The confirmation of Russell Vought as the head of the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump Administration is a danger sign to the issue of federal civil service employees and federal oversight on a host of issues and policies.
This man is a “wrecking crew”, considered by Democrats as the most dangerous of all Trump nominees, as he is a prime author of Project 2025, which is a right wing declaration of war on federal regulations in so many areas, including as examples, the environment, consumer protection, civil rights, labor protections, and separation of powers. He also is an advocate of Christian Nationalism.
Vought believes the Presidency should be more centralized and not be accountable to Congress and the courts, so he is promoting anarchy, chaos, and endorsement of what would be authoritarian Fascism, if it is not stopped by those who believe in the survival of American democracy and the rule of law!
What more can Democrats do?
Russell Vought takes over as the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/08/business/cfpb-doge-vought-x/index.html
Good question, Pragmatic. Michael Steele suggested members of Congress sue Trump and Musk for taking away their Article 1 powers.
‘In a real sense, US democracy has died’: how Trump is emulating Hungary’s Orbán
“Trump has moved to gut the federal government, fire critics and reward allies – a path similar to ‘would-be dictators’ like Orbán, experts say”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/07/trump-viktor-orban-electoral-autocracy
The 19-year-old working for Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was given access to sensitive US government systems even though he has past association with cybercrime communities.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/02/teen-on-musks-doge-team-graduated-from-the-com/
Elon Musk’s DOGE Is Expected to Examine Another Treasury System Next Week
The new target, sources said, is a sensitive database that tracks the flow of money across the government.
https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-doge-cars-treasury-examine
A George W. Bush-appointed judge declined to block Elon Musk’s DOGE from Labor Department systems.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/08/us-judge-declines-to-block-elon-musks-doge-from-labor-department-systems.html
Here’s What Senate Democrats Should Be Doing to Fight Trump
Senate rules were explicitly designed to protect the minority. Democrats should exploit them mercilessly to slow Trump and Musk before they destroy the country.
https://newrepublic.com/article/191255/democrats-senators-fight-trump-musk
Trump Signs Order to Kill Federal Agency Investigating Tesla
https://www.ibtimes.com/trump-signs-order-kill-federal-agency-investigating-tesla-3762848
Josh Marshall has been pushing the idea that the best opportunity for Democrats to stop Trump/Musk’s wrecking ball is in the upcoming budget and debt ceiling negotiations that have to be done my March. It’s almost impossible for the GOP to pass anything without Democratic help and the wild, extreme nature of what Musk is doing is having the effect of making Democrats band together.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/wheres-the-real-power-nexus-how-does-the-opposition-get-to-it
The federal hiring freeze implemented by Trump has affected the hiring of a crucial group of federal workers: firefighters.
The freeze comes at a critical time, when fire departments across the country would typically onboard thousands of seasonal federal firefighters in preparation for wildfires in the spring and summer.
The US National Institutes of Health is lowering the maximum “indirect cost rate” that research institutions can charge the government, the agency said late Friday — a move that scientists said could be devastating for the nation’s position as a research leader.
The average NIH grant to an institution has typically had about 30% earmarked for infrastructure costs such as facilities, maintenance and security; some institutions charged up to 60% or more. The new NIH policy will cap that indirect cost rate at 15%.
Trump has fired the FEC chair.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-fec-chair-ellen-weintraub-trump-fired-her/
Trump stripping the security clearances of numerous antagonists — including NY AG Letitia James, DA Alvin Bragg
https://nypost.com/2025/02/08/us-news/trump-stripping-the-security-clearances-from-a-new-hit-list-of-antagonists-including-ny-ag-letitia-james-da-alvin-bragg/
Just what I fear will happen –
Elon Musk said to be poised to ‘defy’ major judicial order.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-elon-coup-defy-order/
Rachel Maddow’s advice about Trump is to watch what he does, not what he says, because some of what he says is just bluster.