Joshua Smith

Department of Energy—Application of the Impoundment Control Act to Renew America's Schools Program Appropriations Congress appropriated amounts to the Department of Energy (DOE) for fiscal year (FY) 2022 through FY 2025 to carry out the Renew America's Schools...

The Trump Administration broke the law by withholding funds to help K-12 public schools make necessary energy infrastructure improvements across the country.

Department of Health and Human Services—Application of Impoundment Control Act to Availability of Head Start Program Funds Congress appropriated amounts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for fiscal year (FY) 2025 to carry out the Head Start Act. Between...

The Trump Administration broke the law by illegally withholding Head Start funds.

Also: There are 46 (!) active investigations into allegations that the Administration has illegally withheld Congressionally approved funds. 46!!!

White House Leads Push to Block Watchdog’s Inquiries Into Spending Cuts

It's absolutely maddening that the Trump Administration is working to undermine the exact same law – the Impoundment Control Act – it just used to rescind foreign aid and public broadcasting funding.

CBO: The Republicans’ reconciliation bill will “increase by 10 million the number of people without health insurance in 2034,” add $3.4 trillion to deficits.

Judge Rules OMB Must Comply
with the Law Agency required to resume publicly disclosing how it spends taxpayer dollars

In a huge victory, we secured a permanent injunction in our case against OMB for violating the law requiring public disclosure of how taxpayer dollars are spent. The public has a right to know what the government has been doing with your taxpayer dollars. protectdemocracy.org/work/omb-req...

Health Cuts Would Result in Fewer Drugs for Americans, Budget Office Reports

🚨BREAKING: Cuts to NIH and FDA will lead to 53 fewer new prescription drugs and the full scope of Trump's proposed cuts suggest the harms could be far greater.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/h...

How Republicans Supersized Silicon Valley’s Favorite Tax Break

This one tax cut for rich investors in the Republican reconciliation bill is twice the size of the funding the same Republicans just clawed back from foreign aid and public broadcasting

Late last night and into the early morning, Democrats fought cuts to vital programs—offering amendments to protect emergency communications systems, global women’s health programs, and food aid for starving children.

Republicans voted no, again and again.

Russell Vought during his confirmation process, answering a question from Sen. Merkley, vs. Russell Vought in this article. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“What the hell are we doing here? You want to have a conversation about debt and deficits, you want to have a conversation about aligning our foreign policy better… we can have that conversation. But I dare you to justify lighting food on fire.”

The Carrot weather app is the last true thing left on this earth

It was never about “efficiency”

Dodgers DEI efforts subject of federal civil rights complaint filed by conservative legal group The complaint was filed weeks after the Dodgers said they denied federal immigration authorities access to Dodger Stadium parking lots.

Gotta side with the **shudders** Dodgers here

An absolutely insane collection of headlines

We trollin'

The comic sans here is really on point

CBO tells @jeff-merkley.bsky.social that, under the budget baseline that's the law of the land, the Republicans' reconciliation bill breaks the rules both by exceeding the their budget resolution's instructions by trillions of dollars, and by adding to the deficit beyond the 10-year window.

More Byrd Rule violations, including special carve-outs for Alaska and Hawaii.

It’s literally this meme

Estimated Budgetary Effects of an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Relative to the Budget Enforcement Baseline for Consideration in the Senate As posted on the website of the Senate Committee on the Budget on June 27, 2025

CBO: The Senate Republicans’ reconciliation bill “would increase by 11.8 million the number of people without health insurance in 2034.“

Provisions including a bunch of onerous fees on immigrants violate the Byrd Rule.

Republican tax provisions, including a new school voucher scheme, are subject to a Byrd Rule point of order.

Health care provisions including a ban on Medicaid and CHIP paying for gender affirming care and a prohibition on states covering undocumented folks with states’ own funds are subject to a Byrd Rule point of order.

Provisions including forcing existing student loan borrowers into new programs and adding new Hyde Amendment language will face 60-vote hurdles under the Byrd Rule.

MERKLEY: How do you feel about being responsible for hundreds of thousands of kids dying because of your sudden interruption in these key programs?

VOUGHT: I reject the assertion

MERKLEY: I find your response both ignorant & callous. Few Americans have had a more devastating & disastrous impact