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#congress

25 posts14 participants0 posts today

Well, it’s done…

#Trump Signs Order Aimed at Closing #Education Dept.

Trump signed an #ExecutiveOrder that he said would “begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once & for all,” although the agency cannot be closed without the approval of #Congress. Some critical functions, including those related to student loans & special education funding, are *expected* to continue to be run out of the reduced agency.

More on #IMLS shutdown:

On March 14, 2025,… #Trump …issued an #EO that called for the dismantling of 7 #FederalAgencies…. They ranged from the #USAGM, which oversees #VOA, to the #MBDA.

The Institute of #Museum & #Library Services was also on the list. #Congress created the IMLS in 1996 through the Museum & Library Services Act. The #law merged the Inst of Museum Services, which was established in 1976, w/the Library Prgms Office of the Dept of #Education.

#USpol
theconversation.com/trump-admi

The ConversationTrump administration seeks to starve libraries and museums of funding by shuttering this little-known agencyThe consequences of shutting down the Institute of Museum and Library Services would be particularly dire for smaller museums and rural museums.
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VoteVets | Stop Elon Musk's War On Veterans
youtube.com/watch?v=_gOksDg9BS

'"It feels like #veterans are being personally attacked by #ElonMusk"

"I did not put my life on the line for some #tech bro billionaire from #SouthAfrica to come in here and try to destroy our country"

And our #Congress person does absolutely nothing.

Stop Elon's war on Veterans now!"

[There are also videos for specific Congress people:
youtube.com/@votevets/videos ]

Continued thread

I agree with Maya Sen who said, “The fact that the world’s richest man works at the behest of the executive & can buy out the #legislature is massively outside the scope of what the framers could have imagined. there’s is simply no constitutional measure that can guard against something like this.”

#law#Trump#Musk
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Joseph Rillotta, a senior #IRS lawyer, wrote that “no one” at the IRS had taken into account the performance of the probationary workers set to be fired. Rillotta urged that the language be struck from the draft termination letter.

If the falsehood wasn’t removed, Rillotta said he would file a report w/the #InspectorGeneral for the IRS.

Emails Reveal Top #IRS Lawyer Warned #Trump Firings Were a #Fraud on the Courts

The Trump admin cited “performance” failures to justify its #MassFiring of IRS workers. But this claim was “false,” a senior agency attorney warned officials, because the admin had not conducted any such performance assessment.

#FactCheck #TrumpLies #law #DOGE #Musk #TrumpPurge #Congress #PowerOfThePurse #FederalAgencies #SeparationOfPowers #judiciary #ConstitutionalCrisis #authoritarianism
propublica.org/article/trump-i

ProPublicaEmails Reveal Top IRS Lawyer Warned Trump Firings Were a “Fraud” on the Courts
More from ProPublica
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DOGE Seizes Control of Independent Org Dedicated to Peace

Following a #police standoff, Elon Musk’s lackeys took over the nonprofit’s HQ in what its former leader referred to as an “illegal takeover.”
vanityfair.com/news/story/doge

"More than 40 years ago, #Congress established the #US Institute of #Peace (USIP) as an “independent, nonprofit, national institute” to “promote #international peace & the resolution of conflicts.”

#Doge just took it over."

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Elon Musk’s DOGE Uses Police to Seize Independent Nonprofit

The US Institute of #Peace is not a federal agency nor located in a federal building. That didn’t stop DOGE from taking over.
newrepublic.com/post/192854/el

"The #USIP, an independent #nonprofit founded by #Congress...

“What has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit,” Moose told reporters."

#ElonMusk#Musk#Doge
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Musk’s Role in Dismantling Aid Agency Likely Violated Constitution, Judge Finds

It appears to be the first time a federal #judge has acted to constrain Elon Musk, a top adviser to #Trump...
nytimes.com/2025/03/18/us/poli

"Efforts by #ElonMusk & his team to permanently shutter #USAID likely violated the #Constitution “in multiple ways” & robbed #Congress of its authority to oversee the dissolution of an agency it created"

#RadioFreeEurope / #RadioLiberty sued the #Trump admin on Tues to try to block it from terminating all federal funds for the US-backed broadcaster.

In a federal lawsuit, the network argues that the #USAGM has violated the #Constitution & federal laws by withholding money #Congress expressly allocated for the broadcaster. USAGM disburses funds to US-backed international networks, including RFE/RL, that serve foreign lands w/o a free or robust press.

#FourthEstate #law
npr.org/2025/03/18/nx-s1-53323

A behind-the-scenes legal effort to force #Congress to call a convention to amend the #Constitution could end up helping #Trump …expand #PresidentialPower.

While the convention effort is focused on the national debt, #legal experts say it could open the door to other changes, such as limiting who can be a US citizen, allowing POTUS to overrule Congress’ spending decisions or even making it legal for Trump to run for a 3rd term.

#law #USpol #CoEqualBranchesOfGovernment
propublica.org/article/constit

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Asked what was next, #TomHoman said: "Another flight, another flight every day."

"We're not stopping. I don't care what the judges think," he added.

With the #Republican-controlled #Congress largely backing his agenda, federal judges have often been the only constraint on #Trump, putting many actions hold while they consider their legality. In several cases, the admin has refused to comply w/judicial orders.

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The flights suggest the #Trump admin may be growing more brazen in its defiance of judicial restraint. The #US #Constitution established the #judiciary as a co-#equal & #independent branch of government.

Trump has sought to *push* [illegally expand] the boundaries of #ExecutivePower since taking office in Jan, cutting spending authorized by #Congress, dismantling #FederalAgencies & firing tens of thousands of #FederalWorkers.