Charles Grassley

Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions.Republicans in the House and Senate were quick to follow Donald Trump's March 18 orders to impeach federal judges who ruled against his illegal actions.But when pressed about which high crimes and misdemeanors the judges committed to warrant such an extreme measure, Republicans had no good answer.Instead, the only "crime" they came up with was that the judges didn't let the lawless president trample over the Constitution to do whatever he wants, whether that be deporting immigrants without due process; letting co-President Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency bros access sensitive government systems, shut down federal agencies, and chaotically fire federal employees; or remove health data from government websites because it was tangentially related to “gender identity.”For example, CNN host Kasie Hunt asked Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio what “high crimes or misdemeanors” these judges committed. Jordan replied with what can only be described as verbal diarrhea. “All I’m saying is, if you’re acting in a political fashion and not just following the law, the ruling on the law, and I would argue that frankly just his ruling in and of itself, remember the Constitution is pretty clear, Article II Section I, very first sentence, says the power in the executive branch shall be vested in a president of the United States. The president has the authority,” Jordan said.xxYouTube VideoOf course Jordan left out that Article III of the Constitution says that judicial power extends to “all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States”—which is what the judges were doing when plaintiffs argued that the Trump administration was violating U.S. laws while carrying out its destructive agenda.Rep. Brendan Gill of Texas, who filed articles of impeachment against the judge who tried to stop Trump’s illegal deportations of Venezuelan immigrants (an order the Trump administration ignored), was also asked which impeachable offenses the judge committed—and had a terrible response.“This is for usurping the executive's authority, for demeaning the impartiality of the court by making a politicized ruling, and forcing a constitutional crisis,” Gill said on Newsmax. “That is a high crime and misdemeanor.”xxYouTube VideoOther Republicans also backed Trump and Musk’s call to impeach judges who rule against the administration.“America is a Republic, not a dictatorship of the judiciary. It's time to get rid of the political activists masquerading as judges and re-establish proper separation of powers,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida wrote in a post on X. “That's why I'm proud to announce that I will be joining my colleagues in impeaching ALL the activist judges who are unconstitutionally blocking President Trump's agenda.”And Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said he was going to introduce a law that would ban judges from being able to order nationwide injunctions.“District Court judges have issued RECORD numbers of national injunctions against the Trump administration - a dramatic abuse of judicial authority. I will introduce legislation to stop this abuse for good,” Hawley said, without acknowledging that maybe it’s because no other administration has ever initiated so many lawless actions that violate the Constitution.Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley didn’t explicitly say he supported impeaching the judges, but he made it clear he believes what the judges did was wrong—and will use his powerful committee to go after those judges.“Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country. This time to benefit foreign gang members,” Grassley wrote in a post on X. “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis. Senate Judiciary Cmte taking action.”And it seems that Musk read Grassley’s comment as being supportive of impeachment, because after Trump’s demand to impeach the judges, Musk donated to Grassley and six other Republicans who have supported the effort to boot them, The New York Times reported.From the Times’ report:Mr. Musk contributed on Wednesday to Representatives Eli Crane of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Brandon Gill of Texas. He also donated to Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, according to two of the people briefed on the matter.“This is a judicial coup,” Musk wrote on X of a court ruling that blocked Trump from banning transgender people from the military. “We need 60 senators to impeach the judges and restore rule of the people.”Of course, it takes 67 senators to impeach—a fact you’d think Musk, who Trump and Republicans have framed as a genius, would know.Ultimately, this impeachment effort is futile.Even if House Republicans somehow succeed in impeaching these judges, there is no way that Democratic senators would vote to convict and remove them in an impeachment trial.The end result of this ridiculous posturing: making judges fear for their own safety as they receive death threats for their legally sound rulings, thanks to Republicans’ vile rhetoric.Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

The investigation ended with former President Joe Biden pardoning his son.

President Trump on Friday visited the Justice Department for a remarkable victory lap seven weeks into his triumphant return to the White House. Trump has long blamed the department under his predecessor for unfairly targeting him in cases that involved dozens of serious criminal charges. But his visit visually solidified Trump’s grip on the Justice [...]

The Department of Defense has dissolved its Office of Net Acquisition, an office that was meant to provide strategic analysis but allegedly got caught up in the Trump-Russia investigation.

The US Department of Justice antitrust division will be led by Gail Slater following a successful Congressional confirmation vote today. Slater will take over multiple antitrust cases against large tech firms, filed under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden — including a high-profile Google search monopoly suit. The Senate voted to confirm Slater with bipartisan support [...]

EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel is working aggressively to comply with congressional document requests in order follow through on his commitment to transparency, Fox News Digital has learned.

Muslim journalist Asra Nomani warned the Senate Judiciary Committee that a "frightening network" funding antisemitism in the U.S. must be investigated.

Canadians, best known for their niceness rather than fierce nationalism, have been stirred and galvanized by Donald Trump’s childish insults and belligerent actions toward their country. In the process, our usually laid-back neighbors to the north have revived their country’s Liberal Party while striking deep fear in the heart of red America. It wasn’t long ago that Canada’s Conservative Party was headed for an electoral landslide, with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s popularity hitting rock bottom. Just like every other governing party in the industrialized world, the country’s Liberal Party was the target of voter fury due to high inflation, leading Trudeau to announce in January that he would resign as party leader and prime minister. But between threatening and then enacting and then backing down on tariffs, mockingly referring to Trudeau as “governor,” and demeaning Canada as “the 51st state” while threatening to annex the sovereign nation, Trump has single-handedly revived Canadian Liberals, who are now running just slightly behind the Tories this election year. Canadians are set to head to the polls on Oct. 20.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference on imposed U.S. tariffs as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty look on in Ottawa on March 4, 2025.It is an act of breathtaking idiocy for Trump to turn our closest ally into a firebreathing foe that’s foaming at the mouth to take us on. But he’s certainly being cheered on by his minions in online forums, where the conventional wisdom is “Canada is small so they have no chance, they are too dependent on America!” Weirdly, few are trying to justify a trade war with no rationale behind it. Trump’s claim that fentanyl is coming into the U.S. from Canada is not only wildly overblown, but an excuse and a legal necessity to give Trump the power to enact tariffs without congressional approval. But that hasn’t stopped his cult members from cheering on the world’s dumbest trade war. You know who isn’t cheering him on? The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board.“We’ve courted Mr. Trump’s ire by calling the Mexico and Canada levies the ‘dumbest’ in history, and we may have understated the point,” they wrote. “His taxes will hit every cross-border transaction, and the North American vehicle market is so interconnected that some cars cross a border as many as eight times as they’re assembled.” This is the same editorial board that said a vote for Kamala Harris was an endorsement for “the bloody-mindedness of the modern left, with its regulatory coercion, cultural imperialism, economic statism, and desire to strip judicial independence.” Meanwhile, the editorial board argued, Trump “would stop the crush of new regulation, restore a freer market for health insurance, unleash U.S. energy production, and reform the tax code. His default priority would be growth, which the U.S. desperately needs after a decade of progressive focus on income redistribution and the worst economic recovery in 70 years.”You know who wouldn’t have enacted “the dumbest” tariffs in history? Kamala Harris, that’s who. You know who else isn’t cheering Trump’s tariffs? Rural Americans. “Get ready to start making a lot of agricultural product to be sold INSIDE of the United States,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Tariffs will go on external product on April 2nd. Have fun!”The reality for those farmers? The Des Moines Register reported the following, while noting that (red-voting) Iowa “leads the nation in corn, pork, egg and ethanol production, ranks second in growing soybeans and 10th in raising beef: “Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa would respond with immediate 25% tariffs on $20.7 billion worth of U.S. imports and on another $86.2 billion if Trump's tariffs were still in place in 21 days. China's commerce ministry on Tuesday said its new levies, which take effect March 10, will include a 15% markup on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton and 10% on soybeans, pork, beef, fruits and dairy. Mexico did not immediately announce its response.”But are farmers having fun, as Trump said they would?“Lower prices aren’t fun for farmers,” the president of the Iowa Farmers Union board told The Des Moines Register. “Losing reliable trade markets is not fun for farmers. It’s unrealistic to expect that domestic demand is going to magically take up the slack.” In deep-Red Kansas, the president of the Kansas Farm Bureau said, “We truly believe that tariffs are going to hurt us in the short term, but we certainly hope that it brings a better deal in the long term.” Part of their problem isn’t just that the American market is smaller than the global one (it’s simple math that escapes Trump), but American farmers get 80% of their fertilizer from Canada—and it’s suddenly 25% more expensive. The American Farm Bureau is doing math: “Mexico's $30 billion a year in our ag exports. Canada's $29 (billion). China's been about $24 (billion). Add them up. Those three countries are half of all U.S. agricultural exports.” Yeah, Kansans aren’t having fun either. During Tuesday’s speech in front of a joint session of Congress, Trump asked farmers to “bear with me again” as he once again destroys their foreign markets. Last time he did this in 2018, he bailed out farmers to the tune of at least $23 billion in response to another one of his trade wars. (The Topeka Capital-Journal, deep in farm country, says the number was $28 billion.) This time around, Trump is too busy hollowing out federal agencies (including the Department of Agriculture) while his billionaire co-president Elon Musk and his cost-cutting bros at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency cancel out every bit of aid they can get their hands on. And why would Democrats in Congress go along with a bailout this time? This is exactly what rural America voted for, and there are few farm-state Democrats left to carry their water. Funny enough, one prominent messenger for the “elections have consequences” platform is none other than Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. While the consequences from tariffs aren’t “very good news for farmers,” he said, "[Trump is] doing what the voters voted him to do. Elections are supposed to have consequences.”As for those consequences? “We’re just going to have to see how it works out. If he's doing it for negotiating purposes, to get people to the table, to get tariffs down [and] we have lower tariffs around the world, then I'll have to say he's been successful. And I would say amen to his work,” Grassley said. “And if he fails to do that, and it's catastrophic for Iowa and the nation's economy, then I'd have to say, 'I told you so.’”Given the fallout from Trump’s first trade war and the tens of billions that were needed to bail out farmers then, there is nothing to suggest that this round won’t be even more catastrophic for the so-called heartland of America. And with Musk and his billionaire buddies feeding at the government trough, there won’t be any money left to bail anyone out this time. Anyone who still thinks Canada is powerless isn’t paying attention—and Trump’s most recent retreat indicates that even he gets it. Actually enacting tariffs would extend the pain far beyond farm country to home builders (as if the price of housing isn’t already high enough), the spirits industry in red Kentucky, the auto industry (its carve-out is only for one month), and more. All of that would lead to higher prices for Americans, breaking Trump’s campaign-winning promise to tame inflation on “day one.” And for what? Canada is certainly not powerless in this trade war and Trump’s bullying has only rallied our northern neighbors the way Russian aggression rallied Ukraine. In a battle of wills, I’m betting on Canada to better withstand any coming economic pain. Campaign Action

Biden-nominated federal Judge blocks the National Institutes of Health from applying a standard indirect cost rate of 15% across the board for grants.

Patel's nomination heads for a full Senate confirmation vote in the early afternoon.

The Senate voted to confirm Patel, a veteran of Trump's first administration who drafted the 'Nunes memo' on the Crossfire Hurricane probe.

Out Of Control Spending, Marxism And 'DEI Privilege Walks': How USAID Became Progressive Slush Fund Under Biden

A bipartisan group of senators is calling on the new USDA secretary to take aggressive action on the bird flu that is wreaking havoc on farms across the country.

Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency created yet another major disaster, after the mass firing of federal workers led to the ouster of critical federal employees who were working on the government's response to the bird flu outbreak that threatens the nation's health and economy.According to NBC News, President Donald Trump’s Department of Agriculture is now trying to rehire those workers, saying those employees were fired by accident."Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters," a USDA spokesperson told NBC News in a statement. "USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission."A worker carries a chicken inside a New York poultry store on Feb. 7, 2025.The bird flu outbreak, which is impacting both chicken and dairy cow populations, has forced farmers to cull their populations of egg-laying chickens, leading to egg shortages and skyrocketing egg prices. In fact, egg prices hit a record high last month, with the cost of eggs rising an eye-popping 15.2% in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The firings of USDA staffers is the latest significant error Musk and his unqualified DOGE bros have made.CNN reported that over 300 staffers working to secure the country's nuclear weapons arsenal were also accidentally fired. The Trump administration was trying to hire those workers back. Thankfully, as of Tuesday, most have been reinstated, according to CNN.On Tuesday, Boston’s John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was also abruptly closed after staffers tasked with keeping the museum open were abruptly fired, CBS News reported. "Due to an Executive Order concerning a 'reduction in force (RIF),' the JFK Library and Museum will be closed to the public until further notice," read a sign on the door of the library.Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts slammed Trump and Musk for forcing the library’s closure.“The JFK Library is a really special place. Every day, people from around the country & world visit to find inspiration from our 35th President. Trump let DOGE shut it down,” McGovern wrote in a post on X. “Meanwhile egg prices are through the roof and he's wasting money on publicity stunts at the Daytona 500.”The recent firings could even impact Americans' ability to visit national parks as the layoffs have decimated the National Park Service.“Yosemite National Park is delaying the sale of camping nights for five campgrounds (Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow),” Yosemite National Park wrote on its official Instagram page. “This delay affects reservations from June 15 - July 14. We understand the impact this has on visitors who are planning camping trips to the park. We are grateful for your patience. Our goal is to release these campground nights as soon as possible and we will provide at least a seven-day advance notice before reservations go on sale. The notice will be posted to the park's website and social media feeds.”Visitors pose in front of Half Dome at Yosemite National Park, in California, on Oct. 17, 2013.DOGE's disastrous layoff policy has been so destructive that it’s starting to piss off Republican lawmakers.Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said DOGE needs to slow down because they are making mistakes.“This latest example of individuals who were studying bird flu being fired from the Department of Agriculture is a perfect example," Collins told HuffPost's Igor Bobic. "Another is that they mistakenly put in charge of the FBI, a person that they didn't intend to be in charge temporarily of the FBI, that's what happens when you move too fast and you don't take the time to do a careful evaluation.”Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has acquiesced to all of Trump’s demands despite reservations, also criticized DOGE’s cuts.“I am all for efficiency and ultimately downsizing the federal government, but firing large numbers of new FBI agents is not the way to achieve this. Louisiana specifically benefits from newly hired FBI agents. We need to add to our law enforcement, not take away,” Cassidy wrote in a post on X.But these same Republican lawmakers are doing nothing to stop DOGE’s destruction.In fact, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said there is nothing Congress can do, even though Congress makes the laws that the executive has to abide by.“Congress can’t do anything except complain about it," Grassley said, according to a report from RadioIowa, “but I think we have to have sympathy and understanding for people that are laid off.”Cowards.Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of fired nuclear-stockpile staff who returned after being fired. To date, most have returned, according to CNN; approximately, 25 have not.Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

Sen. Bill Cassidy said Tuesday that he would vote to confirm Kash Patel as FBI director, as the Senate is expected to hold a final vote this week.

President Donald Trump’s nominees keep on winning, including ones Democrats hoped to torpedo. On Tuesday evening, the Senate voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, the [...]The post Trump's FBI Nominee Clears Huge Hurdle, Secures Major GOP Endorsement appeared first on The Western Journal.

As the Trump administration continues its crusade to pare down the federal job rolls and slash federal spending, some Republicans on Capitol Hill are growing unnerved by what they see as an imprecise exercise.Why it matters: The job and funding cuts are now hitting GOP lawmakers' districts and states. There's also a larger conflict brewing over whether the administration can simply bypass Congress on these decisions.DOGE's efforts to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies could bring matters to a head, one House Republican told Axios."I think you're going to see a clash when they ... start abolishing [agencies]," the lawmaker said. "Say like USAID, right? We authorized that. That's a creature of Congress.""If they try to do something like that, then you're going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis."Driving the news: DOGE's spree of job cuts is starting to target federal roles that even some of Trump's Republican allies in Congress may deem too essential to sacrifice.That includes the Federal Aviation Administration firing several hundred of its 45,000 employees amid a string of fear-inducing plane crashes.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which runs the National Weather Service and helps combat natural disasters, is also on the chopping block, Axios' Andrew Freedman and Ben Geman reported.The administration even fired over 300 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration — which manages the U.S. nuclear arsenal — but has since scrambled to reinstate most of them, according to CNN.What they're saying: Senate Appropriations Committee chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Axios the administration is moving "too fast." She warned Elon Musk's team should wait until agency heads are confirmed and can take "a more surgical approach."She said some recent actions "violate restrictions that are in current law" and the team is "making mistakes," referencing the accidental firing of officials working on bird flu."Before making cuts rashly, the Administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also has concerns and told Axios of her state's many federal workers: "We all want efficiencies, there is a way to do it, and the way these people have been treated has been awful in many cases. Awful."Zoom in: Several other lawmakers, including Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), have criticized the various agency layoffs as well, according to Politico.Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told RadioIowa it is "a tragedy for people that are getting laid off," but that "This is an executive branch decision.""Congress can't do anything except complain about it," he said.Zoom out: Republicans have largely applauded the swiftness of DOGE's hacking and slashing, but some are quietly fuming that their Constitutional role in controlling federal funds could be steamrolled in the process.The House Republican who spoke anonymously warned that many conservatives are "very constitutionalist" and may be inclined to protect Congress' power if forced to do so."Even though it's our guy in the White House, if there's a lot of executive overreach, we want to protect the institution of Congress," they said.Between the lines: Despite taking a back seat in Trump's "government efficiency" drive, GOP lawmakers are not without leverage. Trump will need his whole party on board in Congress when it comes to passing his massive budget reconciliation bill later this year.In the House, Republicans have a razor-thin majority and cannot afford more than a couple of defections on a party-line bill — meaning Trump will have to keep nearly every GOP lawmaker sated.

President Donald Trump's administration has disbanded an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence campaigns and placed on leave several election security employees at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency

The Trump administration's DOGE efforts have found several controversial and highly publicized examples of spending it says are a waste of taxpayer funds.

Eight former inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump are suing to get their jobs back, claiming their terminations were not carried out lawfully.

By Lindsay Whitehurst | Associated Press WASHINGTON — Eight government watchdogs have sued over their mass firing that removed oversight of President Donald Trump’s new administration. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington asks a judge to declare the firings unlawful and restore the inspectors general to their positions at the agencies. The watchdogs are charged with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at government agencies, playing a nonpartisan oversight role over trillions of dollars in federal spending and the conduct of millions of federal employees, according to the lawsuit. Presidents can remove inspectors general, but the Trump [...]

A Democrat is leading the effort to put into law new policy from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s first day on the job cracking down on dangerous drugs.

Eight inspectors general allege their recent terminations were illegal.

Eight government watchdogs have sued over their mass firing that removed oversight of President Trump’s administration.

Attorney Norm Eisen had a long history of anti-Trump legal cases before representing FBI agents suing to protect their names from public release over the Jan. 6 investigation.

'Weaponization of politics' justifies the move, Iowa senator says

“After all the hard work that you’ve done over your career, to allow it to be destroyed on your watch would not be a legacy I would want,” warned William Webster.

Kash Patel's private-sector work is drawing renewed scrutiny from ethics experts and Democrats.

The Senate on Monday teed up a final vote on Pam Bondi's nomination to lead the Justice Department. The chamber voted 52-46 to limit debate. Absent an agreement with Democrats, that puts a final confirmation vote in the early hours of Wednesday. Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who also worked on Trump’s team to [...]

President Donald Trump is moving at breakneck speed to disrupt and reshape the federal government, challenging oversight powers reserved for lawmakers.

Who would’ve thought Democrats and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, would find themselves agreeing on the stupidity of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order regarding tariffs? During a Sunday interview with Lesley Stahl, of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” McConnell ripped into Trump’s plan and said American consumers would be affected the most.“[Tariffs] will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it will be paid for by American consumers. I mean, why would you want to get in a fight with your allies over this?” McConnell said.By that, McConnell was referring to Trump’s newly announced decision to impose tariffs against Canada, China, and Mexico. On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on Canadian oil and gas. Trump cited the countries’ respective questionable failures to curb the flow of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants to the United States. Trump also levied a 10% tariff on goods from China. The reaction was swift: Not only did the stock market plunge, but Canada and Mexico quickly announced plans to order retaliatory tariffs on American goods if Trump moves forward with his shortsighted plan. Already, though, he’s showing signs of wavering. Trump said on Monday he will pause the implementation of tariffs against Mexico for one month while the two countries hammer out an agreement on security and trade. In a post to Truth Social, Trump said he had a “very friendly conversation” with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and revealed that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would participate in negotiations with Mexican officials during the one-month pause.It’s not clear whether Trump will take the same approach with Canada and China, and if he doesn’t, both countries are prepared to strike back. This past Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to respond to Trump’s tariffs in a “forceful but reasonable” manner.“I won’t sugarcoat it—our nation could be facing difficult times in the coming days and weeks,” Trudeau said to an advisory council on Canada-U.S. relations. “I know Canadians might be anxious and worried, but I want them to know the federal government—and indeed, all orders of government—have their backs.”More recently, on Sunday, China’s Foreign Ministry threatened to take “necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests.”Sen. Rand PaulPerhaps it’s not shocking that McConnell, a vocal critic of the president, was one of the first Republicans to flat-out say that Trump’s tariff idea was a stupid one. But he’s not the only member of the GOP who has cited concerns about tariffs leading to inflated prices for Americans. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who only recently started to sour on the president, wrote in a recent post to social media that “tariffs are simply taxes.”“Conservatives were once united against new taxes,” he said on X. “Taxing trade will mean less trade and higher prices.”Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, also expressed skepticism about the tariffs. “We already had a trade agreement and it was a good trade agreement,” he said on CNN. “It’s hard for me to square that circle. We’ll see what the impacts are over the next couple of weeks.”Then there are a few members of the GOP who are more concerned with how tariffs will affect them personally. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said farmers in his state are still reeling from high fertilizer prices due to “Biden inflation” and can’t afford another hit. As a result, he recently begged Trump to exempt potash, or potassium-rich minerals that are a critical component of fertilizer. “Family farmers get most of our potash from Canada,” Grassley wrote on X.While most Republicans are keeping their powder dry, likely out of fear of pissing off Trump and his MAGA loyalists, the combined statements from Paul and McConnell, at least, put the duo squarely in line with where most Democrats are on the issue. After all, we know tariffs won’t bring down the price of groceries, something Trump pledged to do.There’s a widespread fear that Trump’s tariffs will instead lead to soaring grocery store bills. The cost of cars and car parts, electronics, and gas are likely to increase as well.Trump’s delusion has led him to believe his tariffs, or the threat of him imposing them, will force other countries to comply with his whims and demands. But we don’t yet know that to be true. What we do know is that starting soon, Americans might experience some sticker shock the next time they go to the store. And they have Trump to blame for that.Campaign Action

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s director of security and his deputy were placed on administrative leave Saturday after trying to prevent employees from the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing secure USAID systems, five sources familiar with the events told NBC News.The USAID systems the DOGE team tried to access included personnel files and security systems, including classified systems beyond the security level of at least some of the DOGE employees, according to three of the sources. The systems also included security clearance information for agency employees, two of the sources said.“No classified material was accessed without proper security clearances,” Katie Miller, who worked in Trump’s first administration and has since joined DOGE, said in a post to X on Sunday.When USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy Brian McGill refused to allow them in, the DOGE employees threatened to call the U.S. Marshalls, two of the sources said. The DOGE employees were eventually able to gain access to the secure systems, according to three of the sources, but it was not clear what information they were able to obtain.Trump administrationFeb 2DOE employees who took DEI training during Trump's first term placed on leave, union rep saysTrump administrationFeb 2Ontario to remove U.S. alcohol from shelves after Trump's tariffs announcementThis weekend, Elon Musk, the Trump empowered tech billionaire and co-head of DOGE, posted on X calling for USAID “to die” and accusing the independent agency, without offering evidence, of being a “criminal organization.”“Reports that individuals without appropriate clearance may have accessed classified USAID spaces as well as American citizens’ personal information are incredibly serious and unprecedented,” Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., told NBC News. “We are seeking immediate answers about any implications for our national security and are bringing a group of bipartisan Senators together on this as soon as the Senate comes back tomorrow.”Trump administration officials are actively discussing placing USAID under the authority of the State Department, according to more than a dozen current and former officials and sources familiar with the discussions, NBC News has previously reported, a move that Democrats and legal experts have argued would violate a law adopted by Congress establishing the agency. The State Department, USAID and Musk didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.On Saturday, the website for the agency, USAID.gov, went dark and remained apparently offline as of Sunday evening, but a website for USAID off the homepage state.gov is active. More than 1,000 USAID employees and contractors, including more than 300 people in the bureau of Global Health and 600 in the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, have already been fired or furloughed from the agency in the wake of the near-total freeze on U.S. global assistance implemented by the Trump administration just over a week ago.In the latest slashes to staff, the majority of the 125-person Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs was put on administrative leave late Saturday, according to three sources directly familiar with the actions, and several of the agency’s communications staff were blocked from accessing internal systems to communicate with staff this week, another source said.“No one feels safe to go anywhere near the Ronald Reagan building,” one USAID official told NBC News. “We just had Elon Musk call us a criminal organization. Our security chief was escorted out. We know we are being surveilled by DOGE.”This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:Trump’s antagonism risks pushing U.S. allies closer to ChinaAgents ‘have started to pack up their desks’ as fear of FBI mass firings swirlsOntario to remove U.S. alcohol from shelves after Trump’s tariffs announcement

The one-month delay followed an announcement by Mexico that it would send 10,000 troops to secure its northern border.

Senate Republicans are holding their breath over President Trump's tariffs, which kick in Saturday against Canada, Mexico and China.Why it matters: Many senators spent months telling Axios they saw the move from Trump more as a negotiating tactic. But some were concerned about what would happen if he followed through.🚨 Now, sweeping 25% tariffs start this weekend on Canadian and Mexican imports — and 10% on Chinese goods, the White House said Friday. All three countries have vowed to retaliate against broad tariffs.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Axios in August that "across-the-board tariffs is not something I have been for in the past." Thune is open to the selective use of tariffs.Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) described Trump's tariffs promises as potentially "problematic."Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a former Senate Commerce Committee chair, also told Axios in August he's listening, but "not convinced that's the best approach."Between the lines: Senators often cite concerns about tariffs leading to inflated prices for Americans — after a campaign cycle where Republicans repeatedly said former President Biden's policies led to inflation.Zoom in: More tenured senators, especially free traders, have learned the value of waiting instead of staking out positions Trump can upend at any moment.Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is taking a "wait-and-see attitude," he told Reuters. Iowa is a big farm goods exporter."Normally I'd be stronger in my comments because I am a free trader. I used to be in the majority when free trading was a majority of the Congress, but now I am in the minority," he said.😈 The newer senators are on Trump's side, and they're content to let him cook."Everybody runs through the streets saying, 'The sky is falling! The sky is falling!' but it doesn't fall," Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) told Reuters.Zoom out: The list of surprised leaders stretches beyond the Senate."I don't believe that will happen," House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week about across-the-board tariffs.

Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, was at the center of a contentious confirmation hearing Thursday, facing intense grilling from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee about his past comments and allegiance to Trump. To Republicans, Patel is a chance to reform an agency whose public image has taken a hit and [...]

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI was grilled by Democrats while the GOP members made their broad support for him known.

Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent — who has vowed to crack down on off-the-rails federal spending and help avert a “crushing $4 trillion tax hike” on Americans by year’s end — was confirmed as President Trump’s Treasury secretary on Monday. The Senate approved Bessent in a bipartisan, 68-29 vote, setting the 62-year-old up to oversee...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines are not safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable. And farmers across the Midwest are nervous over his talk of banning corn syrup and pesticides from America’s food supply.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines are not safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable. And farmers across the Midwest are nervous about his talk of removing corn syrup and pesticides from America’s food supply. The...

The Democratic senator said the president "broke the law."

Requiring price disclosures on advertisements for prescription drugs would empower patients and reduce excess spending on medications.

The federal government is going MAGA — fast.Why it matters: President Trump has only been in office a week, but the departments under his command are moving with blazing speed to transform the federal bureaucracy into an army of loyalists.The new administration immediately moved to freeze nearly all foreign aid, root out DEI programs, remove officials and whole offices deemed ideologically suspect, and muzzle public health agencies."We're getting rid of all of the cancer ... caused by the Biden administration," Trump told reporters while signing a Day One executive order that stripped employment protections from civil servants.Driving the news: Late Friday night, the White House fired 17 inspectors general — independent agency watchdogs responsible for identifying fraud, waste and corruption.The mass firings, relayed via email, appear to violate a federal law that requires the administration to notify Congress 30 days before removing inspectors general.Amid outrage from Democrats and ethics experts, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — a Trump ally and longtime advocate for whistleblowers — called on the president to explain his decision to Congress.Zoom in: DEI offices and programs have been shuttered across the government, including at the CIA, Department of Veterans Affairs, Army and Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration.Federal workers have been ordered to report colleagues who may seek to "disguise" DEI efforts by using "coded language."And Trump directed federal agencies to each identify "up to nine" major companies, universities or non-profits to investigate over their DEI practices.There have been hundreds of staff removals or reassignments, including at the State Department, where far more career officers were asked to resign than in past administrations.The Department of Justice reassigned at least 15 senior career officials, including a top counterintelligence attorney involved in the FBI's investigation of classified documents Trump stashed at Mar-a-Lago.The DOJ also rescinded job offers to recent law school graduates who were placed through the Attorney General's Honors program.Trump's National Security Council sent home around 160 staffers while Trump officials conducted loyalty screenings to ensure they're aligned with his agenda.One of the administration's highest-profile firings so far was Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military. She was accused of leadership failures and an "excessive focus" on DEI at the Coast Guard Academy.Between the lines: Trump loyalists have also moved to centralize control around public messaging, particularly when it comes to public health.The Department of Heath and Human Services ordered an unprecedented "immediate pause" on all health reports and social media posts through at least the end of the month, leading scientists to cancel CDC meetings on the escalating bird flu outbreak.The Pentagon also ordered a global pause on all official social media posts until the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has promised a radical culture shakeup across the U.S. military.The new administration is also moving quickly on issues including LGBTQ and civil rights.The State Department froze all passport applications with "X" designated as the gender.DOJ ordered a freeze on civil rights litigation and is weighing a potential reversal of police reform agreements negotiated by the Biden administration. It also ordered federal prosecutors to investigate local and state officials in so-called "sanctuary cities."Meanwhile, the Pentagon moved to abolish an office set up during the Biden administration focused on curbing civilian deaths in combat operations.Zoom out: Trump made no secret of his intentions to build a MAGA-aligned federal workforce during the campaign, and he quickly imposed a hiring freeze after taking office.The vast majority of federal workers are career employees, not political appointments, but the president has made clear he wants them all to board the Trump train.His administration is currently testing the ability to email the entire federal government workforce from a single email address.What to watch: Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, will be a key architect of the White House's efforts to re-engineer the administrative state.Vought has assailed "the woke and weaponized bureaucracy," and said in a 2023 speech to his conservative think tank that he wants to put federal bureaucrats "in trauma," ProPublica reported."When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains," Vought said — comments he defended during his confirmation hearing.

Pam Bondi snapped at Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) after he pressed her on the Fourteenth Amendment in a line of questioning about immigration

Pam Bondi refused to rule out prosecuting Jack Smith, Merrick Garland or Liz Cheney — three people Donald Trump said he might seek revenge against — when pressed during her confirmation hearing

Pam Bondi faced sharp questioning from Democratic senators at a confirmation hearing

Pam Bondi faced sharp questioning from Democratic senators at a confirmation hearing

"I'm very nervous about coming into our budget hearing," Mayor Pro Tem Dan Moore said about the impact of looming property tax cuts from the state. "Each of us should be thinking outside the box. We have a lot of...

A panel of judges on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has denied an effort to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith's final report on his two investigations into Donald Trump.

The National Sheriffs' Association endorsed Kash Patel to be FBI director in the second Trump administration, a letter to Senate leaders obtained by Fox Digital shows.

The letter signed by over 100 former senior DOJ officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations comes as AG nominee Pam Bondi prepares for confirmation hearings.