TPM is finally leaving the Acela Corridor (probably). After years of requests, we’re going to host an event somewhere other than New York City or Washington D.C. in early May. Our next live podcast will take place in one of the cities we’ve chosen below. And we’d like your input to help us decide where we should go.
Continue reading “Josh and Kate are Hitting the Road”Listen To This: The Pitchforks Are Out
A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Kate and Josh talk Congress, angry town halls and a chainsaw-wielding Musk.
Continue reading “Listen To This: The Pitchforks Are Out”Mapping the DOGE Game Plan: New Details on Which Contracts Get Axed
There’s such a sea of chaotic information we’re all drifting through in these days that it is terribly difficult to find out precisely what is going on, to find the patterns that can bring the larger story into focus. I want to point to one of those patterns I noticed or which was brought to my attention last night. I think I’m the first to highlight this, though I may be wrong about that. Not trying to claim an exclusive; I want to point to the significance of the detail.
Let’s start with my story from last night about the abrupt and reckless cancelation of upwards of a thousand VA contracts totaling roughly $2 billion and covering a huge variety of work VA does, everything from funeral care to doctor recruitment. As I reported last night, VA contract officers were sent an Excel spreadsheet of almost a thousand contracts in the early morning of February 21st, told that all of these contracts should be canceled and that if anyone wanted to make a case to spare individual contracts they had until the end of business that day (February 21st) to make their case. My sources noted that the contract code on all of these contracts was NAICS – 541611, which is “Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services.” It’s very clear the DOGE people pulled up everything under that label and slated it to be cut. My sources’ impressions are that the DOGErs making these decisions read that label as basically, McKinsey/MBA consulting type bullshit, easy stuff to cut. At VA, most of it wasn’t that at all. But they didn’t seem to make any attempt to look under the hood at what those contracts were.
Continue reading “Mapping the DOGE Game Plan: New Details on Which Contracts Get Axed”Trump Is Already Low-Key Defying A Judge’s Order
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
Supreme Court Pauses Big USAID Case
At the Trump administration’s urging, Chief Justice John Roberts issued what is likely to be a brief administrative stay keeping a lower court order from taking effect that would have forced frozen USAID spending to resume again last night at midnight.
The Trump administration rushed to the Supreme Court for emergency relief after it first asked the trial judge and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the order. Ultimately, both declined.
While Trump’s lawless abolition of USAID and the human suffering that’s resulted from the unauthorized freezing of USAID spending are the focus of this case, the larger issue at the moment is that the Trump administration has basically ignored for two weeks now the judge’s injunction lifting the spending freeze.
This hasn’t been the in-your-face refusal to abide by a court order that we’ve been fearing was coming, but a low-key, have-it-both-ways approach of claiming to have found workarounds or exceptions to the order that allowed it to be sidestepped. U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali ultimately didn’t buy it and became increasingly frustrated that the administration was giving him the runaround.
The dawdling by the Trump administration and the procedural posture of the case set up the possibility that the Supreme Court’s intervention could essentially reward the administration for its intransigence in not obeying the trial judge’s order. Roberts gave the groups suing to lift the spending freeze until noon Friday to respond to Trump administration’s request for the Supreme Court’s emergency intervention.
DOGE Watch
- WaPo: Elon Musk says DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort. Officials say that’s not true.
- ProPublica: DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination, Medical Details—Even Domestic Violence
- NYT: A rogues’ gallery of the people at DOGE
Killing Off Gov’t Contracts In Willy-Nilly Fashion
- TPM’s Josh Kovensky: DOGE Cites ‘DEI,’ LinkedIn Profiles It Doesn’t Like In Killing Off HUD Contracts
- Politico: Trump administration says it’s cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts
- AP: VA pauses billions in cuts lauded by Musk as lawmakers and veterans decry loss of critical care
- WSJ: President Trump signed a new executive order requiring federal agencies to review their contracting policies and procedures and, where appropriate, terminate contracts and grants.
The Purges
As the heads of OMB and OPM issued a memo revealing new plans for “large-scale reductions” in the federal workforce coming in March and April, reports continued to emerge of specific reductions across government:
- SSA: The Social Security Administration is targeting a 50% reduction in its workforce.
- DOL: A Labor Department office that enforces equal employment opportunity laws is working on a plan to reduce its workforce by 90%.
- USFS: Forest Service chief resigns after thousands fired in his agency.
Inside Kash Patel’s FBI
A telling episode at the FBI from a deeply reported piece by CNN’s Evan Perez on Kash Patel’s first week as director:
- Some members of an internal advisory panel made up of discontented former agents that was created to help pave the way for Patel to take over the bureau resigned after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove demanded a list of FBI employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases. This rebellion appears to have happened before Patel was confirmed and included former agents who were initially favorable toward him.
- That rebellion, Perez reports, led President Trump to name Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director rather than a career agent as Patel had intended, leaving two ill-suited, controversial political types with no FBI experience leading the bureau.
Jan. 6 Pardons Fiasco
In a contentious court hearing, U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of Washington, D.C., a Trump appointee, was deeply skeptical of the Justice Department’s new argument that President Trump’s clemency for Jan. 6 rioters covers crimes unrelated to the attack on the Capitol. The Justice Department has publicly reversed itself in arriving at this new interpretation of Trump’s act of clemency. Friedrich was having none of it: “The intent cannot evolve over time as new cases are brought to his attention.”
Eric Adams Seizes Chance To Get Off Scot-Free
In an eye-rolling move, NYC Mayor Eric Adams is seizing on the concerns his judge has about the Justice Department dismissing the case against him without prejudice and leaving the possibility of being recharged hanging over him like a sword of Damocles. I’ll take dismissal with prejudice then! Adams told the judge in a new filing.
Trump II’s Chilling Effect On Lawyers
On the heels of Trump’s new orders targeting former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s private lawyers, Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck highlights two other recent examples of the legal profession being cowed:
- Acting DC U.S. Attorney Ed Martin’s public threat two weeks ago against Smith’s lawyers, in violation of DOJ guidelines and ethics rules.
- Some law firms are reluctant to represent fired or targeted DOJ officials for fear of backlash, Bloomberg Law reports: “Some firm leaders, citing corporate clients threatening to walk if they get crosswise with Trump, have rejected outright or put up roadblocks to partners seeking approval to represent DOJ lawyers, FBI agents, and other civil servants who’ve faced various forms of attack, three lawyers familiar with the decisions told Bloomberg Law.”
RFK Jr.’s Fingerprints Are All Over The Place
As the United States reported its first measles death in a decade, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy downplayed it and reports emerged of anti-vaccine animus
- The FDA cancelled a meeting to plan next year’s flu vaccines, a delay that could hinder flu vaccine production, which takes place on a tight schedule.
- HHS is considering yanking existing funds to develop a bird flu vaccine.
- Kennedy halted work on a new oral COVID vaccine.
Pentagon Issues Ban On Trans Servicemembers
The Defense Department has issued its policy implementing President Trump’s executive order banning transgender Americans from serving in the military, including provisions for booting those currently serving.
Trump Preps To Invoke Alien Enemies Act of 1798
CNN: “The Trump administration is preparing to invoke a sweeping wartime authority to speed up the president’s mass deportation pledge, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.”
Welp, If We Weren’t Already Screwed Enough
The Trump EPA is angling to reverse its 2009 finding that greenhouse gases threaten human health, undermining one of the main linchpins of U.S. climate regulations.
Gene Hackman, 1930-2025
The iconic actor, his wife, and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home. Authorities have not determined causes of death but do not suspect foul play.
If I was forced to pick the best of his tremendous roles in so many splendid films, I would probably settle on Harry Caul in The Conversation. But I wouldn’t fight you if argued for Norman Dale in Hoosiers or a handful of other perfectly legitimate choices.
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Termination Spree Begins Friday for DOD Civilians
Reviewing a directive from DCPAS Director Daniel J. Hester. This applies to DOD civilian personnel. On Friday the 28th, they “must terminate the employment of all individuals who are currently serving probationary or trial periods in the DOD.” The document lists categories of exception: positions “designated mission critical,” “political appointees.” There are a few other technical exception categories. Document signed yesterday.
More On the Vets Contract Purge At the VA
As I wrote below, yesterday VA Secretary Collins was out bragging that he and DOGE had found more than $2 billion of BS professional services contracts that they were cutting right away. Then today the whole thing blew up in their faces. The contracts weren’t at all what they’d described and they either didn’t know or didn’t care that the great majority of those contracts were with what are called service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses — SDVOSBs. I’ve done some poking around and I can share a bit more about how this seems to have happened. It’s probably a microcosm of damage being wrought across the executive branch.
Here’s my understanding. DOGE is looking for contracts to cut at the VA, a repeat of what we’ve seen across numerous agencies. They come across a contract code (NAICs 541611) that is listed as “Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services.” So they figure, okay, this is some McKinsey-type BS. We can definitely cut that.
Continue reading “More On the Vets Contract Purge At the VA”You Must Read This: Uproar Over Malicious and Disastrous Cuts at VA
Yesterday I saw a video from VA Secretary Doug Collins (former member of Congress from Georgia) bragging about how they were cutting $2 billion worth of what were clearly, in his estimation, worthless and stupid contracts. They were in fact almost one thousand different contracts tied to everything from medical and burial services to cancer prevention and doctor recruiting programs. I’ve posted that video below. This afternoon I received this email from a longtime reader …
Continue reading “You Must Read This: Uproar Over Malicious and Disastrous Cuts at VA”I’m a contractor working for a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) for 15 years. I’ve worked on projects with the Veterans Benefit Administration and the Veterans Health Administration. During that time, I’ve run marketing campaigns to get veterans to enroll in healthcare, conducted program evaluations and process improvement efforts, and provided strategic communications support.
Trump Solicitor General Nom Stays Vague On Key Question Hanging Over Lawless Presidency
Unelected billionaire and ghost Cabinet member Elon Musk has for weeks been advocating for the impeachment of federal judges who defy his government ransacking crusade. Just last night, he posted on X at least six times speculating about ways to retaliate against the federal judiciary.
Continue reading “Trump Solicitor General Nom Stays Vague On Key Question Hanging Over Lawless Presidency”DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination, Medical Details—Even Domestic Violence
This article first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has gained access to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development system containing confidential personal information about hundreds of thousands of alleged victims of housing discrimination, including victims of domestic violence.
Access to the system, called the HUD Enforcement Management System, or HEMS, is typically strictly limited because it contains medical records, financial files, documents that may list Social Security numbers and other private information. DOGE sought access, and HUD granted it last week, according to information reviewed by ProPublica and two officials familiar with the matter.
This is just the latest collection of sensitive personal information that DOGE has tried to access in recent weeks. It has also sought personal taxpayer data kept by the IRS and information on Social Security benefit recipients, and it attempted to enter the Treasury Department’s payment systems. DOGE’s stated mission is to modernize government technology and cut excessive or improper spending. The administration of President Donald Trump has argued that DOGE needs “direct access” to such systems to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse.”
DOGE’s data-gathering moves at some agencies have sparked forceful pushback, including lawsuits over alleged privacy violations and opposition from career officials who have resigned or retired following access requests. Judges have temporarily blocked DOGE from gaining access to records at the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management and the Treasury Department. And, faced with resistance, DOGE agreed to view only anonymized taxpayer data at the IRS.
Few records in the HUD system are redacted or anonymized, and many contain deeply personal material about those who have alleged or been accused of housing discrimination. Domestic violence case files can list addresses to which survivors have relocated for their safety. Harassment cases can include detailed descriptions of sexual assaults. Disability cases can include detailed medical records. Lending discrimination files could feature credit reports and bank statements. The names of witnesses who offered information — in some cases anonymously — about landlords accused of discrimination are among the files as well.
HUD enforces numerous civil rights laws, including the Fair Housing Act and aspects of the Violence Against Women Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act. Such statutes collectively prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, disability and other characteristics.
HUD officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, voiced concern that DOGE’s access to HEMS could violate the privacy rights of discrimination victims and potentially put them at risk if their information is mishandled or leaked.
The episode is one of many roiling HUD, where the Trump administration is reportedly considering a 50% cut to the nearly 10,000-person workforce. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, which combats housing discrimination, may see its roughly 500-person staff cut by as much as 76%, according to an unconfirmed projection circulating widely among HUD employees and viewed by ProPublica.
Civil liberties advocates expressed alarm about DOGE’s access to the HUD data, saying it may violate the Privacy Act. “It’s difficult to see why a system dedicated to civil rights complaints would have any impact whatsoever on a department looking for inefficiencies in governmental spending,” said Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Venzke suggested DOGE may use HEMS data as a basis for scaling back housing discrimination enforcement. “There is deep concern that DOGE is not there to identify government inefficiencies, but rather to shutter programs that the administration disagrees with,” he said.
John Davisson, director of litigation at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which is suing DOGE and other federal agencies and officials over DOGE’s access, contended that the department had gained access to HEMS and systems like it “under the false pretenses of identifying fraud and abuse, when what’s really going on is DOGE is trying to gain control over these databases to direct the activities of federal agencies.”
Spokespeople for HUD, the White House and DOGE did not respond to requests for comment (including a question to DOGE about what it plans to do with HEMS). After this article was published, Kasey Lovett, HUD’s head of public affairs, emailed ProPublica and stated, “to be clear, DOGE does not have access to HEMS.” Lovett declined to provide on-the-record evidence for her assertion.
HUD’s Fair Housing office receives tens of thousands of housing discrimination allegations or inquiries annually and investigates — or assigns to state or local agencies — around 8,000 of them each year. Those investigations can last months or years and lead to financial settlements, compliance monitoring and policy reforms by landlords, mortgage lenders, local zoning officials and homeowners associations.
Access to HEMS is usually limited to Fair Housing staffers, HUD attorneys and auditors, and state and local investigators. However, DOGE requested entry, and HUD granted read-only access last week to Michael Mirski, who has a HUD email address and whom officials at the housing agency have identified in internal discussions as being affiliated with DOGE. Mirski did not respond to a request for comment.
Doris Burke contributed research.
Why Did the Animal Spirits Get Sad?
Often there’s business news on at the gym where I go to work out each day. I’ve noticed over the last handful of days that CNBC has had a series of chyrons over their panels, all of which are some version of “why is the market so downbeat all of a sudden?” There are also some similar ones about consumer confidence, which has also been dropping. Economies are complex and no shift — including temporary ones — can be definitively ascribed to a single factor. But as I’ve watched this, I’ve been struck by how little discussion there is of one fairly straightforward explanation.
Continue reading “Why Did the Animal Spirits Get Sad?”