Doug Criscitello

Seems the current administration is trying to take the L out of of
BLS

Shutdowns And The New Reach Of Presidential Budgeting Congress’ ability to exert its constitutional power-of-the-purse duties is substantially weakened if the president can simply reassign funds to his priority areas.

Some thoughts on the shutdown and the real-time rebalancing of power - whether legal or not - we're witnessing across branches of the U.S. government. www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/10/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-8/

Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.

It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.

Long thread.

How Last Year’s Spending Uncertainty Complicates Government Reopening Uncertainty about the extent to which funds from last year went unspent due to executive actions is complicating efforts to reach a deal to end the government shutdown.

A colleague asked me to comment on how FY25 wrapped: amts obligated, spent, withheld, etc. Having no clue didn't stop me from writing 900 words on the matter. www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

So they didn't let me use any barnyard epithets, but here's a fuller discussion of why it would be illegal to deny pay to furloughed federal workers at the end of a shutdown. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Social Security: From Simple Concept To Spinal Tap Absurdity Social Security faces a severe funding shortfall requiring congressional action. Reforms should not only shore up finances but make benefit rules more easily understood.

Social Security: From Simple Concept To Spinal Tap Absurdity #spinaltap2 via
@forbes
forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

Or another Alexander (Tytler), "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury.”

Katherine Hepburn would be ashamed her voice is being used in such a nefarious way

Pocket Rescissions By Any Other Name Are Impoundments The Trump administration is putting into practice its legally dubious pocket rescission policy, giving the president power to cut spending without congressional approval.

Pocket rescissions: new name for impoundment; built on flawed legal theory conflicting with the very purpose of impoundment control; direct threat to balance of power with president having broad, unchecked authority to decide which programs to fund & which to cancel.

www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

Agreed, but the headline is unfornunate. Trump is directly responsible. It's his team & his responsibility. Pointing at RFKjr just just gives the president an escape clause to claim he doesn't know anything about it. #thebuckdoesntstophere

From Power Of The Purse To Power Of The President Trump’s presidency marks a shift in budgetary power through impoundments, rescissions and perhaps shutdown authorities to expand executive control over federal spending.

My latest post explores how the Antideficiency Act would come into play in the event of a government shutdown. From Power Of The Purse To Power Of The President via @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

Also important to note that the U.S. budget cannot be augmented by foreign gov't contributions without explicit congressional authorization. Our constitutional design ensures the budget remains under domestic democratic control & protects against foreign influence or dependency.

A better headline: Trump Agrees To Follow The Law

Beyond Reconciliation: U.S. Budget Uncertainties Persist Viewing philanthropy as an engine of innovation, we rigorously research problems and answers in criminal justice, health, education and public finance.

Just posted an issue brief re budget uncertainties beyond the reconciliation bill moving thru Congress. Worth a read given a recent @USGAO finding that the administration illegally impounded funds intended for electric vehicles support. @Arnold_Ventures: www.arnoldventures.org/resources/be...

DOGE Disruptions Are Just Beginning To Impact Budgeting While legislation to cut taxes is receiving considerable attention in DC right now, other budgetary events are unfolding that could prove to be highly consequential.

Whole lotta focus right now on tax cuts & reconciliation but that doesn't lessen the need to continue to monitor current year budgeting. My latest: www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

The biggest problem with the social security program is not customer service The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton · Episode

Recently had a chance to rap about Social Security with the incomparableTerry Gerton open.spotify.com/episode/1hOn...

As fiscal attention on the Hill shifts to passing a reconciliation bill, concern mounts re FY25 budget execution #impoundment

DOGE Reforms Won’t Solve Social Security Solvency Crisis Operational reforms at the Social Security Administration will not remedy the most serious fiscal challenges facing Social Security: The solvency of its trust funds.

Turned my focus to Social Security to counter social media rants doing nothing but angering folks on the wrong issues. If you want to get riled up, focus on how SSA will be unable to pay full benefits in about 8 years. Yet politicans continue to kick can down the road. www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

If that’s what you’re looking for just tune to any news show covering the White House

Emphasis on "-ration"

#makeamesswithless would be a suitable motto

How long before they claim the messages were meant for the other Goldberg?

How long before Musk converts his EV line into gas guzzlers?

And sometimes the monster’s a clown

Current Policy Baseline: The Budget Trick That Could Make Tax Cuts Look Free A maneuver so wonky that it might be best explained with sports cars and anime streaming.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Opinion | A Reminder of What Pre-Vaccine America Was Like The worst manifestations of preventable diseases have faded from public memory.

We Need a Reminder of What the Pre-Vaccine Era Was Like www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Barreling Toward A Steeper U.S. Fiscal Cliff? As was the case in 2012, there is an urgent need to secure funding to keep the government open, reconsider expiring tax cuts, avoid a sequester, and extend the debt limt.

Obviously a consequential week re federal budgeting: The fiscal cliff ahead appears more perilous than the one approached in 2012. My racking & stacking of relevant issues... www.forbes.com/sites/dougcr...

At some point realization will hit that there’s no consensus to cut spending in a big way. They can go after int’l aid, WFA & fed employees - but those are drops in the bucket. Meanwhile, Congress will keep cutting taxes, pretending they’re starving the beast - but that beast has an AmEx Black Card.

Don Fanucci

The OJ pardon can’t be too far behind