Illinois’ Wheaton College has long traded on its reputation as a doctrinally conservative Christian institution. Its landing page promises prospective students that they will “find [their] Christ-centered calling” at the school. And its alumni list reads like who’s who of evangelical leaders.
But the college is unwilling to honor the accomplishments of one famous son because of his association with the Trump administration.
On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Russ Vought, who has a strong pro-life record, to lead the Office of Management and Budget, with all 53 Republicans voting in his favor. The following day, Wheaton’s social media accounts commended Vought, posting that the school “congratulates and prays” for him.
But by Saturday morning, negative comments left by Facebook users prompted Wheaton to retract the post.
“The recognition and prayer is something we would typically do for any graduate who reached that level of government,” Wheaton<a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GV18yRwgk/"> said</a> in a statement. “However, the political situation surrounding [Vought’s] appointment led to a significant concern expressed online. It was not our intention to embroil the College in a political discussion or dispute.” 
The college added that “as a non-profit institution, [it] does not make political endorsements,” even though its congratulatory message was not at all partisan.
While Wheaton did not make any formal political endorsements in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, the school did<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_jSy0gRwmp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=="> host a political event</a> with<a href="https://www.instagram.com/theafterparty2024/p/DACU4eaSWl9/?img_index=1"> anti-Trump speakers</a>. On September 12, it welcomed<a href="https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/"> The After Party</a>, a political Bible study program created by New York Times columnist David French, Christianity Today editor-in-chief Russell Moore, and Duke Divinity consulting professor Curtis Chang, all three of whom openly opposed Trump’s candidacy. French went as far as to endorse Kamala Harris, while Chang <a href="https://x.com/Protestia/status/1854502429225574780">called</a> Trump’s win “a disaster for the country” that left him in “anguish.”
Though The After Party says its mission is to “reframe Christian political thinking,” it was financed exclusively by<a href="https://firstthings.com/follow-the-money-to-the-after-party/"> left-wing secular funders</a>, including<a href="https://x.com/megbasham/status/1887690285120983165"> Bill Kristol’s</a> anti-Trump group, the Defending Democracy Together Institute — which the campaign finance watchdog Open Secrets highlighted as a<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/defending-democracy-together/news?id=D000073042"> major source of dark money</a> in the 2020 and 2024 elections. Moreover, Christian authors like Natasha Crain have<a href="https://natashacrain.com/how-the-after-party-curriculum-is-sowing-political-confusion-in-the-church/"> highlighted</a> that The After Party’s content is “in no way non-partisan” and seems intended to “confuse [church] members into believing that there’s a moral equivalence between the political parties.”
 Wheaton does not appear to have held any similar political events with conservative speakers in 2024, and Vought told The Daily Wire that he has not been welcomed to speak to students at the school since his early years as a Hill staffer.
The Daily Wire reached out to Wheaton about its Vought retraction, The After Party event, and whether it welcomed conservative speakers in 2024. Wheaton spokesman Joseph Moore replied “Offering prayers and congratulations is not a political endorsement. However, the social media post created a distracting amount of conflict on our social media channel, so we removed it and explained why.”
Eric Teetsel, Executive Vice President of the Center for Renewing America and former Vice President of Government Relations at the Heritage Foundation, is, like Vought, a Wheaton graduate with a long history in conservative politics. He told The Daily Wire he’s incredibly disappointed in his alma mater, and no longer feels he can recommend it to friends. 
“Last summer, I proudly walked two of my daughters around campus to see the place that means so much to me,” he said. “It breaks my heart that I could not in good conscience encourage them to attend Wheaton, too. The alumni magazine always features generational students. Some have family members going back seven and eight generations! I always wanted that. It sucks.”
 Economist and author David Bahnsen echoed Teetsel’s sentiments, <a href="https://x.com/DavidBahnsen/status/1888265808016716145">writing</a> on X, “Admitting you took down a ‘call to prayer’ because people online were mad at you is rank cowardice. Parents should take note of [Wheaton’s] boldness and courage when considering a school for their young adult children, because this is seriously pathetic.” 
Bahnsen added in a text to The Daily Wire: “Their rationale for the takedown was even worse than the takedown.”
Members of Congress, too, were quick to express their disgust with Wheaton’s capitulation. 
“Russ Vought is a highly accomplished alumni who should be celebrated. It’s absurd that the smallest minority of detractors come away victorious yet again,” Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt<a href="https://x.com/SenEricSchmitt/status/1888283551176495590"> said</a>.
Hillsdale College, which, like Wheaton, is a private institution, had also<a href="https://x.com/Hillsdale/status/1887682363179557001"> congratulated</a> Vought on its social media pages on Thursday. On Saturday, it reaffirmed those well wishes, <a href="https://x.com/Hillsdale/status/1888287288389722443">posting</a>, “Trigger warning: We will not be deleting our earlier post congratulating Russ Vought.”

The President’s 2021 Budget

Christian College Caves to Woke Mob, Apologizes For Congratulating Alum In Trump Admin 

Christian Colleges

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Russ Vought

Wokeness

The GOP-led <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> confirmed Russell Vought to once again become director of the Office of Management and Budget (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/office-of-management-and-budget-omb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OMB</a>) under President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> after Democrats spent all night into the day protesting the nomination.
On Thursday evening, all Republicans voted in favor of Vought while every Democrat and the independents who caucus with them opposed the Cabinet nominee, resulting in a final <a href="https://x.com/SenateCloakroom/status/1887661003573502260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">53-47</a> tally.
&#8220;Russ Vought will have the chance to address two key economic issues – cutting burdensome government regulations and addressing excessive spending,&#8221; Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said in a <a href="https://x.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1887192842285785137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to X on Wednesday. &#8220;I am confident that he will help lead that charge.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Russ Vought will have the chance to address two key economic issues – cutting burdensome government regulations and addressing excessive spending.
I am confident that he will help lead that charge. <a href="https://t.co/jwTf7XBkqm">pic.twitter.com/jwTf7XBkqm</a>
&mdash; Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1887192842285785137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Vought led OMB during the first Trump administration and later <a href="https://americarenewing.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">founded</a> the Center for Renewing America. In November, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-selects-russell-vought-to-once-again-lead-omb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picked</a> Vought to serve another stint as leader of OMB, a role in which he is poised to work alongside the new Department of Government Efficiency (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-government-efficiency-doge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOGE</a>) and its leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> in enacting sweeping <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weekend-warrior-elon-musk-reveals-how-doge-is-cutting-billions-in-spending-every-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cuts to spending</a> across the federal bureaucracy.
&#8220;Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-selects-russell-vought-to-once-again-lead-omb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People.&#8221;
When Vought appeared for his confirmation hearing last month, he testified about efficient use of taxpayer dollars to help U.S. citizens, citing the scourge of inflation fueled by &#8220;irresponsible&#8221; federal spending.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: OMB Director Nominee Russell Vought Opening Statement <a href="https://t.co/SF2v5lAPK7">pic.twitter.com/SF2v5lAPK7</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1879599514593431568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee later voted <a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/reps/dr-paul-releases-statement-on-nomination-of-russell-vought-to-be-director-of-the-office-of-management-and-budget-advancing-from-committee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">8-7</a> to send Vought&#8217;s nomination to the full Senate. On Wednesday, the upper chamber voted 53-47 along party lines to break the filibuster on Vought&#8217;s nomination.
Democrats then pulled an all-nighter, using 30 hours of debate time to speak out on the Senate floor against the Cabinet pick. Many of them brought up <a href="https://x.com/SenateDems/status/1887348343816527982" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a>, which Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/director-project-2025-is-stepping-down-trump-campaign-welcomes-projects-demise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disavowed</a> in the midst of his campaign, and spending.
&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t trust Russell Vought to run a 5K, let alone to run the federal government, let alone to run the process by which we distribute funds to the things that keep us safe and healthy and prosperous,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/SenateDems/status/1887584120768979359" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“I wouldn&#39;t trust Russell Vought to run a 5K, let alone to run the federal government,
let alone to run the process by which we distribute funds to the things that keep us safe and healthy and prosperous.”
—Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisCoons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisCoons</a> <a href="https://t.co/roGSB255km">pic.twitter.com/roGSB255km</a>
&mdash; Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenateDems/status/1887584120768979359?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Ultimately, the Democrats were powerless to stop Vought&#8217;s confirmation on Thursday and even got shut down when some tried to speak out when the final vote was taking place.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨WATCH🚨 Democrat Senators heckle and shout during the vote to confirm Russel Vought as OMB Director <a href="https://t.co/QWBCfTvPKq">pic.twitter.com/QWBCfTvPKq</a>
&mdash; Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1887659698054418645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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🚨New: Elizabeth Warren just got humiliated
She tried to scream down Russ Vought&#39;s nomination for OMB Director
The Chair scolded her: “No debate is permitted during a vote, the Senator will suspend.”
After this she sat back down in her chair. <a href="https://t.co/jVivd4lrtn">pic.twitter.com/jVivd4lrtn</a>
&mdash; The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCalvinCooli1/status/1887659993895174508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Democrats spent all night on the Senate floor to delay a vote on [Vought] for OMB Director. They’re wasting their time,&#8221; Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) <a href="https://x.com/SenRickScott/status/1887570337212059721" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X. &#8220;Americans made their voices heard by electing President Trump &amp; we WILL deliver by confirming Trump’s team ASAP.&#8221;
The Senate has now confirmed more than a dozen of Trump&#8217;s Cabinet nominees and more are making their way through the confirmation process. Besides Vought, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is the only other Trump pick this cycle to get approval with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-breaks-tie-to-confirm-pete-hegseth-for-pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only Republican votes</a>, including Vice President JD Vance serving as tie-breaker.
Earlier on Thursday, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee secured a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-delay-tactics-push-back-vote-on-kash-patel-for-fbi-director" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one-week delay</a> on a vote to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, Trump&#8217;s pick for FBI director, to the full Senate. The same thing previously happened with Pam Bondi, who later advanced out of committee and was then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-pam-bondi-for-attorney-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> by the Senate to become U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday.
After confirming Vought, the Senate proceeded with procedural steps that set the stage for final votes on Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence; Robert F. Kennedy, the pick to be HHS secretary; and other remaining nominees, likely to happen next week.

Russell Vought

Senate Confirms Trump’s OMB Pick After Democrats Pull All-Nighter To Complain

Cabinet

Congress

Donald Trump

Politics

Presidential nomination

U.S. Senate

President Trump is keeping his promises, moving fast and making changes in historic and amazing ways.
On Tuesday, the President of the United States, via his Office of Management and Budget (OMB), put forward a proposal that would temporarily pause $3 trillion in spending from the federal government.
The pause is temporary; much of that spending will go forward.
But the idea is to review all non-mandatory federal government spending. There&#8217;s a lot of mandatory spending in the federal budget that includes Medicare, Social Security, and many aspects of Medicaid. That will all continue, as will various payments to law enforcement, bodies, and defense.
What the order is meant to do is allow a pause for the various branches of the federal government, which are under the control of President Trump, to review spending and ensure all expenses are in accordance with the president&#8217;s wishes and with the wishes of Congress.
So, of course, the Left freaked out, claiming that President Trump is doing something deeply unconstitutional and fascistic.
But here’s the point: You do not get to expand and centralize power of the executive branch for over a century and control every aspect of Americans’ lives, as the Left has done, and then, when your political opponent takes over and uses that power in order to cut back the amount of power the executive branch would be exerting in Americans lives, get to claim that he is a dictator.
You don&#8217;t get to do that. You break it; you bought it. You built this thing, so you can&#8217;t be shocked when the person who takes over decides he&#8217;s going to use the instruments that you created to downgrade the amount of impact that those instruments have on Americans’ everyday lives.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2127-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
On Tuesday, the executive office of the President, the Office of Management and Budget, put out a memo. It <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25506186/m-25-13-temporary-pause-to-review-agency-grant-loan-and-other-financial-assistance-programs.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>: 
<blockquote>The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar. In Fiscal Year 2024, of the nearly $10 trillion that the Federal Government spent, more than $3 trillion was Federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities. Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.</blockquote>
In other words, “We got elected, and now we&#8217;re going to implement the priorities of the American people.”
This memorandum, according to the OMB, requires federal agencies to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the president&#8217;s policies and requirements. By the way, this does not include assistance provided directly for individuals. Nothing in the memo itself should be construed to impact Medicare or Social Security benefits.
So, of course, the media, en masse, lied, suggesting that individual benefits from these mandatory social spending programs were going to be impacted by the OMB order.
That&#8217;s false. It&#8217;s a lie. And it&#8217;s being promoted by people who are lying to you. According to the OMB: 
<blockquote>To implement these orders, each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their Federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President&#8217;s executive orders. In the interim, to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.</blockquote>
One of the great boondoggles in American public life is non-governmental organizations being paid grants by the federal government that are going to Left-wing social organizations on a nonprofit basis.
According to the memo, “No later than February 10, 2025, agencies shall submit to OMB detailed information on any programs, projects or activities subject to this pause. Each agency must pause: (i) issuance of new awards; (ii) disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards; and (iii) other relevant agency actions that may be implicated by the executive orders, to the extent permissible by law, until OMB has reviewed and provided guidance to your agency with respect to the information submitted. OMB may grant exceptions allowing Federal agencies to issue new awards or take other actions on a case-by-case basis.”
It is a lie that this is a blanket nuking of all federal spending.
It is a way of taking a harder look at the federal spending that has grown wildly out of control — spending in which your taxpayer dollars are being used to subsidize groups that, for example, sponsor illegal immigrants or go toward social engineering of the Left, such as transgenderism.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and OMB found that $37 billion was about to go out the door to the World Health Organization, which is an organization that President Trump no longer wants the United States to be a part of. So that wouldn&#8217;t be in line with the president&#8217;s agenda. DOGE and OMB also found that $50 million taxpayer dollars would have gone out the door to fund condoms in Gaza, where Hamas makes them into helium balloons carrying inflammatory devices.
What we are also seeing is malicious compliance here from various people inside the so-called “Deep State,” attempts to humiliate the Trump administration. The Medicaid portal story, which was the biggest story yesterday in the mainstream media, was just silly. The portal was up and running again within hours. What likely happened is that somebody in the Medicaid system pretended they were complying with Trump, but shut down the website to attempt to create a humiliating fiasco for President Trump.
A federal judge, according to CNBC, has put a hold on Trump’s administration order. This will likely end up at the Supreme Court level, and that will determine presumably exactly how far empowerments can go.
It’s a fight worth fighting.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Takes A Wrecking Ball To The Federal Government

Ben Shapiro

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Federal Government

Leftists

Medicaid

Medicare

Opinion

President Trump

Social Security

spending

A federal court has blocked an order from President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> to temporarily freeze a broad swath of federal spending on controversial programs.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a two-page <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000194-ae0c-dd75-adfc-af8f40e50000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> on Monday ordering a freeze of federal spending aimed at cutting off funding used to “advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies.”
A federal judge on Tuesday paused the impending freeze, scheduled to take effect at 5 p.m. The judge granted a request to stay Trump’s spending freeze as part of a lawsuit, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/dc-federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-trump-plan-pause-federal-aid-spend-rcna189706" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>.
Trump instituted the freeze to give his administration time to “identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President’s policies and requirements.” The order targeted a plethora of federal spending programs totaling potentially trillions of dollars.
“Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” the OMB letter said.
The order exempted Social Security, Medicare, and other programs. In followup guidance from the OMB, the agency clarified that the spending freeze “is expressly limited to programs, projects, and activities implicated by the President’s Executive Orders, such as ending DEI, the green new deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations that undermine the national interest.”
“Any program that provides direct benefits to Americans is explicitly excluded from the pause and exempted from this review process. In addition to Social Security and Medicare, already explicitly excluded in the guidance, mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP will continue without pause,” the OMB said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Full memo here &#8211; outlining what is and isn’t impacted by OMB pause on federal funds for a period of review
Document shows pause is not across the board, but limited to programs impacted by executive orders such as ending DE, the Green New Deal, and NGOs that “undermine the… <a href="https://t.co/1AknxYbIVY">https://t.co/1AknxYbIVY</a> <a href="https://t.co/5z5l6QqV9H">pic.twitter.com/5z5l6QqV9H</a>
&mdash; Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/1884322205196009864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday <a href="https://x.com/Jules31415/status/1884291609203991009">accused</a> Trump of plunging “the country into chaos” with the order.
“Donald Trump must direct his Administration to reverse course immediately and the taxpayers’ money should be distributed to the people. Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law,” Schumer said.

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Spending Freeze Aimed At Foreign Aid, ‘Woke’ Programs

Chuck Schumer

Courts

President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> announced on Monday that he intends to have Mark Paoletta serve another stint as the top lawyer at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
In the role, Paoletta will help out the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-government-efficiency-doge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)</a>, a new project headed by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vivek-ramaswamy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy</a> that aims to cut down on waste, Trump declared.
&#8220;I am pleased to announce that Mark Paoletta will be returning as General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget,&#8221; Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113625471739178108" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to Truth Social. &#8220;Mark will work closely with our DOGE team to cut the size of our bloated Government bureaucracy, and root out wasteful and anti-American spending.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-left-is-triggered-by-justice-thomas-mark-paoletta-on-the-crusade-against-the-supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED — ‘The Left Is Triggered By Justice Thomas’: Mark Paoletta On The Crusade Against The Supreme Court</a>
Paoletta is a &#8220;brilliant and tenacious lawyer, who worked tirelessly to advance my Agenda in the First Term&#8221; and as OMB general counsel &#8220;led the charge to identify funding to build the Southern Border Wall, and worked with then-OMB Director Russ Vought to rein in woke and weaponized Government spending,&#8221; Trump added.
Trump revealed in November that he was nominating Vought to once again serve as his OMB director. In the intervening years, Vought founded The Center for Renewing America, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flagrant-disregard-for-taxpayer-funds-pentagon-fails-sixth-consecutive-audit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a conservative policy organization</a> where Paoletta has worked as a senior adviser.
The announcement on Monday noted that Paoletta is also a partner at the Schaerr Jaffe law firm, served as a chief counsel for Oversight and Investigations in Congress for a decade, and was a &#8220;key lawyer&#8221; in the White House Counsel’s Office to confirm Justice Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991.
&#8220;Mark is a conservative warrior who knows the &#8216;ins and outs&#8217; of Government — He will help us, Make America Great Again!&#8221; Trump exclaimed.
In responding to Trump&#8217;s decision to have him return to OMB, which has a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated mission</a> &#8220;to assist the President in meeting policy, budget, management, and regulatory objectives and to fulfill the agency’s statutory responsibilities, Paoletta mentioned DOGE, too.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> for the privilege to work for you again. I am thrilled to be rejoining my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/russvought?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@russvought</a> at OMB where we will once again be the tip of the spear to implement President Trump’s agenda, including working w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/DOGE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DOGE</a> to cut wasteful government spending! <a href="https://t.co/loS4wr6GT3">pic.twitter.com/loS4wr6GT3</a>
&mdash; Mark Paoletta (@MarkPaoletta) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkPaoletta/status/1866300910755774734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Thank you [Trump] for the privilege to work for you again,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/MarkPaoletta/status/1866300910755774734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;I am thrilled to be rejoining my friend [Vought] at OMB where we will once again be the tip of the spear to implement President Trump’s agenda, including working w/ [DOGE] to cut wasteful government spending!&#8221;
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Paoletta <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=500474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently </a>told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that career Department of Justice employees who refuse to get on board with Trump&#8217;s second administration should leave the federal government.
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🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkPaoletta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarkPaoletta</a>: DOJ career employees who plan to subvert President Trump’s agenda shouldn’t work at the Justice Department <a href="https://t.co/16RctrNGW0">pic.twitter.com/16RctrNGW0</a>
&mdash; Center for Renewing America (@amrenewctr) <a href="https://twitter.com/amrenewctr/status/1856350442369736899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Only in the federal government, only with a deep swamp do people &#8230; the career employees  think that they get to run the joint as it were,&#8221; Paolota said, adding that Trump &#8220;was reelected with an overwhelming majority of an agenda by the American people popularly supported.&#8221;

President-Elect Donald Trump

Trump Reveals ‘Conservative Warrior’ Attorney Who Will ‘Work Closely’ With DOGE

U.S.

President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> announced on Friday night that he has nominated Russell Vought to once again be the Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
&#8220;He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term,&#8221; Trump said in a statement. &#8220;We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!&#8221;
&#8220;Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People.&#8221;
Vought graduated with his bachelors degree from Wheaton College and received his J.D. from the Washington School of Law.
Trump said that Vought will help restore &#8220;fiscal sanity&#8221; to the U.S. and will help usher in a new era of prosperity and ingenuity.
Vought thanked Trump for the nomination and said that it was &#8220;an honor of a lifetime to get the call again&#8221; to serve his country.
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He added that there was &#8220;unfinished business&#8221; that the administration planned to accomplish for the American people.
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Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>! There is unfinished business on behalf of the American people, and it’s an honor of a lifetime to get the call again. <a href="https://t.co/iqxO733w63">https://t.co/iqxO733w63</a>
— Russ Vought (@russvought) <a href="https://twitter.com/russvought/status/1860121532758204758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
Trump&#8217;s reference to Vought being an &#8220;aggressive cost cutter&#8221; and helping restore the government to &#8220;fiscal sanity&#8221; comes after he announced the creation of a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that aims to reduce wasteful government spending.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with leading DOGE, laid out their vision in a Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-and-vivek-ramaswamy-outline-the-doge-plan-to-reform-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a> on Wednesday.
Musk and Ramaswamy said that the way the government is currently run is “antidemocratic and antithetical to the Founders’ vision” because it takes the power out of the hands of elected leaders and places it in the hands of bureaucrats.
The department was created to “cut the federal government down to size,” they wrote. “The entrenched and ever-growing bureaucracy represents an existential threat to our republic, and politicians have abetted it for too long.”
They said that the Trump transition team has hired them to lead a lean team of “small-government crusaders” who will “pursue three major kinds of reform: regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions and cost savings.”
They continued:
<blockquote>A drastic reduction in federal regulations provides sound industrial logic for mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy. DOGE intends to work with embedded appointees in agencies to identify the minimum number of employees required at an agency for it to perform its constitutionally permissible and statutorily mandated functions.</blockquote>
The department will work with legal experts and use “advanced technology” to determine where cuts can be made immediately that they say will “liberate individuals and businesses from illicit regulations never passed by Congress and stimulate the U.S. economy.”
They said that DOGE will aim to gut $500 billion in annual federal expenditures every year that are “unauthorized by Congress or being used in ways that Congress never intended, from $535 million a year to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $1.5 billion for grants to international organizations to nearly $300 million to progressive groups like Planned Parenthood.”
They also advocated for large scale audits of federal contracts that have gone unexamined, which they argued would yield “significant savings” to taxpayers.
Musk and Ramaswamy said that they aim to dissolve the DOGE by July 4, 2026, hoping that they will have fixed many of the country’s spending problems by its 250th birthday.

Trump Selects Russell Vought To Once Again Lead OMB

Executive

Trump Administration

The federal government made nearly a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/money" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quarter of a trillion dollars</a> in &#8220;improper payments&#8221; in the last fiscal year, a congressional watchdog agency estimated.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106927.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> unveiled last week said 14 agencies reported a total of $236 billion in botched payments in fiscal 2023.
Here, &#8220;improper payments&#8221; were defined as &#8220;those that should not have been made or were made in the incorrect amount.&#8221;
GAO said agencies reported that $175 billion, or over 74% of the total, were attributed to overpayments.
The total represented an $11 billion decrease from fiscal 2022, but GAO demonstrated in a graphs how &#8220;improper payments&#8221; have, on average, risen over the past 20 years.
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The federal government has made an estimated $2.7 trillion in improper payments in the last 20 fiscal years—including $236 billion in FY23.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report on what is causing these errors &amp; what can be done to prevent them: <a href="https://t.co/tbSrZG882J">https://t.co/tbSrZG882J</a> <a href="https://t.co/axpRrhNNtr">pic.twitter.com/axpRrhNNtr</a>
&mdash; U.S. GAO (@USGAO) <a href="https://twitter.com/USGAO/status/1772685603185815899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Since fiscal 2003, the cumulative amount has totaled $2.7 trillion. GAO said improper payments have &#8220;consistently&#8221; been an issue across the government.
The $236 billion figure for fiscal 2023 is just an estimate, GAO cautioned, and it does not include some programs that agencies have determined to be &#8220;susceptible&#8221; to mismanaged payments.
GAO listed the Health and Human Services Department&#8217;s Temporary Assistance for Need Families program as an example.
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An analysis found that problematic expenditures were &#8220;concentrated&#8221; in five program areas, including $51.1 billion for Medicare and $50.3 billion for Medicaid.
There was also $43.6 billion for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, $21.9 billion for Earned Income Tax Credit, and $18.7 billion for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness.
All other programs from which there was data accounted for $50.1 billion in &#8220;improper payments.&#8221;
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) commented on the topline $236 billion estimate for fiscal 2023 by taking a swipe at the Biden administration.
&#8220;We need accountability here! This is YOUR money the Biden admin took out of your wallet and wasted,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1774172902755123374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X.
GAO said it provided a draft of its report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment, but &#8220;OMB did not have any comments on the report.&#8221;
In fiscal 2022, 14 of 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 &#8220;complied with applicable improper payment criteria, as reported by their agency inspectors general,&#8221; GAO said.
That number marked an increase from 2021, when GAO said inspectors general reported 10 agencies were compliant.
GAO <a href="https://www.gao.gov/blog/federal-government-made-236-billion-improper-payments-last-fiscal-year?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=blogsm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it has made &#8220;numerous&#8221; recommendations and suggestions to Congress on ways to reduce payment errors.

US dollars banknotes

Federal Agencies Made $236 Billion In ‘Improper Payments’ In Fiscal 2023, GAO Finds

Federal Agencies Made $236 Billion In 'Improper Payments' In Fiscal 2023, GAO Finds

Biden Administration

General

Inspector general

Rick Scott

A senior Biden administration official spent her time in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> briefing room speculating on what specific programs or funding Republicans might be willing to cut — and with no pushback from the reporters in attendance, she claimed they&#8217;d cut veterans&#8217; benefits and cancer research.
Shalanda Young, who is currently serving as Biden&#8217;s director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), took the lectern on Thursday and began to rant about Republicans just wanting to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-led-house-passes-mccarthys-plan-to-raise-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut spending</a> without really thinking or caring about where the funding they were cutting was going to go.
WATCH:
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OMB Director Shalanda Young speculates Republicans might be willing to cut *cancer research* under the guise of cutting government spending and trimming debt.
Just insane. Pure rhetorical terrorism.
But the liberal media don&#39;t care. They protect this White House at all costs. <a href="https://t.co/jnzBAzWGom">pic.twitter.com/jnzBAzWGom</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1654191455911530520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Something tells me, those toplines in that bill, there are many Republicans who could not vote for bills that actually told the American people by line item what it means,&#8221; Young began, arguing that Republicans wanted to pass a bill that would &#8220;cut spending&#8221; without being forced to admit which spending might be cut.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve talked a lot about veterans, and people get nervous about those veterans cuts, and they decide not to do that,&#8221; she continued, &#8220;What&#8217;s next, cancer research? You zero out the highway money in the transportation bill?&#8221;
Young went on to say that it was just business as usual, claiming, &#8220;We&#8217;ve done this before. Republicans have done this before. &#8230; Because those cuts hurt communities whether you&#8217;re represented by a Democrat or a Republican.&#8221;
She went on to say that people should withhold judgment until the appropriations process had time to work so that people could see where the money was going before they voted to cut any of it.
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As the debt ceiling fast approaches — Treasury Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellen-warns-of-debt-default-as-early-as-june-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Janet Yellen</a> has warned the United States could default as early as June — Democrats have been adamant about passing a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) submitted his own proposal, which includes spending cuts to a number of the Biden administration&#8217;s green energy initiatives — and in the days since, Democrats have worked overtime to claim that McCarthy&#8217;s proposal would result in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-chairman-responds-as-white-house-lobs-spurious-claims-at-spending-cut-proposal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nothing short of disaster</a>.

Shalanda Young

‘What’s Next, Cancer Research?’: Senior WH Official Speculates About GOP Spending Cuts In Unhinged Monologue

Senior WH Official Speculates About GOP Spending Cuts In Unhinged Monologue

Cancer

Kevin McCarthy

Veterans

The Biden administration quietly admitted its plan to end the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-white-house-extends-covid-public-health-emergency-through-april" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 emergency declarations</a> Monday, three years after the start of the pandemic.
In a statement of policy from the White House Office of Management and Budget, the White House admitted that it would file one last extension of the national and public health emergency declarations on April 11, then would end both one month later, on May 11. The memo comes in response to two bills in Congress that would force the end of these declarations.
&#8220;The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020,&#8221; OMB said in its <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SAP-H.R.-382-H.J.-Res.-7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date. This wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE.&#8221;
&#8220;To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with regard to COVID-19.,&#8221; OMB continued. &#8220;They do not impose mask mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response to cases of COVID-19.&#8221;
But the policy was announced in a statement intended to criticize two bills in the House of Representatives that would end the emergency declarations by force. The first, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/382?s=1&amp;r=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">H.R. 382</a>, a.k.a. the ‘‘Pandemic is Over Act,&#8221; was introduced by Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie; it would terminate the public health emergency. The second, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hjres7/BILLS-118hjres7ih.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Joint Resolution 7</a>, was authored by Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar; it would terminate the national emergency.
In its statement, the White House railed against the two bills. First, the White House claimed that terminating the Declaration would create chaos in the health care system. Ending the public health emergency would jeopardize Medicaid funding given to states by abruptly ending provisions passed by Congress, the OMB memo argued.
Furthermore, the OMB argued that ending the emergency would create chaos in hospitals and nursing homes by doing away with the flexibilities from the pandemic, disrupting care, delaying payments, and costing facilities money. Ending the emergency would also jeopardize telehealth services, the office claimed.
Second, the end of the public health emergency will end Title 42. The administration is still trying to end the policy that allows border agents to turn migrants away on an expedited basis, but it was stopped by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-supreme-court-rules-to-keep-title-42-in-place-indefinitely" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a>. &#8220;[I]f H.R. 382 
becomes law and the Title 42 restrictions end precipitously, Congress will effectively be requiring the Administration to allow thousands of migrants per day into the country immediately without the necessary policies in place,&#8221; the policy memo argued.
&#8220;The Administration strongly opposes enactment of H.R. 382 and H.J. Res. 7, which would be a grave disservice to the American people,&#8221; the OMB concluded.
The Biden administration has struggled to put forth a consistent message since President Joe Biden declared that &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1571655424222597121" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the pandemic is over</a>&#8221; in a 60 Minutes interview in September. Last week, Press Secretary <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-says-covid-isnt-over-biden-claimed-pandemic-is-over-midterms?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> repeated that the pandemic is not yet over. &#8220;COVID isn&#8217;t over. We&#8217;ve been very clear about that,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Tuesday. &#8220;Hundreds of Americans are dying every day and cases are increasing right now today. That&#8217;s why we take common sense measures like COVID testing ahead of large indoor gatherings at the White House.&#8221;

President Biden Receives His Updated Covid-19 Booster Vaccine

Biden Administration Admits It Will End COVID Emergency In May, In A Letter Telling Republicans Not To End COVID Emergency

COVID-19

In late July, Russ Vought, the former chief of the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration, filed a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the ties between the Biden administration’s Department of Education and the Abolitionist Teaching Network, which embraces Critical race Theory.
On Wednesday, Vought was asked to resign from his position or be fired by the end of the day by President Biden’s White House. Vought was serving as a Member of the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Naval Academy; he was appointed in December 20 by former President Trump.
Vought fired back succinctly on Twitter, “No. It’s a three year term.”
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No. It’s a three year term. <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> <a href="https://t.co/c9pZOENNPR">pic.twitter.com/c9pZOENNPR</a>
&mdash; Russ Vought (@russvought) <a href="https://twitter.com/russvought/status/1435634747854688262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Vought also serves as the president of the Center for Renewing America. When he filed the Freedom of Information Act request in July, he told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/critical-race-theory-biden-administration-russ-vought-investigation">Fox News</a>, &#8220;The American people deserve to know who at the highest levels in the White House pushed this radical, racist group into reopening guidelines for our schools. It&#8217;s extremely troubling that Biden’s Department of Education promotes a group that accuses children of &#8216;spirit murdering&#8217; other children based on their skin color. This Administration has made an Olympic sport out of State Sanctioned Racism and it&#8217;s about time the curtain gets pulled back.&#8221;
Biden’s Department of Education linked to a guide by the Abolitionist Teaching Network which states, &#8220;Abolitionist Teachers&#8221; should &#8220;[b]uild a school culture that engages in healing and advocacy. This requires a commitment to learning from students, families, and educators who disrupt Whiteness and other forms of oppression.”
The Biden Department of Education’s Deputy Secretary, Cindy Marten, reportedly hosted Abolitionist Teaching Network founder Bettina Love for a training seminar when Marten served as superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Investigative reporter Christopher Rufo <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-picks-a-second-sympathizer-of-critical-race-theory-for-ed-dept/">wrote</a>, “According to whistleblower documents, Martens personally introduced the speaker, Bettina Love, and praised her presentation about ‘spirit murder,’ ‘antiracist therapy,’ and ‘abolitionist teaching’” when Love was a featured speaker at a training program last August.”
Rufo noted that a whistleblower “took detailed notes of the speech and captured screenshots of the presentation” despite the district’s ban on attendees from recording the session. He continued, “According to these notes, Love began her presentation by claiming that ‘racism runs deep’ in the United States and that blacks alone ‘know who America really is.’ She argued that public schools in particular ‘don’t see [blacks] as human,’ are guilty of systemic ‘anti-Blackness,’ and ‘spirit murder babies’ in the education system.”
“At the end of her presentation, Love told the teachers that whites are directly responsible for the plight of ‘dark children,’” Rufo reported, adding that a slide labeled “Teacher Education Gap” stated, “Whiteness reproduces poverty, failing schools, high unemployment, school closings, and trauma for people of color.”
“The documents Vought requested Wednesday could show deeper ties between the Abolitionist Teaching Network and the Biden administration,” Fox News opined in July.
In 2020, as chief of the Office of Management and Budget, Vought wrote a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/M-20-37.pdf">memo</a> outlining steps to be taken vis-à-vis federal worker “training sessions” that incorporated Critical Race Theory and harped on “white privilege”:
<blockquote>On September 4, 2020, M-20-34 was issued at the President&#8217;s direction, which states in part, &#8220;The President, and his Administration, are fully committed to the fair and equal treatment of all individuals in the United States.&#8221; M-20-34 alerted agencies that some Federal worker &#8220;training&#8221; sessions are being held­ at taxpayer expense &#8211; that demonstrably undermine this core American principle by stereotyping and scapegoating specific groups of people. These divisive trainings constitute a malign subset of a larger pool of Federal agency trainings held to promote diversity and inclusiveness. The sort of training at issue does neither; it sows division among the workforce by attempting to prescribe and impose upon employees a conformity of belief in ideologies that label entire groups of Americans as inherently racist or evil (e.g., critical race theory).</blockquote>
Vought suggested that agencies:
<blockquote>Review these trainings to determine whether they teach, advocate, or promote the divisive concepts specified in the Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping (e.g., that the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist or that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive).</blockquote>
Vought <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-ends-critical-race-theory-training-federal-employees">banned</a> federal agencies from using funding for training that used Critical Race Theory.

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget

Biden Tells Trump Official Who Fought Critical Race Theory To Resign. He Fires Back, ‘No. It’s A Three Year Term’

Critical Race Theory

Joe Biden

On January 20, the very day he was inaugurated as President of the United States, Joe Biden issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-personnel/">executive order</a> on “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel” in which he committed new appointees in every executive agency to take an ethics pledge. That pledge promised, “I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts,” and “I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.”
Yet Biden and his administration, which are heavily connected to labor unions across the country, granted waivers to two former union officials, claiming that the waivers were “in the public interest,” a phrase used in the executive order to give Biden the rationale for circumventing the aforementioned pledges by the prospective appointee.
The executive order states that a waiver may be granted by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Counsel to the President, if it is determined “that the literal application of the restriction is inconsistent with the purposes of the restriction; or that it is in the public interest to grant the waiver.”
In March, the Biden administration granted a waiver to Alethea Predeoux to become a senior official in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as <a href="https://www.axios.com/bidens-ethics-union-labor-69aa2550-495e-422c-afce-07a80be0893e.html">Axios</a> reported. Predeoux had previously served as a chief lobbyist for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 federal workers. On March 15, OPM’s general counsel Lynn Eisenberg issued a memo stating, “Ms. Predeoux has been a registered lobbyist for AFGE for six years. Prior to joining AFGE, she served for approximately five years as a registered lobbyist for Paralyzed Veterans of America. While she has lobbied the Hill on OPM-related issues, she has not directly lobbied OPM,” <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9558503/Biden-administration-grants-ethics-waivers-two-former-labor-lobbyists.html">the Daily Mail</a> noted.
In late April, OMB <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Celeste-Drake-Pledge-Waiver.pdf">issued a waiver</a> for Celeste Drake, who had previously served as Executive in Charge of Government Affairs at the Directors Guild of America as well as Trade and Globalization Specialist with the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States.
OMB general counsel Samuel Nagenstos wrote:
<blockquote>I have determined that this waiver is necessary and that it is in the public interest to enable you to effectively carry out your duties as the Director of the Made in America office at the Office of Management and Budget. … Managing an ongoing recusal for you would significantly and negatively affect several of OMB’s important missions. The successful accomplishment of the mission of the newly created Made in America Office relies on extensive, open, and collaborative communications within OMB, between OMB and other parts of the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government, and between OMB and non-governmental entities including labor organizations.</blockquote>
Alfredo Ortiz, president of the Job Creators Network, told Axios, “It&#8217;s no surprise that President Biden&#8217;s union boss appointments have resulted in anti-worker policies like the PRO Act and the $15 minimum wage.” Katharine Cooksey, the spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-waives-ethics-rules-for-former-union-bosses-who-now-work-in-white-house">Fox News</a>,  “The pattern of corruption between Democrats and big union bosses is obvious – just follow the money and follow the staff.” she said.
Axios noted, “Biden has drawn extensively from union ranks to staff his transition and administration while touting the importance of organized labor to his agenda and the country generally. Labor leaders enjoyed posts on the transition beachhead teams for <a href="https://aflcio.org/2020/11/12/biden-taps-working-people-champions-transition-teams" data-vars-link-text="most major federal agencies" data-vars-click-url="https://aflcio.org/2020/11/12/biden-taps-working-people-champions-transition-teams" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">most major federal agencies</a>. Biden then tapped former union officials for senior posts in agencies including the <a href="https://www.constructiondive.com/news/biden-taps-former-construction-union-leader-marty-walsh-to-lead-labor-depar/593050/" data-vars-link-text="Labor Department" data-vars-click-url="https://www.constructiondive.com/news/biden-taps-former-construction-union-leader-marty-walsh-to-lead-labor-depar/593050/" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Labor Department</a>, the <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-biden-harris-appointees" data-vars-link-text="Education Department" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-biden-harris-appointees" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Education Department</a>, the <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership/a-ashley-tabaddor-chief-counsel-office-of-chief-counsel" data-vars-link-text="Department of Homeland Security" data-vars-click-url="https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership/a-ashley-tabaddor-chief-counsel-office-of-chief-counsel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Department of Homeland Security</a> and the <a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2021/01/21/Joe-Biden-James-Frederick-United-Steelworkers-workplace-safety-official-OSHA-COVID-19-pittsburgh/stories/202101210107" data-vars-link-text="Occupational Safety and Health Administration" data-vars-click-url="https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2021/01/21/Joe-Biden-James-Frederick-United-Steelworkers-workplace-safety-official-OSHA-COVID-19-pittsburgh/stories/202101210107" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a>.”
Just before he left office, former President Donald Trump <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-revocation-executive-order-13770/">revoked</a> his <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/02/03/2017-02450/ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-appointees">2017 executive order</a> that stated that “Every appointee in every executive agency appointed on or after January 20, 2017” should commit to a pledge stating, “I will not, within 5 years after the termination of my employment as an appointee in any executive agency in which I am appointed to serve, engage in lobbying activities with respect to that agency.”
<a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2021/01/20/biden-trump-take-dueling-approaches-to-ethics-lobbying/">Roll Call</a> noted, “He isn’t the only president to try to ease restrictions on his former staffers’ post-government job options. On his way out of the presidency, Bill Clinton took a similar move of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/12/29/clinton-reverses-5-year-ban-on-lobbying-by-appointees/e5a0571f-5c54-4988-adc6-5571a7557e83/">revoking his own executive order</a> barring his aides from lobbying for five years.”

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‘The Pattern Of Corruption Between Democrats And Big Union Bosses Is Obvious’: Biden Uses Waivers In His Ethics Pledge To Appoint Former Union Officials

Labor Unions

Office of Personnel Management

On Tuesday, the Biden administration officially said that it supports a bill that would make Washington, D.C., a state.
In a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SAP-H.R.-51.pdf">statement</a> of administration policy, the Office of Management and Budget said that the administration &#8220;strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act,&#8221; adding that &#8220;the more than 700,000 people of Washington, D.C. have been deprived of full representation in the U.S. Congress. This taxation without representation and denial of selfgovernance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.&#8221;
The statement continues, saying that the bill to make D.C. a state &#8220;rights this wrong&#8221; by &#8220;providing its residents with long overdue full representation in Congress, while maintaining a Federal District that will continue to serve as our Nation’s seat of government.&#8221;
The statement concludes:
<blockquote>Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state will make our Union stronger and more just. Washington, D.C. has a robust economy, a rich culture, and a diverse population of Americans from all walks of life who are entitled to full and equal participation in our democracy. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as H.R. 51 proceeds through the legislative process to ensure that it comports with Congress’ constitutional responsibilities and its constitutional authority to admit new states to the Union by legislation. The Administration calls for the Congress to provide for a swift and orderly transition to statehood for the people of Washington, D.C.</blockquote>
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dc-statehood-bill-gets-house-oversight-committee-hearing">The Daily Wire</a> reported last month, H.R. 51 would alter the “Capital” area size, making the “Capital” technically “the principal Federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the United States Supreme Court Building, and the Federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building.” It would also name the state &#8220;Washington, Douglass Commonwealth&#8221; in order to pay tribute to the abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
H.R. 51 is scheduled to see a vote this week. It is expected to pass in the House but will face a more challenging road in the Senate where it would need 60 votes to get past the filibuster.
“The residents of our nation’s capital deserve voting representation in Congress and full local self-government,” said Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington’s Democratic delegate in the House and the bill’s sponsor, in a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/20/biden-administration-backs-dc-statehood-urges-swift-action-as-house-prepares-to-vote-on-bill.html">statement as reported by CNBC.</a>
“With Thursday’s House vote and expected passage, along with Democratic control of the Senate and White House, we have never been closer to statehood,” she said.
Those who are in support of the bill believe that not allowing D.C. to become a state in an attempt to keep people from voting, specifically in an area where many people of color reside. Those who oppose granting D.C. statehood claim that it is unconstitutional and is an attempt by Democrats to get more control in the legislature.
In a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/d-c-statehood-moves-front-center-house-hearing-n1261713">hearing</a> on the bill last month, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said that “D.C. statehood is a key part of the radical leftist agenda to reshape America, along with the Green New Deal, defunding the police and packing the U.S. Supreme Court.&#8221;
Last month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/biden-white-house-backs-dc-statehood-they-deserve-representation/2612755/">revealed</a> President Joe Biden&#8217;s stance on D.C. statehood, saying, “He believes they deserve representation, that’s why he supports D.C. statehood.&#8221;

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Biden Admin Supports Making D.C. A State, Calls On Congress To Provide ‘Swift And Orderly Transition To Statehood’ For D.C. Residents

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