Donald Trump doesn’t understand how Washington works. Elon Musk doesn’t understand that the Federal government doesn’t function like the private sector. They must be stopped before they destroy the country. So say the Congressional Democrats assisted by their spokespeople (the American media masquerading as serious journalists). They have apparently learned nothing from Donald Trump’s resounding win last November. They bring nothing constructive to the table. What could possibly have triggered the feckless frenzy coming out of Washington?
Donald Trump has been the President of the United States for less than two months. His enemies were not prepared for him to win and they certainly were not ready for him to be so prepared to win. We have never witnessed a president get to work so quickly, doing exactly what he promised the voters he would do.
The American people want the bloated Federal government streamlined and rid of waste, fraud, and abuse. Prior to Donald Trump taking office, the media and career politicians gleefully predicted the entrenched government bureaucrats could outlast any administration’s attempt to disrupt the status quo. They pointed to the failures of every previous administration with the audacity to try. Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as the mechanism to go after billions of dollars in Federal spending that will be repurposed to pay for priorities of the American people and/or pay down our debt. He chose Elon Musk to lead this effort because there is no American who has demonstrated greater managerial skill, entrepreneurialism, and, most importantly, the ability to consistently produce outcomes that leave all competitors in his dust. The Democrats and the media villainize Musk for being the richest man in the world. They completely miss the point that he has achieved this status through his pursuit of the American dream and his unsurpassed ability to get stuff done. His track record uniquely qualifies him to dismantle the immoveable government bureaucracy. In the short time Musk has been assessing the status of the government bureaucracy, we have learned enough to be confident the American people will be tremendous beneficiaries of his work. Beyond the outrages of USAID, there are far greater abuses of our money.
Growth in the Federal workforce under Joe Biden was the largest of any presidential term in the past 30 years. Since 2000 the number of Federal government workers increased by 9.2% to 3.1 million. This does not include members of the military or the postal service. Only 6% of Federal workers report to work in person full time. The US government is spending over $7 billion annually on office building leases though 7,000 buildings are entirely vacant and 1,500 are partially vacant.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) tracks authorizations for the appropriation of money to various government entities. The CBO has identified $516 billion in appropriations for 2024 that are associated with expired authorizations. 2/3 ($320 billion of the $516 billion) was provided for authorizations that expired more than a decade ago. (Appropriations are the budget authority to obligate and spend funds). We really have no idea what this means because in its report the CBO said, “cataloging authorizations and identifying appropriations involves analysts’ judgment. For that reason, the report’s statistics are subject to uncertainty.” Therefore, “This report should not be construed as providing precise information…”
In November 2024, the Pentagon failed its 7th annual audit. This means it cannot fully account for how its $824 billion budget was spent.
In 2024, the Department of Education (DOE) failed its 3rd annual audit. This means it cannot fully account for how its $268 billion budget was spent. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the DOE lacks a “system to track and manage misuse of funds.”
In the private sector, audit failures like these would result in financial penalties, reputation damage, regulation scrutiny and heads rolling. The response of Congress was to give the departments until 2028 to pass their audits.
At the end of Biden’s term, his administration rushed $27 billion from a climate fund out the door to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “revitalize communities historically left behind”. The money was channeled to banks for distribution to non-government organizations (NGOs) in a manner deliberately intended to dodge oversight. According to Lee Zeldin, the new Administrator of the EPA, some of the targeted NGOs didn’t even exist until this money was made available. Zeldin says the agency has no idea where the money is and the Justice Department is investigating.
Right sizing, rooting out corruption, and bringing fiscal discipline to the huge Federal bureaucracy will affect real people. It’s a shame the elected officials responsible for this mess are not the ones losing their jobs. However, as millions in the private sector know from firsthand experience, the downsized workers will land on their feet. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there were 7.6 million job openings in the private sector at the end of December.
The American people want a strong economy, fair trade, good jobs, and affordable lives. The American people have been severely harmed by the policies of the Biden administration. Prices soared by 20% during Biden’s term and many families have been scaping to get by. Trump has promised to get the economy back on track. Americans who long for the economy we enjoyed during Trump’s first term believe him. People understand there is no immediate fix. Tariffs, energy production, deregulation, lower taxes, incentives to build and buy American, and reworked trade agreements are among the early strategies being worked.
In Trump’s first month in office, Apple announced it is investing $500 billion in manufacturing in the US; TSMC, a Taiwan semiconductor company, is investing $160 billion in manufacturing “chips” in the US; and Honda is going to manufacture a new model of Civic in Indiana instead of Mexico as previously planned. Many other corporations’ plans are in the works.
The American people want a secure border. During his first week in office Joe Biden immediately reversed many of the Trump border policies that had made the country secure from illegal crossings. The border was wide open and, during Biden’s term, there were more than 8 million encounters of illegal migrants at the border and another 1.7 million “got aways” who evaded authorities. 50,000 pounds of fentanyl crossed the border and American cities large and small were invaded by illegal aliens due to the Biden policy of catch and release. In addition to the security threat (more than 13,000 who were not in the control of authorities had been convicted of homicide), the financial burden to American taxpayers exceeds $150 billion.
Trump placed Tom Homan, a tough cop with a big heart, in control of what he promised would be the greatest deportation initiative in history. Their work has been made far more dangerous by defiant liberal mayors and governors of “sanctuary cities” who are fighting them every step of the way. There have been leaks of enforcement operations and postings of law enforcement officers’ personal identifying information, setting them and their families up for real harm. Despite this betrayal, the initiative to deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens continues with rigor and promises to prosecute those who get in the way. The deterrent effect has already proven very successful. Last February there was a record low 8,300 attempted crossings at the southern border. In February 2024, there were 189,913.
The American people want an end to endless wars. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In October 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel killing 1,200 people, injuring thousands, and abducting hundreds. Trump points out at every opportunity these attacks would not have occurred if he had been President.
The Ukrainian war has raged on with billions in military and financial aid flowing from the United States and no end in sight. Ukrainian President Zelensky wants to keep fighting to win. No one believes Ukraine can win. Hundreds of thousands of people have died and the property destruction is horrific.
Trump and the American people want peace and understand both sides are going to have to make concessions to bring the war to an end. Trump has been clear the American people are unwilling to continue endless support for wars around the world with no return and continues to press the Europeans to step up their investments in defense and assume leadership for safety in their backyards.
Trump has proposed an innovative win-win for the United States and Ukraine. The US will make investments in minerals and rare earth found deep within Ukraine. The presence of US businesses in Ukraine will serve as a deterrent to future invasion and the mining of rare earth and minerals will pay the American people back for some of their investment as well as strengthen national security by ending reliance on other sources for these inputs.
The road has been rocky but moving in the right direction. Last Monday Zelensky said he is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to “work under Trump’s leadership for lasting peace” and ready to sign the agreement on minerals. In another welcome development, European leaders have stepped up to actively engage in brokering peace, commit more resources to their own defense and commit boots on the ground for peace keeping in Ukraine. These are the byproducts of having an American President who means what he says.
Likewise, time is running out for Hamas. Trump has shown some patience as hostages have been dribbled out and a cease fire is holding. It is reasonable to expect that if Hamas does not release every hostage soon, the wrath of Israel will be fully unleashed with the blessing of the United States.
The American people want a President who is authentic, accessible, uses common sense, and puts America first. Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, was recently asked what it’s like to speak for Donald Trump. She responded it’s easy. He does what he says he’s going to do. No spinning required. Since Day 1, Trump speaks directly to the American people every day and makes himself available to the often-hostile press daily, taking more than 1,000 questions in the first month. He is using executive orders to move at Trump speed to get things done. Among his first, he has put an end to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) requirements throughout government; affirmed the United States only recognizes two genders, male and female; banned transgender men from women’s sports; and affirmed English as the official language of the United States. He is just getting started.
Trump tapped Musk to lead his reform agenda because he has the skill to effect change and will be undeterred by those who will try to destroy him. Like Trump, he is a dangerous threat to all who profit from the status quo. Effective leaders understand there is no meaningful change without noise. They manage the noise as they work through to the outcome. The media, the Democrats and any other career politicians who try to undermine this work are badly misjudging the determination of the American people to stand with Trump.
There are no words sufficiently despicable to describe the American media’s continued betrayal of the American people. They are on a futile mission to destroy Trump as they descend further into irrelevance. Though there has already been an overabundance of scandalous material uncovered ripe for serious investigative journalism, the media prefers to “fact check” Trump, sow seeds of division with our allies, dig deep for mistakes made by DOGE, and hunt for sad stories of Federal employees who lose their jobs as a result of rightsizing. They goad the public into believing that prices should have already come down and the war in Ukraine should have ended.
The Democrats have nothing constructive to offer. Responding to Trump’s position that the American people will not keep giving around the world while getting nothing in return, California Senator Adam Schiff said, “I’ve never felt such shame about American policy.” He referred to mutual benefit as “a protection racket” and wondered how our allies can ever trust us after forcing Ukraine to “give up something for nothing” (mineral rights in exchange for billions of dollars in aid). Not to be outdone, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said, “The White House has become an arm of the Kremlin.” And “Trump wants to transform our country to a kleptocratic oligarchy to steal from the American people.” (Despotic power of a privileged clique. I had to look it up).
Last Tuesday, 22 Democratic Senators demeaned themselves and their states by simultaneously posting a video campaign they called “Sh*t That Ain’t True”. A picture, including Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, is featured in today’s Blast. Each legislator parroted things Trump has said followed by their keynote refrain. That same day, during Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, the Democrats further embarrassed themselves and their constituents by remaining seated and expressionless, periodically raising ridiculous signs, and occasionally heckling or walking out. They continue to flail like two-year-olds. It appears their plan for the American people is to continue to spew “sh*t that ain’t true.” It’s the Democratic contribution to the national conversation.
