Heather D Hill

Former OMB associate director on personnel here: This is blatantly false and inexplicably undermines Congress's authority. Congress made extremely clear in 2019 that furloughed feds are to be paid, full stop, period. There is no question, except why the Speaker would make such a statement.

The letter of the law is as plain as can be—federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their backpay following a shutdown.

Another baseless attempt to try and scare & intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards.

The President of the United States just opened the door to pardoning one of the most notorious child sex traffickers in history.

This should NOT even be under consideration.

What is he hiding? Release the Epstein files.

My new op-ed with @lkfazio.bsky.social:

Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

We are in for a treat with this week's visit from Pam Herd! @ndsociology.bsky.social and the new ND Population Analytics can't wait to host @pamherd.bsky.social

The last three government shutdowns have happened while Donald Trump was President.

This shutdown, like all recent shutdowns, is a REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN.

Enough with the chaos. Time for Republican leadership to work with Democrats to reopen government and save your health care.

Colleges weigh whether to sign onto Trump plan or forgo federal benefits A new proposal from the Trump administration would give colleges funding advantages if they adopt conservative priorities.

“No self-respecting university could ever accept something like this,” said Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar and former Columbia University president. “Trying to protect conservative ideas against being ‘belittled’ — that’s about as violative of the First Amendment interests as you can get.”

Congratulations to Raheem Chaudry, Assistant Professor at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance!! 🎉🎉
@uwevansschool.bsky.social
@uwnews.uw.edu

Trump's push for executive control runs into a hurdle: economic independence On Tuesday, the White House withdrew E.J. Antoni's nomination to run the BLS.

"The credibility of the economic statistics that BLS puts out — the jobs report, inflation data — depends on its independence from political control, says [me].

"If it becomes a creature of the White House, it loses credibility and cannot fulfill its purpose."
#EconSky
www.axios.com/2025/10/03/t...

Universities Must Reject Trump Admin 'Loyalty Oath' Compacts The AAUP and AFT warn that the Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities that court government favor in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological...

The Trump admin’s offer to give preferential treatment to institutions that toe the party line reeks of bribery in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda.

This is corruption.

Adherence to ‘loyalty oaths’ would usher in a new era of thought policing in American higher education.

It’s a refrain, a strategic frame, and a call for action. Expect the rank and file right to start collecting “evidence” (producing content) to support the “health care for illegal aliens” frame.

Read this 🧵 We have a law that prohibits civil servants from many political activities. The Trump admin is telling fed workers to break the law in order to score political points.

This is the sort of thing where Dems on higher education committees should be saying things like they view this as illegal, and expect they will withdraw funds from schools who go along with Trump when they regain power.

I am told that furloughed Department of Labor employees were instructed today that out-of-office messages should blame Democrats.

Opinion | Mourn, or Else

@tressiemcphd.bsky.social With a perfect summation:

“That anyone with a rudimentary understanding of history, politics, economics or even pragmatic common sense would call the way these provocateurs operate civil debate says just how poorly prepared any of us are for what lies in front of us.”

What a Government Shutdown Means for the Immigration System - American Immigration Council This is how a government shutdown in 2025 may impact ICE, immigration courts, USCIS, and the immigration system at large.

Quick reminder: most of ICE is deemed “essential” during a shutdown, but of course ICE agents (like most other essential gov employees) are working without pay right now and hoping Congress will eventually fill in back pay. www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/what-go...

The Big Beautiful Bill has a SNAP Poison Pill How states will get the blame for massive cuts to food stamps

New from @pamherd.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern?

Some states are threatening to end SNAP. Why? Trump is setting state governments up for failure, cutting resources, adding administrative burdens while imposing massive financial penalties for errors.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-big-be...

Assistant Professor — Disparities and Education Policy – Berkeley School of Education University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!

Job Posting:
Assistant Professor — Disparities and Education Policy – Berkeley School of Education

aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04211

No, just below on the Skyline Loop

Picture of glaciers on Mt Rainier

Mountains are still mountaining #MtRainier #PublicParksDay

Donald Trump is using federal agents to stoke fear and violate constitutional rights — all with the aims of expanding his control and sending military troops to our cities.

It’s unlawful and un-American. We must all stand up and speak out against fanning the flames of violence.

# of paragraphs for news orgs to mention there's no discernable need to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon

The Guardian: 1st paragraph
BBC: 4th paragraph
AP: 5th paragraph
Time: 6th paragraph
Politico: 8th paragraph
NPR: 9th paragraph
CNN: 10th paragraph
NBC: 12th paragraph
Fox News: never mentions

Shutdown hostage taking Russ Vought's threatens more mass firings; SCOTUS blesses his de facto impoundment

New from me: Russ Vought is using federal employees as hostages in federal shutdown negotiations, threatening mass firings if Dems do not accept Trump's terms.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court just allowed Vought to impose a de facto impoundment of foreign aid.

donmoynihan.substack.com/p/shutdown-h...

Key items for #polisky:

(1) due November 12, 2025

(2) ONLY undergrad seniors, bachelor's not in grad programs, OR 1st-year grad students eligible (whether in a master's or PhD program)

(3) fund all projects but emphasis on "high-priority research areas in alignment with Admin priorities" like AI

New on MSNBC: According to the court transcript, only 14 of the 23 grand jurors voted in favor of indicting James Comey on the two counts that went forward.

People came from all over the world. They have serious problems to solve.

The Census Bureau is now headed by a Trump official in an acting position George Cook is the Trump administration's new acting director of the Census Bureau, which has been thrust into the middle of a renewed attempt by President Trump to alter the national head count.

SCOOP: The Trump administration has installed a new acting director of the Census Bureau, @npr.org has learned. George Cook takes over the federal government’s largest statistical agency after it's been thrust into the middle of a renewed attempt by President Trump to alter the national head count

Yeah baby!!!!!! #Mariners #CalforMVP

I’m giving a free/public talk this Tues in Seattle about how US government investment in science laid the foundations for the field of human-computer interaction and how that field (and investment) connects to so many of the innovations that we take for granted, as well as the future of AI.

The most corrupt administration we have ever seen. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...