Joshua Smith

When he signed the bill into law that guaranteed backpay to furloughed federal workers during a shutdown, Trump and his White House clearly understood what the bill did.

Monthly Budget Review: September 2025 The federal budget deficit was $1.8 trillion in fiscal year 2025, CBO estimates, $8 billion less than the shortfall recorded during fiscal year 2024.

Adjusted for timing shifts, the federal government spent $228 billion more in Fiscal Year 2025 than in 2024.

DOGE was never about cutting spending.

On Tuesday, the Trump admin said furloughed feds were not guaranteed back pay. On Wednesday, it sent notices saying they were Just one day after taking a different argument, the Trump administration notes federal law guarantees back pay for employees sent home during a shutdown.

Russ, call your office.

"On Tuesday, the Trump admin said furloughed feds were not guaranteed back pay. On Wednesday, it sent notices saying they were"

Scoop: White House memo says furloughed federal workers aren't entitled to backpay A move to deny backpay to up to 750,000 furloughed workers would dramatically escalate Trump's pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown.

I may be just a simple country Congressional aide, but seems to me that if you don't want to give backpay to furloughed federal workers, you shouldn't have signed the bill guaranteeing backpay to furloughed federal workers.

POLITICO Pro: Thune warns Democrats about Russ Vought: ‘We don’t control what he’s going to do’ The Senate majority leader spoke out as some Republicans express qualms about the White House slash-and-burn campaign.

There's nothing we can do if the executive branch just decides to violate the laws we pass is certainly one opinion that a Senate majority leader could have

Until yesterday, my wife, a (now former) fed, was getting paid to not work. Starting today, I'm working and not getting paid. Efficiency!

Solidarity with Russ's neighbors ✊

Russell Vought was 32 in this photo

Seems, uh, super illegal to me!

"FEMA deobligated planned awards entirely and withdrew previously disbursed funding... agency actions and Administration policy statements indicate that the agency is taking steps to prevent the implementation of these programs and activities."

The Trump Administration broke the law when FEMA illegally withheld funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, the Shelter and Services Program, and the Next Generation Warning System Grants Program.

Kagan, in dissent: The Constitution "gives Congress the power to make spending decisions through the enactment of appropriations laws. If those laws require obligation of the money... then the Executive must comply."

SCOTUS majority: No he doesn't because [garbled gibberish]

Opinion | Republicans in Congress Must Take This Spending Threat Seriously

Brandon Buck,,, welcome to the #resistance

🚨Trump and Vought Threaten to Fire Public Servants if Republicans Shut Down the Government
 
Ranking Member Merkley's statement here: www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...

🚨Trump Administration Illegally Withheld Funding AGAIN, Government Watchdog Reports

www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...

The Trump Administration broke the law when FEMA illegally withheld funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program the and Shelter and Services Program.

GAO this morning: Pocket rescissions? Still illegal. www.gao.gov/products/b-3...

WaPo: Rounding is for losers

🚨HUGE WIN: A federal court has confirmed what Ranking Member @merkley.senate.gov has been saying all along: Trump and Vought CANNOT trample on Congress's power of the purse and claw back approved funding with their illegal “pocket rescission.”

The best part of Cassidy fact-checking Paul on vaccines is the latter’s insistence on being called “Dr. Rand Paul”

The Trump administration boldly embraced the strategy on Friday. "Congress can choose to vote to rescind or continue the funds - it doesn't matter," an official from the White House budget office said in a statement. "This approach is rare but not unprecedented."

This quote from the Trump admin about its pocket rescissions couldn’t be more brazen. Pocket rescissions are an illegal way to ignore the will of Congress — which they feel comfortable saying out loud directly to the press.

Trump scraps $5B in foreign aid in rare 'pocket rescission'

Pocket rescissions are illegal.

Picking foreign aid also highlights the intent here is to overrule the will of Congress. Trump already asked Congress to legally get rid of $8 billion in foreign aid funding. Why not also get rid of this $5 billion then? Cause they were worried Congress would say no.

This is illegal. www.gao.gov/blog/what-po...

Hello again my old friend apportionment-public.max.gov

See her Insta here:

Point of personal privilege: Check out my lovely wife’s furniture restoration side hustle

oh rly

This interactive tool is neat!

The GOP reconciliation bill – which takes $2,000 from the poorest to give $13,000 to the richest – is not.

www.cbo.gov/interactive/...