 years of dramatically growing income and wealth inequality. The middle class has shrunk, and workers’ wages have increased much less than their increases in productivity. Many Americans have lost their economic security. The public’s faith in government and democracy has declined dramatically.

However, there are signs that a third American progressive era and a resurgence of democracy may be emerging. There is increasing acknowledgement and public awareness that:

  • Wealth and income inequality have grown to unacceptable levels.
  • Huge corporations tend to engage in monopolistic behaviors such as price fixing and price gouging; decreasing quality, choice, and customer service; and poor treatment of employees in terms of compensation and safety.
  • Unrestrained capitalism is not good for consumers, workers, communities, or our planet.
  • The oligarchs have rigged our economic system in their favor so that the rising tide is lifting only their yachts.
  • Oligarchy is anti-democratic and tends to turn into authoritarianism and fascism, i.e., white, male, Christian nationalism.

Bob Kuttner, a long-time, very astute and thoughtful observer and analyst of American politics and policies, has concluded that American democracy’s efforts to balance capitalism are doomed to fail. The incentives and power of huge corporations and huge wealth are too great and will inevitably overwhelm America’s brand of democracy. He concludes that significant public ownership of key sectors of the economy, i.e., democratic socialism, is necessary to keep capitalism in check. [1]

As Bob Reich recently wrote, “Capitalism is compatible with democracy only if democracy is in the driver’s seat. … [Otherwise] It fuels despotism.” [2] This is reminiscent of the quote from Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis back in the 1930s: “We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

In many sectors of our economy there’s a clear need for strong regulation or public ownership including in health care, communications (including media and the big technology platforms), utilities and energy, the transportation system, banking and finance, housing, and food and agriculture. In these areas, a publicly owned option would be more effective and efficient because it wouldn’t have to cover the costs of profits, big executive pay packages, and advertising. For example, in the health care sector, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obama Care) was being developed, health care providers and insurance companies vehemently opposed a public option in the health care market place (basically Medicare available to everyone) because they knew it would be more effective and efficient. This is also why they oppose Medicare of All and are working feverishly to undermine Medicare with their privatized Medicare Advantage plans. We need public Medicare for seniors and a public option for everyone else to stop the rapacious, for-profit health care businesses that put profits before patients. (See previous posts here, here and here for more details.)

The growing protests against and resistance to King Trump and his administration’s actions and policies are signs of a resurgence of democracy and an emerging progressive era. The successes are many, on the streets and in the courtrooms, sometimes small but nonetheless important, and are underreported by the mainstream media. Forcing media executives to put the Jimmy Kimmel show back on the air was a huge and very visible success. (For lots of current good news see Jess Craven’s Chop Wood Carry Water blog here.)

In this vein, please find an October 18th No Kings event near you here and participate and support it in whatever way you can. We, the American public, as citizens, consumers, and workers, must stand up for democracy, otherwise, we’ll continue down the slippery slope to oligarchy, authoritarianism, and fascism. We can stop the anti-democracy slide, as we did in the Jimmy Kimmel case.

We need millions of Americans engaged in the No Kings protests and in the many, many other smaller protests that are occurring daily. Thank you for all you’re doing! Please keep up the great and important work to save our democracy!

My next post will identify additional signs of a resurgence of democracy and the beginning of a third progressive era, including a surge in unionization, campaign finance reforms, and actions and elections at the state and local levels.

[1]      Kuttner, R., 12/1/21, “Capitalism vs. liberty,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/capitalism-vs-liberty/)

[2]      Reich, R., 9/26/25, “Why are we so polarized? Why is democracy in such peril?” Blog post (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/why-are-we-so-polarized)

STANDING UP TO TRUMP AND CORPORATE OLIGARCHS

Oligarchy Definition A small group of people having formal and informal power based on (1)wealth; (2) connections; and (3) privilege.

American oligarchs have spent 45 years and billions of dollars undermining democracy and skewing government policy in their favor. We need to stand up and make Trump and corporate CEOs understand that the long-term success of their companies and our country depend on the trust and support of us, their customers and voters. We did this in a big way with the reaction to media executives pulling the Jimmy Kimmel show off the air. We need to do it again and again.

SPECIAL NOTE: We need millions of Americans at the No Kings protests on October 18 in defense of democracy. Please support this however you can. You can find an event near you here.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

American oligarchs, i.e., wealthy individuals and their large corporations, have spent at least the last 45 years undermining democracy and skewing government policy in their favor by: (See this previous post for more details.)

  • Increasing, coordinating, refining, and hiding their spending of billions of dollars on election campaigns. They spent over $10 billion in the 2023-24 federal election cycle alone.
  • Spending billions of dollars on lobbying the federal government, currently to the tune of $4 billion a year.
  • Moving tens of thousands of people through the revolving door between jobs in their corporations and in the government agencies that regulate them.

These efforts have been very successful; their return on investment has been extraordinary. Trump and his anti-democratic, authoritarian, and fascist administration are the culmination of this work that has undermined our democracy and skewed government policies and our economy to favor the oligarchs. Examples of skewed government policies include the following.

The individual income tax rates on oligarchs’ incomes have been cut from 70% in 1980 and 92% in the 1950s to 37% today. Income taxes on income from wealth, i.e., long-term capital gains, have been cut from 28% in 1980 to 15% in 2012 but are back up to 24% today. Note that the tax rate on income from wealth (i.e., unearned income) has always been much lower than the tax rate on income from work (i.e., earned income). This benefits the oligarchs and entrenches and exacerbates wealth inequality. Furthermore, increases in wealth that aren’t cashed in aren’t taxed at all. As a result, the richest billionaires pay about 3.4% in income tax on their incomes while the average American pays 14.5%.

Corporate income tax rates have also been cut from 46% in 1980 to 21% today. Moreover, tax loopholes allow corporations many strategies to avoid taxes. In particular, multi-national corporations artificially shift profits to foreign countries with very low taxes. Corporations have also been allowed to move jobs to low-wage countries and to resist and undermine workers’ unions. Roughly one out of every three private sector workers was a union member in the 1950s; today it’s one out of every 15. [1]

Antitrust laws have basically been unenforced for the last 45 years. As a result, many sectors of the American economy are dominated by a few, large, monopolistic corporations. Reduced competition means corporations can raise prices, cut quality, and strong-arm employees. Deregulation has left consumers vulnerable to poor products and frustrating services.

All of this has led to 45 years of dramatically growing income and wealth inequality. The 50% of Americans with the least wealth now, collectively, have only 2.5% of national wealth (less than $23,000 each on average). The wealthiest 1% of Americans own 33% of national wealth (about $15 million each on average). Pay for CEOs is now 1,094% higher than in 1978, while a typical workers’ pay has only increased 26%. As a result, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio grew from 31 times a typical worker’s pay in 1978 to 281 times in 2024. [2] And CEOs now believe that their only responsibility is to maximize returns for shareholders; other stakeholders, including workers, customers, and communities, are not a matter for concern.

The oligarch’s successful assault on our democracy and public policies has resulted in many Americans losing their economic security, as well as their trust in government and democracy. Many of them don’t feel it’s worth voting because they don’t believe it’s going to make any difference. They believe government is controlled by special interests working to benefit themselves. These Americans are angry and fearful about the future. Therefore, they are willing to believe the lies that Trump tells them about bringing back their good jobs and wages. And they are willing to overlook his undermining of democracy.

We, American consumers, need to make corporate CEOs understand that the long-term success of their companies depends on the trust and support of us, their customers. We did this in a big way with the reaction to media executives pulling the Jimmy Kimmel show off the air in response to President Trump’s displeasure with him. We’ll need to do this again and again to wake up CEOs and to get them to focus on the long-term instead of pleasing the would-be dictator in the White House in the short-term.

The spinelessness of corporate CEOs in the face of Trump makes it clear that they “are poorly suited to be custodians of democracy or counterweights to presidential overreach.” [3] “Capitalism is compatible with democracy only if democracy is in the driver’s seat. … [Otherwise] It fuels despotism.” [4]

We, the American public, consumers and workers, must stand up for democracy and for its regulation of corporations and capitalism. Otherwise, we’ll continue down the slippery slope to oligarchy, authoritarianism, and fascism. We can stop this slide, as we did in the Jimmy Kimmel case.

I look forward to seeing millions of Americans engaged in the No Kings protests on October 18 and in many, many other smaller protests daily. Thank you for all you’re doing! Please keep up this great and important work to save our democracy!

Find an October 18th No Kings event near you here and participate and support it in whatever way you can.

For lots of current good news see Jess Craven’s Chop Wood Carry Water blog here.

[1]      Economic Policy Institute, retrieved from the Internet 9/29/25, “State of Working America: Unions,” (https://data.epi.org/unions/union_members_historical/line/year/national/percent_union_members_historical/overall)

[2]      Gould, E., Bivens, J., & Kandra, J., 9/25/25, “CEO pay increased in 2024 and is now 281 times that of the typical worker,” Economic Policy Institute (https://www.epi.org/blog/ceo-pay-increased-in-2024-and-is-now-281-times-that-of-the-typical-worker-new-epi-landing-page-has-all-the-details/)

[3]      Edelman, L., 9/23/25, “Why corporate leaders are appeasing Trump,” The Boston Globe

[4]      Reich, R., 9/26/25, “Why are we so polarized? Why is democracy in such peril?” Blog post (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/why-are-we-so-polarized)

CORPORATE OLIGARCHS HAVE BEEN UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY FOR 45 YEARS

Trump is the culmination of decades of work by wealthy individuals and CEOs (America’s oligarchs) undermining democracy & skewing government policy. This has led to high income & wealth inequality. Many Americans have lost their economic security, as well as their faith in government & democracy.

Trump is the culmination of decades of work by wealthy individuals and corporate CEOs (i.e., America’s oligarchs) undermining democracy and skewing government policies. This has led to dramatic income and wealth inequality. Many Americans have lost their economic security, as well as their faith in government and democracy.

SPECIAL NOTE: We need millions of Americans at the No Kings protests on October 18 in defense of democracy. Please support this however you can. You can find an event near you at: https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/map/?tag_ids=27849.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

I’ve been surprised at how little spine corporate Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) (supposed “leaders”) have shown in the face of Trump’s behavior and attacks. They know that unpredictability and chaos in government, as well as uncertainty, polarization, and unrest in society (in America and globally), are bad for the economy and for their businesses, at least in the long run. They know that an autocrat’s lack of respect for the rule of law, for property rights, and for freedom of speech are bad for business.

However, the CEOs of large corporations (aka corporate oligarchs) tend to be pragmatic and short-sighted. They value having political power and influence to the point that they seem to care little about politicians’ ethics or actions on issues that don’t conflict with their corporate interests. They know their large corporations are dependent on the government for many things, e.g., approvals of mergers, government contracts, tax breaks and subsidies, and licenses to operate. And they know their corporations are affected by many other things government does, e.g., writing and enforcing regulations, tax laws, and export and import policies (e.g., tariffs). [1]

President Trump has been leveraging (generally illegally) these many interrelationships between the government and corporations to pressure CEOs to do what he wants them to do, to support his policies, and to support him personally (sometimes financially). CEOs know Trump is arbitrary, unpredictable, and vindictive. They know that if he is irritated by a company or its CEO that he will use the powers of the government in a punitive fashion against them. Therefore, they capitulate.

However, Trump and his anti-democratic, autocratic, and fascist behavior and administration are the culmination of decades of work by wealthy individuals and corporate CEOs (i.e., America’s oligarchs). They have been undermining democracy and skewing government policies and our economy in their favor for at least 45 years. They have quadrupled their political spending (after adjusting for inflation) over the last 40 years. [2] In the 2023-2024 federal election cycle, $5.3 billion was spent on the presidential race and $9.5 billion was spent on congressional races. The overwhelming majority of this money came from American oligarchs. One hundred billionaires alone spent $2.6 billion. The seven highest spending individuals spent $930 million, all for Republicans, with Elon Musk leading the way with $291 million in spending, almost exclusively for the Trump campaign.

In addition to spending on election campaigns, corporations are also spending over $4 billion a year lobbying the federal government. [3] Furthermore, they engage in an extensive “revolving door” cycle of personnel (tens of thousands of them) who move between government regulatory agencies and positions in corporations the agencies regulate. [4]

All of this is in the interest of skewing government policy to favor American oligarchs, i.e., wealthy individuals and their large corporations. They have been very successful; their return on investment has been extraordinary.

My next post will provide specific examples of their successes, along with the effects and implications of them.

In the meantime, please make plans to stand up for democracy and against the oligarchs. I hope you can participate in and/or support the No Kings protests on October 18 – and the many, many other smaller protests that are occurring daily. Thank you for all you are doing! Please keep up this great and important defense of democracy!

Find a No Kings October 18th event near you here.

[1]      Edelman, L., 9/23/25, “Why corporate leaders are appeasing Trump,” The Boston Globe

[2]      Reich, R., 9/26/25, “Why are we so polarized? Why is democracy in such peril?” Blog post (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/why-are-we-so-polarized)

[3]      Open Secrets, retrieved from the Internet 9/29/25, “Lobbying data summary,” (https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/)

[4]      Open Secrets, retrieved from the Internet 9/29/25, “Revolving door overview,” (https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving-door/)

STRONG REGULATION NEEDED TO PROTECT US FROM META AND FACEBOOK

The harm that Facebook and other social media do to children and youth, our society and politics, and people and countries around the world is well documented. Clearly, the social media companies are far more committed to maximizing profits than they are to minimizing harm.

The harm that Facebook, Meta’s other platforms, and other social media do to children and youth, our society and politics, as well as to people and countries around the world, is well documented. The evidence continues to mount as new whistleblowers emerge and share inside information. Clearly, Meta (and other social media companies) are far more committed to maximizing profits than they are to minimizing harm.

SPECIAL NOTE: Please plan to participate in the next nationwide No Kings Day protest on Sat., Oct. 18. Find an event near you at https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/map/?tag_ids=27849.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

The harm that Facebook, Meta’s other platforms, and other social media do to children and youth is well documented, as this previous post covered. However, the harm to our society and politics, as well as to people and countries around the world, goes well beyond that and is long-standing. (See previous posts from 2022 and 2020 on Facebook’s knowing spread of divisive disinformation and right-wing content.) It’s clear that Meta and other social media companies are far more interested in maximizing profits than minimizing harm, such as avoiding spreading misinformation while fostering social division and conflict that sometimes lead to violence.

Meta has been in the news recently because more whistleblowers and former employees have come forward to report (again) that Meta CEO and owner Mark Zuckerberg and other senior Meta executives have repeatedly lied about the negative effects of their platforms and their knowledge of the harms caused for children, from spreading misinformation, and from fostering social division.

Coincidentally, I just finished reading a book about Facebook, Careless People: A cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism, by Sarah Wynn-Williams, who worked at Facebook from 2011 – 2018. Perhaps her most poignant revelation is that “most leaders at Facebook … severely limit [their] kids’ access to screens, let alone social media accounts. … which only underscores how well these executives understand the real damage their product inflicts on young minds.” (p. 103-104)

Wynn-Williams reports on sexual harassment in the largely male world of Facebook, which senior management ignores (to say the least). She also documents Facebook’s role in:

  • The 2016 Trump campaign when Facebook staff were embedded at the campaign, which some people credit with Trump’s winning the election. (p. 264)
  • The violence and undermining of democracy in Myanmar from 2014 – 2017 due to Facebook’s failure to monitor and moderate content. This culminated in tens of thousands of deaths, untold atrocities, and the slaughter of Muslims and particularly the Rohingya people. The U.N. report on these human rights violations devotes over twenty pages to the role Facebook played in spreading hate. (p. 357-358)
  • Working with the Chinese government on censorship and surveillance to get it to allow Facebook in China. So desperate was Zuckerberg to get into the Chinese market that he gave the Chinese government access to user data that he had refused to give to other governments and that Facebook “aggressively fought against providing to the US government, even after receiving National Security Letters demanding it in specific cases.” (p. 311) Furthermore, Wynn-Williams notes that “Facebook has said [many things] are simply impossible when Congress and its own government have asked – on content, data sharing, privacy, censorship, and encryption – and yet its leadership are handing them all to China on a silver platter.” (p. 313) Facebook was very concerned about all of this leaking because “if it leaks we [Facebook] won’t be able to keep doing what we’re doing. … [it would] highlight differences in what we say to the public vs what we do.” (p. 313) When preparing Zuckerberg for congressional testimony about Facebook’s plans for China, Wynn-Williams reports that “No one suggests telling the truth … There seems to be no compunction about misleading Congress. Presumably because the team assumes they’ll never be caught …”. (p. 319)
  • Censoring content in Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Korea at the request of senior government officials, largely solely at Zuckerberg’s discretion. (p. 158-164)
  • Selling advertisers on Facebook’s capabilities to target emotionally vulnerable teens while publicly denying that it was doing so. Advertisers know that people buy more when they are feeling insecure, “and it’s seen as an asset that Facebook knows when that is and can target ads.” (p. 334) While “this sort of ad targeting is commonplace at Facebook … it pretends the opposite: ‘We have opened an investigation to understand the process failure and improve our oversight.’” A follow up statement was “a flat-out lie: ‘Facebook does not offer tools to target people based on their emotional state.’” (p. 336-337)

Wynn-Williams documents that time and again Zuckerberg and other Meta senior executives lie about and distort what Meta is doing, the harm it’s causing, and their knowledge of the harm. They lie to the media and the public, they lie in congressional testimony, and they lie internally to their own employees. They also attack government officials and human rights groups that oppose the expansion or advocate regulation of Facebook and Meta’s other platforms. (p. 206-212) She also writes that “Facebook’s leadership could be utterly indifferent to the consequences of their decisions.”, hence the book’s title Careless People. (p. 307) In 2017, one of the findings of worldwide consumer focus groups was that “The idea that Facebook cares about people’s privacy is not believable anywhere.” (p. 315)

In response to the recent murder of Charlie Kirk, Utah Governor Spencer Cox made the point that social media is designed to amplify hate and division. They do this because social media companies know that this is the most effective way to maximize profits. Social media algorithms are designed to feed you stories that alarm and upset you because that results in your spending more time on the social media platform. [1]

I encourage you to contact your Representative and Senators in Congress and ask them to support strong regulation of the social media platforms to stop them from continuing to harm our children and youth, our society, and our politics and elections.

You can find contact information for your U.S. Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your U.S. Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Hubbell, R., 9/15/25, “Leaning into resistance during troubled times,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/leaning-into-resistance-during-troubled)

CHILDREN AREN’T SAFE ON META’S VIRTUAL REALITY PLATFORMS

The harm that Meta Platforms’ Facebook and virtual reality programs do to children and youth is well documented. The evidence continues to grow as new whistleblowers come forward and share inside information. Clearly, Meta is far more committed to its profits than it is to protecting children.

The harm that Meta Platforms’ social media platforms, including Facebook and virtual reality programs, do to children and youth is well documented. The evidence continues to grow as new whistleblowers come forward and share inside information. Clearly, Meta (and other social media platforms) are far more committed to their profits than they are to protecting children.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

It’s been far too long since I wrote about Meta Platforms and its subsidiaries. Meta’s Facebook and virtual reality platforms are harming children. The harm that Facebook and other social media do to children and youth is well documented. It is equally clear that Meta and other social media companies are far more interested in maximizing profits than protecting children.

Three years ago, I wrote a blog post calling for federal legislation to protect children on social media. No legislation has been passed in those three years and no significant federal legislation regulating social media has been passed since the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). A lot has changed since 1998 and new federal legislation is sorely needed. In my September 2022 blog post, I called on Congress to pass two bills to protect children on social media. (Previous posts here and here document the harms to children and beyond of Facebook and other social media platforms, as well as ways to respond.)

The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSA) (a combined version of the two previous bills) passed the Senate with a strong, bipartisan vote (91 – 3) in July 2024. Heavy lobbying, led by Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and controlling stockholder of Meta, blocked action on it in the House. By the way, Europe has done a much better job than the U.S. of protecting everyone’s privacy and well-being on social media, including that of children.

The social media platforms’ business model is to hook kids at an early age, feed them addictive content to keep them engaged, amass extensive personal information about them and their online behavior, and then use these data to sell very targeted, personalized, and effective advertising. This is very lucrative for the social media platforms, however, the content and marketing to kids often presents toxic content that harms kids’ well-being and mental health. [1]

Advocates for children, including Fairplay, filed a request in May for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Meta for violating children’s safety and privacy on its virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds. Children, including ones under 13, are at risk for sexual predation, financial harm, bullying, and harassment on Horizon Worlds. Meta knows this, but it fails to protect children while it captures their data, in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, to sell to advertisers and to make their platform as addictive as possible. The FTC complaint was supported by a sworn statement from Kelly Stonelake, the former director of marketing for Horizon Worlds at Meta.

Meta has been in the news this week because six whistleblowers and former employees have come forward to report (again) that Meta has been covering up and ignoring the harm they know their platforms are doing to children. The focus this week was on the virtual reality platforms that Meta offers. Current and former employees revealed that Meta is suppressing internal research on child and youth safety and is also turning a blind eye to children under 13 illegally using these platforms. Furthermore, Meta’s legal and communications teams work to communicate plausible deniable for its executives on company knowledge of negative effects on children. Zuckerberg and Meta have previously lied about the harmful effects of their platforms and their knowledge of those harmful effects on children. (Meta whistleblowers previously revealed similar misbehavior in congressional testimony in 2023 (Arturo Beja) and 2021 (Frances Haugen).)

Not surprisingly, therefore, the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSA) is again being considered in the U.S. Senate (S.1748) and there’s also a push to pass it in the House: It would:

  • Provide privacy protections for children and youth,
    • Extend to 13 to 16-year-olds the prohibition on social media platforms capturing children’s personal information without their consent and require the platforms to delete any such information they collect if requested to do so,
    • Limit individually targeted advertising (referred to as surveillance advertising),
    • Require the social media platforms to put the interests of young people first,
  • Provide families with the tools and safeguards to protect children’s well-being and mental health,
  • Require transparency from the social media platforms about the data they are capturing and the algorithms they are using for promoting content and advertising, and
  • Establish accountability for harms caused by social media.

I encourage you to contact your Representative and Senators in Congress and ask them to support strong regulation of social media platforms to prevent them from harming our children and youth. Urge them to support the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA, Senate bill 1748) and similar legislation in the House.

You can find contact information for your U.S. Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your U.S. Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

SPECIAL NOTES:

[1]      Corbett, J., 7/27/22. “ ‘Critical’ online privacy protections for children advance to Senate floor,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/07/27/critical-online-privacy-protections-children-advance-senate-floor-vote)

THE PERVERSION OF CAPITALISM BY TRUMP

President Trump is perverting capitalism and the free market by asserting unprecedented influence over the private sector. His actions are not a coherent economic policy. They’re all about centralizing power and control. This is what fascism and oligarchy look like.

President Trump is perverting capitalism and the free market by asserting unprecedented influence over the private sector. His actions are not a coherent economic policy and make the U.S. economy look like China’s. They’re all about centralizing power and control, while undermining the rule of law and democracy. This is what fascism and oligarchy look like.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

President Trump is perverting capitalism and the free market by asserting unprecedented personal influence over and taking government ownership in private sector companies. His actions do not reflect a coherent economic policy. It is the power grabbing of a tyrant and bully who wants to control others and wants them to be subservient. Trump is using largely illegal financial (e.g., import tariffs and export fees), regulatory, and court-based actions to do this. He wants to influence the decisions of other countries and American businesses, including media corporations, financial institutions, law firms, and  universities. He wants countries and companies to come to him begging for exemptions from his actions and threats. [1] This is, of course, a breeding ground for corruption and bribery.

Nothing even approaching this level of government interference in the private sector has occurred since the emergency mobilization of the private sector for World War II. This government interference in private companies, which is a type of state-controlled capitalism, has until now always been anathema to Republicans and the business community. If any president prior to Trump had attempted any of this, Republicans, business executives, and the mainstream media would be screaming about it being socialism or communism. The actions by Trump are making the U.S. economy look like that of China, where the government owns a stake in companies or has considerable influence over their decision making. [2] [3] Or like Leninist capitalism where the Communist Party controlled the state’s ownership of businesses. [4]

This alignment of an authoritarian leader and a nominally capitalist economy is classic fascism. While Republicans and business executives are supportive or mute, the Wall Street Journal simply calls it inefficient. The business executives and other wealthy investors that facilitate and participate in Trump’s actions are the American oligarchy.

Examples of Trump’s actions include:

  • Allowed Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, makers of artificial intelligence (AI) computer chips, to export them to China on the condition that the companies pay the United States 15% of their profits. This poses risks to the U.S. AI industry and to U.S. national security (in part due to the chips’ use by the Chinese military). These payments are, for all intents and purposes, an export fee, which is unprecedented in U.S. history. Moreover, the Constitution explicitly bans export taxes (Article I, Section 9, Clause 5). [5]
  • Demanded that Intel’s CEO resign and then negotiated 10% government ownership of the company. This makes the U.S. government one of Intel’s largest shareholders. [6]
  • Proposed that the Defense Department take a 15% ownership stake in MP Materials, which mines minerals critical for chips and electronics.
  • Allowed Nippon Steel of Japan to take over U.S. Steel on condition that Nippon pay a “golden share” of the proceeds to the government and give Trump control over elements of corporate governance.
  • Reserved the right to personally direct some the $1.5 trillion in promised investments in the U.S. to be made by America’s trading partners as part of tariff negotiations.
  • Sued media corporations and negotiated approval of media corporation mergers to get money and influence over media content.

The government ownership in and influence over the private sector asserted by Trump has nothing to do with promoting the public interest, the well-being of American workers, or protecting national security. In fact, they undermine all these principles. They’re all about centralizing power and control in Trump’s hands as part of his efforts to undermine the rule of law and democracy. [7] Moreover, who holds the ownership stakes and who exercises the related rights is unclear.

Despite Trump’s bluster about being tough on China, his actions have been quite favorable to China. He has illegally extended the deadline for the sale of Chinese ownership of TikTok if it wants to do business in the U.S. He has shut down Radio Free Asia, which countered Chinese propaganda. He’s allowed the export of artificial intelligence computer chips to China, which was a key request from China in trade negotiations.

Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to assert their oversight of these deals Trump is making. Ask them to clarify who holds the ownership stakes, who is exercising ownership rights, and where the funds received are going. Ask them to ensure that the Trump administration’s economic policies and actions further the public interest, benefit workers, promote national security, and comport with the rule of law and democratic principles.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Dayen, D., 8/11/25, “Tariffs to import and fees to export,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-08-11-tariffs-to-import-fees-to-export-nvidia-chips-china/)

[2]      Reich, R., 8/12/25, “Trump’s ‘state capitalism’,” Blog post (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-state-capitalism)

[3]      Cox Richardson, H., 8/11/25, Letters from an American blog post, (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-11-2025)

[4]      Meyerson, H., 8/18/25, “When l’etat c’est Trump, the U.S. goes in for state capitalism,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/economy/2025-08-18-when-letat-cest-trump-us-goes-in-for-state-capitalism/)

[5]      Dayen, D., 8/11/25, see above

[6]      Liedtke, M., & Kurtenbach, E., 8/20/25, “US vying to own a big stake in Intel,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[7]      Reich, R., 8/12/25, see above

BEWARE! SCAMS ARE COMING YOUR WAY! PART 2

Consumers beware; you’ll need to up your vigilance to avoid scams. The Trump administration is weakening consumer protections. From the cryptocurrency industry to cyber security to Social Security and health care, weak oversight and regulation will lead to consumer rip-offs and outright fraud.

Consumers beware; scams of all sorts are coming your way. The Trump administration is weakening or eliminating agencies and regulations that protect consumers. From the cryptocurrency industry to cyber security to Social Security and health care, weak oversight and regulation will lead to consumer rip-offs and outright fraud. You will need to up your level of vigilance to avoid getting scammed.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

Consumers beware; scams of all sorts are coming your way. The Trump administration is weakening or eliminating agencies and regulations that protect consumers, so it’s an open field for unscrupulous behavior by businesses and fraudsters. From the cryptocurrency industry to cyber security to Social Security and health care, weak oversight and regulation will lead to consumer rip-offs and outright fraud. (See this previous post focused on financial and other corporate scamming.)

The cryptocurrency industry is trying to transform its image from that of a scandal-ridden and crime-enabling financial technology (aka fintech) experiment into that of a mainstream financial and commercial investment and transaction vehicle. Don’t let yourself be fooled. For example, Coinbase, founded in 2012 and now the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange as well as the world’s biggest bitcoin custodian, has had over 8,000 consumer complaints filed against it with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). [1]

The crypto industry spent well over $100 million in the last elections, including donations to Trump-affiliated entities, to elect pro-crypto politicians and to instill fear into others who might oppose the industry. It has also spent millions on a lobbying campaign to build bipartisan support for the Republican-led pro-crypto bills and to obtain a favorable regulatory environment.

Despite the crypto industry’s record of fraud, facilitating criminal activity, and extreme volatility, the Trump administration, through an executive order, is allowing investments in it by retirement plans, corporations (including banks!), and the government itself. [2] Furthermore, the Trump administration has eliminated crypto crime units at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and in other government agencies. It has ended numerous investigations and criminal prosecutions of crypto industry entities. These actions effectively facilitate money laundering and criminal activity. [3]

Three bills have been introduced in Congress ostensibly to regulate the industry but appear more focused on giving it legitimacy and a government seal of approval. One of the three bills, the so-called Genius Act has passed and become law. It established a regulatory framework for a piece of the crypto industry called stablecoins. This type of cryptocurrency is linked to the value of the U.S. dollar which is supposed to prevent the volatility that occurs with other cryptocurrencies. Most, but not all, Democrats opposed this bill due to concerns that it lacked strong provisions to prevent fraud and money laundering. Furthermore, it does nothing to stop President Trump, his family, and his associates from profiting from cryptocurrency activities that allow other people and entities to effectively put money in Trump’s and his affiliates’ pockets. [4]

One of the other bills, the so-called Clarity Act would create a broader crypto regulatory framework. The third bill would ban the Federal Reserve from creating its own cryptocurrency that would compete with private cryptocurrencies and presumably reduce the profitability of the private crypto industry. So, beware of anything crypto industry related that comes your way.

In a variety of other arenas, the Trump administration is also weakening consumer protections.

Having effectively eliminated the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Trump administration is now considering weakening the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that protects consumers from dangerous non-financial products.

The Trump administration has dramatically weakened some of the federal government’s cyber security agencies. So, be ever more alert for cyber crime and cyber scams. It is taking FBI agents away from their specialties such as combating hackers (as well as terrorism, espionage, public corruption, white-collar crime, civil rights, child sex crime, etc.) to have them patrol the streets of D.C. where crime is at its lowest level in years. Moreover, a map of where FBI agents and troops have been deployed makes it very clear they are not really there to combat crime; they are there to be seen and to make a statement. [5]

The Trump administration is cutting staffing and services at the Social Security Administration, while having it send out misleading information. (See this previous post for more detail.) This will make it harder for seniors and others to receive the benefits they’re owed and to get accurate information. This will create fertile ground for scammers to step in. Be on your guard.

Similarly, cuts to the health care system and weakened oversight of privatized Medicare Advantage Plans will open the door to scammers. For example, 17% of Americans now report they are using buy now, pay later (BNPL) programs to pay for medical or dental care. [6] BNPL programs not infrequently involve terms and costs that are not well explained to consumers and, therefore, result in financial abuse.

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you support strong regulation of the crypto industry to protect consumers and to prevent crime and money laundering. Ask them to oppose the two crypto industry bills as they are currently written. Ask them to stand up for strong consumer protections from the CFPB, CPSC, and cyber security agencies. Ask them to protect seniors and others from the undermining of Social Security and our health care system.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

By the way, there is lots of good news. See Jess Craven’s latest good news post. It includes California Governor Newsom fighting fire with fire on the gerrymandering front, numerous judges’ decisions, protests all across the country, conservative economists opposing Trump’s nominee to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio’s Sherrod Brown deciding to run for U.S. Senate again in 2026, and much more.

[1]      Silverman, J., 5/27/25, “Three coin monte,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/power/2025-05-27-three-coin-monte-crypto-regulation/)

[2]      Johnson, J., 8/7/25, “‘Disaster in the making’: Trump to open 401(k)s to crypto, private equity vultures,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-private-equity-401k)

[3]      Silverman, J., 5/27/25, see above

[4]      Gold, M., 7/18/25, “Here’s how Congress is wading into crypto regulation,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[5]      Cox Richardson, H., 8/19/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-19-2025)

[6]      Corbett, J., 8/6/25, “‘Gouging’: US health insurance giants raked in over $71 billion in profits last year,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/health-insurance-profits)

BEWARE! SCAMS ARE COMING YOUR WAY!

Consumers beware; scams are coming your way. The Trump administration is weakening consumer protections. From financial services to big tech a lack of oversight and regulation will lead to consumer rip-offs and outright fraud. You will need to up your level of vigilance to avoid getting scammed.
Top view of money banknote, toy padlock and square letters with text SCAM ALERT.

Consumers beware; scams of all sorts are coming your way. The Trump administration is weakening or eliminating agencies and regulations that protect consumers. From financial services to the big tech companies a lack of oversight and regulation will lead to consumer rip-offs and outright fraud. You will need to up your level of vigilance to avoid getting scammed.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Please follow me and get notices of my blog posts on Bluesky at: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Thanks!)

Consumers beware; scams of all sorts are coming your way. The Trump administration is weakening or eliminating agencies and regulations that protect consumers, so it’s an open field for unscrupulous behavior by businesses and fraudsters. From financial services (including student loans) to the big tech companies, a lack of oversight and regulation will lead to consumer rip-offs and outright fraud.

Perhaps the most blatant of the Trump administration’s anti-consumer actions is the virtual elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In its 14 years of existence, the CFPB has required over $20 billion to be returned to consumers who were defrauded by financial businesses. Last year, for example, it sent $1.8 billion in checks to 4.3 million customers who had been defrauded by two credit repair services. [1] It has saved consumers billions more by regulating late fees on credit cards, overdraft fees on bank accounts, and much more. If it had been in existence before the 2008 financial collapse, it might well have prevented the collapse, and it would have saved many home owners their homes and others billions of dollars lost to mortgage fraud.

Not surprisingly, in the absence of CFPB enforcement, the number of consumer complaints has already exploded with 2.5 million complaints filed in the last six months. This is over ten times the number of complaints filed in a typical six-month period over the last 13 years. A major source of complaints is inaccurate data on consumers’ credit reports. Two weeks before Trump took office, the CFPB had sued Experian (one of the three big credit reporting agencies) for basically ignoring consumers’ complaints about inaccurate information. This lawsuit is going nowhere under the Trump administration. The Trump administration also voided a ruling that would have forced the Navy Federal Credit Union to return $80 million in fraudulent overdraft fees to customers who had been told they had sufficient funds to cover a withdrawal. This just one example of Trump administration actions to take millions of dollars promised to fraud victims and give it back to corporate scammers.

The Trump administration is attempting to dodge requirements that the CFPB make consumer complaints public so consumers can know which companies are bad actors. It has also stopped actions to curb excessive credit card late fees, to remove medical debt from credit reports, and to regulate digital payment businesses, payday lenders, and credit repair services. It has permanently dropped at least 22 enforcement actions against companies accused of billions of dollars of consumer financial fraud, including one against Zelle, the electronic payment platform that was infested with fraud shortly after being launched.

Medical credit cards and abuses of them are likely to increase dramatically with the CFPB out of the way. For example, in 2023, Synchrony Bank made $3.7 billion in interest and fees on its 11.7 million CareCredit cards (the most widely used medical credit card). These are offered to patients, sometimes ones in a crisis. They are often interest-free up-front but have a balloon interest amount due if not fully paid off in a set period. There are frequently junk fees associated with them and users frequently report that the terms and rules of the credit card weren’t clearly explained to them. [2]

The emasculation of the CFPB will eliminate oversight and accountability in the financial industry. This will make consumers vulnerable to the multitude of financial scams in the marketplace, which will now grow and proliferate. You will need to up your level of vigilance to avoid getting scammed.

Consumers will also be harmed by the far-reaching business deregulation and lack of enforcement of regulations and laws governing business behavior that the Trump administration is undertaking. As economists have noted for literally hundreds of years, bad money drives out good money, or, in other words, honest companies have a tough time competing against dishonest companies. Therefore, bad business behavior is likely to proliferate. [3]

Over 165 enforcement actions against businesses have been dropped or put on hold in the first six month of the Trump administration. Not coincidentally, roughly $50 million in donations to Trump’s inauguration and untold millions to Trump via other vehicles have come from companies subject to federal investigations, lawsuits, enforcement actions, or antitrust cases. Technology companies, particularly the big three: Meta (Facebook’s parent company), Apple, and Google, have benefited by spending relatively small amounts of money for them (a few million dollars) on political spending and lobbying to get favorable actions from the Trump administration. Of the 140 investigations and enforcement actions targeting 104 tech corporations when Trump took office, at least 50 have already been stopped. Bank of America, Capital One, Coinbase, DuPont, and JPMorgan donated to Trump’s inauguration and then federal enforcement actions against them were dropped. Intuit, which makes tax preparation software, gave to the inauguration and then the IRS discontinued its free, Direct File tax return program. Apple supported the inauguration and was then exempted from most tariffs. These companies are getting a great return on their “investments”. This pattern is evidence of a pay-to-play scheme that would be criminal bribery under any other president and administration. [4] [5]

The Trump administration is weakening or stating it won’t enforce laws banning U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials, prohibiting workplace discrimination, or regulating loan shark lending and its usurious interest rates. It is also making life harder and loans more expensive for student borrowers by making federal government student lending much less helpful and more costly. This will force many students needing to borrow funds for college into the hands of private lenders, some of whom are financial predators that the CFPB won’t be around to regulate or hold accountable. [6]

More in my next post on scams to be on the lookout for, including from the cryptocurrency industry.

[1]      Tkacik, M., & Baratta, J., 7/11/25, “Hardly workin’,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/economy/2025-07-11-hardly-workin-cfpb-doge-trump/)

[2]      Covert, B., 5/28/25, “Predatory lenders in the operating room,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/health/2025-05-28-predatory-lenders-operating-room-medical-credit-cards/)

[3]      Dayen, D., 5/27/25, “The golden age of scams,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/power/2025-05-27-golden-age-of-scams/)

[4]      Johnson, J., 8/14/25, “‘Corporate crime pays’ under Trump as his agencies drop enforcement against 165 companies,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/corporate-crime-donald-trump)

[5]      Johnson, J., 4/22/25, “‘See how this works?’: Trump drops cases against corporations that funded his inauguration,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-corporations-inauguration)

[6]      Dayen, D, 5/27/25, “Borrowers besieged,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/education/2025-05-27-borrowers-besieged-student-debt/)

THERE’S GOOD NEWS AND LOTS OF IT!

Despite all the bad news, there’s lots of good news. Democrats in Congress are starting to increase their resistance. In addition to action at the national level, state level action is critically important. I don’t condone gerrymandering, but I do believe we need to fight fire with fire. For lots of good news, look at Jess Craven’s weekly good news edition of her Chop Wood, Carry Water blog.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Despite all the bad news the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are generating, there’s lots of good news.

Democrats in Congress are starting to increase their resistance. (Finally!) Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee invoked a rarely used procedure that allows five members of the committee to obtain documents from the administration. Senate Democrats have formally and officially demanded the release of the Epstein files by August 15. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has announced that she and hopefully other Democrats will refuse to cooperate with Republicans on any spending bills until Trump stops withholding previously appropriated funds. She pointed out that if Republicans allow Trump to ignore spending decisions by Congress or to rescind them after the fact, any future spending bills are a meaningless waste of time. Democrats are also demanding a thorough vetting process for fifty Trump nominations awaiting Senate confirmation rather than letting Republicans ram them through in an expedited process. [1]

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) strongly criticized his fellow Democrats for voting for some of Trump’s policies. Apparently as a result, Democrats held a closed-door meeting to develop a strategy for their resistance to the Trump / Republican agenda for the next two months.

In addition to action at the national level, state level action is critically important. Most notable right now is states’ threats to gerrymander congressional districts. Texas is threatening to do a very unusual and very partisan redistricting (normally this is only done when there is new Census data every ten years). Its goal would be to create five districts where Republicans would replace Democrats. Not only are Texas Democrats working to block this however they can, Democratic states are announcing that if Texas does this, they will take similar action to create new districts where Democrats would replace Republicans. I don’t condone gerrymandering, but I do believe we need to fight fire with fire. Democrats can’t afford to play by the rules when Republicans aren’t playing by the rules and are destroying our democracy.

For lots of good news across all levels, look at Jess Craven’s weekly good news edition of her Chop Wood, Carry Water (CWCW) blog. Here are some samples of the dozens of items she reported in the last two weeks.

August 3 edition examples (there’s much more!)

  • President Trump was caught on camera cheating while playing golf in Scotland.
  • Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that nearly 210,000 Michiganders will see more than $144 million in medical debt eliminated.
  • A federal judge ruled that Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed by Medicaid, despite a provision in the Republican / Trump budget cutting off this funding.
  • On April 30, several thousand CWCW readers contacted their U.S. Representatives urging them to sign a bipartisan letter supporting fiscal year 2026 funding for global maternal and child health, GAVI (the vaccine alliance), and global nutrition. On July 23, the House Appropriations Committee rejected Trump’s proposed cuts, continued FY 2025 funding levels, and INCREASED nutrition funding to $172.5 million. ADVOCACY MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
  • Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott denied a request from the Department of Defense to activate Vermont Army National Guard soldiers in support of federal immigration enforcement activities.
  • Solar and batteries make up the vast majority of new power plant installations in the U.S. — and will continue to through 2030. Trump may be able to slow the momentum, but not stop it

July 27 edition examples (there’s much more!)

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them to increase their resistance. Urge them to speak out against Trump / Republican policies and to explain to their constituents the toll these policies will take on every day Americans and our society.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Hubbell, R., 7/31/25, “More signs of life among Senate Democrats,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/more-signs-of-life-among-senate-democrats)

HARMFUL POLICIES OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Trump administration policies are doing wide-ranging harm to people and our society. We need to protest and resist to convince elected officials, business and academic leaders, and others to stand up and push back.

Trump administration policies are doing wide-ranging harm to people and our society. We need to protest and resist to convince elected officials, business and academic leaders, and others to stand up and push back.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Trump administration policies are doing wide-ranging harm to people and our society. This is why we need to protest and resist in every way possible and however each of us can. We need to make it clear these policies are unpopular and convince elected officials, business and academic leaders, and others to stand up and push back. Perhaps some of the topics below will suggest wording for your protest signs. This previous post highlighted some of the harms of the recently passed Trump / Republican budget and thisprevious post documented some of the harm to seniors.

This post highlights harmful policies in crime and violence prevention, in children’s health and well-being, and for low-income seniors. It also notes harms to economic data and states’ finances.

CRIME AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION: The Trump administration has slashed funding for multiple programs that fight crime, reduce violence, and improve public safety. In April, the Department of Justice (DOJ) canceled $820 million in grants that had supported over 500 organizations working to reduce crime and promote public safety. This included $13 million for a program that funded rural law enforcement, supporting investigations of sexual assaults and reductions in child abuse. It cut a $3.5 million collaboration program for law enforcement, community leaders, and researchers to reduce violent crime – a program that Trump had touted as a success in his first term. These cuts are literally defunding the police. [1]

These programs had been working. After a spike in violent and property crimes during the pandemic, over the last three years crime has fallen substantially. Homicides have fallen in major cities, e.g., down 62% in Baltimore to a record low and also to record lows in Chicago and New York.

YOUNG CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING: The Head Start program provides essential services and supports to almost 800,000 low-income children up to age 5 and their families each year. The services include early education and child care, health and dental referrals, nutrition, and parenting supports, including support for getting a job.

The Trump administration’s ban on enrolling children who are undocumented is punishing children for their parents’ status and behaviors. This is like telling parents they can’t send a child to school because they got a ticket for running a red light. Denying them Head Start services will jeopardize the children’s development and ability to succeed in school and in life – early nutrition and development have life-long effects. Moreover, parents may not be able to work because they will have lost their child care. [2]

Head Start has provided these services and supports to over 40 million children and their families since 1965 with no questions asked because they benefit the children as well as their and our society’s futures.

Moreover, between Trump’s inauguration on January 20 and April 15, 2025, according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Trump administration illegally withheld more than $800 million from Head Start programs. Some Head Start programs were forced to close at least temporarily, negatively affecting thousands of children and hundreds of staff. [3]

CHILD MALNUTRITION: The Trump administration recently ordered the destruction of over 500 tons of emergency high-nutrition biscuits that would have prevented malnutrition for about 1.5 million children for a week. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had spent about $800,000 on this important food source for distribution to children in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was in storage when the Trump administration gutted USAID stopping its distribution. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured the House Appropriations Committee that the food would get to the children before it spoiled. However, the State Department ordered the destruction of the food because providing food to Afghanistan might benefit terrorists (although no reason was given for destroying the food destined for Pakistan and apparently no option of delivering the food to another country was considered). Destroying it will cost the U.S. taxpayers $130,000. [4]

WORK PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME SENIORS: The Trump Labor Department has quietly ended that Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). This program helped tens of thousands of seniors (55 or older) who are living on the edge of poverty get part-time employment. The Labor Department withheld about $300 million from grant recipients in July. This is doubly cruel as the Trump / Republican budget is putting work requirements in place for these seniors to qualify for Medicaid health care coverage and for food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). [5]

ACCURATE ECONOMIC DATA: The accuracy of economic data provided by the Trump administration has been a matter of concern for months. Cuts to staff at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a key source of economic data, have hurt the timely production of accurate data. For example, the Consumer Price Index and related data that the BLS produces have included a lot more estimated data than in the past. [6]

When the August 1 jobs report from the BLS showed low job creation for the last three months, Trump falsely claimed that the data had been manipulated to make him look bad. So, Trump fired the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Dr. Erika McEntarfer. With a Trump replacement, future data from the BLS, which is important to investors and business leaders making decisions about hiring and growth, will be even more suspect that it has been to date.

IMPACT ON STATES’ BUDGETS: Massachusetts Governor, Maura Healey, has introduced legislation to spend $400 million of emergency state funds on research and development. This is an effort to soften the blow of Trump administration cuts of research and development grants. MA state programs have lost $714 million in federal funding already this year and universities and other entities have also lost federal research and development funding. MA receives over $8 billion annually in federal research and development funding, which supports 81,300 jobs and generates $16 billion in ancillary economic activity. In New England, the Trump administration has canceled hundreds of research grants from the National Science Foundation and the Health and Human Services Department totaling over $3 billion. [7]

[1]      Waldman, M., 7/22/25, “Trump defunds effective crime-prevention policies,” Brennan Center for Justice: The Briefing (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/trump-defunds-effective-crime-prevention-policies”

[2]      Hilliard, J., 7/14/25, “Immigration policy shift threatens Head Start,” The Boston Globe

[3]      Conley, J., 7/23/25, “Nonpartisan watchdog agency finds Trump admin illegally withheld Head Start funds,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/head-start-trump)

[4]      Cox Richardson, H., 7/15/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-15-2025)

[5]      Johnson, J., 7/20/25, “‘Extra cruel’: Trump admin ends job program for seniors as work requirements loom,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/senior-job-training-program)

[6]      Cox Richardson, H., 8/1/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-1-2025)

[7]      Gross, S. 8/1/25, “Mass. Research would get $400m,” The Boston Globe

HARMS OF THE TRUMP / REPUBLICAN BUDGET

The Trump / Republican budget just enacted will increase the federal debt, make college less affordable, harm our (and particularly women’s) health as well as our health care system, and hurt states’ finances. Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you oppose these budget cuts. Ask them to explain to their constituents the toll the budget will take on every day Americans and on our society.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The Trump / Republican budget just enacted will increase the federal debt, make college less affordable, harm our (and particularly women’s) health as well as our health care system overall, and hurt states’ finances (among other things). My previous post documented harm to seniors because of cuts to Medicaid, cuts to Medicare, and the weakening of Social Security. I also noted the harm to millions of non-seniors due to the cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has just issued its final report on the budget: it will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion over ten years and result in 10 million Americans losing health coverage from Medicaid (among other things). Low-income children and families will be among the groups hit hardest with about 37 million children losing their healthcare coverage from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The money from the huge increase in the deficit and the harmful cuts in vital programs helps pay for tax breaks for millionaires and large corporations, as well as grotesque increases in the budgets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the military. [1]

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S TOTAL DEBT CEILING RAISED: While most people know that the Trump / Republican budget bill increased the annual budget deficits, few are aware that the bill also included a big, $5 trillion increase the federal government’s overall amount of allowable, accumulated debt, i.e., the debt ceiling. You may remember that Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government – and sometimes did – and created crises over the increasing of the debt ceiling when Democrats were president. Despite Republicans supposed concern about the amount of the federal debt, they were happy to increase the debt limit 27 times when Republicans Reagan and George H. W. Bush were president. But when Democrat Clinton was president, the Republicans shut down the federal government twice over increases in the federal debt, although ultimately the debt ceiling was increased eight times during the Clinton presidency. Under Republican president George W. Bush, the debt ceiling was increased eight times without Republican opposition. Under Democrat Obama, the debt ceiling was increased or suspended five times with Republicans threatening government shutdowns and creating crises over their supposed concern over the debt.

These Republican-created debt ceiling crises resulted in dramatic stock market declines and the downgrading of the federal government’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s for the first time ever. In Republican Trump’s first term the debt ceiling was suspended three times with no Republican objections. Under Democratic President Biden, the Republicans returned to their hypocritical objection to increasing the debt ceiling and created another crisis. They also threatened, for the first time in history, to use the filibuster in the Senate to block an increase in the debt ceiling. So, the Republicans’ big increase in the debt ceiling and the annual federal budget deficit in the recent budget bill dramatically underscore the hypocrisy of their claims to be concerned about the federal budget deficit and the debt ceiling.

MAKING COLLEGE LESS AFFORDABLE: The Trump / Republican budget bill reduces and caps the total amount that students and parents can borrow to pay for college from federal sources. It raises interest costs and shuts down or weakens programs that allow loan forgiveness for low-income graduates and those in public service jobs. For new student loans, there are only two repayment plans, both of which are far more expensive than the current options. These changes will cost student borrowers about $355 billion over ten years most of it from repealing reduced loan payments for graduates in low-paying jobs. These budget savings come directly out of the pockets of student borrowers to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and increased funding for ICE and the military. [2]

MAKING HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN LESS ACCESSIBLE: The Trump / Republican budget bill prohibits Medicaid funding from going to any organization that is primarily engaged in family planning services and got more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023. Note that federal law already prohibits federal funding from paying for almost all abortions.

The budget bill targets Planned Parenthood because of its abortion services, but it will also dramatically affect many other women’s health care services and many other providers of health care for women. While Planned Parenthood performs about 400,000 abortions a year, it also provides over 5 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, over 2 million family planning and contraception services, and over 400,000 cancer screenings and prevention services. The loss of Medicaid coverage for these services will harm many low-income women.

An example of the impact on non-Planned Parenthood providers is Maine Family Planning. It will lose about $2 million in Medicaid reimbursements (one-fourth of its total budget) for its non-abortion services to roughly 3,500 patients in rural Maine, such as cancer screenings, pregnancy testing, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and family planning counseling and contraception services. It operates 18 clinics and for about two-thirds of its patients it is their only health care provider. [3]

HARMS TO THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND STATES’ FINANCES: The Trump / Republican budget bill will harm the overall health care system by reducing the revenue it receives from Medicaid and Medicare by hundreds of millions of dollars. States simply do not have the resources to fill this gap. Higher insurance premiums and higher co-payments for services from patients will occur. States’ finances will be harmed as at least some states will use their funds to make up for some of the lost federal funding that supports low-income individuals and families. It is estimated that 51,000 preventable deaths will occur each year because of the cuts to the health care system. [4]

For example, in Massachusetts, it’s estimated that the federal budget cuts will reduce payments to MA health care providers by as much as $3.5 billion per year. About 326,000 MA residents (almost 5% of the population or 1 of every 20 people) are projected to lose their health insurance due to the budget cuts. Hospitals are projected to lose $424 million in revenue. As a result, some hospitals will close and some will stop providing services that are less profitable, such as psychiatric and obstetrical care. Emergency rooms may close. Massachusetts (and other states) will be forced to step in and subsidize critically important services, especially in rural areas. Hundreds of rural hospitals across the country are likely to close as they are more dependent on Medicaid revenue than urban / suburban hospitals. [5]

The budget’s new Medicaid work requirements will mean that millions of Medicaid recipients will lose coverage even though they are working or qualify for an exemption from the work requirements because of a disability, for example. They will lose their coverage because they are unable to assemble the necessary paperwork and to jump through all the hoops of presenting it quickly enough to avoid being cut off. By the way, the budget bill also requires them to do this twice a year rather than once a year as is currently required.

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you oppose these budget cuts. Urge them to speak out against the Trump / Republican budget and to explain to their constituents the toll the budget will take on them and our society.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Hubbell, R., 7/23/25, “Resisting while in political exile,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/resisting-while-in-political-exile)

[2]      Kuttner, R., 7/16/25, “Gutting the student loan program,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-07-16-gutting-student-loan-program/)

[3]      Whittle, P., & Mulvihill, G., 7/17/25, “Trump’s new bill affects more than Planned Parenthood,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[4]      Anderson, S. & Koshgarian, L., 7/9/25, “10 ways the GOP’s big ugly bill could hurt you,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/10-harms-big-ugly-bill)

[5]      Globe Editorial, 7/17/25, “One big disaster for Massachusetts health care,” The Boston Globe

REPUBLICAN BUDGET HARMS SENIORS (AMONG MANY OTHERS)

The recently enacted Republican budget bill will harm seniors by reducing Medicaid spending, weakening Social Security, and cutting Medicare. These (and other) budget cuts are being made to help pay for large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations.

The recently enacted Republican budget bill will harm seniors by reducing Medicaid spending, weakening Social Security, and cutting Medicare. These (and other) budget cuts are being made to help pay for large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The Republican budget just passed by Congress and signed by President Trump will harm seniors by reducing Medicaid spending, cutting Medicare, and weakening Social Security. Before I get into some of these details, a couple of notes on other provisions of the bill, of which there are many in the nearly 1,000-page bill’s language. As you probably know, 12 million people are projected to lose their health care due to Medicaid cuts of roughly $1 trillion (yes, trillion) over the next ten years. Medicaid provides health insurance for low-income families and seniors including long-term care for millions of seniors (see more below). Cuts to food assistance programs, primarily the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will increase hunger for millions of families, including many new mothers and babies where malnutrition may have long-term effects on the babies’ development.

All the cuts in the budget are being made to help pay for large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations. Note that the big tax cuts take effect right away, while many of the program cuts don’t go into effect until after the 2026 election. The Republicans hope that because people won’t be experiencing the program cuts before the election that it will be easier to con voters into voting for Republicans.

Most people know that the budget will increase the federal budget’s annual deficits by over $300 billion for a total of $3 trillion (yes, trillion) over the next ten years. However, few people are aware that the bill increases the federal government’s overall amount of allowable, accumulated debt, i.e., the debt ceiling, by $5 trillion. (I’ll document the Republicans’ hypocrisy on raising the debt ceiling in a future post.)

The Trump administration and Republicans are pumping out lots of disinformation about the budget bill in an attempt to keep the public from understanding the harm it will do.

For example, within hours of the passage of the bill, all of you who are seniors, tens of millions of Americans overall, received an email from the Social Security Administration stating that “The bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits” and that “The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries.” [1]

These statements are misleading at best. Only about a quarter (25%) of seniors will see any tax benefit from the bill’s provisions – quite different from the figures used in the Social Security Administration’s email.The bill does not directly eliminate or even reduce taxes on Social Security benefits. What the bill does is temporarily increase the standard income tax deduction by $6,000 for seniors 65 and over. [2] Sixty-four percent of seniors receiving Social Security benefits ALREADY pay no tax on their Social Security payments. This percentage will increase to 88% due to the bill’s provisions. Furthermore, the people who will benefit will be those Social Security recipients who are better off and the richest will benefit the most. By the way, the increase in the income tax deduction will expire in 2028 when Trump’s term in office is ending. [3] [4]

Furthermore, the message from the Social Security Administration didn’t mention that, overall, the budget bill will weaken Social Security by reducing the revenue that flows into the Social Security system. Currently, the Social Security trust fund, built up over many years to help pay Social Security benefits, is projected to run out of money in 2033. After that, Social Security revenue would only be able to pay 77% of promised benefits. Under the Republican budget bill, the Social Security trust fund will run out of money one year earlier, in 2032, and its reduction of future Social Security revenue means that benefits after 2032 would be even lower than the currently projected 77% of the promised level. [5]

The Republican budget’s cuts to Medicaid will harm low-income seniors who qualify for Medicaid (and that they receive in addition to Medicare – which covers all seniors). In particular, it will harm the roughly eight million seniors and people with disabilities whose long-term home and community-based care services are paid for by Medicaid and the 1.5 million seniors in nursing homes. About two-thirds of all nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid. The budget’s Medicaid cuts will significantly reduce revenue for long-term care services and facilities. As a result, 25% of nursing homes are projected to close and over half are likely to have to reduce staff to remain financially viable. Therefore, finding nursing home care, let alone good quality care, will become even more difficult than it is now. [6] [7]

In addition to the direct cuts to Medicaid (government health care coverage for low-income families and seniors), the Republican budget will also force cuts to Medicare (government health care coverage for all seniors). Because of the budget’s large increases in the federal government’s annual budget deficits, the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010 requires across-the-board budget cuts. A mandatory cut of about $50 billion a year to Medicare for each of the next ten years will be required. This cut will take place immediately (while many of the explicit program cuts in the budget are delayed until after the 2026 elections). [8]

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you are opposed to (or even horrified by) budget cuts that will harm seniors. Tell them you are particularly upset that these cuts are being used to give wealthy individuals and corporations tax cuts. Urge them to speak out against these cuts and to explain to their constituents the toll the Republican budget is taking on seniors and others.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Social Security Administration, 7/3/25, “Social Security applauds passage of legislation providing historic tax relief for seniors,” Press Release (https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2025/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#2025-07-03)

[2]      Hubbell, R., 7/7/25, “Stay on task: Overwhelm the opposition,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/stay-on-task-overwhelm-the-opposition)

[3]      Edelman, L., 7/15/25, “Seniors score, gamblers get rolled in Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’,” The Boston Globe

[4]      Siegel Bernard, T., 7/8/25, “Social Security email misleading,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[5]      Johnson, J., 7/4/25, “Trump Social Security chief applauds budget bill that will harm Social Security’s finances,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-social-security-budget-bill)

[6]      Lawson, A., 6/30/25, “The Republican nursing home apocalypse,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gop-nursing-homes)

[7]      National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Feb. 2025, “Medicaid facts with links to state data,” (https://nacdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/250204_NACDD-Medicaid-Fact-Sheet.pdf)

[8]      Dayen, D., 7/3/25, “Republicans are cutting Medicare. Not only Medicaid, Medicare.” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/2025-07-03-republicans-cutting-medicare-not-only-medicaid/)

PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN A “MAKE GOOD TROUBLE” PROTEST ON THURS., 7/17

I hope you’re planning to participate in a Make Good Trouble protest on Thursday, July 17. You can find an event near you here. The Trump administration continues its assaults on our democracy and on the safety and well-being of Americans. We and our elected officials need to step up our resistance and make it clear we oppose the administration’s actions.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Personal note: My posting has been and will be a bit less regular this summer primarily because of multiple opportunities to spend time with our grandchildren.)

I hope you’re planning to participate in a Make Good Trouble protest on Thursday, July 17. You can find an event near you here. These protests are important follow-ups to the No Kings protests on June 14. Resistance is even more important now as the Trump administration continues its assaults on democracy and on the safety and well-being of all Americans. Please participate in a protest if you can; bring family members and friends if possible. Support the resistance however you can. Let’s make this bigger and better than the No Kings protests in June!

In addition to protests against the Trump administration, these will also be rallies in support of democracy. They will include pro-democracy messaging supporting the Constitution, equality, due process, liberty, fairness, decency, compassion, and the common good. [1]

These Make Good Trouble protests will be honoring the legacy of civil rights activist and former member of Congress John Lewis, who advocated for making good trouble and marching forward despite all odds. Lewis and his fellow civil rights marchers didn’t make it across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday (and Lewis almost got beaten to death), but they persisted and now is our time to stand up for democracy, decency, the rule of law, fairness, and justice.

These protests are not seeking to change Trump’s mind or those of his MAGA supporters in and outside of Congress. They are seeking to demonstrate to our elected officials that if they do not stand with us in resisting the Trump administration and in protecting democracy that they will lose their next elections. They also seek to convince enough people of the importance of voting for Democrats (and against Republicans) in upcoming elections to give Democrats control of Congress, along with state and local offices and legislative bodies. They also seek to make it clear to corporate executives that siding with Trump will hurt their businesses as well as to judges that the people support and want democracy; that we want government of, by, and for the people; and that we will back them when they stand up to the Trump administration’s illegal actions.

The Make Good Trouble protests and pro-democracy rallies are also a way to support one another in our resistance and underscore the importance of our actions. As John Lewis wrote: “When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself. Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” [2]

Trump’s repeated assertions of illegal and autocratic powers undermine the Constitution, civil rights, the rule of law, and the foundations of our democracy. They are a coordinated attack on our democracy and a humane and healthy society. They attack our rights to due process, to vote, to protest, and even our well-being, including access to healthcare, food, and shelter. They target immigrants, families in need, and anyone who disagrees with them or calls out their lies.

The only solution to the Trump administration’s illegal and dictatorial actions is for millions of Americans to peacefully protest to show their opposition. Thousands of protests all over the country, in cities, towns, and rural areas, by people of all ages, political persuasions, and ethnicities, are needed to clearly show the Trump administration, our elected officials (members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, members of state legislatures, etc.), corporate executives, and our judges that the Trump administration’s actions are unacceptable and broadly opposed.

We, as citizens of a democracy, need to rise up in unassailable numbers to defend our democracy against the autocracy and budding police state dictatorship of the Trump administration.

Our political leaders (if they deserve to be called leaders) should be leading the charge and stepping up their resistance, as President Trump continues his assaults on our democracy. I urge you to contact your elected officials at all levels, from members of Congress to Governors to members of state legislatures to local officials, and ask them to join a protest on Thursday and to resist every day. Ask them to do more than just speak out. Now is the time for action!

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

P.S. We all need our weekly dose of good news, so here’s a link to a Jess Craven Chop Wood, Carry Water good news post.

[1]      Hubbell, R. B., 7/14/25, “Making good trouble,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/making-good-trouble)

[2]      Hubbell, R. B., 7/14/25, see above

EXAMPLES OF THE SOCIETAL TOLL OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The actions of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are inflicting a serious toll on our society. Examples include their efforts to defund foreign aid and public broadcasting, their weakening of our cybersecurity defenses, and their efforts to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, not to mention all the horrible things in the budget bill.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The actions of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are taking a heavy toll on people, on our society, and on our democratic institutions. Here are some examples.(See this previous post for more examples.)

ACTION #1: Republicans in U.S. House recently passed a bill to rescind $9.4 billion of previously approved funding for foreign aid ($8.3 billion) and public broadcasting ($1.1 billion). The good news is that the Trump administration is tacitly acknowledging that it is illegal for it to cut congressionally approved funding through executive orders or actions by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The vote to pass the bill was 214 to 212 and occurred only after Republican Speaker Johnson had pressured a few Republican representatives to switch their “no” votes and support the bill. [1] Republicans in both the House and the Senate have expressed concerns about this bill.

The bill would rescind funding for foreign aid programs that some of them support, such as President George W. Bush’s emergency AIDS program that has saved over 25 million lives around the globe. These cuts will ultimately harm health and result in deaths here in the U.S. as diseases spread across international borders.

It also would rescind funding that supports 1,500 public TV and radio stations, including many in rural, Republican areas where they are a vital, local resource.

ACTION #2: The Trump administration is weakening America’s cybersecurity defenses at a time when the likelihood of cyberattacks is growing. Trump fired the general who led the National Security Agency and other leaders of our cybersecurity agencies. He has cut staffing and funding for cybersecurity agencies. [2]

This makes no sense because the likelihood of cyber warfare is growing as global tensions and conflicts escalate – in Ukraine, the Middle East, and over Taiwan. U.S. adversaries Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea all have significant cyber warfare capabilities, and there are signs of cyber activity cooperation among them. Cyberattacks can be used for espionage – to steal valuable corporate or government information. Or they can be used to disrupt public infrastructure such as electric power supplies, phone and Internet services, hospitals, banks and financial services, and water supply systems. Recently, Russian hackers disabled the automatic control systems at a rural Texas municipal water plant. This was probably just a test of their capabilities or a warning about what they can do.

ACTION #3: The Trump administration, Republicans in Congress, and their wealthy backers in the financial industry are working hard to eliminate or at least emasculate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB was created in response to the financial industry corruption that caused the 2008 financial collapse and resulted in millions of Americans losing their homes due to abusive and fraudulent mortgages. Since its creation, the CFPB has returned more than $21 billion to consumers through enforcement actions on illegal behavior by financial companies. It has also saved consumers untold additional money through its regulation of the financial industry. [3] For example, it has capped exorbitant fees such as credit card late payment penalties and bank account overdraft charges.

The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been trying to cut CFPB funding, fire its employees, and eliminate the agency. On February 14, a federal judge ordered a halt to these actions. The Trump administration responded by placing most of the CFPB staff on administrative leave and preventing them from performing their jobs.

On June 10, the head of enforcement for the CFPB resigned, writing: “It is clear that the bureau’s current leadership has no intention to enforce the law.” [4] (Russell Vought is the Acting Director of the CFPB and the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, as well as a key author of Project 2025.)

To benefit the wealthy executives and corporations in the financial industry, the Trump administration is persistently trying to eliminate the only independent agency protecting consumers from predatory and illegal practices of financial industry companies.

YOUR ACTION: Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to oppose these actions of the Trump administration in every way they can. Urge them to speak out against these actions and to explain to their constituents the toll Trump administration’s actions are taking on them and our society.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Edmondson, C., 6/12/25, “House votes to claw back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[2]      Klepper, D., 4/21/25, “Nations ready cybersecurity defenses,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[3]      Economic Policy Institute, 6/12/25, “Trump administration attempts to close the CFPB, block agency’s work,” (https://www.epi.org/policywatch/trump-administration-closes-the-cfpb/)

[4]      Economic Policy Institute, 6/12/25, see above

ASK YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO OPPOSE THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET

ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Representative NOW and ask them to do everything they can to stop the draconian Republican budget bill. The House will be voting soon on the bill just passed by the Senate, which has even bigger cuts to Medicaid and food assistance than the original, horrible House budget. In addition to spending cuts that will harm millions of Americans and tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, it includes many other very harmful provisions.

(Note: If you find this message too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading and acting!)

The Republican budget the Senate just passed is now back in the House as it has significant differences from the bill the House originally passed. Please act NOW as the House will be voting soon. As you probably know, this budget bill makes big spending cuts in a range of government programs and services due to the need to offset some of the lost revenue from the big tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations. Nonetheless, the federal budget deficit will increase by over $300 billion a year. Overall, rich Americans would gain around $12,000 a year from the tax cuts, while the poorest families would lose about $1,600 on average from program cuts.

The vote in the Senate was 50 to 50, so Vice President Vance voted to break the tie and pass the bill 51 to 50. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, switch her “Yes” vote on the procedural preliminary vote to a “No” vote. Thanks to all of you who contacted her!! All Democrats and Republican Senators Tillis (NC) and Rand (KY) also voted against the budget bill. The bill includes a number of special benefits for Alaska to buy the vote of Alaska Senator Murkowski. (See this post from The American Prospect for highlights of the bill and what was done to buy Murkowski’s vote.)

Repeating what was in my previous post, here are some key things the Republicans’ proposed budget would do (among the many harmful provisions in the bill): [1] [2] [3]

  • Take health care away from roughly 12 million Americans by cutting spending on Medicaid by $930 billion over ten years. Medicaid provides health insurance for millions of low-income families, including students and families of low-paid and unemployed workers. It also covers nursing home care for millions of seniors and health care for disabled individuals. This cut, combined with cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, will reduce spending and wreak havoc throughout the whole health care system.
  • Take food assistance away from millions of low-income households, including many new mothers and their babies, as well as students and families of low-paid and unemployed workers. It would dramatically cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. It would also cut the Farm to School program that supports local, small farmers and provides healthy, fresh food to school lunch programs.
  • Increase the federal budget deficit by about $330 billion a year. This would add $3.3 trillion (yes, trillion) to the overall federal debt over the next ten years.
  • Extend expiring tax cuts and create new ones that will provide huge windfalls to wealthy individuals and corporations at a cost of about $4 trillion.
  • More than double the budget for the detention and deportation of immigrants by adding $150 billion to the budget of the Department of Homeland Security. It will add $45 billion to the budget for detention centers to increase or expand the existing 160 detention centers. This would mean ICE has more money for detention that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
  • End tax credits that have been in place since 2005 that incentivize the development of wind and solar energy. [4]
  • Increase funding for the Defense Department by about $150 billion, including for Elon Musk’s companies. This significant increase is proposed even though there’s more waste, fraud, and abuse in the Defense Department than anywhere else in the federal government. Clearly, Trump, his administration, and Musk and DOGE don’t really care about cutting waste and making government more efficient.

Please contact your U.S. Representative NOW, as they will be voting on this bill and its provisions in the next two days. Ask them to vote against this draconian budget. Let them know you oppose tax cuts for wealthy corporations and individuals, as well as cuts in programs that benefit everyday working Americans. It’s particularly galling that the cuts in programs for low-income families are being made to offset part of the cost of the tax cuts for the wealthy.

Your contacts are important even if you don’t change someone’s mind or vote. It lets your Representative know that you are watching them and paying attention to what’s going on in Congress. If they vote for the budget in upcoming votes, it will let them know that they are jeopardizing their chances of re-election, which is key to getting them to oppose Trump in these and future votes.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

(Note: Republican presidents (Reagan, Bush, and Trump) and Congresses have cut taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations multiple times since the 1981. These tax cuts have added over $10 trillion (yes, trillion) to the federal debt. The economic boom, jobs, increased tax revenue, and trickle down of benefits to everyday Americans they always promise have NEVER materialized. Most recently, they did not happen after the Trump and Republican tax cuts of 2017. Extending those tax cuts and adding others will not increase economic growth, will not increase tax revenue, will not create jobs, and will not trickle down to everyday Americans.)

[1]      Reich, R., 6/30/25, “The worst bill in history,” Robert Reich’s daily blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-three-myths-of-trickle-down-economics)

[2]      Mascaro, L., Freking, K., & Cappelletti, J., 6/29/25, “Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill clears key Senate vote as Republicans race to pass it by July 4,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[3]      Cox Richardson, H., 6/28/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-28-2025)

[4]      Reuters, 6/28/25, “Senate bill hastens end of wind, solar tax credits and imposes new tax,” U.S. News (https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-06-28/senate-bill-hastens-end-of-wind-solar-tax-credits-and-imposes-new-tax)

ASK YOUR SENATORS TO OPPOSE THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET

Please contact your US Senators NOW. Ask them to stop the draconian Republican budget the Senate is voting on NOW, which includes major cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. Its spending cuts will harm millions of Americans. Its tax cuts will be a windfall for wealthy individuals and corporations.

ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Senators NOW and ask them to do everything they can to stop the draconian 940-page Republican budget the Senate is voting on NOW, which includes major cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. In addition to spending cuts that will harm millions of Americans and tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, it includes many other very objectionable provisions.

(Note: If you find this message too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading and acting!)

The Republican budget the Senate is voting on NOW makes big spending cuts in a range of government programs and services due to the need to reduce the increase in the federal budget deficit caused by the lost revenue from the big tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations. Overall, the richest Americans would gain around $12,000 a year from the tax cuts, while the poorest families would lose about $1,600 on average from program cuts. Here are some key things the Senate Republicans’ proposed budget would do: [1] [2] [3]

  • Take health care away from roughly 12 million Americans by cutting spending on Medicaid by $930 billion over ten years. Medicaid provides health insurance for millions of low-income families, including students and families of low-paid and unemployed workers. It also covers nursing home care for millions of seniors and health care for disabled individuals. This cut, combined with cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, will reduce spending and wreak havoc throughout the whole health care system.
  • Take food assistance away from millions of low-income households, including many new mothers and their babies, as well as students and families of low-paid and unemployed workers. It would dramatically cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. It would also cut the Farm to School program that supports local, small farmers and provides healthy, fresh food to school lunch programs.
  • Increase the federal budget deficit by about $330 billion a year. This would add $3.3 trillion (yes, trillion) to the overall federal debt over the next ten years.
  • Extend expiring tax cuts and create new ones that will provide huge windfalls to wealthy individuals and corporations at a cost of about $4 trillion.
  • More than double the budget for the detention and deportation of immigrants by adding $150 billion to the budget of the Department of Homeland Security. It will add $45 billion to the budget for detention centers to increase or expand the existing 160 detention centers. This would mean ICE has more money for detention that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
  • Immediately end tax credits in place since 2005 to incentivize the development of wind and solar energy. Moreover, it would implement a new tax on these projects. [4]
  • Increase funding for the Defense Department by about $150 billion, including for Elon Musk’s companies. This significant increase is proposed even though there’s more waste, fraud, and abuse in the Defense Department than anywhere else in the federal government. Clearly, Trump, his administration, and Musk and DOGE don’t really care about cutting waste and making government more efficient.

There are many other harmful provisions in the proposed Republican budget.

Please contact your U.S. Senators NOW (as they are voting on this bill and its provisions this week) and ask them to vote against this draconian budget in the upcoming votes. Let them know you oppose tax cuts for wealthy corporations and incredibly wealthy individuals –  especially when they are partially paid for by cutting programs that benefit everyday working Americans.

If your Senator is a Democrat or Republicans Tillis (NC) or Paul (KY), thank them for voting against the budget in a preliminary vote. If your Senator is one of the other Republicans, ask them to vote against the budget in upcoming votes.

Your contacts are important even if you don’t change someone’s mind or vote. It lets your Senators know that you are watching them and paying attention to what’s going on in Congress. If they voted against the budget preliminarily, it will encourage them to continue to oppose the budget. If they vote for the budget in upcoming votes, it will let them know that they are jeopardizing their chances of re-election, which is key to getting them to oppose Trump in these and future votes.

You can find contact information for your U.S. Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

(Note: Republican presidents (Reagan, Bush, and Trump) and Congresses have cut taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations multiple times since the 1981. These tax cuts have added over $10 trillion (yes, trillion) to the federal debt. The economic boom, jobs, increased tax revenue, and trickle down of benefits to everyday Americans they always promise have NEVER materialized. Most recently, they did not happen after the Trump and Republican tax cut of 2017. Extending these tax cuts and adding others will not increase economic growth, will not increase tax revenue, will not create jobs, and will not trickle down to working Americans. They will, however, balloon the deficit by around $500 billion a year – unless spending is cut to make up for the loss of revenue.)

[1]      Reich, R., 6/30/25, “The worst bill in history,” Robert Reich’s daily blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-three-myths-of-trickle-down-economics)

[2]      Mascaro, L., Freking, K., & Cappelletti, J., 6/29/25, “Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill clears key Senate vote as Republicans race to pass it by July 4,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[3]      Cox Richardson, H., 6/28/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-28-2025)

[4]      Reuters, 6/28/25, “Senate bill hastens end of wind, solar tax credits and imposes new tax,” U.S. News (https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-06-28/senate-bill-hastens-end-of-wind-solar-tax-credits-and-imposes-new-tax)

EXAMPLES OF THE SOCIETAL TOLL OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration and Republicans are taking a serious toll on our society. Examples include their sanctioning of unnecessarily aggressive and violent tactics by federal police, their false claims of fighting antisemitism, and their attacks on transgender girl athletes.

The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are taking a serious toll on our society. Examples include their sanctioning of unnecessarily aggressive and violent tactics by federal police, their false claims of fighting antisemitism, and their attacks on transgender girl athletes. It’s valuable to document the damage and the toll for multiple reasons.

(Note: If you find this post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The Trump administration is taking a serious toll on our society, in addition to its toll on individuals’ well-being and safety. (See this previous post for examples of the human toll).

Overall, the toll the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are taking on people, on our society, and on our democratic institutions is immense. The more one looks and the deeper one looks the more damage one sees. At some point it can seem meaningless to document the damage in detail – it’s just omnipresent and unimaginable. And it’s depressing to think about it all.

This is what Project 2025 envisioned and planned to do. However, the swiftness, scope, and cruelty of the actions in these first few months has, I think, been a shock to almost everyone. Part of this is that I’m not sure anyone – even Trump and the Project 2025 authors – anticipated the involvement and aggressiveness of Musk.

I do think it’s valuable to document the damage and the toll for multiple reasons. Here are some reasons to do so:

  • To identify and make us appreciate all that the federal government does for us, which I think all of us took for granted, at least to some extent.
  • To identify opportunities for push back and responses that facilitate individuals’ involvement based on where personal interests, experiences, and/or expertise allow each of us to be uniquely effective.
  • To provide evidence and arguments that will convince more and more people to turn out to vote and to vote against Trump and Republicans. This provides talking points for all of us to use in convincing others to get engaged and to vote. (Note: Democrats also must present powerful reasons to vote for Democrats; something Democrats have not done well, to say the least.)
  • To identify what will need to be repaired and rebuilt once the Trump administration and Republican control of Congress are over.

Here are some examples of the toll the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are inflicting on our society:

EXAMPLE #1: With Trump’s authorization and encouragement, federal police forces (including Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the FBI) are using unnecessarily aggressive tactics. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), perhaps following their example, has also engaged in unnecessarily aggressive tactics in response to the recent, largely peaceful protests in LA. (See this previous post, which includes more on the unnecessarily aggressive tactics of the Trump administration in LA, the exaggerated reporting of violence by the mainstream media, and a note on the kidnapping-type tactics of ICE in detaining people.)

Jeremy Lindenfeld, a reporter for Capital & Main, a California-based non-profit news source, has reported based on firsthand experience that peaceful protesters in Los Angeles have faced aggressive use of force that violates police crowd-control protocols. He has experience with this because he’s previously covered Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations on the Israel – Palestine conflict. He reports that in LA he “witnessed law enforcement agencies deploy crowd-control weapons with greater intensity and more indiscriminately than [he] ever had before.” [1] He witnessed clearly identified members of the press being targeted and injured by the police’s use of weapons.

EXAMPLE #2: The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are using Jewish Americans as political pawns. They claim to be fighting antisemitism on college campuses and in protests over the war in the Middle East. However, this is just an excuse to attack colleges and individuals who don’t share their right-wing political views. Attacking colleges and universities is part of Project 2025 and something Vice President Vance has been talking about since at least 2021. [2]

The insincerity of the claims by Trump, members of his administration, and some Republican members of Congress that they are concerned about antisemitism is belied by their support (and pardoning) of January 6, 2021, insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol carrying Nazi flags and symbols, as well as spouting Nazi rhetoric. Trump also described neo-Nazis marching in  Charlottesville, VA, in 2017 as “very fine people.” Trump has hosted antisemites at his home at Mar a Lago and his biggest financial supporter and (until very recently) his co-president, Elon Musk, has engaged in antisemitic rhetoric and actions on multiple occasions.

EXAMPLE #3: The Trump administration and many Republicans are using LGBTQ+ individuals, and particularly transgender children, as pawns for political purposes. They are vilifying transgender children and denying them access to medical care as well as normal participation in everyday life.

Trump and many Republicans have targeted transgender girls playing public school and college sports. The number of these athletes is tiny and clearly should be handled on a case-by-case basis. Nonetheless, Trump and company are trying to ban their participation in sports. (Note: the NCAA reports that out of 500,000 college athletes, ten are transgender girls.)

Trump has targeted Maine over its laws that allow transgender girls to play on girls’ high school sports teams. He has tried to cut funding for Maine’s schools and to impose other penalties, but Governor Mills has fought back and has prevailed in court.

Recently, one of the very few transgender girls competing in high school sports in Maine won an event at a track meet. A Maine state legislator, Laurel Libby, on national TV, used Trump’s talking points to attack transgender girl athletes. She claimed that they are “pushing many, many of our young women out of the way on their ascent to the podium.” This is false because there aren’t that many transgender girl athletes and because they aren’t, by any stretch of the imagination, dominating girls’ sports. (Note: None of the ten fastest high school girl runners nationally in the events this girl ran is a transgender girl.) [3] Furthermore, Libby endangered the girl by posting a picture of her winning a race and portrayed transgender athletes as violent and dangerous during a legislative hearing.

The girl who finished second in the race won by the transgender athlete stated, “I don’t feel like first place was taken from me. Instead, I feel like a happy day was turned ugly by a bully who is using children to make political points. … No one was harmed by [the transgender girl’s] participation in the girls’ track meet, but we are all harmed by the hateful rhetoric of bullies, like Rep. Libby, who want to take sports away from some kids just because of who they are.”

[1]      Lindenfeld, J., 6/10/25, “Police violently crack down on L.A. protests,” Capital & Main (https://capitalandmain.com/police-violently-crack-down-on-l-a-protests

[2]      Abraham, Y., 4/3/25, “Don’t be fooled,” The Boston Globe

[3]      Wilkins, B., 5/15/25, “2nd-place runner in high school race rips Maine GOP lawmaker for attacking trans winner,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/transgender-student-athletes-maine)

PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN A NO KINGS PROTEST ON SAT., 6/14

I hope you’re planning to participate in a protest for No Kings Day on Saturday, June 14. You can find an event near you here. The Trump administration has escalated its attacks on our democracy, and we, and our political leaders, need to step up our resistance and make it clear we oppose the administration’s actions.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Personal note: I took last week off as I was on an overseas vacation – our first since Covid.)

I hope you’re planning to participate in a protest for No Kings Day on Saturday, June 14. You can find an event near you here. This important day of protest has been planned for many weeks and is even more important now that the Trump administration has escalated its attacks on democracy.

The Trump administration is actively working to impose martial law. Deploying National Guard troops, let alone Marines, to the streets of Los Angeles is blatantly illegal and unconstitutional. Trump is again declaring a fake emergency to justify his exercise of autocratic powers, and, in this case, the powers of a military dictator.

The confrontational protests in LA have occurred in a small, 4-block area of a huge city. The Trump administration has intentionally inflamed the situation first by the unnecessarily aggressive actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel (see more on this in a note at the bottom), then by sending in the National Guard, and finally by sending in Marines. The LA Police Department was fully in control of the situation and the Trump administration’s actions only made their job harder. (See Robert Hubbell’s on-the-ground testimony and video of the calm and normalcy of LA as well as his blog post.)

As Hubbell notes, the depictions and reporting by the mainstream media are misrepresentations of the situation. They play right into Trump’s hands in making the unwarranted emergency he has declared seem reasonable. Trump has declared this and other fake emergencies to justify his exercise of illegal and autocratic powers, thereby undermining the Constitution, civil rights, the rule of law, and the foundations of our democracy.

The only solution to the Trump administration’s illegal and dictatorial actions is for millions of Americans to peacefully protest to show their opposition. Thousands of protests all over the country, in cities, towns, and rural areas, by people of all ages, political persuasions, and ethnicities, are needed to clearly show the Trump administration, our political leaders (members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, members of state legislatures, etc.), and our judges that these actions are unacceptable and broadly opposed.

We, as citizens of a democracy, need to rise up in unassailable numbers to defend our democracy against the autocracy and budding military dictatorship of the Trump administration.

Our political leaders (if they deserve to be called leaders) should be leading the charge and stepping up their resistance, given that President Trump has stepped up his attacks on our democracy.

I urge you to contact your elected officials at all levels, from members of Congress to Governors to members of state legislatures to local officials, and ask them to join a protest on Saturday. Ask them to speak out in support of California Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Bass. But tell them to do more than just speak out. Now is the time for action. I’d love to see members of Congress organize and lead a march to the Pentagon to protest the use of Defense Department resources to support ICE (and also, by the way, to stage a military dictator-style parade).

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Note on ICE tactics: One thing our mainstream media aren’t covering at all, to my knowledge, is that if ICE was really focused on arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, it would be operating very differently. Our police arrest criminals all the time. Unless they catch them in the middle of a criminal act, they have warrants for their arrest – which ICE typically does not. Our police wear uniforms that identify who they work for and who they are. They don’t wear masks to hide their faces. ICE agents typically show up without identification, often wearing masks, and frequently in military dress with military weapons. Their detentions are more like kidnappings than arrests. There is no need for these tactics to make arrests.

EXAMPLES OF THE HUMAN TOLL OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration is making us less safe from disease, violence, and death. Cuts to Medicaid and Medicare will increase deaths. So will weakening gun violence prevention efforts. Finally, the Trump administration’s war on children is harming children and will increase deaths for them too.

The Trump administration is making us all less safe in many ways, including less safe from disease, violence, and death. Cuts to the Medicaid and Medicare health care programs will increase deaths. So will the weakening of gun violence prevention efforts. Finally, the Trump administration is engaged in a war on children that is harming the well-being of children and will increase deaths for them as well.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

STORY #1: The expansion of Medicaid by the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obama Care) has saved 27,400 lives. The National Bureau of Economic Research recently published an analysis of 37 million Americans since the passage of the ACA in 2010. The low-income adults who got Medicaid coverage under the ACA expansion were 21% less likely to die each year than those who did not have Medicaid coverage. Deaths also fell for 20 and 30-year-olds. Overall, the analysis estimated that 27,400 lives were saved by the Medicaid expansion. This is one of several studies that have found that having Medicaid coverage saves lives. These findings are particularly relevant now, given that the Republican budget just passed by the U.S. House would end Medicaid coverage for roughly eight million people who now have it. [1]

STORY #2: The Republican budget just passed by the U.S. House would increase the deficit so much that it would trigger mandatory spending cuts, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The cuts would include a roughly $50 billion a year reduction in Medicare spending. Explicit cuts to Medicaid (health coverage for low-income Americans including many seniors in nursing homes) are specified in the Republican budget. The cuts to Medicare (health coverage for all seniors) are not explicit in the budget but are forced by the budget’s sizable increase in the annual federal budget deficit. The CBO’s non-partisan analysis estimated that the Republican budget would increase the deficit by about $230 billion a year. Therefore, under the 2010 Pay-As-You-Go Act (PAYGO), the White House Office of Management and Budget would have to reduce spending (i.e., sequester authorized spending) by $230 billion a year. About $50 billion of this would come from cuts to Medicare, according to the CBO. [2]

STORY #3: The Trump administration is weakening multiple facets of gun violence prevention efforts. This makes us all less safe. On day two as President in 2025, Trump closed the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Despite Trump’s promises to keep Americans safe and reduce crime, this and other actions that weaken gun violence prevention will do the opposite. The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, created by President Biden, brought a coordinated, government-wide approach to gun violence prevention for the first time. It coordinated the federal response to mass shootings and community violence. Its cross-agency, public health approach to the uniquely American epidemic of gun violence contributed to a 13.5% decline in the homicide rate in 2023, the largest annual decrease ever. It also contributed to a significant drop in the number of untraceable “ghost” guns, i.e., guns without serial numbers. It worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to close down 644 gun dealers who had engaged in illegal sales. [3]

The Trump administration has also:

  • Legalized the sale of devices that convert ordinary guns into automatic weapons, i.e., machine guns,
  • Advocated for a nationwide right to carry a concealed weapon,
  • Cut Centers for Disease Control funding for studying and analyzing gun violence,
  • Promoted policies that would make it easier and more profitable to sell gun silencers, and
  • Facilitated re-licensing of gun dealers who had their licenses revoked for illegal activity.

Three hundred Americans are shot every day on average. Weakening gun violence protection efforts puts the interests and profits of the gun industry above the safety of children and all the rest of us.

STORY #4: The Trump administration is putting children at risk and making them less safe in multiple ways. The risks start at birth and continue through adolescence. The lack of federal regulations and enforcement for the health care of pregnant and post-partem women has led to significant increases in maternal and infant mortality.

The Trump administration has laid off thousands of workers who run programs that help children and their families. They have also cut funding or plan to cut funding for many of these programs. For example, the staffs of programs that help families keep the electricity and heat on have been fired en masse. The staff that provides enforcement for child support payments has been decimated. Funding has been terminated for investigating child sexual abuse, responding to internet crimes against children, preventing youth violence, and following up on reports of missing children. Billions of dollars for school meals and school safety have been suspended or delayed. [4]

Trump wants to eliminate funding for Head Start, which provides hundreds of thousands of low-income children annually with high quality early education along with meals and family support. The federal staff that oversees Head Start programs and processes their federal funding has been decimated, which may force some programs to shut down.

The Trump administration’s cutting of funding for food assistance, gun violence prevention efforts, and the suicide hotline will all disproportionately harm children. It’s ignoring the harm that social media does to children. And last, but by no means least, its targeting of immigrants, who frequently are parents of children (who may well be U.S. citizens) is doing untold and immeasurable harm to children.

[1]      Kliff, S., & Sanger-Katz, M., 5/17/25, “Medicaid expansion saved 27,000 lives, study finds,” The Boston Globe from The New York Times

[2]      Johnson, J., 5/21/25, “‘They’re not just cutting Medicaid’: GOP bill would trigger over $500 billion in Medicare cuts,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/cuts-to-medicare)

[3]      Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, retrieved from the Internet 5/27/25, “Press releases,” (https://www.bradyunited.org/press)

[4]      Hager, E., 4/23/25, “The Trump administration’s war on children,” ProPublica (https://www.propublica.org/article/how-trump-budget-cuts-harm-kids-child-care-education-abuse)

MUSK AND DOGE ARE FAILURES

Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are failures. They haven’t even managed to reduce federal spending, let alone reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, or increase government efficiency – according to Jeff Jacoby, a quite conservative columnist for the Boston Globe.

Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are failures. They haven’t even managed to reduce federal spending, let alone reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, or increase government efficiency – according to Jeff Jacoby, a quite conservative columnist for the Boston Globe.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are failures. Don’t take my word for it, according to Jeff Jacoby, a quite conservative columnist for the Boston Globe (with whom I almost never agree), they have failed at the most basic of their goals: reducing federal government spending. [1]

It may be debatable whether Musk and DOGE had any intention of reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, or of increasing government efficiency, or even just cutting government spending. However, the results are clear: they accomplished none of these things. (See previous posts about their successes in benefiting Musk and his companies, as well as their failure to focus on the places where waste, fraud, abuse, and inefficiency are widespread, namely the Defense Department and private, for-profit government contractors.)

First, Jacoby recapitulates Musk’s own statements. Initially, Musk said he would cut at least $2 trillion in government spending. In March, he said DOGE would deliver $1 trillion in spending cuts by the end of May. At an April 10 cabinet meeting, he said he was anticipating savings of $150 billion. The DOGE website lists only $71 billion in spending cuts.

However, the Treasury Department’s report on federal spending says that spending in February and March was $86 billion MORE (up 7%) than in the same months last year. Jacoby notes that Musk and DOGE have not touched programs that account for three-quarters of the federal budget: Social Security payments (as opposed to staff), Medicare and Medicaid health care, the Defense Department, veterans’ benefits, and the interest on the national debt. The Congressional Budget Office reported separately that the federal budget deficit for this fiscal year has increased by about $200 billion in the first seven months of the year.

Although DOGE appears to have reduced or planned reductions of 121,000 federal employees, the cost of the entire civilian workforce of the federal government is only $336 billion. Given that there were three million government employees when Trump took office, assuming these reductions occur, this would reduce the workforce by only 4%. Ignoring severance and any other separation costs, this would save only about $13.5 billion – nowhere near the $2 trillion of promised savings.

Jacoby states that Musk and DOGE have “not made a dent in the vast amount of money the government annually loses to fraud and abuse – as much as $521 billion … It has not clawed back any of the improper payments disbursed by Medicare and Medicaid, which amounted to $101 billion in 2023.” (My bolding.) Trump, Musk, and the Republicans in their party platform, in the campaign, and once Trump was in office promised to slash wasteful government spending. Jacoby closes by noting, “That’s a promise the GOP always makes when it’s out of power and never keeps when it regains control.”

I couldn’t have said this better myself!

[1]      Jacoby, J., 5/18/25, “Why Musk flopped,” The Boston Globe

WHAT DEMOCRATS NEED TO DO Part 2

Democrats need to be more dramatic, effective, and consistent in opposing Trump, his nominees, and the congressional Republicans’ agenda. They need to step up their resistance while promoting and committing to enact policies that would support everyday Americans.

Democrats need to be more dramatic, effective, and consistent in opposing Trump, his nominees, and the congressional Republicans’ agenda. They need to step up their resistance while promoting and committing to enact policies that would support everyday Americans.

(Note: If you find this post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Note: Correction. In my previous post asking you to contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to oppose elements of the proposed Republican budget, I wrote that the proposed cuts to Medicaid were “$700 – $800 million.” As many of you know, that should have been $700 – $800 BILLION.)

This previous post made the case that Democrats need to be more dramatic, effective, and consistent in opposing Trump, his nominees, and the congressional Republicans’ agenda. It identified policies that Democrats should be promoting for our economy and the economic well-being of all Americans. This current post focuses on policies in the social services arena, including health care reforms, drug price reductions, enhancements to Medicare, and ensuring long-term funding for Social Security.

Here are some specific policies Democrats ought to be promoting and committing to enact in the social services arena when they are back in power:

  • Ending wasteful and dangerous privatization of health care. Here are two examples;
    • Private equity firms should be banned from the health care industry. The example of Steward Health alone should be enough to seal this case, but there are plenty of other examples as well. (See this previous post for more information.)
    • End the Medicare Advantage program, which privatizes Medicare and results in huge, often fraudulent, wasteful costs to the Medicare program. For example, in 2024, illegal overbilling by Medicare Advantage providers (i.e., big insurance corporations) was estimated to be $83 billion. Medicare Advantage is estimated to cost Medicare $140 billion more per year than if all individuals were on traditional Medicare. [1] (See this previous post for more details.)
  • Strong regulation of drug prices. President Biden took some initial steps to regulate and reduce drug prices, but President Trump is undoing them. In 2022, U.S. drug prices were two and three-quarters times (178% more than) prices in 33 other industrialized countries. This means that our federal, state, and local governments (i.e., taxpayers) and all of us pay over $200 billion a year extra, which fuels exceptionally high profits for drug makers (when compared to other sectors of our economy). [2] (See this previous post for more details.)
  • Enhance Medicare. If the Medicare Advantage program was eliminated and Medicare was allowed to negotiate prices for all drugs (see the above two bullet points), the savings would be sufficient to pay for the addition of dental, hearing, and vision benefits to Medicare, as well as to cap out-of-pocket spending by Medicare enrollees.
  • Ensure Social Security funding for the rest of this century. Currently, workers pay taxes into Social Security only on the first $176,100 they earn in a year. This means that someone making a million dollars stops paying into Social Security after February 15 and someone making ten million dollars stops paying into Social Security after the first week of January. Simply eliminating this cap would increase Social Security’s revenue by roughly $100 billion per year. This would provide about 75% of the funding needed to allow Social Security to pay out its full planned benefits for the rest of the century. The rest could be raised by taxing investment income, estates, and gifts or a variety of other strategies. [3]
    • NOTE: The Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act in Congress would require taxpayers with over $400,000 in income in a year to pay a bit more into Medicare and Social Security. This would fully fund planned Medicare and Social Security benefits for at least the next 75 years. [4]

There are plenty of other policies that Democrats should be advancing to demonstrate that they would better serve and support workers and everyday Americans than Trump and the Republicans. Examples include housing; early education and child care; supporting workers and their unions; effective regulation of businesses for worker, consumer, and public safety; and strong enforcement of antitrust laws including the breaking up of monopolistic companies.

If any of your members of Congress are Democrats, I urge you to contact them and ask them to step up their resistance while promoting and committing to enact policies that would support everyday Americans. You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Dayen, D., 1/27/25, “We found the $2 trillion,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/economy/2025-01-27-we-found-the-2-trillion-elon-musk-doge/)

[2]      Dayen, D., 1/27/25, see above.

[3]      Dayen, D., 1/27/25, see above.

[4]      Conley, J., 5/9/25, “Democrats’ bill would extend Social Security and Medicare solvency ‘as far as the eye can see’,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/social-security-medicare-2671925476)

ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO OPPOSE THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET

Contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to oppose the draconian measures, including major cuts to Medicaid, in the Republican budget the House is considering. Its spending cuts will harm millions of Americans while it gives tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations.

ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to do everything they can to stop the draconian measures, including major cuts to Medicaid, in the roughly 400-page Republican budget the House is now considering. In addition to spending cuts that will harm millions of Americans and tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, it includes many other very objectionable measures.

(Note: If you find this message too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading and acting!)

Note that the big spending cuts are driven by the need to avoid exploding the federal budget deficit due to the lost revenue from the big tax cuts for the wealthy. Here are some key things the proposed budget would do:

  • Take health care away from millions of Americans by cutting spending on Medicaid by around $700 – $800 million. Medicaid provides health insurance for millions of low-income families, including students and families of low-pay and unemployed workers. It also covers nursing home care for millions of seniors.
  • Take food assistance away from millions of low-income households, including many new mothers and their babies, as well as students and families of low-pay and unemployed workers. It would dramatically cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. It would also cut the Farm to School program that supports local, small farmers and provides healthy, fresh food to school lunch programs.
  • Prohibit state and local governments from regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) for ten years. State laws (often bipartisan ones) are currently regulating AI. (Note: The federal government is doing nothing to regulate AI and protect us from its abuses. Elon Musk and other AI entrepreneurs have been very supportive of Trump. They want AI unregulated and are on the current Mideast trip with Trump as the Saudi Arabian royalty is very interested in investing in AI.)

    For example, state laws currently block deepfake pornography, election disinformation, use of discriminatory algorithms (e.g., in hiring decisions), AI-enabled price fixing (e.g., rents), and abusive targeting of children. State laws also protect consumers from AI abuses, including privacy violations, deceptive marketing, price manipulation, and harmful health care decision making. Millions of residents in these states would lose protections from AI abuses if this provision passes as part of the budget bill. California and other states are also cracking down on AI companies using copyrighted material without permission, payments, or attribution. In 2025, at least 45 states’ legislatures are considering 550 AI-related bills. [1]
  • Grant the Trump administration broad authority to take away tax-exempt status from non-profit organizations it deems to be supporting terrorism. It’s already illegal for non-profits to support terrorism, so this is a ploy to allow the administration to take away the tax exemption from organizations it doesn’t like. Moreover, the language doesn’t give the non-profits any effective way to challenge the administration’s decision and action. As I imagine you know, the Trump administration is already attacking non-profits it doesn’t like (e.g., Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Harvard University) and threatening to take away their tax-exempt status. [2] (Note: It’s a crime for the President to ask the IRS to target a specific taxpayer, for example, to remove its tax-exempt status.) [3]
  • Defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
  • Cut renewable energy funding.
  • Limit judges’ ability to hold the Trump administration accountable.
  • Cut student financial assistance.
  • Cut federal workers’ retirement benefits.
  • Increase funding for the Defense Department, including for Musk’s companies, when the Defense Department is where there’s more waste, fraud, and abuse than in any other government agency.

Pick a few of these harmful effects of the Republican budget (or others you know of) that are most meaningful to you and ask your Representative to oppose them and the budget overall. Also, let them know you oppose tax cuts for the wealthy, especially when they are paid for by cutting programs that benefit everyday working Americans.

Moreover, tell them you support tax increases on wealthy individuals and corporations to reduce the high levels of economic inequality in the U.S. and so the wealthy pay their fair share for all the benefits our society and economy provide them.

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

(Note: Republican presidents and Congresses have cut taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations multiple times since President Reagan did so in the early 1980s. The economic boom, increased tax revenue, and trickle down of benefits to everyday Americans they have always promised have NEVER materialized. Most recently, they did not happen after the Trump and Republican tax cut of 2017. Extending these tax cuts and adding others will not increase economic growth, will not increase tax revenue, and will not trickle down to working Americans. They will balloon the deficit by around $500 billion a year – unless spending is cut to make up for the loss of revenue.)

[1]      Conley, J., 5/13/25, “‘Gift-wrapped favor to big tech’: GOP sneakily pushes ban on state AI regulation,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/regulating-artificial-intelligence)

[2]      Johnson, J., 5/13/25, “‘We need calls now!’ Republicans slip nonprofit killer bill into tax package,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/nonprofit-killer-bill)

[3]      Gleckman, H., 4/25/25, “Why Trump’s efforts to revoke tax exemptions so dangerous for democracy,” Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2025/04/25/why-trumps-efforts-to-revoke-tax-exemptions-are-so-dangerous/)

WHAT DEMOCRATS NEED TO DO

Democrats should be loudly and consistently opposing Trump, his nominees, and the congressional Republicans’ agenda. But they aren’t doing so. Furthermore, dramatic ACTION is needed. Democrats also need to put forth a powerful and coherent vision and agenda for America. They should establish a shadow cabinet to critique the Trump administration, promote a Democratic agenda, and explain how it would benefit everyday working Americans. They should promote policies that provide economic security for all and that require the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes.

(Note: If you find this post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Democrats should be loudly and consistently opposing Trump, his nominees, and the congressional Republicans’ agenda. But they aren’t doing so. Some of them supported passage of the continuing budget resolution, voted to confirm Trump nominees, and are poised to pass a bill leaving the cryptocurrency industry largely unregulated, among other things.

Speaking out against the actions and agenda of Trump and the Republicans is important but it’s not enough. Dramatic ACTION is needed. Senator Corey Booker’s (D-NJ) 25-hour filibuster was excellent – both in content and in the action itself. Senator Booker’s and Representative Hakim Jeffries’s (D-NY) 12-hour teach-in on the steps of the capitol was great – again both in content and action. The Fighting Oligarchy tour by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is powerful in content and as action.

Democrats need to be taking more dramatic actions and using outside-the-box strategies. Perhaps they should undertake:

  • A sit-in in the House or Senate chamber to bring legislative action to a halt.
  • A march by veterans from Congress and the public to the Pentagon demanding that Secretary of Defense Hegseth resign.
  • A protest blocking access to the White House demanding the return of Abrego Garcia and others who have been illegally deported and the release of Khalil and others who have been illegally detained.

There is a war going on for the attention of the public and the mainstream media, but Democrats are fighting a machine gun with a cap gun. (By the way, the mainstream media are NOT liberal. Can you imagine the headlines if President Biden or any other Democrat did the things that Trump and his administration are doing?)

To win the attention war and the support of the public, as well as to energize voters, the Democrats need to do more. In addition to opposing Trump, they need to put forth a powerful and coherent vision and agenda for America. They should establish a shadow cabinet that is holding a press conference every day critiquing the performance of Trump cabinet members AND stating what they would do differently and how the Democratic policies and actions would benefit everyday working Americans.

Here are some policies Democrats ought to be promoting and committing to enact when they are back in power:

  • America 250: The Money Agenda put forth for America’s 250th birthday by the group Patriotic Millionaires. It calls for four pieces of legislation:
    • A Cost of Living Exemption (COLE) Act that would mean that no individual would pay federal income tax if their income was under the median cost of living for a single adult. Currently, this is about $42,000 and a single person with this income now pays about $2,500 in federal income tax. This tax cut would be paid for by increasing the income tax on those with over $1 million in income.

    • A Cost of Living Act establishing a federal minimum wage of $21 per hour, which would be about $42,000 per year for full-time work. This would provide a living wage to a single individual working full-time.

    • An Equal Tax Act that would have those with over $1 million in income pay the same tax rate on capital gains (i.e., profits from investments) as workers pay on ordinary, earned income, rather than the preferential, lower rate they now pay. In addition, it would eliminate the ability of the wealthy to pass on investments to heirs without anyone ever paying any tax on the gain in the value of the investments.
    • The Anti-Oligarch Act that would tax the investment gains and wealth of the ultra-rich.
  • A clear, concise critique of how corrupt our system of capitalism has become and how it harms everyday working Americans. (See previous posts for some details here, here, here, here, and here.) They should promote and commit to enacting when they’re in power: [1]
    • The Accountable Capitalism Act that would require any corporation with over $1 billion in revenue to 1) responsibly serve ALL stakeholders including employees, consumers, the public, and the environment; 2) have at least 40% of its Board of Directors be employees; and 3) get a vote of 75% of shareholders for any political spending over $10,000.

    • The Stop Wall Street Looting Act that would end the vulture capitalism of private equity firms. It would 1) stop the use of huge amounts of debt to acquire control of corporations; 2) make private equity owners liable for losses at firms they control and stop their abuse of bankruptcy laws; 3) prohibit exorbitant payments to private equity owners that often push firms they control into bankruptcy; and 4) prohibit private equity firms from selling the property of hospitals to real estate investment trusts, which is a common technique used to enrich themselves and push hospitals into financial distress.

    • Better management, accountability, and oversight of government contractors. Private, for-profit contractors are a growing portion of the federal budget, especially in defense and health. Multiple studies have found that government employees are more efficient than contractors, and they are more accountable and transparent. For-profit contractors are looking to maximize profit, so they charge the government as much as they can and deliver the cheapest (which generally means lowest quality) goods and services they can get away with. Therefore, strong management, oversight, and accountability measures are necessary to ensure taxpayers are getting good value for their money. (See this previous post for more details.)
  • Stopping tax cheating by wealthy individuals and corporations. President Biden provided needed funding to the IRS to increase enforcement of our tax laws and make sure that wealthy individuals and corporations pay what they owe. Such IRS funding is estimated to bring in $2.50 in revenue from tax cheats for every $1 spent. Republicans in Congress immediately began working to remove the additional enforcement funding from the IRS and the Trump administration has accelerated this defunding of the IRS. In 2022, the IRS estimated that the over $600 billion in taxes owed was not paid with the wealthiest 1% of individuals responsible for over a quarter of this amount. [2]

These are policies Democrats should be promising for our economy and the economic well-being of all Americans. My next post will highlight some polices that Democrats should promise in the social services arena including health care reforms, drug price reductions, enhancements to Medicare, and ensuring long-term funding for Social Security.

If any of your members of Congress are Democrats, I urge you to contact them and ask them to step up their resistance and to promote these policies. You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Kuttner, R., 2/6/25, “Corrupted capitalism and dithering Democrats,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/2025-02-06-corrupted-capitalism-dithering-democrats/)

[2]      Dayen, D., 1/27/25, “We found the $2 trillion,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/economy/2025-01-27-we-found-the-2-trillion-elon-musk-doge/)

RESISTANCE: PEOPLE’S PROMISE LETTER, USPS, NIH, ETC.

Trump is taking so many illegal, cruel, and objectionable actions that it’s hard to know what to focus on. Most important is to regularly raise your voice and take actions to resist, protest, and push back. For example, ask Congress to support the NIH and USPS. Sign the People’s Promise letter.

The Trump administration is taking so many illegal (many are unconstitutional), cruel, and objectionable actions that it’s hard to know what to focus on. Most important is to regularly raise your voice and take actions to resist, protest, and push back, regardless of the issue or specific action you’re focused on.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Contact your members of Congress regularly so they know you’re paying attention, watching them, and that you care; that you want them to take strong actions to resist, protest, and push back. Thank them when they do good things; they need to hear this and feel supported. Criticize them when they do wrong things and urge them to do the right things, vigorously.

Ask them to take visible and powerful actions as Senator Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Jeffries (D-NY) did on Sunday with their 12-hour teach-in on the steps of the Capitol. [1] They highlighted the values and moral principles of Democrats, drawing from their religious faith.

While this post focuses on some perhaps less dramatic, but nonetheless very important issues – the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), as well as the People’s Promise letter – we shouldn’t lose sight of critical, on-going targets of protest including:

  • The return of Abrego Garcia and others who have been illegally shipped to prison in El Salvador,
  • The release of Ozturk, Khalil, and others who have been illegally detained,
  • The cessation of foreign aid by USAID that will cause millions of avoidable deaths worldwide and here in the U.S. (see this previous post for more detail),
  • The SAVE Act in the Senate, which would dramatically increase voter suppression (see this previous post for more detail), and
  • The slashing of staff and funding, as well as disruption, at multiple government agencies and programs including the Veterans’ Administration, Social Security, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Head Start, the Labor Department, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the IRS, and other government agencies. These actions will jeopardize the health, safety, and well-being of tens of millions of Americans in the short-term and all three hundred million Americans in the long-term.

Feel free to mention any of these when you contact your members of Congress – or contact them multiple times and mention all of them!

ACTION #1: Please contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to do everything they can to stop the sabotage of research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the largest sponsor of biomedical research in the world. The firing of thousands of workers and the blocking of funding for hundreds (probably thousands) of on-going research projects endangers our short-term and long-term health. For example, research on detection and treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer are being brought to a screeching halt. Drug research and development are similarly being blocked. The impact of all of this cannot be overstated. For example, from 2010 – 2019, 99.4% of new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were developed with NIH funding support.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. (Note: Many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.)

ACTION #2: Contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to oppose the privatization of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The USPS is a vital public service. It delivers mail to everyone, any place in the U.S. It is not profitable to deliver mail to isolated, small, and/or rural communities, so with privatization these places would lose mail service. This is exactly what happened when the airlines and railroads were deregulated – service to small, unprofitable communities ended or became prohibitively expensive for most people.

Ask your Representative and Senators to support the bipartisan resolutions opposing Trump’s USPS privatization scheme: Resolution 70 in the House and Resolution 147 in the Senate.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

ACTION #3: Please sign the People’s Promise Letter sponsored by Common Cause and others. It’s a response to Trump’s first 100 days in office. It calls for an alternative course of action that delivers:

  • An economy that works for everyone including livable wages, the right to unionize, affordable housing, quality healthcare, and quality early education and child care.
  • A government for the people including quality education for all, a strong safety net, and the wealthy paying their fair share in taxes.
  • Equal rights and opportunity for all including legal due process for all; voting for all that is easy, protected, and accurately counted; and freedom from hate and discrimination for all.

Click on “Sign The Letter” in the upper right of the People’s Promise website to sign. Scroll down to read about the harm that the Trump administration has done in its first 100 days.

[1]      Rubin, J., 5/2/25, “Undaunted,” The Contrarian (https://contrarian.substack.com/p/undaunted-57a)

MUSK AND TRUMP ARE ENGAGED IN CORRUPT SELF-ENRICHMENT

Musk and Trump are corruptly lining their own pockets by ending or weakening investigations, enforcement, and regulation of Musk’s companies, as well as providing them with new government contracts. They’re also endangering workers, the public, and our national security.

Musk and Trump are corruptly lining their own pockets by ending or weakening investigations, enforcement, and regulation of Musk’s companies, as well as providing them with new government contracts. They’re also endangering workers, the public, and our national security.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

My previous post provided an overview of the 32 (or more) ongoing investigations of Elon Musk’s six companies when Trump was sworn into office. It also noted that Musk has obtained much of his enormous wealth through government subsidies and contracts – over $38 billion in the last 20 years. In 2023, Space X and Tesla got almost $3 billion from 100 contracts with 17 federal agencies. [1] These include substantial contracts with the Department of Defense (DOD). Space X has a multi-billion-dollar contract to build a classified spy satellite network for the DOD. It also has contracts for communication services through Space X’s subsidiary, Starlink.

Needless to say, Musk’s role with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) presents huge conflicts of interest that are illegal. He would be swiftly barred from this work and/or prosecuted under any president other than Trump. Instead, Trump and Musk are systematically undermining the agencies that regulate businesses, including Musk’s, to keep workers, consumers, and the public safe. This deregulation results in windfall profits for Musk, Trump, members of Trump’s cabinet, and other wealthy business executives and investors. This is outright oligarchic corruption with wealthy business people funneling government money and benefits to themselves and their cronies.

Musk is lining his own pockets as a government contractor and businessman in two main ways:

  • Dismantling or emasculating agencies that regulate his business activities, often ending on-going investigations and enforcement actions, and
  • Having the Trump administration award his companies billions of dollars in new contracts, while continuing to pay billions of dollars to his companies under existing contracts.

Actions by Musk, DOGE, and Trump to block or weaken regulation, investigations, and sanctions of Musk’s companies include:

  • Firing members of the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, and others at the Department of Labor in order to hobble their 24 investigations into violations of workers’ rights at Musk’s companies.
  • Cutting staff at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that was investigating fatal crashes of Tesla vehicles and had ordered recalls of hundreds of thousands of Tesla vehicles due to safety issues.
  • Emasculating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that
    • Was reviewing over 300 complaints about Tesla’s financing entity, and
    • Would have oversight of the digital payment service Musk wants to add to his social media platform, X.
  • Slashing the workforce at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that is suing Space X over worker safety and investigating it for violations related to its rocket launches.
  • Firing workers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that was investigating Musk’s Neuralink company for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
  • Eliminating USAID that was reviewing its contract with Space X subsidiary, Starlink, for communication services in Ukraine.
  • Firing over a dozen Inspectors General, which has reduced oversight of government contractors, among other negative effects. The firings of Inspectors General at the Defense Department most likely disrupted or ended an investigation into Space X’s contracts.
  • Presumably ending the three DOD investigations of Musk’s and Space X’s repeated failures to file mandatory national security reports of contacts and involvement with foreign entities. This is one small effect of Trump’s politicization of the DOD, e.g., his appointments of political loyalists such as Hegseth as Secretary of Defense and Caine as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Musk and Space X have significant contacts and engagement with Chinese leaders and investors. This is one reason that their failure to make required national security reports is a matter of serious concern. Space X has sizeable investments from Chinese investors, but because of its contracts with the DOD, Space X does not want its investments from Chinese investors to be public knowledge. Therefore, it actively works to make sure those investments are laundered through intermediate entities in the Cayman Islands and elsewhere, which keeps investors anonymous. [2]

Roughly half of Musk’s Tesla vehicles are built in China and China is Tesla’s largest market. Tesla’s largest factory is in Shanghai and its construction received a $2.8 billion investment, major tax breaks, and special permissions from the Chinese government. Musk regularly meets with Chinese government and Communist Party officials due to his multiple business interests, current and future, in China.

Needless to say, Musk is considered a significant national security risk by DOD and intelligence officials and experts. Nonetheless, Musk had scheduled a private meeting with Secretary of Defense Hegseth and others for a briefing on top secret U.S. preparations for conflict with China. The briefing was apparently scrapped after knowledge of it became public. [3]

Notwithstanding all the above, the Trump administration has awarded or announced plans to award (it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference due to Trump’s and Musk’s frequent distortions of facts) Musk’s companies multiple new contracts. The FAA recently announced its intention to engage Space X subsidiary Starlink in a $2 billion contract to upgrade air traffic control systems. There were plans for the State Department to order $400 million worth of armored Teslas. The contract was backdated to make it look like it was awarded before Trump took office. The contract is apparently now on hold.

It’s abundantly clear that Musk, Trump, and their cronies are lining their pockets at taxpayers’ expense and at significant risk to the public. I urge you to contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to call out and take whatever actions they can to stop the corrupt self-enrichment of Musk and Trump. You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Elordi, M., 10/21/24, “Elon Musk’s companies have faced at least 20 federal probes,” Daily Wire (https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-companies-have-faced-at-least-20-federal-probes-report)

[2]      Kaplan, J., & Elliott, J., 3/26/25, “How Elon Musk’s Space X secretly allows investments from China,” ProPublica (https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-spacex-allows-china-investment-cayman-islands-secrecy)

[3]      Reich, R., 3/21/25, “Is the Muskrat working for China?” Robert Reich blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/is-the-muskrat-working-for-china )

MUSK AND DOGE ARE ALL ABOUT CORRUPT SELF-ENRICHMENT

Musk, DOGE, and Trump do not care about efficiency & reducing waste. They’re not targeting for-profit contractors, which is where the bulk of fraud & waste occurs. They’re focused on ending investigations & enforcement actions against Musk’s companies, letting Musk corruptly line his own pockets.

Musk, his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Trump do not care about efficiency and reducing government waste. They’re not targeting for-profit government contractors, which is where the bulk of fraud and waste occurs. Instead, they’re focused on ending investigations of and enforcement actions against Musk’s companies, and providing them with new government contracts. Musk is corruptly lining his own pockets.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is not focused on efficiency and reducing government waste. DOGE’s haphazard actions of laying off workers and dismantling government programs, processes, and agencies that Musk and Trump don’t like are actually decreasing efficiency. (See previous posts here and here for more detail.) Musk and Trump are focused on lining their own pockets, i.e., on corrupt self-enrichment.

Contrary to Musk’s and Trump’s claims that the government workforce is bloated, the federal government had fewer employees before Trump took office (3 million) than at its peak in 1990 (3.1 million), despite significant growth in the responsibilities of the government. Federal government employees were 4.3% of the U.S. workforce in 1960; they’re just 1.9% of the workforce today. In general, government agencies are understaffed, due to budgetary restrictions.

If Musk, Trump, and DOGE were serious about increasing government efficiency, they would be targeting for-profit government contractors – like Musk’s companies. Before looking specifically at Musk’s companies, overall, the major sources of waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending are contractors for military hardware and services, and insurance companies that are contractors providing Medicare coverage through so-called Medicare Advantage programs. It’s estimated that 40% of the people working for the federal government are contractors and not employees. For example, in 2019, in Iraq and Afghanistan, there were 50% more U.S. contractors than U.S. soldiers.

Between 2013 and 2023, spending on government contractors grew by nearly 63%. This reflects the mistaken belief by many that private, for-profit contractors are more efficient than government employees. A 2011 study found that contractors are overpaid in comparison to government workers and that when waste and fraud are identified in government programs it is often for-profit contractors that are the culprits. A 1994 Defense Department Inspector General’s report had similar findings.

For-profit contractors are seeking to maximize profit. They do this by maximizing their prices and minimizing their costs, which generally means minimizing the quality of services and products delivered. Contractors are exempt from transparency and accountability laws that cover government programs, making waste, fraud, and abuse hard to identify, eliminate, and punish. Contractors also violate the law with shocking regularity and repetitiveness. Defense contractor RTX (formerly Raytheon) averages over five sanctions per year for illegal activities. Insurance companies operating Medicare Advantage programs regularly and repetitively engage in fraudulent billing of the government. (See this previous post for more detail.)

To feather their own nests, government contractors spend millions lobbying the government and send employees through the revolving door to work in government roles often overseeing their contracts or work. In 2024, the ten largest federal government contractors spent $71 million lobbying the hand that feeds them. They also spent $8.5 million in the 2023-24 election cycle on contributions to federal candidates’ campaigns, although this is technically illegal. They circumvent laws banning contractors contributing to campaigns by setting up supposedly independent political action committees (PACs).

Musk is lining his own pockets as a government contractor and businessman in two main ways:

  • Dismantling or emasculating agencies that regulate his business activities, often ending on-going investigations and enforcement actions, and
  • Having the Trump administration award his companies billions of dollars in new contracts, while continuing to pay billions of dollars under existing contracts.

Musk has obtained much of his enormous wealth through government subsidies and contracts. His companies have received over $38 billion in government funding over the last 20 years. Currently, among other things, Musk’s Space X company is receiving billions of dollars a year from NASA for rocket launches and from the Department of Defense (DOD) for satellite launches and Starlink communications services. Musk’s Tesla vehicle company got significant funding from the Department of Energy for its development of electric cars. (Note: This support was called wasteful by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.) [1] In 2023, Space X and Tesla got almost $3 billion from 100 contracts with 17 federal agencies. [2]

When Trump was sworn into office, Musk’s six companies were the subject of more than 32 ongoing investigations by at least 11 federal agencies. The agencies conducting these enforcement actions are being emasculated by Musk, DOGE, and Trump. Therefore, these investigations and potential penalties from them are now likely to be ended. This means Musk’s companies are now worth far more than before because they are no longer threatened with government penalties or constraints on their operations. As their major shareholder, Musk is a huge winner. [3]

The enforcement actions against Musk and his companies included: [4]

  • A Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit accusing Musk and his companies of violating federal securities laws.
  • A lawsuit by the Federal Aviation Administration accusing him and his rocket company, Space X, of violating worker safety.
  • 24 separate investigations by the National Labor Relations Board into violations of workers’ rights.
  • Over a dozen investigations of Tesla and Space X for unfair labor practices, safety violations, and workplace discrimination by various agencies of the Department of Labor.
  • Several open investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into safety issues with Tesla vehicles.
  • An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which had fined Space X for previous violations, for issues with its rocket launches, including post-launch explosions that had interrupted air traffic and spread debris and toxic pollution in the atmosphere.
  • At least three investigations by the DOD of Musk and Space X for repeatedly failing to meet reporting requirements aimed at protecting national security, including reporting information on Musk’s meeting with foreign leaders. This non-compliance with national security protocols has led to investigations by the DOD Inspector General (now fired), by the Air Force, and by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.

My next post will discuss actions by Musk, DOGE, and Trump to block regulation, investigations, and sanctions of Musk companies; Musk’s and Space X’s China connections; and new government contracts for Musk’s companies.

[1]      Heinz, B., 4/1/25, “Rule by contractor: DOGE is not about waste and efficiency – it’s about privatization,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/power/2025-04-03-rule-by-contractor-doge-privatization/)

[2]      Elordi, M., 10/21/24, “Elon Musk’s companies have faced at least 20 federal probes,” Daily Wire (https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-companies-have-faced-at-least-20-federal-probes-report)

[3]      Reich, R., 2/11/25, “Fraud and Musk,” Robert Reich blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/fraud)

[4]      House Committee on the Judiciary, 2/13/25, “Fact Sheet: Trump administration, DOGE punish agencies investigating Elon Musk’s companies,” (https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2025.02.13_fact_sheet_re_musk_investigations.pdf

OPPOSE THE SAVE ACT AND NORRA; GET ABREGO GARCIA BACK

ACTION #1: Please contact your US Senators and ask them to oppose – and filibuster if necessary – the SAVE Act, which just passed narrowly in the House. It’s pure voter suppression. Voter fraud is incredibly rare; less than one out of every two million votes cast, which is nowhere near enough to affect the outcome of any election. The SAVE Act would:

  • Make it much harder for the 70 million married women to register to vote because they’ve changed their name, so their current name doesn’t match their birth certificate.
  • Require voters to provide proof of citizenship – a passport or birth certificate – in-person to register to vote, including re-registering (e.g., after moving) or updating their voter registration.
  • Ban online voter registration (which 42 states currently have), voter registration drives, and mail-in registration (which millions of Americans have used).

Over 21 million Americans (9%) don’t have the required documents readily available. Only 51 percent of Americans have passports and applying for one for the first time costs $165 and requires assembling needed documentation, getting a self-photograph, and going to an appointment. [1]

You can find contact information for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. (Note: Many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.)

ACTION #2: Please contact your US Senators and ask them to oppose – and filibuster if necessary – the No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA), which passed in the House recently. It would limit the ability of federal district court judges to issue injunctions that apply nationwide. (Note: The ability to do this has been in place for centuries, literally.) [2] Such injunctions have been used recently to block actions taken by the Trump administration. If NORRA passes, it will mean each state or even each harmed individual would have to get their own injunction. Note that hypocrisy is clearly evident here, as Republicans used nationwide injunctions, often from a single radical judge in Texas, to block Biden administration actions and access to women’s reproductive health care.

ACTION #3: Contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to demand that the Trump administration abide by court rulings and return Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the El Salvador prison where he was sent after his admittedly mistaken arrest and deportation. Also, ask them to demand that the Trump administration stop failing to provide the due process of our laws to all people who are arrested. All people, even criminals, are guaranteed due process under our laws.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Morris, K., & Henry, C., 6/11/24, “Millions of Americans don’t have documents proving their citizenship readily available,” Brennan Center for Justice (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/millions-americans-dont-have-documents-proving-their-citizenship-readily)

[2]      Conley, J., 4/10/25, “House GOP passes bill that moves toward making Trump a ‘king with unlimited power’,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/republicans-impeach-judges)

DEMOCRATS ARE MOBILIZING!

Democrats in Congress are finally stepping up to resist the unprecedented challenges the Trump administration and complicit Republicans are presenting to our democracy and its foundational institutions. They are using outside-the-box tactics to slow progress on Trump nominees and Republican legislation. They are more aggressively and effectively communicating with constituents and the public. Contact your members of Congress to thank them for what they’re doing to resist and ask them to do more.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The Hands Off! protest rallies across the country on Saturday, 4/5, showed the depth and breadth of the opposition to the Trump administration. Somewhere between 3 and 5 million people participated including in every state and in communities large and small, Republican and Democratic. To those of you who participated or supported the protests, THANK YOU! Many smaller, local protest rallies that hopefully will involve even more people are being planned, possibly for Sat., 4/19. More information will be forthcoming, but please plan to participate and bring a friend so the next protests are even bigger than April 5.

Democrats in Congress are finally stepping up to the unprecedented challenges the Trump administration and complicit Republicans are presenting to our democracy and its foundational institutions. The Democrats are beginning to use outside-the-box tactics, including delaying and obstructing progress on Trump nominees and Republican legislation. Some Democrats are more aggressively and effectively communicating with constituents and the public, including about the incompetence and failures of the Trump administration, as well as its illegal actions.

Thank your members of Congress when they do good things and push them to do more.

Democrats in both the Senate and the House have introduced bills (The Trade Review Act, S.1272 in the Senate) to take back control over tariffs from Trump. Eight Senate Republicans have now joined this fight. Ask your Senators and Representative to co-sponsor and support this bill. Thank them if they already have.

More Senators are putting holds on Trump nominees. (See this previous post for the initial holds.) Senator Schatz (D-HI) is placing holds on over 300 nominees and Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) has announced plans to place holds on all Trump nominees. Holds force the Senate to take votes to override each hold and this slows done the process of approving Trump nominees.

House Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) (the second highest Democratic leader) is working with her colleagues to produce one-minute videos critiquing Trump administration actions on a variety of topics. They’re putting out roughly one per day. As far as I know, they’re only available on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/housedemocrats.bsky.social. (Note: Rep. Clark is awesome! In the interests of full disclosure, she was my State Senator before she was elected to the U.S. House. Unfortunately, I’m one town away from being in her congressional district.)

There are 19 one-minute videos available by various Representatives on topics including the Republican budget (and its health care cuts and tax cuts for the wealthy), the SAVE Act (voter suppression), tariffs, Social Security, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, Signalgate, the Department of Education, and protecting the privacy of our personal information.

(Note: I hope you have a Bluesky account and if not, I encourage you to sign up for one at: https://bsky.app/. It’s a partial alternative to Facebook and X. I encourage you to leave both of those platforms if possible or minimize your use of them because of the objectionable policies and politics of them and their owners. Unfortunately, Bluesky doesn’t have a group feature like Facebook and many of my online friends are still only on Facebook, so I still use it, but I minimize my time on it. I’m on Bluesky: @jalippitt.bsky.social. Follow me there if you’re so motivated.)

Individual Democrats in Congress are, of course, also creating videos on important issues. Senator Schiff recently did a 2 ½ minute video calling for an investigation of the likelihood of insider trading in the stock market by Trump cronies in advance of Trump’s announcements on tariffs.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is coordinating Town Hall meetings by members of Congress all over the country, including in Republican districts where the Republican refuses to hold a Town Hall meeting. The list of them is here: https://democrats.org/peoples-town-halls/. Please participate if there’s one in your area.

The DNC recently announced the formation of a “People’s Cabinet.” It will feature subject matter policy experts who will provide facts and better alternatives to the Trump administration’s lies and reckless agenda. [1] However, I don’t see anything on the DNC website about this yet.

Democrats in Congress are holding hearings even when Republicans refuse to cooperate. For example, Representatives Jeffries and Barragan recently held a hearing on the cuts targeting veterans. (The hearing starts two minutes into the YouTube recording and lasts an hour and 14 minutes.) Senator Shaheen (D-NH) convened a hearing on the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). (See this previous post for more detail.)

Democrats and a few Republicans are standing up and pushing back more frequently and vigorously, but they need to do more to resist the Trump administration and most Republicans’ support of it. The resisters need to feel free to use outside-the-box tactics; they need to fight fire with fire.

I encourage you to contact your US Representative and Senators to thank them when they pushback against the inhumane and illegal actions of the Trump administration. Ask them to stand up and resist when the Trump administration is not acting in the best interests of all Americans, is violating the rule of law, and usurping the role of Congress.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Martin, K., 4/4/25, “DNC Chair Ken Martin launches ‘People’s Cabinet’ to fiercely counter Trump administration chaos and lies,” Democratic National Committee (https://democrats.org/news/dnc-chair-ken-martin-launches-peoples-cabinet-to-fiercely-counter-trump-administration-chaos-and-lies/)

THE RESISTANCE IS BUILDING!

The resistance to Trump and company is building. The public protests in the streets and pushback at town hall meetings with members of Congress are growing. A few Republicans in Congress are standing up and pushing back. Democrats are resisting more strongly. Recent election results have been bad for Republicans and 500 law firms have opposed Trump. Contact your members of Congress and tell them to do more to resist!

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Although the Trump administration continues to do despicable things daily, the resistance is building in volume and impact. Judges are standing up and pushing back. Court decisions against the Trump administration are announced daily.

The Hands Off! protest rallies across the country on Saturday, 4/5, showed the depth and breadth of the opposition to Trump Administration policies. The pushback when members of Congress hold Town Hall meetings, especially the vehement feedback Republicans are getting, is another sign of widespread resistance. The Tesla Takedown protests across the country are expanding. The dramatic decline in Tesla sales and its stock price are significant.

An essential component of truly effective resistance will be Republicans in Congress standing up to Trump and his cronies. The pushback from constituents at Town Hall meetings and in communications to members of Congress will be key to getting them to stand up and pushback. Once they’re convinced that their re-election is at risk, they’ll begin to resist.

There are a few examples of Republicans in Congress starting to stand up and pushback. Four Republicans — Senators McConnell (KY), Collins (ME), Murkowski (AK), and Paul (KY) — opposed Trump by voting with Democrats to rescind the national economic emergency Trump declared in February (which allows him to impose tariffs by Executive Order). They then voted to eliminate the 25% tariff on Canadian imports. This sends a clear message to Trump that there is broad discontent with his tariffs.

Republican Senator Grassley (IA) introduced separate legislation to reestablish Congress’s power over tariffs. The bill would require tariffs to be approved by Congress or expire in 60 days. A Senate committee, with bipartisan support, has asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s use of the unsecure, prohibited Signal messaging app to communicate details of plans for the March 15 attack on the Houthis in Yemen.

Republican Senator Collins (ME), chair of the Appropriations Committee, has sent a letter to Trump accusing him of violating the six-month spending law recently approved by Congress by refusing to spend authorized funding.

Calls for National Security Adviser Waltz to resign are growing louder. He created the Signalgate scandal by setting up a messaging group on Signal that discussed the March 15 military strike in Yemen. The use of Signal is prohibited for security reasons by Department of Defense policy and Waltz included a journalist in the group by mistake. (See this previous post for more detail.) Subsequently, it’s been revealed that he and his staff set up at least 20 such messaging groups on sensitive national security issues. This was described as “commonplace” by one source. It’s also been revealed that Waltz and other members of Trump’s National Security Council conducted government business using personal email accounts, which are even less secure than Signal messaging. As one expert noted, it should be assumed that everything Waltz has discussed has been intercepted by China, Russia, Israel, Iran, North Korea, and perhaps others. [1]

Democrats are standing up and pushing back more frequently and vigorously. (About time!) I imagine you’ve heard about Senator Booker’s (D-NJ) 25-hour speech – and it was a speech not just blather! You can watch one minute of excerpts here or 4 minutes of excerpts here. He live-streamed the speech on TikTok and it got more than 400 million “likes” before he finished.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has just announced the formation of a “People’s Cabinet.” (About time!) It will feature subject matter policy experts who will provide facts and better alternatives to the Trump administration’s lies and reckless agenda. [2]

Senator Schiff (D-CA) has placed a hold on Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. Attorney in D.C., Eric Martin. Martin has never worked as a prosecutor and has engaged in a series of inappropriate actions while serving as  the acting U.S. Attorney. For example, he has described the Justice Department as Trump’s personal attorney, launched unwarranted investigations, and fired and reassigned prosecutors who worked on bringing January 6 insurrectionists to justice. There have been several calls for investigations into Martin’s actions. [3]

Senator Gallego (D-AZ) has pledged to block all nominations for posts at the Veterans Administration (VA) to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to the VA’s workforce. The plan is to cut more than 80,000 jobs at the VA; 2,400 probationary employees were fired last month. [4]

Democrats in Congress are holding hearings even when Republicans refuse to cooperate. For example, Senator Shaheen (D-NH) convened a hearing on the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The testimony is chilling at multiple levels – the millions of children and adults around the world who will die as a result, the harm to health here in the U.S. (more detail on these first two topics is in this previous post), the utter recklessness with which this was handled (e.g., the waste of resources that were in-place around the world), and the way the USAID employees were treated. You can watch the hearing here. Watch any five minutes and you’ll be horrified. We found it so riveting that we watched all one hour and 48 minutes of it.

More than 500 law firms have signed onto a court brief in support of Perkins Coie’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s executive order attempting to punishing it for supporting people Trump doesn’t like. [5]

Recent election results have been encouraging. Most notably, Crawford, the progressive, won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in a landslide (10-point margin), despite over $20 million spent by Musk opposing her. Musk and his money were a drag not a help. Although, Republican candidates for two U.S. House seats in Florida won, they won by just 14 points in each race. Five months ago, Republicans won those seats by 30 and 37 points. There was good news from other elections as well. [6]

Democrats in Congress need to do more to resist the Trump administration and Republicans’ support of it. One way to do so and to gain leverage in negotiating with congressional Republicans is to slow down the process of, for example, confirming Trump nominees and action on Republican legislation. Time is an essential resource in Congress and it makes no sense for Democrats to streamline the process of confirming Trump nominees who are hell bent on destroying our government and democracy. Senator Booker showed us one way to slow things down. Another is to deny “unanimous consent” in the confirmation of Trump nominees, or in other words have a Senator object to the nominee. Democrats have provided unanimous consent over 500 times so far this year. Each objection to unanimous consent would eat up about two hours of the Senate’s time. [7]

I encourage you to contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to stand up and pushback against the despicable and illegal actions of the Trump administration. Encourage them to go beyond the norm, as Senator Booker did. Trump and his cronies aren’t abiding by any norms and therefore the resistance must go beyond the norms as well.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Wilkins, B., 4/2/25, “Calls for Waltz’s resignation grow amid report of at least 20 sensitive Signal chat groups,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/mike-waltz-signal-chats)

[2]      Martin, K., 4/4/25, “DNC Chair Ken Martin launches ‘People’s Cabinet’ to fiercely counter Trump administration chaos and lies,” Democratic National Committee (https://democrats.org/news/dnc-chair-ken-martin-launches-peoples-cabinet-to-fiercely-counter-trump-administration-chaos-and-lies/)

[3]      Beitsch, R., 4/2/25, “Schiff places hold on Trump pick for DC prosecutor’s nomination,”The Hill (https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5227564-adam-schiff-blocks-trump-nominee-ed-martin/)

[4]      Bolton, A., 4/1/25, “Senate Democrat will block Trump’s VA nominees to protest cuts,” The Hill (https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5225064-gallego-trump-va-nominees/)

[5]      Hubbell, R., 4/5/25, “Reclaim democracy on April 5 in a national day of protest!”, Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/reclaim-democracy-on-april-5-in-a)

[6]      Cox Richardson, H., 4/1/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-1-2025)

[7]      Dayen, D., 4/2/25, “The Democrats’ Liberation Day,” Today on The American Prospect blog (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-04-02-democrats-liberation-day-booker-senate/)

PROTEST ABDUCTIONS AND AT APRIL 5 EVENTS

Contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to demand that law abiding, legal U.S. residents who have been abducted and detained by ICE be released immediately and that these illegal arrests stop. If you can, join the big, nationwide HANDS OFF! protests planned for Saturday, April 5.

ACTION #1: Please contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to demand that law abiding, legal U.S. residents who have been abducted and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be released immediately and that these illegal arrests stop. In addition, ask them to demand that the individuals abducted be allowed to contact lawyers and loved ones. ICE has been quickly moving them around the U.S. to make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to contact lawyers and loved ones. In addition, the movement has (presumably intentionally) frustrated attempts by judges to establish jurisdiction and to order ICE to release or justify the detention of these individuals and to order that they not be deported. [1]

Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts student, and Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student, are two examples of law abiding, legal U.S. residents abducted and detained by ICE. No evidence against them was presented and there was no due process.

There are others, and maybe many others; I’m not sure that it’s known how many. However, Secretary of State Rubio recently stated, “It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day.” [2] These individuals are political prisoners and this behavior by the Trump administration mimics what dictators do to intimidate and eliminate all opposition. This is what Russia and China do. They replace the rule of law with the rule of fear. This has never been done in the U.S. in my lifetime. This is a repugnant repudiation of the rule of law, which is a cornerstone of democracy.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Note that many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.

ACTION #2: If you can, join the big, nationwide HANDS OFF! protest planned for Saturday, April 5. Go to Indivisible to find an event near you. Let’s make this a huge event! Please spread the word! If you can’t attend, consider supporting it in other ways, e.g., a donation to pay for buses transporting people to the events, spreading the word, etc.

ACTION #3: Contact your US Representative and ask him or her to support and vote for Senate Bill S.1077, the 2025 District of Columbia (D.C.) Local Funds Act. This bill would reverse a $1 billion cut to D.C.’s budget that was made by the federal budget bill recently passed by Congress (the infamous Continuing Resolution). It cut the D.C. budget even though no federal funds are involved. These funds are local D.C. tax revenues that have already been collected and budgeted. If not reversed, D.C. would be forced to cut funding for teachers, police officers, fire fighters, other emergency staff, public transportation, health services, and even retirees’ pensions. The bill has already passed the Senate. [3]

[1]      Murphy, S., 4/2/25, “US officials defend the detention of Tufts PhD student. Also say federal judge in Boston lacks jurisdiction,” The Boston Globe

[2]      Solomont, A., 4/1/25, “Jewish community must stand up to Trump’s targeting of international students,” The Boston Globe

[3]      Hubbell, R., 4/1/25, “Disrupting ‘business as usual’,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (Disrupting “business as usual” – by Robert B. Hubbell)

SIGNALGATE: AN UNFORGIVABLE NATIONAL SECURITY BREACH

Top Trump administration officials in the military and intelligence agencies have committed an unbelievable and unforgivable breach of national security. Investigations by Congress and the military are essential. Officials responsible should resign, be fired, or be impeached, and perhaps prosecuted.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

There is NO EXCUSE for top Trump administration officials communicating secret military plans over Signal, an unsecured, commercial messaging app, whose use is SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITED by Defense Department policy. Included in the Signal chat group discussing the March 15 attack in Yemen, before and during the action, were:

  • Secretary of Defense Hegseth and Secretary of State Rubio,
  • The President’s National Security Advisor Waltz and Chief of Staff Wiles,
  • The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Ratliffe and the Director of National Intelligence Gabbard,
  • Vice President Vance, and others.

None of them, over the four-day chat (3/11 – 3/15), raised a red flag over the illegal use of an unsecured communication channel, with a reporter accidentally included no less. This is astounding. Any government employee of lower rank who engaged in such a breach of security would be fired immediately and jailed without bail. Concerning elements of this national security breach include:

  • The incompetence, inexperience, and cavalier attitude toward sensitive information of these top Trump administration official is stunning and unacceptable.
  • This strongly implies that senior Trump administration officials are regularly having very sensitive communications over an unsecured, commercial messaging app in violation of the law.
  • Some of them were using their personal, unsecured phones. Experts have stated that it’s highly likely foreign intelligence services are monitoring their personal phones. (Official government-issued secured phones have special encryption and other security features, including the inability to download apps, such as Signal, WhatsApp, X, etc. that make a phone vulnerable to hacking.) [1]
  • Secretary of Defense Hegseth repeatedly lied about what had occurred and Gabbard and Ratliffe lied under oath at a Senate hearing. [2]
  • President Trump stated he had no knowledge of the breach on March 24. Based on the pre-attack messaging, which Trump was not part of, it appears the decision to go ahead with the strikes was made by deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, not the President, which is startling. Stunningly, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the military was also not included.
  • The name of at least one CIA operative was revealed in the messaging. [3]
  • The revelation of a specific, targeted individual and on-the-ground intelligence about him, while the strike was on-going, is breathtaking and put intelligence sources at risk. (Apparently some of the intelligence and sources were Israeli and the Israelis are furious about the compromising of their information and sources.)
  • It must be assumed that Russia and China (and maybe other adversaries such as Iran and North Korea) have the ability to intercept these unsecured communications, according to multiple experts. An internal bulletin from the National Security Agency warned staff in February 2025 not to use Signal, citing concerns that the app was vulnerable to Russian hackers. [4]
  • The Signal messaging app being used by top Trump administration officials deletes communications after a set period of time – days or a few weeks. This violates federal laws requiring the preservation of documents and communications. Signal may well have been deliberately used here and in other communications to evade having a public record. [5]

All members of Congress, and particularly any with military service backgrounds, should be enraged and determined to get to the bottom of this. It is a national security breach of breathtaking seriousness that could or may have endangered the lives of military and intelligence personnel. Our troops and our country are clearly not being kept safe. If the Iranians had access to the messaging and had alerted their Houthi allies (the targets) to prepare for the attack, including anti-aircraft weaponry, the U.S. jets and pilots would have been at serious risk and the success of the mission would likely have been compromised.

The military itself should undertake a rigorous investigation with decisive punishment for those guilty of compromising national security. [6]

Reporters and internet sleuths have found personal information about phones and email addresses for a number of the chat participants, including usernames and passwords for email accounts for Hegseth, Waltz, and Gabbard. This makes it highly likely that foreign adversaries have been monitoring everything they have communicated since their nominations. [7]

There are many serious implications of this breach of national security. Here are a few:

  • Allies will NOT be sharing sensitive intelligence with the U.S. because they cannot trust that it will be kept secure. (This exacerbates their concerns raised by Trump’s behavior in his first term and his taking of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago at the end of it.)
  • U.S. soldiers’ lives are at-risk because Trump administration members are not maintaining security about upcoming military actions and allies won’t be sharing their intelligence.
  • U.S. CIA agents’ lives are at-risk because Trump administration members will include their names in unsecured communications and allies won’t be sharing their intelligence.

If you haven’t already, please contact your US Representative and Senators to express your concerns and outrage about this astonishingly dangerous national security breach. (And if you have been in touch with them, it can’t hurt to contact them again.) Ask them to demand a full investigation of the unsecured communication about the March 15 military action in Yemen. Ask them to demand the resignations, firing, impeachment, and/or prosecution of the officials involved. Hypocritically, Hegseth, Rubio, Gabbard, and Ratliffe have all stated the importance of secure handling of sensitive information and the need for accountability when it is mishandled in past attempts to criticize Democrats for supposed breaches of national security. Just imagine what Republicans would be saying if a Democrat had committed a breach anywhere near this serious!

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Hubbell, R., 3/27/25, “Signalgate: A crack in the façade?” Daily Edition Newsletter (Signalgate: A crack in the facade? – by Robert B. Hubbell)

[2]      Queally, J., 3/26, “Here are the texted war plans that Hegseth said ‘Nobody was texting’ on Signal,” Common Dreams  (https://www.commondreams.org/news/war-plans-signal-hegseth)

[3]      Cox Richardson, H., 3/24/25, “Letters from an American,” (March 24, 2025 – by Heather Cox Richardson)

[4]      Cox Richardson, H., 3/26/25, “Letters from an American,” (March 26, 2025 – by Heather Cox Richardson)

[5]      Hubbell, R., 3/25/25, “Criminal recklessness,” Daily Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/criminal-recklessness)

[6]      Editorial, 3/26/25, “A ‘gross error’ that needs to be punished,” The Boston Globe

[7]      Hubbell, R., 3/28/25, “Let’s ‘create a ruckus’,” Daily Edition Newsletter (Let’s “create a ruckus.” – by Robert B. Hubbell)

PROTEST NATIONAL SECURITY BREACH ETC.

ACTION #1: Please contact your US Representative and Senators to ask them to demand a full investigation of the major national security breach around the March 15 military attack in Yemen. They should demand the resignations, firings, or impeachment of the officials involved. There’s NO EXCUSE for them communicating secret military plans over an unsecure, commercial messaging app whose use is SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITED by Defense Department policy. Included in the chat group were the:

  • Secretaries of Defense and State,
  • President’s National Security Advisor and Chief of Staff,
  • Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director and the Director of National Intelligence,
  • Vice President, and others.

Any government employee of lower status who engaged in such a breach of security would be immediately jailed without bail. The incompetence, inexperience, lack of qualifications, and cavalier attitude toward sensitive information by these senior officials is stunning, egregious, and unacceptable. I will have more detail on this in my next post.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Note that many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.

ACTION #2: Join a protest rally or march in-person if you can.

  • Big, nationwide HANDS OFF! protests are planned for Saturday, April 5. Go to Indivisible to find an event near you. Let’s make this a huge event!
  • Nationwide protest rallies at Tesla dealerships this Saturday, March 29. Put in your zip code at #TeslaTakedown and find a rally near you. These rallies have been very effective. They’ve gained media attention, and, as I’m sure you’ve heard, Tesla sales and its stock price are down substantially.

ARE TARIFFS AND NO TAX ON TIPS GOOD POLICIES?

Trump’s proposal to eliminate taxes on tips sounds good but analysis shows it’s bad policy. Tariffs can be used effectively, but Trump’s tariff actions are already hurting our economy and will raise prices. They’re also ripe for political corruption.

Trump’s proposal to eliminate taxes on tips sounds good but careful analysis shows it would benefit few workers, be unfair, create perverse incentives, and open a door for tax avoidance. On the other hand, tariffs can be used effectively, but Trump’s on-again-off-again, high, broad-based tariffs are already hurting our economy and will raise prices for consumers and businesses. They are also ripe for political corruption.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Let’s take a step back from the dramatic and illegal actions of the Trump administration for a moment and take a look at their policy proposals on tariffs and eliminating taxes on tip income.

Trump has proposed eliminating income tax on tips, which sounds like a good policy that would help low-income workers. However, when carefully analyzed, it’s clearly a bad idea. First, it’s one more complexity in our tax code, unfairly treating some low-income workers and one type of income differently than others. It also creates a perverse incentive to create tip income, even the conversion of regular income to tip income. This is a new avenue for tax avoidance that some employers and business people would take advantage of. [1]

Second, eliminating tax on tips would help very few workers. Workers who earn less than $25 per hour and are in traditionally tipped jobs are only 2.5% of the overall workforce, which is about 4.3 million workers. However, 37% of tipped workers earn so little that they already don’t pay federal income tax. So, fewer than 2.5 million workers would benefit from eliminating tax on tips. Moreover, some low-income tipped workers would lose their eligibility for tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.

It’s unfair to give this benefit to low-wage tipped workers but no similar benefit to low-wage workers who don’t get tips, such as fast-food workers, teachers’ aides, retail cashiers, and bank tellers, for example. The biggest beneficiaries of eliminating taxes on tips would be servers in high-end, expensive restaurants who are already making a decent living.

Third, it undermines efforts to increase wages for all low-wage workers. Some employers might see this tax cut as a justification for not increasing workers’ wages. So, in effect, part of the benefit of this tax cut would go to employers rather than employees. It undermines efforts to raise the federal tipped worker minimum wage of only $2.13 per hour (set in 1993), as well as efforts to raise the regular federal minimum wage of $7.25 (set in 2009).

Fourth, it would incentivize increasing the number of tipped jobs because it would allow employers to pay $2.13 an hour rather than $7.25. Furthermore, tipping might proliferate to many services that currently aren’t tipped. Businesses might add an automatic “tip” to bills or classify a portion of their fees as “tips.” The use of “tipping” to dodge taxes could spread to a wide range of services such as car repair and servicing, appliance installation, child care, and even dental and legal services. [2]

An expansion of low wage tipped jobs is clearly not in workers’ economic interests and, furthermore, tipped work is rife with wage theft, worker mistreatment and abuse, and discrimination (including by tippers).

Turning to tariffs, Trump declared a fake economic emergency that gives him the power to unilaterally impose tariffs. Putting aside the disruptive aspects of threatening or implementing tariffs and then stepping back from them, let’s examine the role and impact of tariffs.

Tariffs can be used effectively to achieve important goals of economic and trade policy. They are most effective when they are narrowly targeted at well-defined goals as part of a larger, clearly established policy strategy. The three main goals of tariffs are: [3]

  • Protecting domestic production of specific products for reasons of national security, resilience of key supply chains, or other clearly justified purposes,
  • Protecting U.S. workers from unfair competition from specific other countries, and
  • Protecting domestic climate change and environmental policies from specific other countries with weaker policies.

High, broad-based tariffs harm the U.S. economy in multiple ways, and they do not reduce the U.S. trade deficit. They raise prices of imported goods for consumers and for businesses who use inputs that are imported. Furthermore, other countries are very likely to implement retaliatory tariffs or restrictions on the importation of U.S. products. For example, when Trump imposed tariffs on China in his first term, China retaliated with tariffs on U.S. agricultural products and a ban on the purchase of Boeing airplanes. The loss of the Chinese market had such a profound impact on U.S. farmers and ranchers that the Trump administration authorized $61 billion in emergency relief for them. This ate up (no pun intended) roughly all the tariff revenue generated by the Trump tariffs. Boeing lost the 25% of its sales that had been in China, and this strengthened the Chinese competitor to Boeing and increased its sales.

High, broad-based tariffs facilitate political corruption. They typically allow importers to petition for reductions of or exclusions from the tariffs. This favors politically connected or favored companies. The first Trump administration granted more than 100,000 exclusions or reductions to tariffs through a process that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Commerce Department’s Inspector General found lacked transparency and made inconsistent and apparently arbitrary decisions. Further analysis found that tariff reductions were used to reward political supporters and contributors, while punishing political opponents. [4]

[1]      Cooper, D., & Mast, N., 2/6/25, “‘No tax on tips’ will harm more workers than it helps,” Economic Policy Institute (https://www.epi.org/blog/no-tax-on-tips-will-harm-more-workers-than-it-helps-proposals-in-congress-and-now-20-states-could-encourage-harmful-employer-practices-and-lead-to-tip-requests-in-virtually-every-co/)

[2]      Cooper, D., & Mast, N., 2/6/25, see above.

[3]      Hersh, A. S., & Bivens, J., 2/10/25, “Tariffs – Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask,” Economic Policy Institute (https://www.epi.org/publication/tariffs-everything-you-need-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask/)

[4]      Hersh, A. S., & Bivens, J., 2/10/25, see above.

RESISTANCE AND PROTEST ACTIONS

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ACTION #1: Please contact your US Representative and Senators regularly to thank them for what they do right and encourage them to resist and protest the harmful and/or illegal actions of the Trump administration and Musk. For example:

  • If they’ve held an in-person or virtual town hall meeting for constituents, thank them. If they have not, ask them to. Or ask them to hold another one. Participate if you can. Call their office afterwards and give them feedback on it.
  • Ask them to publicly condemn the Trump administration for its failure to comply with judges’ orders and to call for congressional hearings on the Trump administration’s failure to comply with court orders and requests for information.
  • If they are Democrats, ask them to form a shadow cabinet that would provide a daily critique of the actions of the Trump administration and its cabinet secretaries. They should state what Democrats would do differently and how that would benefit the American people.
  • Ask them to oppose the elimination of funding for our libraries from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This is the only federal government agency that supports libraries.
  • Or whatever else is on your mind or in the news.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Note that many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.

ACTION #2: Join a protest rally or march in-person if you can. Big, nationwide protests are planned for Saturday, April 5, and there are many protests planned before then. Several national organizations, some with local chapters, are promoting the April 5 event as well as publicizing and organizing other protests. Here are some opportunities to find protests near you:

  • Indivisible is highlighting the April 5th event and will help you find an event near you. It has local chapters you can join and other actions you can be part of. Here’s a list of Indivisible Protests near you.
  • #TeslaTakedown. Put in your zip code and find a protest at a Tesla dealer near you. These rallies have been very effective. They’ve gained media attention, and, as I’m sure you’ve heard, Tesla sales and its stock price are down substantially.
  • 50501 is a grassroots organization listing protests organized by independent activists across the nation. It’s promoting the April 5th event, will link you to protests in your state, and allows you to add a protest to its list of actions.
  • Mobilize is a clearinghouse for protests and will help you find one near you. It also has online events, phone banking, petitions to sign and other quick actions, groups you can join, and volunteer opportunities.

HEROES OF THE RESISTANCE

The resistance to Trump, Musk, and Republicans is growing. You are all heroes for whatever you’ve contributed to the resistance. There are many heroes, including federal workers who work diligently despite the chaos and threats, as well as those who have resigned or resisted being fired to protest.
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The resistance to the Trump administration, Musk and DOGE, and the Republicans in Congress is growing. You are all heroes for whatever actions you’ve contributed to the resistance. There are some heroes that I would like to highlight, including federal workers, some who continue to diligently do their jobs despite the chaos, threats, and demeaning actions of the Trump administration and some who have resigned or resisted being fired to protest.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The resistance is growing. Thank you for your participation! Thank you for pushing back and supporting the resistance in whatever ways you can, from donating money to in-person protesting to honking or waving in support of protesters you’ve seen. I hope you’re seeing, hearing about, and feeling the resistance from many people in many ways. I hope you’ve contacted your members of Congress to ask them to block or protest onerous actions of the Trump administration.

I hope you’ve participated in, seen, or read about the town hall meetings where both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have gotten strong pushback from their constituents. I imagine you’ve heard that the Republican leaders in Congress have recommended that their members NOT hold town hall meetings because of all the negative feedback they’re getting. That’s the result of all the feedback you and others have been delivering in-person and via all the various communication modes.

You’re all heroes of the resistance!

Another hero is Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, who spoke to Trump directly at the National Prayer Service after his inauguration and asked him to show mercy for immigrants and LGBTQ+ individuals. I hope other religious leaders will call out the inhumanity of many of the actions of the Trump administration. I urge you to ask religious leaders you interact with to stand up and speak out.

I want to highlight for you a few of the heroes in our federal government workforce. But first I’d like to acknowledge and thank every federal worker who’s on the job every day working hard to serve the American people despite the demeaning rhetoric and threats from Trump, Musk, and others. Many of them are working to hold the Trump administration accountable, but unfortunately we will never know about most of them and what they’ve done on our behalf. It’s important to acknowledge that, despite threats and risks, many of them are doing heroic work. It’s good for them to know we’ve got their backs and for us to know they’re pushing back from the inside as we’re pushing back from the outside. See We the builders for more on federal workers and how they and their unions are pushing back.

Nicholas Enrich was the acting assistant administrator for global health at USAID until March 2 when he was abruptly put on leave. He is a hero for working to keep programs functioning despite a workforce slashed from 783 to less than 70. And despite the freeze on funding. Funds were supposedly freed up by temporary waivers from the Secretary of State for lifesaving assistance. Enrich tried repeatedly to make the waivers work but was blocked at every turn.

He and others wrote a series of memos, which became public, documenting what was happening and what the impact would be. Despite his diligent work, Enrich was put on leave. [1]

The memos share estimates that without USAID’s work and funding more than 16 million pregnant women and more than 11 million newborns will not get medical care; more than 14 million children will not get care for pneumonia and diarrhea (among the top causes of preventable deaths for children under the age of 5); 200,000 children will be paralyzed with polio; 1 million children will not be treated for severe malnutrition; and 2.3 million children a year will die because they will not get vaccinated. There will be at least an additional 12.5 million cases of malaria this year, leading to 71,000 to 166,000 avoidable deaths.

USAID leaders estimated there will be a roughly 30% increase in cases of tuberculosis (TB). The increased tuberculosis infections and disruptions to treatment will cause TB to develop drug resistance, making future treatment options more difficult and costly. This will inevitably lead to more cases in the U.S. USAID staff forecast about 80 additional cases of multi-drug-resistant TB in the U.S. each year as a result. These cases will cost the U.S. millions in tax dollars because it costs roughly $500,000 to treat someone with drug-resistant TB.

There are many judges and public prosecutors who are heroes. Among them are U.S. District Judge Amir Ali. He has now ordered the Trump administration four times to pay the $2 billion owed to USAID contractors. U.S. District Judges William Alsup, Amy Berman Jackson, James Bredan, Tanya Chutkan, Jesse Furman, Beryl Howell, and Lauren King are also heroes. [2]

Eight senior prosecutors at the Department of Justice (DOJ) resigned rather than present a motion to dismiss the charges against NY Mayor Eric Adams. Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY, led the way by resigning when ordered by deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove to file for dismissal of the case against Adams, apparently in exchange for Adams’s agreement to help the Trump administration implement its anti-immigrant policies. Kevin Briscoll, John Keller, Hagan Scotten, and four others also resigned. [3]

Trump has attempted to fire 18 Inspector Generals (IGs) in various departments of the federal government. At least eight of them have filed suits claiming they were fired illegally. The IGs’ role is explicitly to ensure effective and efficient operation of their agencies by detecting and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse, while making recommendations for enhanced functioning. Their track records are impressive. Here’s a list of some of them and some highlights of their work: [4]

  • Robert Storch, Dept. of Defense, 281 reports, 970 recommendations, $10.8 billion impact.
  • Michael Missal, Dept. of Veterans Affairs, 10,000 recommendations, $45 billion impact.
  • Christi Grimm, Dept. Health and Human Services, 1,300 reports, $18.5 billion impact.
  • Carde Richardson, Dept. of State, $17 million impact in 8 months.
  • Sandra Bruce, Dept. of Education, 739 recommendations, $1.2 billion impact.
  • Larry Turner, Labor Dept., 400 recommendations, $75 billion impact.
  • Mike Ware, Small Business Administration and acting at the Social Security Administration, $14 billion impact plus $30 billion seized or returned to the U.S. Treasury.
  • Paul Martin, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), documented the waste of funding and aid, as well as the impaired functioning of USAID, based on Musk’s interference and personnel cuts, among other things.
  • Phyllis Fong, Dept. of Agriculture, 7,250 reports, $19 billion impact. She refused to leave when fired and had to be dragged from her office. Among other things, she was investigating Musk’s company, Neuralink.

Here’s a quick list of some other heroes: [5]

  • Denise Cheung, a senior DOJ attorney, resigned after refusing to launch a fraudulent criminal investigation into grantees of an environmental program.
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James and Georgia District Attorney Fani Wills each prosecuted Trump despite threats and personal attacks.
  • Brian Driscoll, acting FBI Director, and his deputy, Robert Kissane, refused a DOJ order to assist in firing FBI employees who had investigated the January 6 insurrection.
  • Ellen Weintraub, chair of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), is resisting Trump’s illegal attempt to remove her.
  • Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, which protects whistleblowers and enforces the prohibition on federal employees engaging in political activity, is suing Trump for firing him illegally.
  • Gwynne Wilcox, chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), is suing Trump for illegally firing her. By firing her, Trump made the NLRB unable to function because it lacks the quorum necessary to make decisions. By the way, there are 24 cases against Musk companies pending before the NLRB. (Note: She was recently reinstated by a judge’s ruling.)
  • And many, many more.

[1]      Murphy, B., & Barry-Jester, A. M., 3/3/25, “Internal memos: Senior USAID leaders warned Trump appointees of hundreds of thousands of deaths from closing agency,” ProPublica (https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doge-rubio-usaid-musk-death-toll-malaria-polio-tuberculosis)

[2]      Reich, R., 3/3/25, “The Trump-Vance-Musk-Putin manosphere,” Robert Reich blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-trump-vance-musk-putin-manosphere)

[3]      Ifill, S., 2/28/25, “When lawyers stand up,” The Contrarian (https://contrarian.substack.com/p/when-lawyers-stand-up)

[4]      Rubin, J., 2/14/25, “Undaunted,” The Contrarian (https://contrarian.substack.com/p/undaunted-aea)

[5]      Reich, R., 2/13/25, “Profiles in courage,” Robert Reich blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/profiles-in-courage)

STOP THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION SPENDING BILL

I’m sorry to be in your inbox again this week, but this is a real emergency.

Please contact your US Senators NOW and ask them to vote against the Continuing Resolution (CR) spending bill that the House Republicans passed. It would fund the federal government until September and avoid a shutdown but has many very objectionable provisions. If you have a Democratic Senator, ask them to filibuster the CR. That’s probably the only way to stop it. Keep in mind that the Republicans are doing a CR because they can’t come up with a regular budget.

Normally, a Continuing Resolution, as the name implies, extends current spending levels but this one slashes most spending, such as a $1 billion in DC (even though it’s local tax dollars and will cut public safety and other vital services), and increases defense spending (there’s more waste, fraud, and abuse in the defense budget than anywhere else in the federal government, so if anything should be cut, defense should be). Furthermore, the CR doesn’t rein in Musk, doesn’t stop illegal firings and withholding of approved funding, and doesn’t block Trump’s tariffs and end the fake “economic emergency” Trump declared that gives him unilateral power to implement tariffs.

Without these provisions, a government shutdown is no worse than what Trump and Musk are already doing. And the CR would explicitly let them continue what they’re doing through next September!

You can find contact information for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Note that many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.

RESISTANCE ACTIONS ON UKRAINE AND TRUMP

ACTION #1: I strongly urge you to contact your US Representative and Senators NOW and ask them to support Ukraine. Here’s a sample message. Feel free to tailor it and put it in your own voice.

Please speak out loudly and clearly, and do everything in your power, to support Ukraine and democracy, while strongly opposing Putin, Russia, and dictators. I’m appalled by Trump’s, Vance’s, and Republicans’ attacks on Ukraine and Zelensky! Their withdrawal of satellite imagery and intelligence support for Ukraine is putting civilian and front lines troops’ lives at greater risk. This is horrifying!

Also, please do everything you can to prevent the Trump administration from lifting economic sanctions on Russia. Lifting them would be very harmful to Ukraine and to the struggle between democracies and autocracies worldwide.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Note that many offices only accept messages on a voice mail system. In most cases, you can call outside of regular business hours and leave a message.

ACTION #2: This is actually three sample messages for President Trump. Feel free to tailor them and put them in your own voice. You can do any one of them, all of them at once, or do them in three separate calls or emails.

President Trump please:

  • Tell Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy to work aggressively to stop the measles outbreak and the spread of bird flu. If more people die and egg prices keep going up, you will get hell from me and the American people!
  • Tell Musk to stop the firings at the Social Security Administration and the Veterans Administration. If those services deteriorate, I and the many other members of the public who rely on those services will be very unhappy, to say the least!
  • Stop your tariffs, the Republican budget, and Musk’s disruptive actions because if they crash the stock market and the economy, as they appear to be doing, you can be sure that Americans from all walks of life will be quite angry!

You can email President Trump at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ or you can call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111, which is available only on Tuesday through Thursday between 11 am and 3 pm Eastern time.

TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS DO NOT CARE ABOUT MAKING GOVERNMENT WORK BETTER

The Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress are not trying to make government work better. They’re focused on destroying our federal government and making it unable to perform functions we all rely on in our everyday lives. They also plan to give huge tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations. Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to oppose the draconian budget Republicans have proposed.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

I probably don’t need to tell you that the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress are not trying to make government work better. Rather, they want to destroy our federal government and leave it unable to perform functions we all rely on in our everyday lives.

This post will examine the Republicans’ budget proposal. My previous post documented the random slashing of personnel, which does not increase efficiency or make government work better. More examples of this have emerged in recent days. The Trump administration has disbanded the information technology group that was working to make the federal government’s public websites more user-friendly and functional. So, for example, it will no longer be working to make it easier and faster to get a passport from the Department of State or to use the free tax filing service of the IRS. [1] Many cybersecurity personnel from multiple agencies have been fired. Computer systems in the U.S. are not being effectively protected and Russia and other adversaries know this. Moreover, it has been reported that the Trump administration has stopped efforts to counter Russian cyberattacks. [2] Obviously, these actions are not doing anything to make the government more effective and efficient; quite the opposite.

Turning to the budget, the Republicans in Congress have proposed draconian cuts to agency and program budgets. They’ve set dollar-amount targets for cuts that reflect no analysis of need or efficiency. Their budget proposal has big cuts in everything that supports working Americans and their families. However, it includes big increases for defense and immigrant detention and deportation. It also extends and expands the very large 2017 tax cuts for wealthy corporations and individuals, which would cost $4.5 trillion over the next ten years. For example, the wealthiest 1% of Americans, with yearly incomes of over $743,000, would get an annual tax cut averaging $62,000. This is more than the yearly incomes of most of the 72 million people in the US who receive health insurance under Medicaid, many of whom are seniors in nursing homes. And make no mistake about it, Medicaid would have to be cut dramatically to meet the Republicans’ budget targets. [3]

These budget cuts are NOT about cutting waste or fraud; they are about cutting programs that working Americans rely on every day – from health care to nutrition programs to student loans to child and elder care. These deep cuts in programs are being proposed to make the tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations affordable, i.e., to keep them from exploding the budget deficit. Note that the Republicans’ budget proposal does NOT extend the tax credits that make health care more affordable under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obama Care) for 20 million low- and middle-income Americans, including three million small business owners and self-employed individuals. The Republicans’ budget proposal would also shift significant costs to state and local governments – which don’t have the capacity to pay them.

Despite the draconian programmatic cuts, the Republican budget proposal would increase the national debt by $4 trillion in less than two years.

It is abundantly clear that the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, along with Musk and DOGE, have no interest in efficiency or making government work better. They want to break our government and turn our democracy into a dictatorship. Moreover, they act like bullies; being cruel and hurting people appears to be one of their goals. Why else would you separate children from parents and post gloating videos of immigrants in chains?

Mindless slashing of agency budgets and staff is harming our safety in multiple ways and weakening our economy. It will increase homelessness, hunger, and hardship for many; it will allow diseases to spread and environmental damage to grow.

I urge you to contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to take strong action to oppose the draconian budget cuts Republicans are proposing.

If you have members of Congress who are Democrats, urge them to form a shadow cabinet and identify a party spokesperson. These individuals should critique the actions of the Trump administration on a daily basis by:

  • Identifying what it’s doing right and what it’s doing wrong.
  • Sharing data and people’s stories to document the damage that’s being done.
  • Presenting what Democrats would do differently and how people’s lives would be better if Democrats were running the government.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

In my next post, I’ll share some profiles in courage of those resisting and good news about how the resistance is growing and proving to be effective.

[1]      Hubbell, R., 3/3/25, “Every effort matters – now more than ever!” Today’s Edition Newsletter (Every effort matters—now more than ever!)

[2]      Cox Richardson, H., 3/2/25, “Letters from an American,” (March 2, 2025 – by Heather Cox Richardson)

[3]      Parrott, S., 2/25/25, “House budget would increase costs and hardship for many while providing huge tax breaks for a wealthy few,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/house-budget-would-increase-costs-and-hardship-for-many-while-providing-huge-tax)

TRUMP, DOGE, AND THE REPUBLICANS DO NOT CARE ABOUT EFFICIENCY

The Trump administration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the Republicans in Congress do not care about efficiency and making government work better. They are focused on destroying our federal government and making it unable to perform functions we all rely on in our everyday lives. Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to oppose indiscriminate firing of federal workers.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

I probably don’t need to tell you that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) does not care about efficiency. DOGE and the Trump administration are focused on destroying our federal government and making it unable to perform functions we all rely on in our everyday lives.

They are undermining the agencies and systems that keep us safe, including:

  • Military and intelligence systems that keep us, our country, and our troops safe from physical and cyber attacks.
  • Law enforcement agencies that keep us safe from both physical and cyber crime.
  • Public health agencies that protect us from diseases and unsafe air and water.
  • Agencies that keep us safe from dangerous consumer products, financial scams, and hazardous working conditions.
  • The agency that keeps us safe when we fly.

They are undermining everything that makes us a civilized society, and, of course, everything that makes us a democracy, including the health and education systems that allow all of us and our economy to prosper.

Their extensive and random firings of employees with no rationale other than claiming financial savings from reducing the payroll make it clear their intent is destruction and NOT efficiency. The fraudulent nature of their claims of waste is exposed by the situations where they have had to re-hire employees after learning what the employees did. These are NOT thoughtful reductions in the workforce after carefully identifying opportunities for efficiency; this is indiscriminate slashing of the workforce.

Roughly 11% (more than one out of ten) of the 2.4 million federal civilian employees (excluding postal workers) have been fired, have resigned, or have otherwise been relieved of their positions. Most have been relatively new employees within their two-year probationary period. No assessment was made of the need for these workers or of their job performance.

Here are just a few examples (of many) of their destructive firings and forced departures of government workers: [1]

  • The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has had 300 employees cut, despite 90% of its facilities having been previously identified as being understaffed. It was already short 3,000 air traffic controllers and at least 800 technicians. The airliner crash in D.C. may have been because air traffic control hadn’t paid enough attention to keeping the military helicopter out of the airspace of the jet that was landing. The more recent close calls in Chicago and D.C., where a plane landing had to abort because there was another plane on or near the runway, almost certainly reflect air traffic control errors.
  • Workers tracking the bird flu virus were fired and then re-hired.
  • Workers overseeing the safety of our nuclear weapons were fired and then re-hired. Roughly 300 fired employees at the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) were re-hired after DOGE learned that they were responsible for managing the US nuclear weapons arsenal.
  • Senior military leaders, including the leaders of the military justice system, were fired and are being replaced with political loyalists. This is not about efficiency; it’s about establishing dictatorial power.
  • 76,000 civilian employees at the Defense Department will be fired. The largest amount of waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government is in the Defense Department, and particularly in its contracts with private companies. Yet this has not been a focus of DOGE. A huge reduction in civilian employees will undoubtedly weaken the oversight of contracts with private companies. Ironically, in the budget outline just approved by Republicans in Congress, the Defense Department receives a significant increase ($100 billion over 10 years in the House’s proposal and $150 billion in the Senate’s)! This makes it unequivocally clear that cutting waste, fraud, and abuse is NOT what Trump, DOGE, and the Republicans are doing.
  • The Social Security Commissioner has been removed, five of eight regional commissioners have departed, and the plan is to fire half of the 57,000 workers at the Social Security Administration, despite it already being at a 50 year low in its number of employees. How long will it be before Social Security is unable to enroll new eligible seniors, to stop payments to those who have passed away, to resolve problems, and even, ultimately, to keep payments flowing to current recipients?
  • Over a dozen senior leaders and 1,000 of the 17,000 employees (6%) at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are gone, despite pre-existing personnel shortages. Many of its most experienced disaster recovery leaders are gone, with hurricane season arriving shortly.
  • Over a dozen Inspectors General and the director of the office that protects whistleblowers have been fired. These offices were specifically established to root out waste and fraud in government, so this is clearly NOT an effort to increase efficiency. It can only be seen as an effort to allow waste and fraud that benefits Trump, Musk, members of the administration, and their cronies.
  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been shut down. This is clearly NOT an effort to increase efficiency. It can only be seen as an effort to allow fraud and abusive financial practices that benefit Trump, Musk, and large banks, credit card, and financial companies.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its 15,000 employees will be cut by 65%.
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has lost 1,000 workers. Its weather, marine, and storm forecasts are essential to all Americans. It also operates the two U.S. tsunami warning centers and staff there have been fired.
  • The Small Business Administration has had 20% of its staff cut (720 people).
  • USAID has been shut down and on and on.

It is abundantly clear that the Trump administration, Musk, DOGE, and Republicans in Congress have no interest in efficiency or making government work better. They want to break our government and turn our democracy into a dictatorship. Mindlessly slashing hundreds of thousands of government workers is harming our safety in multiple ways and weakening our economy. It is increasing unemployment and the number of people who will need public assistance because they can’t pay the rent, afford health care, or pay for food and medicine. It reduces what these former government employees pay in taxes and contribute to the economy through their everyday spending.

I urge you to contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to take action to stop the indiscriminate firing of government workers. You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Cox Richardson, H., 2/27/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-27-2025)

ECONOMIC BOYCOTT AND OTHER ACTIONS TO TAKE NOW TO RESIST

Here are three action opportunities to resist Trump and Republicans at the national and state levels.

ACTION #1: A national, 24-hour economic boycott will occur on Friday, Feb. 28. Please plan ahead so that on 2/28 you can:

  • NOT shop online or in stores; NOT make any purchases if at all possible. In particular, do NOT shop at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and other stores that have dropped their DEI commitments.
  • NOT use credit cards, debit cards, or any electronic payment systems.
  • NOT click on ads on social media.

If you must make an emergency purchase (e.g., food, medicine), shop at small, local businesses and use cash if you can.

Please SPREAD THIS MESSAGE. Talk about it, post about it, share it, and document your actions on 2/28!

THIS MATTERS because retail, financial, and other corporations only care about their bottom line. A noticeable blip in their business, even for just a day, will send a powerful message.

ACTION #2: Blue Wave is running a postcard campaign in support of Wisconsin Democratic Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford. Election day is April 1. The outcome of the race will determine the balance of power on the Court through 2028. Maintaining the 4 – 3 Democratic majority is essential to protecting constitutional rights in Wisconsin (such as access to women’s reproductive health services), supporting unionization, requiring fair electoral maps, and ensuring free and fair elections in 2026 and beyond.

The postcards must be purchased in packets of 100 and come with stick-on address labels. (If you don’t want to do 100, find a friend to share the work.) They have a VERY short message for you to write and are a great way to help win this election.

More information about Judge Crawford and her campaign is here. Donate if you can.

ACTION #3: There are two special elections for seats in the U.S. House from Florida on April 1. As you know, the balance in the House between Democrats and Republicans is very close and winning these two seats would narrow the margin and give Democrats greater strength. For now, donate if you can. I’ll share other ways to get involved in the future.

Gay Valimont (Democrat) is running in the special election for Florida’s 1st congressional district. (The special election will fill the seat left by Matt Gaetz, who resigned from office after Trump nominated him for attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew from consideration for that position.)

More information about Ms. Valimont and her campaign is here.

Josh Weil (Democrat) is running in the special election for Florida’s 6th congressional district. (The special election will fill the seat left by Michael Waltz, who Trump nominated to serve as national security advisor.)

More information about Mr. Weil and his campaign is here.

STOP TRUMP NOMINEES FOR EDUCATION AND MEDICARE / MEDICAID NOW!

I strongly urge you to contact your US Senators NOW and demand that they block the confirmation of Trump nominees Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education and Dr. Mehmet Oz for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS oversees health care for more than 150 million Americans. Call if you can or email your Senators. Here’s a sample message:

Please speak out loudly and clearly, and do everything in your power, to stop Linda McMahon from being confirmed as Secretary of Education and Dr. Oz from being confirmed as Administrator of CMS. Both nominees are extremely unqualified for these jobs. Maintaining our public education and health care systems is critical to the future of our country. Neither of these nominees has the experience or expertise to oversee these critical systems.

Please stop these nominees NOW! If you have to stage a sit-in in the Senate chamber to get the attention of your colleagues, the mainstream media, and the public, please do so. Dramatic action is required to stop these dramatically unqualified nominees.

You can find contact information for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

STOP MUSK AND DOGE FROM ACCESSING IRS RECORDS NOW!

I strongly urge you to contact your US Representative and Senators NOW and demand that they stop Musk and DOGE from accessing your (and everyone else’s) IRS records. Here’s a sample message:

Please speak out loudly and clearly, and do everything in your power, to stop Musk and his DOGE group from accessing IRS records. I do not want them looking at my financial and tax information at the IRS.

Sharing IRS records with anyone outside of the IRS typically results in jail time. IRS employees who access records without authorization are seriously disciplined.

There is absolutely no justification for Musk and DOGE having access to IRS records and the potential for harm is immense.

Please stop them NOW!

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

THE RESISTANCE IS GROWING

The resistance to the coup and dictatorship of President Trump and co-President Musk is growing. Non-violent resistance has overthrown many dictatorships in recent decades. There are a wide range of actions we can take to resist Trump and his cronies. Don’t acquiesce; participate in the resistance and fight back.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

President Trump and co-president Musk continue their deluge of destructive and generally illegal actions. Republicans in Congress and in the states are standing by mutely and acquiescing to everything Trump and Musk are doing. They are complicit in the coup.

Elsewhere, the resistance is growing. Democrats in Congress and on the ground are starting to find their voices although they need to speak out more frequently and more forcefully. Federal workers are starting to find their voices and, with the help of lawyers, to push back. Lawyers and the courts are starting to find their voices and to stand up for the rule of law.

All of us are starting to find our voices and are pushing back more and more, both individually and collectively. We need to be louder. We need to do more. We need to badger our elected officials into doing more. They are our elected representatives; they should represent us.

As the negative effects of Trump’s and Musk’s actions are starting to hit home, more and more Americans, including in Republican districts, are starting to pushback. For example, the farmers in the Midwest whose agricultural products are not being purchased by US AID for foreign aid are complaining about the loss of sales and the potential impact on the prices they get for their products.

My previous post suggested actions to take. Everyone can do something and every little bit of protest and resistance matters. These actions and many more (198 in total) are listed in the book From Dictatorship to Democracy (Gene Sharp, 2012, CPI Group Ltd., UK). It was originally published as a pamphlet in Bangkok in 1993 by the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in Burma. The original pamphlet and now the book are viewed by many as the go-to guide for non-violent resistance. It played a key role in the uprisings of the Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011. These pro-democracy protests and revoltstook place in the Middle East and North Africa. They challenged and toppled entrenched authoritarian governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and most recently, after a long struggle, in Syria.

Since 1980, regime change through non-violent resistance has occurred in numerous countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Madagascar, Mali, Bolivia, the Philippines, and the Ukraine. Significant non-violent resistance has taken place in numerous other countries including the Tiananmen Square protest in China and the protests in Hong Kong against the Chinese takeover.

Here in the U.S., we don’t face nearly as daunting a challenge as the people of these countries did, so I’m sure we can succeed. I’m not saying it will be quick or easy; it certainly wasn’t in most of these other examples. However, if we work together and each of us makes a commitment to do what we can, we will succeed.

As Sharp writes, dictators rely on the acquiescence of the people they rule. They need people to acquiesce to the authority they claim, i.e., to obey and often to cooperate or even assist the dictatorship. Refusing to acquiesce is a key piece of resistance. This applies not only to individuals but also to the organizations and institutions they are part of.

Dictatorships are inherently unstable because of lack of competency, inefficiency due to decision making based on favoritism and whims, internal strife due to personal and institutional conflicts and rivalries, and the instability of hierarchical power structures.

Sharp identifies three types of non-violent resistance:

  • Protest and persuasion
  • Non-cooperation
  • Intervention

Protest and persuasion can include:

  • Formal statements in speeches or in writing presented in the full range of media.
  • Symbolic acts, such as commemorating an event or person with a moment of silence or placing flowers at a relevant site, or by wearing buttons or relevant colors.
  • Physical acts, including protest rallies, marches, or sit-ins; as well as protest songs and acting performances in skits (such as SNL) or plays.

Non-cooperation is essential for effective resistance and has three sub-types:

  • Social actions, such as boycotts or cancellations of events, walkouts from social institutions or events, and turning one’s back at events.
  • Economic actions, including targeted or widespread consumer boycotts of companies, strikes (including a short-term general strike of all workers and all consumers), work slowdowns or sick-outs, and a refusal to cooperate from key experts.
  • Political actions, such as rejection of the dictator’s authority through speeches, writing, or actions; boycotting or blockading governmental buildings, agencies, or bodies; non-cooperation with government officials or agencies; and civil disobedience.

Intervention can include occupation of facilities, publicized fasting, overloading governmental administrative systems, exposing and publicizing the actions of and the individuals cooperating with the dictator’s regime, and mock trials of government officials.

There have been many local resistance actions and a national resistance movement is beginning to develop.

  • Friday, February 28, will be a one-day consumer economic boycott where customers will not buy anything and in particular will avoid using credit and debit cards and other electronic payment systems.
  • Saturday, April 19, appears to be developing as a day for nationwide rallies and marches.

Stay tuned. There’s much more to come.

RESIST! OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN DANGER

These are unprecedented and dangerous times for our democracy. Things are worse than I thought they’d be. President Trump and co-President Musk are hard at work attempting a coup to establish a dictatorship. They want to create chaos, fear, and despair, while breaking our government and destroying our democratic institutions. We as citizens of a democracy must take action to resist the coup and the would-be dictators. There are a very wide range of actions you can take. See options below.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

In November, just after the election, I wrote, “This is a post I never thought I’d write. In January, the United States of America will unequivocally become a plutocratic oligarchy with strong elements of fascism. …  we and our country are in for some dark and difficult times. Take care of yourself and nurture the strength for the fights ahead.

I’m not giving up hope or the values and principles I espouse in this blog. Things will get worse, perhaps much worse, before we can turn things around. The fight for democracy has often been hard, and, as I’ve written before, democracy is not a spectator sport.

After a period of mourning and to rest and recuperate from the shock and horror, we all need to get to work fighting for our democracy and the vulnerable members of our society.” (The post is here.)

Well, things are worse than I thought they’d be. I never thought I’d write that there’s a bloodless (so far) coup underway and that our President (and co-President) are hard at work attempting to establish a dictatorship.

Needless to say, these are unprecedented and dangerous times for our democracy. President Trump’s and co-President Musk’s actions have been far more aggressive, far-reaching, and damaging than I think anyone expected. Trump seems to be focused on foreign matters and Musk on domestic ones.

Their goal is clearly to create chaos, fear, and despair. They’re trying to break our government and destroy our democratic institutions. They don’t care about democracy, the rule of law, or anyone but themselves and their cronies.

In the maelstrom of all they’re doing, it’s important to sort the wheat from the chaff and focus on what’s having a crucial, and generally immediate, effect. A lot of what Trump is doing and saying is just hot air and smoke meant to distract from the really important actions.

Right now, I’d urge us to focus on the coup (that is what it is) they’re executing by single-handedly and illegally asserting control over government agencies and spending. We also need to focus on their efforts to destroy the rule of law, which is a cornerstone of democracy and an essential element of their coup.

They’re asserting dictatorial powers over the federal government and its spending, denying any role for Congress. So much for the checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches of government clearly spelled out in the Constitution. (By the way, don’t believe for a second that Trump and Musk have any allegiance to or intent to uphold the Constitution. When Trump swore at his inauguration to uphold the Constitution, that was the first lie of his second term.)

They’re flouting privacy laws by accessing information and data, including your and my personal data, without any authorization. They’re making each of us and our country less safe and secure. With the chaos they have caused at the Department of Justice and the FBI, we are more at risk for everything from ordinary crime to identity theft. Their breaching of sensitive federal government computer systems makes the government and each of us more vulnerable to hackers and cybercrime. The focus of the Secretary of Defense on the Mexican border and purging diversity, equity, inclusion, and transgender individuals from the military has diverted attention from real foreign threats. This makes us more vulnerable to terrorism and foreign attacks of all kinds.

Oh, and by the way, none of their actions have done anything to reduce inflation or bring down the price of groceries. Quite to the contrary, Trump’s spat and threatened tariffs on Columbia have spiked the price of coffee. And the failure and anticipated failure of the CDC to tackle the bird flu, have spiked the price of eggs. Not to mention the impact of tariffs on prices.

We as citizens of a democracy must take action to resist the coup and the would-be dictators. There are a very wide range of actions you can take; there’s something everyone can do, and every little bit helps.

I encourage you to contact your U.S. Representative and your Senators. Urge them to do whatever they can to block the illegal actions and coup by President Trump and co-President Musk. Call if you can (and if their voice mailboxes aren’t full) and try both local and Washington phone numbers. Or email them using their contact forms or email addresses. (You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.)

Here are some other ways to protest and resist. I also encourage you to be creative and come up with your own.

  • Wear a button, a T-shirt with a message, and/or a color symbolic of resistance.
  • Boycott X (formerly Twitter), Tesla, Amazon, The Washington Post, Facebook, etc. and/or protest in front of stores of companies that are capitulating to Trump.
  • Communicate. Talk to others, like and share resistance messaging on social media, and/or send letters to the editor of media outlets or submit online comments.
  • Join the protests in the streets.
  • Support those protesting and those resisting (e.g., government employees Trump and Musk are trying to fire, lawyers and non-profits filing lawsuits, etc.).
  • Give financial support to media that are standing up to Trump, to lawyers and organizations who are suing Trump and Musk, and to those organizing protests.
  • Get organizations you belong to and their leaders to speak out, e.g., religious organizations and clergy.

OUR CORRUPT CAMPAIGN FINANCING SYSTEM part 3

U.S. political campaigns are awash in money. American oligarchs are buying our elected officials, thereby corrupting all facets of government. We must reform campaign financing to preserve our democracy. Matching small campaign contributions with public funds in a system that restricts the size and source of campaign contributions is the most effective answer to big money in our elections, particularly within the context of current Supreme Court rulings.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

My previous three posts have focused on how a miniscule group of billionaires (aka the American oligarchs) are buying our elected officials (here), using super PACs to do so (here) and expecting a return on their “investments,” all of which corrupt our government (here). They also highlighted how big donors are using non-profit organizations that don’t have to report donors to hide their identities and how super PACs are violating the law by coordinating with candidates’ campaigns. Unfortunately, the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is failing to enforce campaign finance laws. Meanwhile, Congress has failed to act, although bills to reform campaign financing have been on the table. [1]

In the 2024 election campaigns, donors who spent at least $5 million spent more than twice as much as they had in the 2020 presidential election cycle. About 44% ($480 million) of all the money spent on Trump’s campaign came from just ten individual donors. The wealthy individuals spending tens and hundreds of millions of dollars on campaigns are motivated by greed (they expect a return on investment for their spending), as well as a desire for power and influence. Elon Musk (Tesla, X, Space X, Starlink, etc.) is the most visible of these oligarchs. He appears to be motivated primarily by a desire for power and influence. Jeff Bezos (Amazon and the Washington Post) and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta, Facebook, and Instagram) appear to be motivated primarily by greed and fear that Trump would retaliate and hurt their businesses if they didn’t support him. Peter Thiel (vulture capitalist and sponsor of J. D. Vance) appears to be motivated primarily by a desire for power and influence. Trump and J. D. Vance appear to be motivated primarily by a desire for power, although wealth may be a close second.

This huge spending on campaigns corrupts who runs for elected offices, who wins, what issues governments address, what policy alternatives are considered and adopted, and how laws are implemented and enforced (or not). The oligarchs’ spending buys access to elected and regulatory officials. It allows them to influence policies such as regulations and tax laws, as well as enforcement of them. [2]

More and more of the money spent on congressional races is coming from out-of-state donors, highlighting that big spenders are looking for a return on their investments, not just supporting their local congressional candidates. It also means that our elected officials are more likely to be responsive to wealthy special interests than to the constituents who actually live in their congressional districts.

The huge amount of money in supposedly democratic, one person one vote, elections is obscene. The buying of our elected officials by wealthy interests is corrupting all facets of our governments. To preserve democracy, we must reform campaign financing laws and push back against the power and influence of the oligarchs.

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis faced these issues roughly a century ago. As a lawyer, often doing pro bono work in the public interest, he successfully challenged the powerful railroad, street car, electricity, and banking companies, as well as their wealthy owners.

The current situation makes clear how right Brandeis, a fervent supporter of democracy, was when he wrote almost 100 years ago, “We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” How true those words ring today. [3]

An ancillary effect of the incredible cost of election campaigns is that elected officials must spend substantial time fundraising from the day they get elected. This diverts time, energy, and attention from policy making and legislating, as well as from interacting with constituents.

Before Republicans took control of the House in 2022, The Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747) was developed and introduced in the Senate to address the issues of big money and dark money in our elections. It included most of the key provisions of the For the People Act and the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, which had previously been passed by Democrats in the House. Unfortunately, Republicans in the Senate blocked these bills and there is no hope for such reforms at the national level with Republicans fully in control now. (For more details see this previous post.)

The Freedom to Vote Act included provisions that would have: [4]

  • Reformed the campaign finance system by
    • a) requiring enhanced disclosure of all major donors by any entity spending more than $10,000,
    • b) ensuring super PACs are truly independent of candidates, and
    • c) strengthening enforcement of campaign finance laws.
  • Created a system for matching small donations with public funds in U.S. House campaigns that states and candidates could opt into. It would have matched each dollar of small donations with $6 of public funds in exchange for limiting the size of donations. This would eliminate the need for candidates to rely on large donations from wealthy special interests with their corrupting influence.

Given the control of the federal government by Republicans, oligarchs, and the six corrupt Supreme Court justices, people working to limit the influence of wealthy interests in our elections will need to focus at the state and local levels for now. State and local governments can enact laws implementing all of the provisions for the Freedom to Vote Act above: enhanced disclosure and transparency for campaign spending, requirements that super PAC and other outside spending is truly independent of candidates’ campaigns, public matching funds for small contributions to campaigns, and strict enforcement of campaign financing laws. [5]

Matching small campaign contributions with public funds in a system that restricts the size and source of campaign contributions is the most effective answer to big money in our elections, particularly within the context of current Supreme Court rulings. Such systems have been in place in multiple states for some time and in New York State starting in 2024. A number of municipalities also have such systems, including a very successful one in New York City since 1988. (See this previous post for more details.)

Given that the state and national parties set the rules for their primaries, they could address campaign finance reform. They could, for example, ban super PAC money and dark money in party primaries, as well as require strict disclosure of donors. So far, the Democratic National Committee has refused to consider such campaign finance rules, despite a push from some internal groups to do so. Apparently, it is still too wedded to big donors to be willing to work for government of, by, and for the people, as opposed to wealthy special interests.

I encourage you to contact your local and state elected officials, as well as state and national party officials, to ask them to enact campaign finance reforms. The corrupting influence of big money in our elections must be reversed if the U.S. is to be a democracy where all voters have a fair, if not equal, voice in our government. Money should not drown out the voices of citizens, and even candidates, in our elections. And voters have a right to know who is spending money to try to influence their vote. Justice Brandeis summed it all up by saying, “The end for which we must strive is the attainment of rule by the people” as opposed to rule by the oligarchs who are buying our elected officials and government.

[1]      Pino, M. & Fishman, J., 1/14/25, “Fifteen years later, Citizens United defined the 2024 election,” Brennan Center for Justice (Fifteen Years Later, Citizens United Defined the 2024 Election | Brennan Center for Justice)

[2]      Goldstein, L., 12/10/24, “The money game,” The American Prospect (The Money Game – The American Prospect)

[3]      Dilliard, I., editor, 1941, “Mr. Justice Brandeis: Great American,” with quotes from Lonergan, R., 10/14/41, “A steadfast friend of labor,” Labor (pages 42 – 43) (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015009170443&seq=9)

[4]      Brennan Center for Justice, retrieved 1/19/25, “The Freedom to Vote Act,” (https://www.brennancenter.org/freedom-vote-act)

[5]      Pino, M. & Fishman, J., 1/14/25, see above.

OUR CORRUPT CAMPAIGN FINANCING SYSTEM part 2

U.S. political campaigns are awash in money and it’s corrupting our government. The big spenders, wealthy individuals and corporations, are looking for something in return. They generally get rewarded with policies and actions that provide a high return on their investments.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

My previous two posts have focused on how billionaires are buying our elected officials (here) and how super PACs (political action committees) are the vehicle they are using to do so (here). They also highlighted how big donors are using non-profit organizations that don’t have to report donors in order to hide their identities (i.e., “dark money”) and how super PACs are violating the law by coordinating with candidates’ campaigns. Unfortunately, the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is failing to enforce campaign finance laws.

An example of how big money donors and our political parties are flouting campaign finance laws is the growing and now extensive use of joint fundraising committees. These joint fundraising committees allow big donors to skirt campaign contribution limits and write one huge check, typically for tens of thousands of dollars, for candidates’ campaign committees and political party PACs. The entities in the joint committee then supposedly split up the money so that no contribution limits are violated. Some of the joint fundraising committees directly pay for advertising but frame it as a fundraising solicitation to evade restrictions on their activities. These joint committees have also figured out how to game the system to get the lower advertising rates supposedly given only to candidates’ committees. (Note: Advertising rates for super PACs and other non-candidate entities can be up to 20 times higher than those for candidates’ committees.) [1]

These big donors are special interests, and they view their campaign spending as an investment. They expect a return on their investment, and generally they get paid back many, many times over. You may remember that in 2017 wealthy Republican donors were telling Trump and the Republicans that if they didn’t get a big tax cut their support of Republicans in the 2018 congressional elections would be curtailed. So, the Republicans in Congress and Trump, in December 2017, enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which gave huge tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations.

As campaign spending is increasingly dominated by outside money, which is increasingly from super PACs and done with dark money, the result is a political environment of hidden influence by wealthy individuals and corporations. This undermines an essential principle of democracy: that voters deserve to know who is trying to influence their vote.

An example of huge spending by a special interest, using, of course, a super PAC, is the cryptocurrency industry. It was one of the largest and most successful special interest spenders in the 2024 elections. It spent roughly $245 million via a super PAC called Fairshake. The majority of its money went to Republicans. It won every one of the 49 races it spent money on except for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) winning re-election campaign. However, none of Fairshake’s advertisements even mentioned cryptocurrency; it clearly wanted to influence elections without revealing its true interests.

Fairshake’s 48 victorious campaigns may understate its influence, as its spending in primaries instilled fear in numerous Democratic candidates who avoided criticizing the crypto-industry or stated support for it. Cryptocurrency industry donors were responsible for almost half of all corporate donations to all super PACs. Fairshake already has $78 million on hand for the 2026 congressional elections. Based on all of this, the crypto industry will almost certainly be rewarded with weak regulation by Congress and the Trump administration.

Another example of special interest spending with a very specific outcome in mind is the American Israel Affairs Committee’s super PAC (AIPAC). It spent roughly $100 million in the 2024 elections, primarily in primaries to beat Democratic candidates who weren’t unquestioning supporters of Israel in the face of the horrific Gaza War. It spent $14 million in one Democratic primary to beat incumbent Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a record for outside spending in a House race. It also spent heavily in incumbent Cori Bush’s (D-MO) primary, which she ended up losing. The primary funders of AIPAC are Republican mega-donors, many of whom each gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to it. [2]

As another example, two multi-national, multi-hundred-billion-dollar investment management firms, Blackstone Group and Citadel, each gave $22 million to the Republican Senate Leadership super PAC for the 2022 congressional elections. They want, and so far have gotten, lax regulation of their financial activities and favorable tax treatment for their incomes. For example, the “carried interest” provision of U.S. tax laws allows the firms’ managers to treat their income as capital gains, which lets them pay an income tax rate on their huge incomes at less than half the rate they’d pay on regular income (i.e., non-capital gains income).

The fossil fuel industry is also reaping rewards for its spending of about $75 million in support of Trump’s campaign. Although Trump, in a public statement, told fossil fuel industry executives that if they invested $1 billion in his campaign that he would reward them, $75 million appear to have done the trick. Trump, in his first days in office, has signed executive orders, some of them likely written by fossil fuel industry lobbyists, revoking climate change reduction rules. These executive orders allow increased oil and gas drilling off the U.S. coast and on federal lands, allow the building of new liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals, and withdraw the U.S. from international climate change reduction efforts. [3]

My next post will discuss some more general effects of all this special interest spending on election campaigns and what can be done about this obscene and corrupting spending.

[1]      Goldstein, L., 12/10/24, “The money game,” The American Prospect (The Money Game – The American Prospect)

[2]      Johnson, J., 8/28/24, “‘Very bad sign for democracy’: AIPAC has spent over $100 million on 2024 elections,” Common Dreams (‘Very Bad Sign for Democracy’: AIPAC Has Spent Over $100 Million on 2024 Elections | Common Dreams)

[3]      Johnson, J., 1/17/25, “Trump readies ‘day one climate destruction package’ after raking in big oil cash,” Common Dreams (Trump Readies ‘Day One Climate Destruction Package’ After Raking in Big Oil Cash | Common Dreams)

OUR CORRUPT CAMPAIGN FINANCING SYSTEM

U.S. political campaigns are awash in money with increasing portions of it coming from super PACs and “dark money” non-profits. The unlimited political spending by super PACs, allowed by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, is not independent of candidates’ campaigns nor are its donors fully disclosed. These were the Supreme Court’s stated requirements to ensure that candidates weren’t corrupted by the unlimited spending. Knowledgeable observers knew these requirements and the avoidance of corruption were a joke from day one.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

Sixteen billion dollars were spent on the 2024 U.S. federal election campaigns. (See this previous post for more details.) Three types of spending occur in our federal elections:

  • Candidates’ political committees
  • Political action committees (PACs)
  • Super PACs

Candidates’ committees can accept up to $3,300 from an individual per election. (A primary and general election count as two elections.) A candidate’s committee can receive up to $5,000 per election from a PAC or party committee. A candidate’s committee may not accept any money from a super PAC. (Note: All money spent on a campaign that is not spent by a candidate’s committee is referred to as “outside money.”) [1]

PACs can accept contributions from individuals (not organizations) of up to $5,000 per year. PACs can contribute up to $5,000 per election to a candidate’s committee and up to $15,000 per election to a political party committee.

Super PACs (which came into existence after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision) can accept contributions of unlimited size from any entity, i.e., an individual or an organization, including a corporation or other business entity. They are not allowed to contribute to candidates’ committees or to political party committees. Their expenditures are supposed to be independent of candidates and parties. This requirement for independence was central to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The five justices supporting the unlimited contributions and spending wrote in their decision that disclosed, independent spending could not corrupt candidates or our government. Therefore, allowing unlimited, independent spending in campaigns, including by corporations, was constitutionally protected free speech.

To maintain independence, super PACs are prohibited (supposedly) from coordinating with candidates’ campaigns. However, this independence began eroding the day after the Court’s decision. That erosion grew dramatically in 2024. Knowledgeable observers knew from day one that this assertion of independence and lack of corruptive influence was a smoke screen for the justices who wanted to allow wealthy individuals and corporations to dominate our elections and government. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has not enforced the law on independence. It has never fined or otherwise penalized a super PAC, even when coordination was blatant, as knowledgeable observers knew it wouldn’t.

For example, campaigns put “red boxes” in the media sections of their websites with messaging and targeting information. The super PACs use this information to ensure their messaging and targeting is aligned with the candidate’s campaign strategy. [2]

One of the most blatant violations of super PAC independence in 2024, was that super PACs actually ran extensive door knocking and other voter outreach efforts. Elon Musk’s super PAC’s activities in Pennsylvania were the most notable example. This kind of voter outreach requires sophisticated voter lists and street maps that candidates’ campaigns typically have and that PACs typically don’t have. Moreover, a failure to coordinate such activities with campaigns would create substantial redundancy and inefficiency. Nonetheless, an FEC ruling in 2024 essentially legalized such activities.

Furthermore, wealthy donors have found a way to avoid disclosure of their identities by funneling their money through non-profit 501(c)(4) organizations. (See this previous post for more details on 501(c)(4)s.) This “dark money,” as it is referred to, was about half of the $4.5 billion in outside spending in the 2024 federal elections.

My next post will present more examples of the corruption of the campaign finance system, discuss the effects of all this special interest spending, and give some options for what can be done about this obscene spending on our elections.

[1]      Ghosh, S., 9/15/22, “PACs, super PACs and more: Your guide to key election spending vehicles,” Campaign Legal Center (PACs, Super PACs and More: Your Guide to Key Election Spending Vehicles | Campaign Legal Center)

[2]      Goldstein, L., 12/10/24, “The money game,” The American Prospect (The Money Game – The American Prospect)

BILLIONAIRES ARE BUYING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND USING DARK MONEY TO HIDE

U.S. elections are awash in money and billionaires are the dominant spenders. Wealthy interests have been allowed by the Supreme Court to engage in unlimited political spending, and they have found ways to avoid disclosing that they are the sources of the funding. Democrats made a huge political mistake years ago in not regulating campaign spending.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

Elections in the U.S. are awash in money. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision (and related ones) allowed unlimited spending by wealthy individuals and corporations. Supposedly, the donors and spending would be disclosed, as well as independent of candidates’ campaigns. This would, according to the supportive Supreme Court justices, ensure that there was no corruption. Most observers knew from day one that the independence of such spending and the prevention of corruption were not realistic. Time has proven this sentiment to be correct.

Wealthy interests have found or manufactured loopholes to get around disclosure and independence requirements. Furthermore, the lack of enforcement from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has eviscerated disclosure and independence laws.

Sixteen billion dollars were spent on the 2024 federal elections for president and Congress. Roughly $5.5 billion was spent on the presidential race and over $10 billion on congressional races. The record of over $18 billion from 2020 still stands. However, both the 2024 and 2020 amounts are roughly double what was spent in prior presidential election years before wealthy interests had figured out how to fully take advantage of the Citizens United decision. [1]

To win a seat in the U.S. House now costs on average about $3 million and about $30 million for a seat in the Senate. Incumbents win well over 90% of the time. Business interests’ campaign spending on behalf of incumbents is roughly 50 times what they spend for challengers. Business interests spend about 16 times what labor interests spend, despite the fact that labor represents millions of every day workers (and to some extent all workers) while business interests represent lifeless but immortal legal entities (e.g., corporations) and the self-interest of a small number of wealthy executives and investors. 

Campaign donations by small donors ($200 or less) are overwhelmed in most races by big donors. Of the 535 members of Congress, only 16 got over 50% of their donations from small donors. Over 40%, 230 of them, got less than 5% (1/20th) of their donations from small donors. Over 80%, 432 of them, got less than 20% (one fifth) of their donations from small donors.

The dominant campaign spenders today are the billionaires. Just 150 billionaire families spent $2 billion on federal elections in 2024. More than one-sixth (over 16%) of spending in the presidential race came from billionaires. Over 70% of billionaires’ money went to Republicans. Although determining exact figures is probably impossible, Elon Musk spent roughly $250 million in support of Trump’s campaign and additional tens of millions supporting other Republicans. Timothy Mellon spent $197 million on Republican campaigns. In the list of the top ten campaign spenders, only two supported Democrats, Michael Bloomberg and Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook co-founder). Their combined spending of less than $100 million pales in comparison to the money spent by wealthy individuals supporting Republicans. [2]

Much of this spending, including Musk’s $250 million, is spent through super PACs. Super PACs can accept unlimited contributions, but they must be reported to the FEC. However, wealthy donors who want to hide their identities have found a way to avoid this disclosure. A non-profit organization is created under section 501(c)(4) of the IRS code, which does not have to disclose donors. However, it can make unlimited contributions to super PACs, as well as engage in lobbying or issue advocacy for the public good (independent of candidates’ campaigns of course). Political activity is not supposed to be their primary activity, but IRS enforcement of this has been largely non-existent. Therefore, wealthy interests and super PACs are using 501(c)(4)s extensively. Most super PACs have an affiliated 501(c)(4) organization to facilitate secrecy for any donors who would like it. Hence, money flowing through 501(c)(4)s is referred to as “dark money.”

In the 2024 election cycle, about half of the $4.5 billion in election spending outside of candidates’ own campaigns was so-called “dark money,” i.e., funneled through 501(c)(4)s to hide the identity of the donors.

Democrats have historically raised more money for campaigns than Republicans, including through super PACs and dark money. It is projected that Democratic candidates got more dark money funding in the 2024 elections than Republicans. In 2020, Democratic candidates got about $500 million of dark money while Republicans got about $200 million.

Republicans have now caught up and, by aggressively innovating, ignoring the law, and pressuring the FEC and IRS to be lax in their enforcement activities, are poised to take the lead in campaign fundraising. With the majority of wealthy interests favoring Republicans, along with laws that allow unlimited spending, Republicans and the overwhelming wealth of their supporters are likely to be more dominant and powerful than ever in the coming years.

To reap big contributions from wealthy individuals and corporations, Democrats have catered to the wishes of these interests to the detriment of workers and everyday Americans. This has undermined Democrats’ electoral success. As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) selects new officers, it has tried to keep its membership list secret. Apparently, this was to limit grassroots advocacy and to hide the number of big money people on the list. In addition, the dominant funders of the DNC are corporations and venture capital companies. [3] This underscores the DNC’s focus on big money as opposed to workers and everyday Americans. [4] This is a major reason the Democrats did not perform better in the recent elections.

Democrats made a huge political mistake in not reforming campaign finance laws when they had chances to do so years ago. Democratic party leaders were too enamored with big contributions from the wealthy to see the writing on the wall over the long-term. President Clinton was a primary culprit in this big mistake.

Future posts will go into more detail on how our campaign finance system has become so corrupted, what the effects of this are, and what can be done about it.

[1]      Open Secrets, retrieved from the Internet 1/10/25, “Elections overview,” (Elections Overview • OpenSecrets)

[2]      Goldstein, L., 12/10/24, “The money game,” The American Prospect (The Money Game – The American Prospect)

[3]      Johnson, J., 1/10/25, “Progressive magazine published previously secret DNC membership list,” Common Dreams (Progressive Magazine Publishes Previously Secret DNC Membership List | Common Dreams)

[4]      Sifry, M. L., 1/10/25, “Opening the DNC’s black box,” The American Prospect (Opening the DNC’s Black Box – The American Prospect)

THE CORRUPTION OF AARP

Greed corrupts some non-profits and their executives, just as it does for-profit corporations and their executives. AARP is an example of a corrupt non-profit. It promotes inferior health insurance products from UnitedHealth, a huge, corrupt health services corporation, because it gets nearly $1 billion in kickbacks from UnitedHealth. AARP’s supposed advocacy for seniors is corrupted by its desire for for-profit health care whose providers will give it kickbacks.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

Many of my posts have written about how greed and the profit motive corrupt the behavior of corporations and their executives. Unfortunately, greed also leads to corruption of ostensibly non-profit organizations and their executives as well.

One example of corruption of a non-profit is AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons). AARP is making a big push for new members now because it is raising its membership dues in mid-January. If you’ve gotten a solicitation to join, as I have, I encourage you to read the following before you decide to join (or renew).

AARP, with roughly 38 million members, claims to be an advocacy group for seniors (which it defines as over 50) but it’s largely a marketing scheme for health insurance. For 27 years, AARP has exclusively steered its members to UnitedHealth. It recommends UnitedHealth (and only UnitedHealth) to its members for Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare supplement plans, and Medicare drug plans.

UnitedHealth, a huge, for-profit provider of a wide range of health care services, has a horrible track record. [1] It denies claims for health care services at twice the rate (32%) of the industry average. It has been sued many times. Recently, it was sued based on claims that it knowingly uses an artificial intelligence algorithm that denies claims with a 90% error rate because it also knows that only about 0.2% of policy holders will appeal a denial of coverage. In 2023, the families of two deceased patients sued it for denying coverage for nursing home stays prescribed by their doctors. [2] It has been sued multiple times by its own members over its conflict of interest in promoting inferior insurance products, which often cost more and provide worse service than competitors. Its online discussion forum has numerous complaints about UnitedHealth’s denial of health care claims and numerous comments wondering why AARP recommends such a poor service provider.

UnitedHealth has also been charged with corrupt business practices multiple times. For example, its pharmacy benefit management subsidiary, Optum RX, is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission for anticompetitive and unfair market practices. Optum RX is charged with artificially inflating the prices consumers pay for drugs to get kickbacks from drug manufacturers. (See this previous post for more details.) (Note: A provision in the Congressional budget bill that was scuttled by Elon Musk and later by Trump would have stopped the kickbacks from drug makers to pharmacy benefit managers. The subsequent and final version of the bill, which was passed to avert a government shutdown, did not contain this provision.)

UnitedHealth is not only huge, it’s quite profitable. It had revenue of $372 billion and profits of $23 billion in 2023, making it the eighth largest corporation in the world. Its CEO received compensation of $23.5 million in 2023. UnitedHealth’s size and vertical integration create opportunities for monopolistic behavior, incentives for putting profits before patient outcomes, as well as opportunities and incentives for illegal behavior. (See previous posts here and here for more details.)

So, why does AARP recommend UnitedHealth and why has it done so exclusively for 27 years? Because it has an incredibly lucrative kickback deal with UnitedHealth that provides most of its revenue. UnitedHealth kicks back to AARP 4.95% of premiums paid by AARP members. In 2023, AARP had revenue of over $900 million from kickbacks on health insurance,  three times its revenue of $290 million from membership dues. [3]

Furthermore, AARP’s supposed advocacy for seniors has been distorted by its kickbacks from UnitedHealth. It has lobbied heavily for allowing inefficient, for-profit providers to participate in Medicare because this gives AARP opportunities for kickbacks. Independent sources have documented time and again how UnitedHealth in particular, and for-profit health care providers in general, provide poorer service at higher cost than traditional, public Medicare. Moreover, the profit motive leads to a wide range of corrupt and illegal behavior by UnitedHealth and other for-profit health care providers. (See this previous post for more details.)

To add insult to injury, because of its (supposed) non-profit status, AARP paid only about $3 million in income tax on its commercial (i.e., non-membership) income, a rate of less than 0.3%.

I encourage you not to join AARP if you haven’t and to  drop your membership if you have one. There are other groups that advocate for seniors with what’s best for seniors as their true and only motivation. These groups are much smaller than the billion-dollar-a-year AARP and therefore often struggle to get noticed. Two such groups are the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and Social Security Works. I urge you to check them out and consider supporting their work.

[1]      If UnitedHealth sounds surprisingly familiar, it may be because it was the CEO of a UnitedHealth subsidiary that was shot and killed in New York City recently.

[2]      Cox Richardson, H., 12/5/24, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-5-2024)

[3]      Kuttner, R., 12/11/24, “How AARP shills for UnitedHealthcare,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-12-11-how-aarp-shills-for-unitedhealthcare/)

AMERICAN OLIGARCHS CAN’T STAY BEHIND THE CURTAIN

American oligarchs have tried to stay behind the curtain and to distract the public and the mainstream media from their schemes to get richer at the expense of the rest of us. The recent process of funding for the federal government opened the curtain a bit. The greed and power-lust of the oligarchs made their schemes hard to hide.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

As you probably know, Congress just passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government for the next three months. The Republicans have made Congress so dysfunctional that is has been unable to pass a normal budget since Clinton was President. Instead, it passes continuing resolutions to fund the government for a relatively short period of time. CRs typically extend previous programs and spending levels without any significant changes. Often this process unfolds with significant drama as a shutdown of the government due to lack of funding looms.

On December 21, 2024, Congress again ran right up to the shutdown deadline before passing a three-month CR. An earlier version of the CR (which had the bipartisan support needed to pass) was scuttled at the last minute by oligarch Elon Musk (and then 13 hours later by president-elect Trump). Musk threatened to fund opposition to any member of Congress who voted for the painstakingly negotiated CR. [1] (Musk, as you probably know is the multi-multi-billionaire who largely funded Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and that Trump has named to head the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). DOGE is not a real department, but rather a private advisory group. This means Musk has no accountability and is not covered by any of the ethics or disclosure laws that cover public employees.)

Musk’s opposition to the original CR was supposedly because it spent too much money. He falsely criticized it for including, among other things, a 40% pay raise for Congress (it’s actually 3.8%). However, good journalists have uncovered other motives for his opposition, in part by comparing the CR that finally passed with the one the Musk blocked.

The original CR included a provision that restricted American investments in technology businesses in China. This was a bipartisan measure targeted at keeping sensitive, national-security-related technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced “quantum” computing capability out of the hands of the Chinese government. However, Musk is investing in businesses in China and wants to build an AI data center there. This investment restriction would have limited Musk’s ability build and profit from his businesses in China. The provision was removed and was not in the final version of the CR that was passed. [2] [3]

Also not included in the final CR was a provision of the original version that would have reined in pharmacy benefit managers. These middlemen for drug sales were supposed to save consumers money but instead have figured out how to negotiate with drug makers and insurance companies to generate huge profits for themselves. (See this previous post for more details.)

Also dropped from the original CR were five provisions to tackle childhood cancer. Although at least some of this funding was approved in separate bills, there was widespread outrage that the victims of the first cuts to government spending driven by Musk were children with cancer.

These are examples of the things that were going on behind the curtain as Musk, Trump, and other Republicans were diverting everyone’s attention with a government funding crisis. This is how the oligarchs will wield their power – cutting funding for children with cancer and increasing what we pay for drugs while letting Musk and other billionaires make money investing in China while transferring sensitive technology there. This is how the rich get richer while the rest of us pay the costs and suffer the consequences. This is how oligarchy becomes a kleptocracy as the powerful use the government to take the public’s money and, directly or indirectly, put it in their own pockets.

This continuing resolution is just one small example of how this happens. More examples will be shared in future posts.

[1]      Cox Richardson, H., 12/21/24, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-21-2024)

[2]      Dayen, D., 12/20/24, “The government is shutting down because Elon Musk has factories in China,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/2024-12-20-government-shutting-down-elon-musk-factories-china/)

[3]      Kuttner, R., 12/21/24, “How Musk outmaneuvered Trump,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/2024-12-21-how-musk-outmaneuvered-trump-government-funding-china/)

THE COMPROMISED MAINSTREAM MEDIA AND ALTERNATIVES

After over a decade of covering Donald Trump, the mainstream media (MSM) still have not figured out how to report on him in a way that provides accurate, important information to the public. Meanwhile, Trump threatens the MSM when they don’t give him the favorable coverage he wants. Unfortunately, the MSM often capitulate to his threats, having lost their courage, moral compass, and integrity. They have become complicit in promoting Trump’s propaganda. Those of us who want to be informed citizens need to find and amplify media that provide essential information and challenge Trump and MAGA lies and policies. The good news is that there are many of them.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

After over a decade of covering Donald Trump, the mainstream media (MSM) still have not figured out how to report on him and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) allies in a way that provides accurate, important information to the public. Meanwhile, Trump threatens the MSM when they don’t give him the favorable coverage he wants, including when they fact check his statements. He has threatened to take away the broadcast licenses of TV and radio stations, he has sued MSM outlets for defamation, and lambasts them regularly. Unfortunately, the MSM often capitulate to his threats. For example, the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times blocked publication of editorial endorsements of Vice President Harris in the presidential election. The ABC TV network just paid $15 million to settle a very weak defamation case that no one thinks Trump would have won. Trump’s threats and, for example, his recent suit against the Des Moines Register are media terrorism. Their purpose is to scare the media into giving him flattering coverage and ignoring his lack of veracity. [1]

The result is that the MSM are and have been treating Trump differently than other candidates and politicians. For example, the MSM aren’t hounding Trump for details of his plans for tariffs or for health care reform. He’s been saying for nine years that he’d replace the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) with something better but he still only says he has “a concept” for how to do this. His tariff proposals vary from day-to-day and before the election I didn’t see the MSM asking about or reporting that his tariffs would raise the prices of consumer goods and cause inflation. Yet, the MSM hounded VP Harris for not providing more detail on her economic plans even though she provided far more detail than Trump ever has.

Furthermore, the MSM are and have been ignoring Trump’s threats and actions that undermine democracy. They treated him as a regular presidential candidate and are now treating him as a normal president-elect, despite his unwillingness to accept election results that didn’t go his way and his willingness to undermine free and fair elections. They are ignoring his threats and actions that destroy democratic institutions such as the rule of law and freedom of the press. [2]

As Heather Cox Richardson reported on 12/17/24, “Yesterday, Trump gave his first press conference since the election. It was exactly what Trump’s public performances always are: attention-grabbing threats alongside lies and very little apparent understanding of actual issues. His mix of outrageous and threatening is central to his politics, though: it keeps him central to the media … The uncertainty he creates is key to his power … It keeps everyone off balance and focused on him in anticipation of trouble to come.” [3] A few days earlier she had written, “If there is one major continuity between Trump’s campaign and plans for his administration, it is that his focus on shock and performance, rather than the detailed work of governing, still plays well to the media.” [4]

Despite this consistent Trump modus operandi stretching back more than a decade, the MSM haven’t yet figured out how to report on Trump and his threats, lies, and ignorance in a meaningful way. The MSM seem only to be able to report the clickbait, i.e., his outrageous, obviously attention-grabbing antics. They generally fail to put them in any context or do any fact checking. If anyone else engaged in this kind of behavior, the MSM would skewer them.

The MSM are all huge corporations driven by profit maximization. Given the online world of media today, focusing on clickbait, as opposed to meaningfully reporting news, fits their profit motivation. The MSM have lost their courage, moral compass, and integrity. They have become complicit in promoting Trump’s propaganda. [5]

Those of us who want to be informed citizens need to find and amplify media that provide essential information and challenge Trump and MAGA lies and policies. The good news is that there are many of them. I recommend you pick one or a few for your source(s) of information. Most, if not all, of the media and organizations listed below are non-profits. They are supported by readers and philanthropy, and some by labor unions. Most don’t take corporate money or advertising. I urge you to support whichever one(s) you pick financially if you can. They have been and are crucial to our democracy, and will be especially so over the next four years. Some of them will be attacked and perhaps sued by Trump and his cronies. They will need our moral as well as financial support to stand up to the expected attacks. Their funding bases are miniscule compared to the conservative media that’s supported by rightwing billionaires. With Trump in the White House, progressive and independent media will be in danger. [6]

Here are some alternative media that I read regularly:

  • Heather Cox Richardson publishes a daily online newsletter, Letters from an American, that covers current political events and provides analysis and context, particularly from an historical perspective.
  • Robert Hubbell publishes a daily online newsletter, Today’s Edition Newsletter, that covers current political news, providing commentary, particularly from a legal and grassroots political perspective.
  • Robert Reich publishes a daily online newsletter that provides analysis of current political events.
  • Common Dreams distributes daily or weekly emails with summaries of and links to its relatively short articles covering current news that is often under-reported by the MSM.
  • The American Prospect magazine and website is the best and most comprehensive source for progressive policy analysis and proposals, in my humble opinion.
  • The Nation provides progressive journalism both online and in print.
  • Mother Jones provides progressive reporting and investigative journalism available in print, online, and via videos and podcasts.
  • ProPublica does investigative journalism with great depth and breadth; available online.

Other sources that I use on occasion include The Guardian, The Economic Policy Institute, The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Brennan Center for Justice, Open Secrets (on money in elections), Slate, and The Atlantic. Inequality Media makes short videos that are informative, yet entertaining and easy to understand, on current news and explanations of how our economy and democracy works or should work.

[1]      Hubbell, R. B., 12/18/24, “Standing on principle … even when it costs votes,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/standing-on-principle-even-when-it)

[2]      Reich, R., 11/29/24, “Where to find the truth?” Robert Reich blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/weaponized-lies)

[3]      Cox Richardson, H., 12/17/24, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-17-2024)

[4]      Cox Richardson, H., 12/13/24, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-13-2024)

[5]      Hubbell, R. B., 12/16/24, “Look up at the night sky more often,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/look-up-at-the-night-sky-more-often)

[6]      Hartmann, T., 11/24/24, “Will Trump’s return coincide with the death of progressive media?” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/progressive-media-trump)

BILLIONAIRES ARE RUNNING AND ROBBING OUR COUNTRY

The U.S. is now a plutocracy, an oligarchy, and arguably a kleptocracy. The estimated wealth of Trump’s cabinet nominees is at least $350 billion. There is every reason to believe that Trump and his wealthy appointees and supporters will benefit financially from actions of Trump and his administration. The only real question is how much they will benefit and how much it will cost the American public. Journalism, including investigative journalism, that won’t be intimidated will be crucial to exposing and publicizing the kleptocracy, the malfeasance, and the lies of Trump and his cronies.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

The U.S. national government is now clearly a plutocracy, i.e., a government of the wealthy, an oligarchy, i.e., a government of a small group of generally wealthy businessmen, and arguably a kleptocracy, i.e., a society or system ruled by people who use their power to steal their country’s resources.

The estimated wealth of Trump’s cabinet nominees is at least $350 billion. President-elect Trump himself is probably a billionaire, although there is no reliable figure and Trump has lied about his wealth and the value of his properties on multiple occasions. The figure for his cabinet does not include Elon Musk (wealth of about $400 billion) and Vivek Ramaswamy (wealth of over $1 billion) who are not members of the cabinet but informal advisers for Trump’s supposed efforts to reduce government spending and increase efficiency. For the sake of comparison, the total net worth of President Biden’s cabinet was about $118 million. [1] Trump’s cabinet is roughly 3,000 times wealthier! Trump has also nominated other billionaires for government positions, from ambassadors to the NASA administrator.

Elon Musk spent at least $250 million to help get Trump elected. He contributed $238 million to the America Political Action Committee (PAC), which was dedicated to electing Trump. Musk also supported Trump through free advertising and messaging on his social media platform X, as well as by campaigning for him personally. Recent election financial disclosures reveal that Elon Musk was the sole and secret funder of the $20 million “RBG PAC.” It was created so close to election day that it avoided having to file any disclosure before the election. It paid for advertising claiming that Trump has the same position on abortion as the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. This is a blatantly false claim as Ginsburg supported the right to abortion as established by the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Trump, on the other hand, has bragged about justices he appointed overturning that decision. The RBG PAC ads also promised that Trump would not support a national abortion ban, however, this varies based on when, where, and who asks Trump. [2]

Trump is also getting support from other billionaires who are pledging cooperation in furthering his agenda and policies. For example, Mark Zuckerberg (wealth of about $220 billion), majority owner of Meta (parent of Facebook, Instagram, etc.),  has contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Jeff Bezos (wealth of about $245 billion), majority owner of Amazon and The Washington Post, has also contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. In addition, Amazon will livestream the inauguration for free, an in-kind contribution worth roughly $1 million. Marc Benioff (wealth of about $12 billion), owner of Time magazine, named Trump Time’s Man of the Year and wrote “We look forward to working together to advance American success and prosperity for everyone.” [3]

Trump, his nominees, and his supporters are trying to avoid (or ignore) disclosures and conflict of interest laws whenever they can. For example, Musk and Ramaswamy are informal advisers to Trump, which means they avoid requirements for financial and conflict of interest disclosures that would be required if they were in an official position. Trump’s inaugural committee has refused to sign the traditional agreement that would provide some government funding for inaugural activities but would require disclosures of and limits on private contributions. Therefore, it is a slush fund for Trump’s benefit that allows unlimited, secret donations. [4] If that isn’t corrupt, I don’t know what is. Zuckerberg, Bezos, and others have voluntarily disclosed their contributions, which implies that they want to be known and visible in their support for Trump. Contributions to the inaugural committee are efforts to curry favor with Trump with the hope of benefits for contributors’ businesses and financial interests.

There is every reason to believe that Trump and his wealthy appointees and supporters will benefit financially from actions of Trump and his administration. For example, both Bezos and Musk have multi-billion contracts with government agencies. During his first administration, Trump benefited financially from foreign officials and others currying his favor staying at his hotels and golf courses. The Secret Service detail protecting Trump paid to stay at his hotels and golf courses when he was in the vicinity and, apparently paid exorbitant rates at least sometimes. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy in Trump’s first administration, got billions from Saudi Arabia for his new venture capital firm shortly after leaving his government role.

Kleptocracy has been growing in the U.S. since the 1980s. Trickle-down economics, i.e., tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations that supposedly will trickle-down benefits for everyone, has been ascendent among Republicans since the 1980s. It is kleptocracy because the benefits have never trickled-down to everyday Americans, while the wealth of the rich has grown tremendously. The economic well-being and security of the middle and lower classes have actually declined. Meanwhile, the tax cuts have eliminated the government revenue needed to maintain infrastructure, support valuable government programs, and provide a safety net.

The only real question is how much they all – including Trump, his appointees, and the many who will be currying his favor – will benefit and how much it will cost the American public. There will be costs for taxpayers for direct government spending that may be exorbitant or unwarranted. There will be costs for consumers from increased prices of products, for example from failure to regulate prices (such as for drugs), from junk fees, and from tariffs. And there will be costs for workers, for example from less overtime pay, lower wages (due to failure to regulate employers and increase the minimum wage), and less safe working conditions.

Trump and his cronies are oligarchs, i.e., very rich business people with a great deal of political influence. American oligarchs’ influence has been growing since the 1980s and has reached a new level with Trump.  In many cases, they are individuals who have benefited quite directly from government actions, such as deregulation and/or the privatization of what had been or should be government functions (e.g., banking and finance, Medicare and other parts of the health care system, education through private voucher programs, space-based activities, etc.).

Journalism, including investigative journalism, that won’t be intimidated will be crucial to exposing and publicizing the kleptocracy, the malfeasance, and the lies of Trump and his cronies. As we have seen, Trump and company will lie to cover up failures and undesirable outcomes, as well as to put the blame elsewhere. They will make blameless people scapegoats and use demagoguery to get their supporters to blame the wrong people and causes for problems.

The mainstream American media have not done a good job, to say the least, of exposing the lies and false promises of Trump and his minions. For example, how much reporting was there before the election that Trump’s proposed tariffs would increase prices for American consumers and cause inflation to spike upwards?

My next post will share sources of information that won’t be intimidated and do excellent investigative reporting.

[1]      Richardson, H. C.. 12/4/24, “Letter from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-4-2024)

[2]      Richardson, H. C.. 12/5/24, “Letter from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-5-2024)

[3]      Hubbell, R.B., 12/13/24, “The billionaire boys club surrenders in advance,”   (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/the-billionaire-boys-club-surrenders)

[4]      Richardson, H. C.. 12/13/24, “Letter from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-13-2024)

GOOD NEWS FROM THE ELECTION

There was a lot of good news from the election for Democrats, progressives, and America. First, one piece of semi-good news: Despite what Trump and his supporters may claim, Trump did not win with a landslide or a mandate. He did win the popular vote but got less than half of the votes cast. His margin of victory was about 1.5%; not a landslide in any rational analysis. It was one of the closest presidential elections in history. Moreover, almost a third of eligible voters didn’t vote, which means Trump was elected by about one-third of eligible voters. Finally, Republican margins of control in both the House and the Senate are very thin. If four Republicans in either chamber don’t vote in lock step with their party, the Republicans don’t have a majority to pass legislation. In the Senate, seven Democrats would have to vote with all the Republicans to overcome a filibuster. In conclusion, Trump’s and the Republicans’ win in the election was quite narrow.

Now for the real bright spots in the election.

State supreme courts will be a key firewall for protecting civil rights and democracy, given the U.S. Supreme Court’s controlling majority of six radical, right-wing reactionary justices. Democrats won state supreme court races in Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan (2 seats, each by over a 20 percent margin), Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, and North Carolina. These wins occurred despite Trump winning in all these states except Minnesota.

There are some interesting stories that emerge from these races. In Mississippi, an outsider, populist, and public defender promoting criminal justice reform ran against an incumbent ultra-conservative woman. He won by roughly ten percentage points.  In Montana, two seats were up for election. One of the Democrats ran as a moderate, pledging to work cooperatively with the Republican legislature. The other ran as a progressive, promising voters she would stand up to attacks on individual rights, especially women’s rights. The progressive won and the moderate lost. [1]

In North Carolina, Democrats won the races for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.

There were a range of state ballot issues where progressive positions won. Reproductive rights won in multiple states in multiple ways. In Arizona and Missouri, voters overturned state abortion bans. In Colorado, Maryland, Montana, and Nevada, voters passed measures establishing a state constitutional right to abortion. In New York, voters strengthened constitutional protections for women’s rights, including abortion rights. In Florida, a ballot measure to add protection for reproductive rights to the state constitution got over 57% of the vote but failed to achieve the 60% threshold required to amend the constitution. [2]

In Alaska and Missouri, voters approved increases in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In Alaska, Missouri, and Nebraska, voters approved access to paid sick leave. In Alaska and Oregon, voters passed measures supporting unionization efforts. In Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska, voters rejected school voucher initiatives that would have taken steps to undermine funding for public schools and to privatize K-12 education. These are some examples of progressive measures that were approved by voters at the state level; there were also progressive measures passed at the local level. [3]

All of this underscores that progressive policies, particularly economic ones, are broadly popular. For Democrats to win nationally, they need to be loud and clear in their messaging about their support for progressive policies, especially economic ones. They also have to stop sending a mixed message by expressing support for wealthy corporations and individuals. They must be loud and clear about calling out corporations for price gouging that consumers experienced as inflation. They must be loud and clear about their support for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which protects consumers from big banks that charge onerous overdraft fees and monopolistic credit card companies that charge usurious interest rates and late fees, for example. Democrats must be loud and clear about their support for increasing the minimum wage, fairer overtime pay, stopping wage theft, and ending non-compete clauses that prevent workers from switching jobs to advance their careers.

President Biden and his administration have taken important steps to promote these progressive policies. They have taken stronger action to rein in monopolistic corporations, to support unions, and to mitigate the negative effects of global trade than any president in over 50 years. However, most workers haven’t felt the effects yet and their distrust of Democrats runs deep, given Democrats’ years of support for huge corporations over workers and consumers, promotion of global trade that undermined good jobs and wages in the U.S., and failure to support unions.

To win nationally, Democrats need to improve their messaging and work diligently to promote progressive economic policies, even in the face of blockades from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. Democrats also need to clearly and loudly point out how the policies of Trump and Republicans are hurting workers, consumers, and families, i.e., everyday Americans. This could and should lay the groundwork for capturing at least one house of Congress in 2026 and the presidency in 2028.

[1]      Stern, M. J., 11/19/24, “This election’s surprising bright spot for progressives is a very big deal,” Slate (https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/11/2024-election-progressives-judicial-races-allison-riggs.html) 

[2]      Warren, E., 11/17/24, “Update on statewide election results for abortion rights,” Email newsletter

[3]      Cohn, E., & Sherer, J., 11/7/24, “A review of key 2024 ballot measures,” Economic Policy Institute (https://www.epi.org/blog/a-review-of-key-2024-ballot-measures-voters-backed-progressive-policy-measures/)

WHAT’S UP WITH TRUMP’S CABINET NOMINATIONS?

President-elect Donald Trump has been announcing picks for his cabinet. They are, for the most part, remarkably unqualified; they lack expertise and experience relevant to the agencies’ missions, as well as experience running any sort of large organization.

Many people are wondering why he is nominating such unqualified individuals. Although I certainly don’t understand Trump, I can think of a range of possible answers. It’s probably a combination of these reasons. Trump may be:

  • Trying to be outrageous to generate media and public attention.
  • Trying to see how far he can push Republicans in the Senate to confirm unqualified nominees. This would be an exercise to exert and demonstrate his power and dominance.
  • Setting up a negotiating strategy where the pressure to confirm some of his unqualified nominees grows after the most outrageous ones are rejected.
  • Concerned only about loyalty. His sole or main criterion may be individuals who will do whatever he asks regardless of legality, ethics, or precedents.
  • Engaged in psychological warfare. He may be trying to scare, terrorize, and traumatize people who are worrying about the effects of having these individuals running the agencies. Trump will engage in “a shock and awe presidency” where he “will bombard this nation with so many reprehensible actions in rapid succession [that] many may cower in a kind of shell-shocked inaction. We’ll still be recovering from one blow when the next one lands.” [1]
  • Trying to make government dysfunctional. Not only do Republicans want smaller, less effective government so regulation of for-profit corporations is reduced, they want to privatize government functions so private providers can profit off them (e.g., Medicare Advantage plans). They also want the public to distrust government and even democracy. What better way to accomplish all of this than to have blatant examples of government dysfunction.
  • Wanting to have the second-in-command individuals, who he can appoint without Senate confirmation, run the agencies. This strategy is included in the Project 2025 plan for the Trump presidency. If the top positions go unfilled (because the Senate won’t confirm or is slow in confirming his nominees), his next-in-line appointees will be in charge.

Whatever happens with Trump’s nominees, there will be significant damage to the agencies and the government. The Democrats need to point out specific examples of actions that hurt the public – and the mainstream media need to report them. For example, if Trump imposes tariffs that drive up prices, Democrats and the media need to highlight this inflation and that it’s caused by Trump’s tariffs. If Trump doesn’t protect consumers from price gouging by monopolistic corporations and abuses by financial institutions, Democrats and the media need to highlight this.

The Democrats also need to point out specific examples of actions that hurt workers and to counter Trump’s claims that he is standing up for workers. For example, if Trump doesn’t support an increase in the minimum wage, doesn’t support unions and efforts to unionize, opposes covering more workers under overtime pay rules, and doesn’t support banning non-compete provisions in contracts employees are required to sign (this is what right-to-work should really be about), Democrats and the media need to highlight this. And so forth.

We cannot allow ourselves to be stunned or overwhelmed into inaction. Every little action and bit of resistance makes a difference and is a contribution to a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. There are elections for the U.S. House and Senate coming up in 2026 that will determine control of both chambers. Needless to say, if Democrats could take back control of one or both chambers that would serve as a powerful check on Trump and his supporters in the federal government and in the judiciary.

The effort to communicate with voters about the differences between Democratic policies and Trump and Republican policies needs to begin now. And Democrats need to be clear and unequivocal that they are standing up for consumers, workers, and everyday Americans, NOT for wealthy corporations and individuals.

We, as believers in democracy, need to identify firewalls and hurdles to block or slow the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine democracy and elections, harm vulnerable people, and implement harmful policies (including on climate change). Legal action through lawsuits will be necessary. These can serve to slow implementation of bad programs and policies, even if, ultimately, they get to a politicized Supreme Court that sides with Trump. This is using the classic Trump technique of using the court system to delay action.

Ultimately, there may need to be big demonstrations and even, perhaps, a general strike. Although there haven’t been big demonstrations since the Women’s March in 2016 and although these are rare in recent times in the U.S., it may be time. The general strike is a tactic unheard of in recent times in the U.S. However, in France, there were huge, mass demonstrations and a general strike in 2023 over efforts to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. We face far more extreme political and policy changes than that, so perhaps we need to step up our level of engagement and action.

We need to monitor what Trump and his cronies are doing, but we shouldn’t let ourselves be unduly stressed by hypotheticals. We need to respond in ways that are effective and not waste time on minutia and tilting at windmills.

So, for starters, tell your Senators that you want a meaningful confirmation process for Trump’s nominees, who should be held to traditional criteria. Tell your Senators and Representative that you want them to stand up for democracy, for equality and fairness under the rule of law, for equal opportunity, for the Bill of Rights (including separation of church and state), and for government of, by, and for all the people – workers, families, and consumers – not just wealthy business people.

There’s much at risk: democracy, vulnerable people, and important policies, including addressing climate change, enforcing anti-trust laws to block abusive practices by monopolistic corporations, and ensuring free and fair elections where all citizens are encouraged to and facilitated in voting. I hope you agree. There’s much to be done and having all hands on deck will be important.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1]      Graham, R., 11/24/24, “Disqualifying, extreme, and incompetent – Trump’s DEI Cabinet picks,” The Boston Globe

AMERICAN PRINCIPLES AND DEMOCRACY ARE IN DANGER

Oligarchy Definition A small group of people having formal and informal power based on (1)wealth; (2) connections; and (3) privilege.

Trump’s election is the culmination of decades-long efforts to roll back America’s progress toward achieving its founding principles of democracy; equality under the rule of law; equal opportunity for all to pursue life, liberty, and happiness; and government of, by, and for the people.

In modern political history, these efforts began in the 1960s with Nixon’s southern strategy with dog whistles to racism, accelerated in the 1980s with Reagan’s supply side economics, turned nasty in the 1990s with Gingrich’s demonization of the political opposition, and exploded in 2016 with Trump’s emergence. Historians like Heather Cox Richardson trace anti-democracy efforts back to the southern plantation and slave owners of the pre- and post-Civil War periods. [1]

The rejection of democracy is based on the belief that some people (or some men) are better than others and that they deserve to rule over the lesser human beings. This rejects the Declaration of Independence’s assertion that all people (or even all men) are created equal. This belief in oligarchy (rule by a small group) has led to the use of a range of tactics by elites to assert their control and supremacy – from slavery, to Jim Crow laws, to anti-immigrant laws, to voter suppression, to gerrymandering, to buying elections and elected officials. The latter three have been used very effectively in recent years.

For example, a long-standing voter suppression technique has been barring convicted felons from voting for life and creating a criminal justice system that disproportionately convicts Blacks of felonies. As you may remember, the 2000 presidential race between Al Gore and George W. Bush was decided by a few hundred votes in Florida. At that time, there were over 800,000 disenfranchised felons in Florida who were disproportionately Black and who most likely would have changed the outcome of the election if any significant number of them had been allowed to vote.

Current gerrymandering of congressional districts probably gives Republicans 15 to 20 more seats in the U.S. House than they would have with fairly-drawn districts. This determined which party had control of the House after both the 2022 and 2024 elections.

To some degree, money from wealthy individuals has been corrupting our elections probably forever. However, this was exacerbated by the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that allows unlimited spending on campaigns by wealthy individuals and corporations. One clear cut, current example of wealth purchasing political office is J. D. Vance. He almost certainly wouldn’t have been elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 without the $15 million or so his key backer, billionaire Peter Thiel, spent on his behalf. And he almost certainly wouldn’t have been Trump’s vice-presidential pick if Thiel and billionaire Elon Musk hadn’t pledge tens of millions of dollars to Trump’s campaign on the condition that he pick Vance for vice president.

In large part, Trump, his campaign, and the Republicans have been able to sell the rejection of democracy and equality under law by appealing to the frustration, anger, and grievance of the primarily, but not exclusively, white, working class. Workers are angry because their economic security and well-being has been stripped from them. Meanwhile, the rich have gotten much richer and huge, monopolistic corporations and private equity financiers have exerted more and more power over workers. Workers’ jobs have been shipped out of the country, their union memberships have been taken away or denied, and their pensions have been lost to corporate and private equity bankruptcies. Furthermore, their costs of living, for housing, health care, and everyday goods, have skyrocketed. Their wages have been stagnant in the face of inflation and record-setting corporate profits, including in the essential-for-living food and gasoline industries. [2]

Trump is a master of demagoguery and, with significant success, he and his campaign have blamed the struggles of workers on immigrants, minorities, non-Christians, LGBTQ+ and transgendered people, and even women who don’t adhere to a patriarchically defined role.

Trump, personally, doesn’t appear to have any political ideology other than wanting power, prestige, and wealth, including the power to take revenge against anyone who would stand in his way. J. D. Vance’s and Trump’s billionaire backers, however, are committed to establishing an oligarchy. Thiel and Musk are openly anti-democratic and anti-egalitarian. They believe American democracy is a failed experiment and should be replaced by an authoritarian government. They view democracy as inefficient and wasteful. They believe that its commitment to equality and justice erodes (their desired) social values and order. [3]

Thiel wrote in 2009, “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.” (That begs the question of freedom for whom.) He also wrote that democracy and capitalism are no longer compatible, in part because women have been granted the right to vote. [4]

Thiel, Musk, and other wealthy backers of Trump (and probably more importantly as backers of J. D. Vance), view Trump as ineffective due to his erratic, impulsive nature and cognitive limitations, including a lack of knowledge and attention span. They see him as a transitional means to an end, with Vance as their power behind the throne and as the next president. So, keep your eyes on Vance, Musk, and the other powerful people around Trump. Trump is a master at creating distractions to get the media and the public to pay attention to little, often outrageous stuff, while the important action is going on behind this obfuscation screen.

In future posts, I’ll discuss what can and needs to be done to constrain Trump and his cronies. For example, hopefully, at least some Republicans in the Senate will take their responsibility to vet and approve Trump’s cabinet nominees seriously. State governments and Attorneys General can take action to protect vulnerable people, to move forward on important policies (such as climate change), and to block the Trump administration’s egregious actions.

[1]      Richardson, H. C., 4/7/21 and 7/3/24, “Letters from an American blog,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-7-2021 and https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-3-2024)

[2]      Reich, R., 11/11/24, “How to root out Trumpism,”  (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-root-of-trumpism)

[3]      Reich, R., 10/3/24, “Vance and the future of the anti-democracy movement,” (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/vance-and-the-future-of-the-anti)

[4]      Richardson, H. C., 7/30/24, “Letters from an American blog,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-30-2024)

CONCERNED FOR OUR DEMOCRACY AND THE WELL-BEING OF MANY

This is a post I never thought I’d write. In January, the United States of America will unequivocally become a plutocratic oligarchy with strong elements of fascism. Before getting into details of what this means, I want to acknowledge that we and our country are in for some dark and difficult times. Take care of yourself and nurture the strength for the fights ahead.

I’m not giving up hope or the values and principles I espouse in this blog. Things will get worse, perhaps much worse, before we can turn things around. The fight for democracy has often been hard, and, as I’ve written before, democracy is not a spectator sport.

After a period of mourning and to rest and recuperate from the shock and horror, we all need to get to work fighting for our democracy and the vulnerable members of our society. We’ll need to roll up our sleeves, knowing that at times it will get ugly, down and dirty. This is our generation’s fight for democracy. It’s different than my parents’ fight of World War II, but we may need to show the same resolve and courage as they did in the 1940s in the face of what appeared at times to be overwhelming odds.

Here are some thoughts and messages that have helped me in this dark time and I hope will help you.

Kamala Harris in her concession speech: “ … in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. … My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuels this campaign, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. …

“We will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld. … We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square. … On the campaign, I would often say when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever give up.”

Liz Cheney, former U.S. Republican Representative from Wyoming, wrote: “We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years. Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press and those serving in our federal, state and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy.”

Rebecca Solnit, writer and author of Hope in the Dark, wrote: “They want you to feel powerless and to surrender and to let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving. You may need to grieve or scream or take time off, but you have a role no matter what, and right now good friends and good principles are worth gathering in. Remember what you love. Remember what loves you. Remember in this tide of hate what love is. The pain you feel is because of what you love. …

“People kept the faith in the dictatorships of South America in the 1970s and 1980s, in the East Bloc countries and the USSR, women are protesting right now in Iran and people there are writing poetry. There is no alternative to persevering, and that does not require you to feel good. You can keep walking whether it’s sunny or raining. Take care of yourself and remember that taking care of something else is an important part of taking care of yourself, because you are interwoven with the ten trillion things in this single garment of destiny that has been stained and torn, but is still being woven and mended and washed.”

From the son of a friend who was with Obama after the 2016 election: “But I mostly remember Obama talking about how growing up biracial in America in the 60s and 70s he had lived through setbacks and agonizing, searing zigs and zags in history, and ultimately he had decided to stay in the fight and stay in the work and stay hopeful. And he challenged us — after taking some time to care for ourselves and mourn — to think about what we were going to do about it in the coming weeks and years.”

We need to fight and persevere because our federal government is going to be run by a small group (oligarchy) of wealthy (plutocracy), primarily white, supposedly Christian, men. They want this power so they can rule like kings, enhancing their wealth and their privileged status. They believe they deserve power because they think they are better people, including smarter and better decision makers, than the rest of us. They don’t really care about working people beyond conning them into voting for them by parroting populist rhetoric.

Although fascism doesn’t have a clear, agreed upon definition, the rhetoric and apparent plans for governing of Trump and his supporters have many elements of fascism. A key one is that the means of production of goods and services, as well as land and other property, remain in private hands. The owners of businesses and the holders of wealth typically work in coordination with government officials to mutually increase their wealth and power.

Fascism is authoritarian, a dictatorship or an oligarchy. Political and intellectual opposition are suppressed, sometimes violently. Other elements of fascism include a social hierarchy often based on race, national origin, and/or religion. It is built on extreme nationalism and a set of “traditional” social values. It denigrates pluralism and democracy that give voice and power to “others.” The nation’s interests (as defined by the rulers) supersede those of the individual, which is, of course, in direct contradiction to the Bill of Rights that America’s founders ensconced in our Constitution.

I’m all in for democracy and for protecting the vulnerable members of our society. I hope you are too. We’ve got our work cut out for us.

EXTREME CAPITALISM OF PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS DOES GREAT HARM Part 2

Illustration of a vulture sitting on a falling graph. Concept for vulture capitalists, economic crisis, recession, bankruptcy and insolvency.

This post provides an overview of how the private equity financial model works. It includes two examples of its detrimental effects, one in the chemical industry and the other in communications services for the 500,000 deaf people in the U.S.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

My previous post provided a high-level summary of the harm being done by private equity (PE) firms. It then focused on the Stop Wall Street Looting Act in Congress as an important step to stop the harm being done to patients, consumers, employees, and communities by the PE financial model.

Here’s an overview of how the private equity financial model works. The PE firm, using mostly borrowed money, buys a company. The debt and interest of the borrowed money are then made the responsibility of (and often an overwhelming burden on) the purchased company. The PE owners also pay themselves exorbitant fees (usually for “management”) and pay large dividends to themselves and their other investors. They often sell the company’s assets, such as real estate, to raise money to pay for these payments or to make debt payments. Typically, the company’s real estate is leased back to it at an exorbitant cost.

All this forces the purchased company to engage in (often severe) cost-cutting to be able to make the payments on the debt, the lease, and to the PE owners and investors. This cost-cutting often involves major layoffs and cuts in compensation for employees. Abusive employment practices, union busting, and unsafe workplaces are not uncommon. The quality of the company’s products or services is often compromised to reduce costs. Despite all this cost cutting, the companies often go bankrupt, leaving employees without jobs and often without owed pay and benefits, including retirement benefits.

U.S. laws and policies aid and abet this process by granting tax and other benefits to elements of this model. PE firms are much more loosely regulated than publicly-owned companies or mutual funds that sell shares to the public. Given their private ownership, PE firms have basically no requirements for public disclosures or transparency. The Stop Wall Street Looting Act (see this previous post for an overview) would change this, regulating PE firms and holding them accountable.

Previous posts have reported on PE ownership and its effects in pet care, retail, and health care (here, here, here, and here). Here are two additional examples.

EXAMPLE #1: Centerbridge Partners, a PE firm, bought KIK Custom Products, the parent company of BioLab Inc., in 2015 for $1.6 billion. In late September, 2024, a BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia, had a massive explosion. Toxic clouds of smoke spread over the area and 17,000 residents had to be evacuated and another 90,000 were told to shelter-in-place. In 2020, an explosion at another BioLab plant in Georgia released a cloud of toxic chlorine gas and there was also a major fire at a plant in Louisiana. Under PE firm Centerbridge’s ownership, BioLab has a long history of explosions, fires, and workplace safety violations. [1]

Centerbridge and its investors have gotten at least $3.45 billion in dividends; a return of more than double their investment – in dividends alone. In the last four years, Centerbridge has added over $2.6 billion in debt to BioLab, primarily to pay for dividends paid to Centerbridge and its investors. In addition, in July, 2024, it sold off a separate subsidiary of KIK for $850 million, which was used to pay Centerbridge and its investors another large dividend and had the effect of increasing the debt load on BioLab. With interest rates rising, this significantly undermines BioLab’s financial stability and makes bankruptcy more likely.

If this most recent plant explosion pushes BioLab into bankruptcy, the company’s workers, including their pensions, as well as contractors and suppliers, will end up losing money that is owed to them. Furthermore, if BioLab goes bankrupt, anyone suing BioLab for personal or environmental harms from the toxic explosions will likely get nothing. It will be left up to the government and the taxpayers to pay for the harm and damage done, as well as the clean-up.

EXAMPLE #2: Two companies, Sorenson Communications and ZP Better Together, separately owned by PE firms, run the service that allows deaf people to communicate by phone using sign language via the Video Relay Service (VRS). The phone companies are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to make the VRS available for free to the 500,000 deaf people in the U.S. A small fee on all phone calls pays for it and the funding is funneled through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC pays a fixed rate per minute for the video calls. The VRS must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and must answer 85% of calls within ten seconds.

The VRS companies were targeted for acquisition by the PE firms because of their steady cashflow with effectively guaranteed profits. [2] Furthermore, the two companies have pushed the FCC to increase reimbursement rates and, in 2023, it announced a new five-year deal with rate increases of 30% to 49%. The rate for the first million minutes of calls will now be $6.27, up from $3.92. After the first million minutes, the rate declines.

Sorenson’s annual revenue is projected to be $2.1 billion and ZP’s about $400 million. Nonetheless, the two PE-owned firms have presided over declining service quality and deteriorating working conditions for employees in their efforts to maximize profits. There have been layoffs, under staffing, and under-training of staff. For example, some staff are specially trained to handle difficult calls, such as notifying a deaf person of the death of a loved one. Some are specially trained to handle translation and communication of legal documents. However, because of staff and training shortages, interpreters are being asked to do work they are not trained for. Workers typically have quotas for the number of minutes per hour they must be on calls to get paid. In some call centers, quotas have been increased because of labor shortages.

The companies have engaged in unfair labor practices and have aggressively resisted efforts to unionize. Labor representatives report that the FCC has not responded to a request for a meeting to discuss working conditions for months, while FCC staff and Commission members have met with the companies’ executives 16 times in the last two years.

Most of the sign language interpreters are part-time employees, with lower pay and benefits than full-time employees, who are usually managers. Although the FCC said that pay for interpreters would increase 65% over five years due to the rate increase, interpreters haven’t received wage increases and therefore are pushing to unionize. Several months after the 2023 rate increase, ZP closed two call centers in Minnesota after workers tried to unionize. ZP also closed two centers in California after settling a case of wage theft and retaliation for $320,000.

Sorenson has laid off workers, including middle management, many of whom were deaf people who had started as interpreters and worked their way up. The middle managers are some of the few employees who are typically full-time workers with decent pay and benefits.

More examples of PE ownership and its detrimental effects, including the Steward Health Care fiasco, will be shared in future posts.

[1]      Tkacik, M., & Goldstein, L., 10/2/24, “A toxic explosion in private equity payouts,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/power/2024-10-02-conyers-biolab-explosion-private-equity/)

[2]      Goldstein, L., 9/30/24, “Private equity is taking your calls,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/power/2024-09-30-private-equity-is-taking-your-calls/)

EXTREME CAPITALISM OF PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS DOES GREAT HARM Part 1

The extreme capitalism of private equity firms does great harm. These vulture capitalists use financial manipulation to extract big profits from companies without regard to their survival or the welfare of stakeholders. There’s a bill in Congress that will stop this.
Illustration of a vulture sitting on a falling graph. Concept for vulture capitalists, economic crisis, recession, bankruptcy and insolvency.

SUMMARY: The current brand of capitalism in the U.S. does lots of harm. Nowhere are the harms more evident than in the extreme capitalism of private equity (PE) firms. These vulture capitalists use financial manipulation to extract big profits from companies they buy without regard to the health or survival of the companies, or the welfare of their employees, customers, and communities. There’s a bill in Congress that will stop this vulture capitalism and all the damage it does.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

The current brand of capitalism in the U.S. does lots of harm. Even “routine” corporate activity results in lots of bad behavior, some of it illegal or corrupt, all of which harms employees, consumers, and the public. I’ve cited examples of this in many previous posts and, in my most recent post, I highlighted three examples and also shared why it’s important to be aware of this. The profit motive of capitalism and the greed of capitalists result in harmful business behaviors unless they’re well-regulated and the penalties and punishments for businesses and their executives are sufficient to truly discourage bad behavior or to put them out of business.

Nowhere are the harms of capitalism more evident than in the extreme capitalism of private equity (PE) firms. PE firms (i.e., “vulture capitalists”) use financial manipulation to extract profits from companies without regard to the health or survival of the companies, or the welfare of their employees, customers, and communities. Vulture capitalism fails to produce benefits for anyone other than the rich private equity financiers. They are not investing in the companies they buy; they are looking to maximize their short-term profits and have no qualms about the companies going bankrupt – in some cases that’s their plan. (See this previous post from 2018 describing the private equity business model and why it deserves to be called vulture capitalism.)

PE firms have purchased companies in many sectors of the economy from health care (over $500 billion between 2018 and 2023) to child care to pet care, from housing to private colleges, and from retail store chains to newspapers. Everywhere they’ve gone they’ve left destruction in their wake, including decimating local newspapers, bankrupting long-standing retail store chains, and causing deaths and injuries in health care.

In my next post, I’ll give a description of the PE business model and some specific recent examples of the harm it’s done, but, for now, here’s what can be done to stop this vulture capitalism. The Stop Wall Street Looting Act has been introduced in Congress by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), (all three are up for re-election, by the way) and others, along with over half a dozen Representatives. First introduced in 2019, the Act would: [1]

  • Make the PE owners and investors responsible for the debts and liabilities of the companies they own rather than allowing them to continue to avoid responsibility and liability by claiming to be an independent entity.
  • Change bankruptcy laws so that when PE-owned companies go bankrupt (as they often do) workers’ pay and benefits, including pensions, would be given a higher priority, rather than being the last party to get paid if there’s any money left over (which there usually isn’t).
  • Ban practices that allow PE owners to extract short-term profits that undermine the financial viability of a purchased company. For example, if a PE-owned company files for bankruptcy, the PE owners and investors could be forced to pay back the fees, dividends, and other payments they had received over the last 3 – 5 years.
  • Prohibit PE-owned firms that receive federal or state funds (as all health care providers do and as 611 PE-owned companies that received $5.3 billion in Covid relief funds did) from acquiring other companies or making payments to the PE owners or investors for two years.
  • Ban PE-owned health care companies from receiving federal money from Medicare or Medicaid if they sell property to or receive property-based loans from a real estate investment trust (REIT). REIT transactions are a standard, financial manipulation practice for PE-owned hospitals and were a key factor in Steward Health’s rapid expansion and then bankruptcy.
  • Subject PE firms to greater oversight and disclosure requirements. Cerberus Capital Management, the PE firm behind the Steward health care bankruptcy and debacle, would not have been able to withhold financial information from health care oversight agencies and from Congress – as it continues to do today.

I urge you to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators to ask them to support the Stop Wall Street Looting Act. Private equity’s model of vulture capitalism needs to be reined in before more patients, customers, employees, and communities are harmed. You can find contact information for your US Representative at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

The PE industry and its allies will, of course, strenuously oppose this legislation, as they have since it was first introduced in Congress in 2019. For example, during the 2021-2022 election cycle, the PE industry donated almost $350 million to federal election candidates and committees.

If you need any convincing of the need to stop the vulture capitalism of the PE model of business financial manipulation, my next post will present some recent examples of PE ownership and the detrimental effects it’s had. It will also share an overview of the PE model.

[1]      Office of Senator Warren, 10/10/24, “Warren, lawmakers renew legislative push to stop private equity looting,” Press release (U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren | Warren, Lawmakers Renew L…) and (Stop Wall Street Looting Act One Pager)

SHORT TAKES #16: MORE CORPORATE BAD BEHAVIOR

Here are summaries of three important stories that have gotten little attention in the mainstream media. These stories include corporations engaging in fraud and bribery, blocking competition to rip off businesses and consumers, and running unsafe prisons.

I share these stories of corporate bad behavior – and there are many more than I have time and space to share – for multiple reasons, including:

  • To puncture the prevalent myth that the private sector does no wrong and that it is efficient and effective in meeting needs and solving problems.
  • To demonstrate that the profit motive, coupled with the greed of corporate executives and investors, is so powerful that for many individuals it will corrupt their behavior in ways both small and large (e.g., de la Torre of Steward Health, Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling of Enron, and many others).
  • To make it clear that the private sector needs regulation to protect consumers, workers, and the public.
  • To show that the public shouldn’t trust what corporations say because they have a huge financial interest in hiding harms they may be causing (e.g., tobacco, global warming, toxicity of pesticides and other chemicals, etc.).
  • To document that the current punishments and penalties are too little to change corporate executives’ behavior. Often, the punishments and penalties are simply considered a cost of doing business.
  • To demonstrate that privatization of public functions and public goods (e.g., health care, drinking water systems, etc.) is not a wise idea.
  • To document that corporations are relentless over time and across multiple strategies (campaign spending, lobbying, the revolving door of personnel in and out of government regulatory positions, etc.) in their efforts to bend policy (taxes, regulation, punishments, etc.) and enforcement to their benefit. They are immortal, after all, and can and do outwait and out persevere most individuals and government agencies who try to rein in their power and misbehavior.

If you want to get a sense of the overall scale of corporate bad behavior visit this Violation Tracker database compiled by Good Jobs First.

STORY #1: RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon, has agreed to pay $950 million in penalties for defrauding the government and paying foreign bribes. RTX entered into three-year deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) with federal authorities in MA and NY. These mean the corporation won’t be prosecuted if it exhibits good conduct (i.e., complies with anticorruption and antifraud laws) for the next three years. [1] It also means the corporation doesn’t have to plead guilty and that its records and executives are not the subject of depositions and court testimony, which keeps the detailed information on the violations and investigations from being made public.

RTX inflated its revenue from government contracts by at least $111 million by lying about labor and materials costs, as well as double-billing. RTX paid bribes to a high-ranking Qatari military official to get lucrative contracts with the Qatari military. This violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Arms Export Control Act.

RTX and its subsidiaries are repeat violators. Most recently, in August the corporation agreed to a $200 million penalty for more than two dozen violations of the Arms Export Control Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The violations included the corporation providing classified military aircraft data to China and employees taking classified information on company laptops into Russia, Iran, and Lebanon.

Here’s Good Jobs First’s documentation of the violations of RTX and its subsidiaries since 2000. Prior to this latest $950 million settlement, there were 133 violations that resulted in penalties totaling $550 million.

STORY #2: The U.S. Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa for stifling competition in the debit card business. The suit alleges that Visa penalizes banks and businesses that don’t use Visa’s payment processing system to process debit transactions. Visa’s processing system handles 60% of debit transactions in the U.S. and charges over $7 billion in fees. The suit alleges that Visa uses its dominance to stifle competition and extract billions of dollars in excessive fees from businesses and consumers. [2]

The Justice Department’s complaint relies heavily on Visa’s own statements of corporate strategy. For example, Visa’s stated strategy is to “partner with emerging players before they become disruptors.” As a result, it offers big incentives (up to hundreds of millions of dollars annually) to financial system innovators like Apple Pay and PayPal for NOT competing and NOT disrupting Visa’s dominance. [3]

Visa and its allies have spent over $80 million lobbying against the Credit Card Competition Act, which would save consumers and businesses an estimated $15 billion annually.

STORY #3: The U.S. Justice Department has announced an investigation into reports of recurring and sometimes deadly violence at the privately run Trousdale Prison in Tennessee; reports which have been endemic since it was opened in 2016 by CoreCivic. CoreCivic is the largest private prison corporation in the U.S. with a value of over $1.4 billion. It has four prisons and two jails in TN and, since 2016, has spent more than $4.4 million on nearly 80 settlements over 22 deaths of inmates and dozens of other mistreatment complaints. TN has fined CoreCivic $38 million since 2016 for contract violations and the state comptroller has released scathing audit reports three times. But CoreCivic is active with its political spending and state leaders downplay the problems and renew the state’s contracts with it. [4]

There have been over 300 deaths at the four CoreCivic prisons in TN since 2016; some due to natural causes, but some due to violence and some appear to be due to medical neglect. Inmate complaints allege murders, brutal beatings, physical and sexual assaults, medical neglect, and cruelty. In its settlements, CoreCivic does not admit guilt and typically requires the other parties to a settlement to agree to refrain from talking about their complaint or the settlement.

Severe staffing shortages and unchecked flows of contraband contribute to the problems at the CoreCivic facilities. Even the prison guards report that they feel unsafe because of the understaffing.

[1]      Offenhartz, J., & Sisak, M. R., 10/17/24, “RTX to pay $950m to resolve fraud allegations,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[2]      Associated Press, 9/25/24, “Business Talking Points – Financial,” The Boston Globe

[3]      Kuttner, R., 9/25/24, “The Justice Department challenges Visa’s predatory power,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-09-25-justice-department-challenges-visas-predatory-power/)

[4]      Mattise, J., Loller, T., & Hall, K. M., 10/14/24, “Tenn. prison operator under US scrutiny,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE IN TAXES

Large, profitable corporations are NOT paying their fair share in federal income tax. President Trump and the Republicans passed a huge tax cut for corporations in 2017 that exacerbated this problem. It cut the stated corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% (a 40% cut) and created new loopholes that let them reduce what they actually pay.

President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working to get big corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act established a 15% minimum corporate tax and funded expanded tax enforcement. In addition, in 2021, the Biden administration negotiated a global minimum tax treaty with other nations but its approval has been blocked in Congress. [1] More on this later.

A study of the effects of the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act found that the 342 large corporations that were profitable in every year from 2018 to 2022 – so it would be reasonable to expect that they would be paying significant taxes – actually paid just 14.1% of their profits in taxes (i.e., their “effective” tax rate). [2] This is only two-thirds of the tax rate stated in the law. In other words, these 342 corporations, as a group, paid an average of $55 billion less per year in taxes than the stated tax rate would require. [3] So, while big, profitable corporations were paying 14.1% of their profits in taxes, the average household was paying 13.6% of its income in federal income taxes in 2020. [4]

Moreover, 23 of these 342 profitable corporations paid NOTHING in federal taxes for the whole five-year period, despite being profitable in every one of those years! Even with $131 billion in profits over this period, these 23 big corporations (as a group) received tax refunds totaling almost $4 billion.

Another 109 of the 342 profitable corporations paid no federal tax in at least one year of the 2018 – 2022 period. In the years when they paid no tax, they, as a group, had $258 billion in profits but received over $14 billion in tax refunds.

Fifty-five of the 342 profitable corporations had effective tax rates of under 5% for the five-year period, including:

  • Bank of America:         $139 billion in profits             $5.3 billion in taxes          8% rate
  • AT&T:                              $  96 billion in profits             $2.5 billion in taxes          6% rate
  • Citigroup:                      $  35 billion in profits             $1.5 billion in taxes          3% rate
  • General Motors:          $  33 billion in profits             $0.4 billion in taxes          3% rate
  • Nike:                              $  19 billion in profits             $1.0 billion in taxes          9% rate
  • T-Mobile:                       $  18 billion in profits             $-0.0 billion in taxes         -0.4% rate
  • FedEx:                            $  16 billion in profits             $0.7 billion in taxes          6% rate
  • Net Flix:                         $  15 billion in profits             $0.2 billion in taxes          6% rate
  • Molson Coors:             $    7 billion in profits              $0.3 billion in taxes          8% rate
  • Voya Financial:             $    4 billion in profits             $-0.3 billion in taxes         -8.0% rate
  • Darden Restaurants:  $    4 billion in profits             $0.0 billion in taxes          8% rate
  • Office Depot:                $    7 billion in profits             $-0.0 billion in taxes         -4.6% rate

Also notable was that in an analysis by industry, the oil, gas, and pipeline industry had the second lowest effective tax rate of just 2.0%. Our tax policy has a long way to go if we want to use it to incentivize movement away from fossil fuels!

Here are some key statistics that make the case that corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes currently: [5]

  • The overall tax rate actually paid by corporations has fallen steadily from over 50% in the early 1950s to well under 20% today. (This is the cumulative effective tax rate for federal, state, and local taxes.)
  • In the 1950s, corporate taxes provided between 25% and 33% of federal revenue. For the past 40 years, corporate taxes have provided less than 15% of federal revenue.
  • As a share of the U.S. economy (GDP), corporate profits have risen from 8% in 1980 to 12% in 2022, a 50% increase. Meanwhile, corporate taxes have fallen from roughly 3% to 2% of GDP.

President Biden and Democrats are working to get big corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats in Congress and signed by President Biden, established a 15% minimum corporate tax. More than half of the 342 corporations in the study cited above would have paid more in taxes with a 15% minimum tax rate. It’s estimated that it will generate over $200 billion in revenue over ten years from billion-dollar corporations. The Inflation Reduction Act also increased funding for enforcement of tax laws, which will reduce tax dodging by big corporations. [6]

In 2021, the Biden administration negotiated a global minimum tax treaty with other nations, but Congress has blocked approval of it. It would require multinational corporations to pay at least 15% of their profits in taxes. This would prevent corporations from avoiding taxes by shifting profits on paper to low tax countries. [7]

Note that Trump and the Republicans are stating in the presidential campaign that they will make the 2017 tax cuts permanent (they expire in 2025) and add on even more tax cuts. Among other things, they want to further cut the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15%. This would give the 100 largest, U.S. corporations, as a group, an estimated $50 billion a year in additional profits.

[1]      Johnson, J., 9/27/24, “Dems name and shame companies paying executives more than they pay in federal taxes,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/executive-pay-federal-taxes)

[2]      Gardner, M., Wamhoff, S., & Marasini, S., Feb. 2024, “Corporate tax avoidance in the first five years of the Trump tax law,” Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (https://itep.org/corporate-tax-avoidance-trump-tax-law/)

[3]      Johnson, J., 2/29/24, “Corporate tax avoidance rampant during first five years of Trump-GOP law: Study,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-corporate-tax-avoidance)

[4]      Anderson, S., Tashman, Z., & Rice, W., March 2024, “More for them, less for us,” Institute for Policy Studies and Americans for Tax Fairness (https://ips-dc.org/report-corporations-that-pay-their-executives-more-than-uncle-sam/)

[5]      Anderson, S., Tashman, Z., & Rice, W., March 2024, see above

[6]      Johnson, J., 9/27/24, see above

[7]      Johnson, J., 2/29/24, see above