Before getting to the announcement, let me first answer a repeated question. “Why is it so easy for DOGE to identify wasteful spending?” ..in simple form.

When the trillion-dollar American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was passed, those “shovel ready jobs” in fiscal year 2009, that was the last year of a full federal budget.  Every budget year thereafter has been a process of continuing resolutions and omnibus spending.  Within the CR process they use “baseline budgeting,” which essentially accepts all prior spending as the starting point for the next spending allotment within the Continuing Resolution process.

That means, the $1 trillion ARRA was not only spent in 2009 (Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi on behalf of Barack Obama), but it was also spent again in ever year thereafter.  Without a formally followed federal budget process, every year there is an extra trillion dollars (that’s a thousand billion) injected into federal spending.  That accounts for $16 trillion of the current debt.  Make sense now?

Elon Musk and DOGE announce the following:

To be clear, what the DOGE team and U.S Treasury have jointly agreed makes sense is the following:

– Require that all outgoing government payments have a payment categorization code, which is necessary in order to pass financial audits. This is frequently left blank, making audits almost impossible.

– All payments must also include a rationale for the payment in the comment field, which is currently left blank. Importantly, we are not yet applying ANY judgment to this rationale but simply requiring that SOME attempts be made to explain the payment more than NOTHING!

(more…)

In a stunning and sweeping emergency injunction that has even stunned the people who demanded it, a Manhattan-based District Judge has just removed Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent from his authority over the Treasury Department; blocked any political appointee from accessing records within the Treasury Department; blocked any “special appointee” of President Trump from records within Treasury; and demanded that all information previously extracted be destroyed.

The emergency injunction was signed by District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, {Ruling pdf Here} determined without any input from the Trump administration and applies until Friday, February 14, 2025, when U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas will hear the full arguments of the lawsuit.

The emergency ruling comes as a result of 15 (Soros installed) attorneys general from New Jersey, New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont, all filed suit in New York seeking to block Elon Musk and DOGE from access to information that would reveal how activist groups in their states have been funded by the U.S. government. [Link to Press Release Here]

WASHINGTON – […] The lawsuit said Musk and his team could disrupt federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programs, and that Republican President Donald Trump could use the information to further his political agenda.

DOGE’s access to the system also “poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril,” the state attorneys general said. They sought a temporary restraining order blocking DOGE’s access.

(more…)

This is a big one, and well worth the November vote all by itself.

President Trump has announced his intention to Make Straws Great Again, by signing an executive order reversing the insufferable paper straw dictate from the Biden era.

[SOURCE]

As the story was told, there is a certain percentage of Americans who like the paper straw mandate; however, I never met anyone from that tribe.

(more…)

Former USAID Administrator Samantha Power, the architect of the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine (R2P) traveled to CBS HQ in New York for a late-night television appearance with Stephen Colbert.   The purpose of Power’s appearance was to defend the institutional interests of her former agency, as USAID comes under scrutiny for ridiculous spending and manipulation of foreign and domestic politics.

Mrs. Power does her very best Sally Stuthers impersonation as she claims the only purpose of USAID is to facilitate charity and life-saving public health in “underserved nations” around the world.  Colbert never asked her, if true – then why spend time in healthy Hungary and well-fed Europe? I digress.

Similarly, if the mission of USAID is as Mrs. Power described, then why was she never describing that ‘humanitarian relief’ type of activity in all of her self-promotion videos that she distributed during her travel.  I am going to post a short example below the Colbert video so you can watch it, listen to what Power says in her own words about her objective, and then contrast that against the USAID mission as she proclaims on Late Night television.

.

Below is USAID Administrator Samantha Power traveling Europe talking about her priority mission on behalf of USAID.  Contrast her remarks on Colbert with her actual remarks during her travels.  Notice her emphasis on “building media,” how many starving children in the Sudan are fed by building out a media influence system in Europe?

(more…)

The following message is the only message on the landing site of USAID.Gov

“On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST).

For USAID personnel currently posted outside the United States, the Agency, in coordination with missions and the Department of State, is currently preparing a plan, in accordance with all applicable requirements and laws, under which the Agency would arrange and pay for return travel to the United States within 30 days and provide for the termination of PSC and ISC contracts that are not determined to be essential. The Agency will consider case-by-case exceptions and return travel extensions based on personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, or other reasons. For example, the Agency will consider exceptions based on the timing of dependents’ school term, personal or familial medical needs, pregnancy, and other reasons. Further guidance on how to request an exception will be forthcoming.

Thank you for your service.”

[SOURCE]

(more…)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was again asked about the USAID review pause and the likely impact to the matrix of NGO’s and financial dependents, including the families of DC politicians, if funding is not quickly restarted. WATCH:

WASHINGTON DC – […] Some of these anticipated layoffs have already begun. According to an email obtained by POLITICO, early last week development group Credence Management Solutions sent formal emails to contractors in its global health bureau laying off around 400 employees.

The CEO of DT Global, one of the world’s leading development contractors, reportedly told employees last week that 2,000 to 3,000 positions would likely be eliminated in the sector the first week of February. Both Credence Management Solutions and DT Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(more…)

As noted in the visible scale of media panic, Washington DC federal officeholders (many in their pajamas as they work from home) are having fits of apoplexy as the Trump administration bears down on accountability.

As Politico puts it, “Congressional Democrats seem flummoxed by the pace, responding to crises from three news cycles ago while new ones keep arising in real time.”  Apparently, things continue to proceed according to plan, the DC system is overwhelmed by the pace of President Trump’s administrative deconstruction.

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe appears on CNN to discuss the “utter disarray” as Trump administration officials enter and engage the protected silos from every vulnerable position.

“I’ve talked to more FBI people in the last 4 days than I did in the prior 4 years.” “It is a place in utter disarray right now. People are worried about how am I going to pay the bills? How am I gonna support my family?” “If you get fired, you’re done. That’s the end of your reputation, your ability to get any job, you lose your pay, you lose your chance at a pension, you lose your health insurance.” “This is a moment of terror for these people.”  WATCH:

Keep in mind, these are the people who weaponized the NSA database to conduct political surveillance.

The Dept of Justice was weaponized to target their political opposition.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was weaponized to act as the police investigative units for those targets.

The Dept of Homeland Security was weaponized to control the evidence and information about their political targeting and surveillance.

The IRS was weaponized against Obama’s political opposition.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was weaponized to allow the targeting radar to sweep internally against American citizens under the guise of national security and domestic terror threats.

(more…)

Oh, this is a little funny.  The vertically challenged Ukrainian president who dresses like a UPS driver, is now likely to make a deal with President Trump where Ukraine puts up their “rare earth minerals” as collateral for taxpayer funds received by the United States.

Previously President Trump remarked that U.S. leadership were “stupid” for not securing Afghanistan future mineral contracts in exchange for U.S. military operations. Talking about the Ukrainian expectation from the oval office earlier today, President Trump outlined his expectations that Volodymyr Zelenskyy put up the rare earth minerals as collateral for continued financial support.  WATCH:

.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday indicated that he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the country’s rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support for its war against Russia.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump complained that the U.S. had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners, adding, “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”

(more…)

Earlier today, President Trump signed several executive orders recognizing and structuring ongoing efforts including the creation of a USA “Sovereign Wealth Fund.”   Full Video below:

.

WASHINGTON DC – […] The new wealth fund, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters could be formed in the next 12 months, could be used to finance major government projects and fund strategic investments in critical areas like supply chains. Sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East and Europe are among the largest institutional investors in the world, providing massive pools of capital for Wall Street firms and the U.S. tech industry.

(more…)

Saying DNI nominee is disqualified for her prior position on FISA-702 and her previous position on Edward Snowden, SSCI Vice-Chair hopes the republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee do not allow Tulsi Gabbard to come out of SSCI confirmation vote. WATCH:

Lots of professional pearl-clutching here….

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner. He is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and joins us from Palm Beach, Florida. Good morning to you, Senator.

SEN. MARK WARNER: Good morning, Margaret.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you have any sense yet what the cost of these tariffs could be for Virginia, which does have a wine industry, for example?

(more…)