Tag: US Congress

Shutdown Two Step–Update

Tick Tok MFers!

There has been some negotiations between the two parties on saving the nation from a governmental shutdown and as the deadline draws near it is not looking too promising for a deal.

Democratic congressional leaders left the White House on Monday without a deal to avert a government shutdown, which otherwise would take effect at 12:01am Wednesday. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said “large differences” remain between the parties on health care funding, the New York Times reports, and Vice President JD Vance said, “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.” The Democrats said the private meeting, which included President Trump, was candid but didn’t make any progress toward a breakthrough.

One door was left slightly open, per Politico. Trump administration officials seemed amenable to bipartisan talks on extending health insurance subsidies that are about to expire, which Democrats want to avoid. “Let’s work on it together,” Vance said. But the GOP side said the negotiations could only take place if government remains open. “We’re seeing people not being able to get the health care they need, and the American people are crying out for some help,” Schumer said. Republicans have not made any concessions on the issue, per the Times. The White House Office of Management and Budget has advised federal agencies to prepare for potential workforce reductions if the shutdown occurs.

Let’s say the shutdown happens….who will be the winner?

This silly game does nothing for this country other than a diversion from the manure spread by both parties on a wide array of subjects.

They have until 12:01 am tomorrow to come up with a solution….who knows they may just do it for it seems they relish the idea of a last minute deal because it plays so well in the media.

This dance has become pathetic, disgusting and unnecessary….there are more important issues that deserve this much attention…..but when you have spineless political hacks in Congress this saga is the best we can expect.

What will the news be tomorrow when we all arise for our morning cup?

I REad, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Damn! I Agree Again!

Once again I find myself, not leaving a good taste in my mouth, with MTG on the political dominator, AIPAC.

My agreement with her is becoming disconcerting….

Just look at their power over Congress….and the White House…..Israel is being allowed to totally wipe out Gaza and has turned its thugs on the West Bank.

MTG has made a pronouncement…..

Far-right US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene declared on Monday that she was “not controlled” by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the powerful pro-Israel lobby group, in a statement posted on X.

The Republican representative made the comment after expressing support for the release of Edan Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen and Israeli soldier, who was the latest captive to be freed from Gaza.

“This is wonderful news! Let’s also hope to see an end to that war,” Greene wrote, quoting former President Donald Trump’s announcement of the release during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

“I’m not controlled by big pharma, the military-industrial complex, or AIPAC. And I’m not suicidal nor depressed, and I never have been. I’m actually very happy and extremely healthy and I love my life,” she added.

The remark drew backlash online, with many pointing out that if she hadn’t been influenced by AIPAC, then her support for Israel’s brutal onslaught on Gaza was a matter of personal conviction.

“That’s kinda worse, since it means you’ve voted to fund Israel’s genocide out of conviction,” an X user replied, while others questioned why such a statement was necessary.

AIPAC has increasingly come under fire for targeting elected officials critical of Israel, especially those who opposed military aid or called for a ceasefire during Israel’s war on Gaza. The group launched an ad blitz last month against US senators who voted to block a multibillion-dollar arms package for Israel.

Since October 2023, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians and left the Gaza Strip in a state of humanitarian collapse. Aid agencies report that emergency supplies of food, fuel, and medicine have been blocked for over two months.

https://www.newarab.com/news/republican-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-not-controlled-aipac

AIPAC is a foreign entity that is buying our political system…..no way to justify their existence.  Period.

AIPAC should be used to illustrate the evil of PACs….this influence has turned the Congress and the presidency into a group of subservient clowns.

I know it will not happen any time soon but the Lobbying industry needs to be shutdown and remove any influence from the decision making process.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Cognitive Testing: Helluva Idea

The last year of Biden’s admin and the meme was that his cognitive reasoning was shot because of his declining age…..and now with a new  old fart in charge the same meme is being leveled at him as well….and then there are some of the folks in Congress that do not impress me as having all their faculties about them…..so what can be done about this reoccurring situation?

Cognitive testing.

As I stated in the title….I think that this is a helluva idea……but does it go far enough?

There is a bill now that addresses this situation.

The United States is changing fast. Lawmakers are being forced to grapple not just with timeless questions of governance, but often with novel and rapidly-changing policy issues ranging from cryptocurrency regulation to tech monopolies to app-based labor.

That quickly shifting landscape has some doubting whether the country’s aging lawmakers are up for the increasingly complicated task. The issue is stark, with a larger percentage of Congress over the age of 70 than ever before, and a long string of incidents causing constituents to question whether their elected officials are suffering cognitive decline in office.

In response, one House democrat is proposing what Axios calls a “radical solution” to those concerns: mental fitness exams for lawmakers.

The proposal is being raised by Democratic representativeMarie Gluesenkamp Perez, who was elected in 2022 to represent the 3rd district of Washington State.

Last month, Perez tried to pass an amendment to require the Office of Congressional Conduct to produce a cognitive test to assess members’ “ability to perform the duties of office unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment.”

Go figure, the proposal was widely unpopular with the House Appropriations Committee that voted on it — but Perez is using the momentum to continue pushing the issue.

https://futurism.com/law-congress-cognitive-test

AS I stated I do not believe this goes far enough…..every elected official from president and his cabinet all through the government should be tested regardless of age….in the last twenty years there have been signs that a few elected are showing signs that they have the mental acuity of a garden slug….matters not the party…..all should be tested.

And the results should be made immediately public especially to those that elected these people.

As well as anyone running for office should be given a civics test to determine if they understand the role of government for the health of the nation.

This is a great idea just does not go far enough in my book.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

How Can Dems Lose?

College of Political Knowledge

DNC/Democratic Party

Paper #3

No secret that I dislike the Dems in Congress for they are doing nothing but reacting to everything Little Donny and his band of thugs are doing….they run to the nearest mike and bitch and moan and then sit back and wait for the next outrageous crap to happen.

As bad as the Trump administration is how can the Dems be losing on every front?  Especially on the Medicaid destruction bill that is before Congress as I type.

This article points to so many spots that Dems could get a stronghold with the voters…..but seem to be falling short…..why is that?

And so we watch as Senate Republicans argue about the degree to which they want to destroy Medicaid. You’ve been reading and hearing about this, I’m sure, and you may even have become familiar with the phrase “provider tax.” Journalistic shorthand usually does a poor job of explaining what that actually is. Bear with me for this brief explanation, because it makes clear how cruel and deliberate these cuts are.

Health care services that are reimbursed by Medicaid are, well, provided by a range of different “providers.” Chief among these are hospitals, but the category also includes nursing homes, other long-term care facilities, doctors, physical therapists, even chiropractors: all sorts of people. But the big money revolves around hospitals, and specifically rural hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid dollars because they are poorer on balance than other hospitals. They tend to be run on a nonprofit basis. They are less likely than urban or suburban hospitals to have commercial insurance, and they’re more dependent on Medicaid revenue because their client base tends to be poorer. There are about 1,800 rural hospitals in the United States. Here’s a map.

…

To make a long story short, when you reduce a tax, you reduce the amount of revenue it brings in. It’s also worth bearing in mind here that Medicaid reimbursements rarely cover the cost of care to begin with, so these cuts will make an already dire situation much worse. Governors and state legislatures will be staring at a quite substantial reduction in Medicaid tax revenue. They will then be faced with three choices: one, raise some other sort of tax; two, cut some other state service, like education; three, cut Medicaid services.

https://newrepublic.com/post/197356/democrats-losing-stupid-republicans-senate-bill-medicaid

I cannot understand how the Dems could be losing to the GOP on this destruction of a much needed program.

Are the American people that stupid?

Any ideas to share?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Elimination Games

Donny’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is making it’s way through Congress and if passed will be put on Donny’s desk for his Magic Sharpie to do it’s thing….

For those that have no idea what will be eliminated from our government this list will give you an idea….

Economic and jobs programs

  • Economic development assistance programs. This provides some $2 billion in grants to economically struggling communities.
  • Economic Development Administration. $113 million.
  • Job Corps. More than $1.7 billion.
  • AmeriCorps (officially known as the Corporation for National and Community Service). $976 million.
  • Minority Business Development Agency. $68 million.
  • Community Service Employment for Older Americans. $405 million.
  • The Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau.
  • NASA’s Office of Science, Tech, Engineering and Math Engagement. $143 million.

Oversight

  • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. This office is a watchdog, tasked with making sure there is no discrimination in contracting. $111 million.
  • Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. $14 million.

Health and living programs

  • Administration for Community Living, which supports older and disabled Americans’ ability to live independently. More than $2.4 billion.
  • U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. $4 million.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services’ Prevention and Public Health Fund. $1.4 billion in funds planned for FY 2026.
  • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. $338 million.

Assistance programs

  • LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. More than $4.1 billion.
  • Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. $7 million.
  • Refugees and asylumees. Cash, medical and other social service assistance is eliminated. No summary figure given.

Legal and labor programs

  • The Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service. This division works to mediate and confront community tension. $24 million.
  • Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which mediates labor disputes. $54 million.
  • Legal Services Corporation, one of the nation’s largest funders of civil legal aid. $560 million.

Media and communications

  • U.S. Agency for Global Media, which includes Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe. $857 million.
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private nonprofit that distributes federal funding to public media organizations, including to NPR and PBS. This would affect local stations and programs like the PBS News Hour. $595 million.

Democracy and international development

  • Inter-American Foundation, funding community development in Latin America and the Caribbean. $47 million.
  • Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs (former part of USAID). $741 million.
  • Woodrow Wilson Center. $15 million.
  • U.S. Institute of Peace. $55 million.
  • African Development Foundation. $45 million.

Arts

  • National Endowment for the Arts. $207 million.
  • National Endowment for the Humanities. $207 million.
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services, a small federal agency that supports museums and libraries around the country. $295 million.

Regional authorities

  • Delta Regional Authority. $41 million.
  • Denali Commission in Alaska. $38 million.
  • D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program. $40 million.
  • Northern Border Regional Commission. $46 million.
  • Great Lakes Authority. $5 million.
  • Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. $20 million.
  • Southwest Border Regional Commission. $5 million.

Native American programs

  • Indian Land Consolidation Program. $4 million.
  • Indian Guaranteed Loan Program. No new loans to be guaranteed.
  • Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development, a higher education institute in Santa Fe. $12 million.
  • Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. $2 million.

Wildlife

  • State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program. $72 million.
  • Multinational Species Conservation Fund. $21 million.
  • Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. $5 million.
  • Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund. $23 million in discretionary funding.
  • Marine Mammal Commission. $5 million.

I can see where some of these programs could be unnecessary and their elimination would help the deficit but only very slightly.

Keep in mind these programs will be eliminated this does not include any deep cuts of other programs such as Medicare or Social Security….

But you will noticed that the most wasteful of agencies are exempt….especially the War Department which never suffers from cuts and is awarded money that it did not ask for on many occasions…

This is just an overview of the programs on the chopping block…..of course this could change as Congress negotiates before it goes up for a vote.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Has Congress Stolen From Social Security?

For awhile now the common and well used meme about the shortfalls in the social security system is because Congress has taken the money out to fund wars and such…..is this true?

If you were to peruse social media message boards on topics/articles pertaining to Social Security, you’ll commonly find that Congress is the scapegoat. Specifically, some commentors point to the idea of lawmakers stealing or raiding Social Security’s trust funds to fund wars and other line items, and failing to “put the money back, with interest.”

The thing about popular opinions on Social Security is that what’s popular isn’t always what’s right. In this instance, the idea of Congress stealing trillions from Social Security is completely baseless.

In August 1935, the Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Among the laundry list of provisions and rules set forth by the Social Security Act of 1935 is the treatment of any excess income (asset reserves) collected — i.e., income collected above and beyond what’s paid out in benefits and used to cover the SSA’s administrative expenses to operate the program.

By law, any excess income collected by Social Security is to be invested in special-issue, interest-bearing government bonds. U.S. Treasury bonds are exceptionally safe and backed by the full faith of the U.S. government.

What’s most important to note is that every cent of these special-issue government bonds is accounted for. In fact, the SSA publicly updates the combined asset reserve amount for the OASI and Disability Insurance Trust Fund (DI), along with the average interest rate it’s generating on its asset reserves, every month. As of the end of December 2024, the combined OASI and DI held around $2.721 trillion in asset reserves, with an average yield of 2.557%.

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2025/01/20/has-congress-stolen-trillions-from-social-security/

There is a very simple fix for any shortfall…..that would be to make all people pay into the system with no exemptions…that could raise the money to cover the shortfall and possibly work on a excess that could be beneficial to retirees that have work hard for their entire lives.

Like I said simple….but billionaires have the clout and the cash to stop any reform of the SS payment system…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Bribery Vs Lobbying

Since it became a major thing I have been telling anyone who would listen of the evils of “K” Street, the lobbyist central.

To me lobbyists, there is about 12000 lobbyists on K Street, that is about 22 lobbyists per every member of Congress and they all have buckets of money to give away for favorable rulings, is nothing more than bribery masked as campaign donations.

But what is what?

Bribery and lobbying are often conjoined in the public mind: Critics of lobbying suggest that it’s bribery in a suit. While both seek a favorable outcome, the two remain distinct practices. Bribery is considered an effort to buy power; paying to guarantee a certain result; lobbying is considered an effort to influence power, often by offering contributions.

One key difference is that bribery is considered illegal, while lobbying is not.

Lobbyists try to shape laws, legislation, and public policy to the benefit of the group or entity that employs them. Their campaigns (which are legal) can sometimes be public ones (or fed to the media to influence the public), but they more typically target politicians, elected officials, legislators, and government agency employees; the movers and shakers on Capitol Hill and in state capitals too.

Lobbyists—the term referring to both individuals and organizations—have existed as long as governments; they traditionally have been considered “information givers,” a valuable source of facts and data, though admittedly in support of their cause or industry. Lobbyists systematically build up support for their causes, over years and decades. Often, they fund a study, survey, or research that might sway a politician’s opinion or their constituency’s opinion.

…

In contrast, a bribe usually occurs on an individual level. And it is anything but public. A bribe giver usually gives an offer of money “under the table” in order to subvert standard processes. This could be paying a tax officer to clear reports with under-reported revenue or sending goods without an invoice.

The bribe may be in the form of a donation or favor in kind. A company’s purchase manager may award an order to a supplier in return for undue favor in the form of money, against his company’s policy of awarding orders based on criteria of quality and price. Public officers are offered bribes to enable evasion of taxes and the corresponding liabilities at an individual or company level.

However it’s done, a bribe—along with its cousin, the kickback—results in an unfair advantage for the bribe giver. Bribes may seem like small amounts compared to lobbying contributions, but therein lies the problem: They often cannot be accounted for.

https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0912/the-differences-between-bribery-and-lobbying.aspx

Sorry but they are the same thing…..only difference is one is a crime and the other has been sanctioned by the Supreme Court…..a bunch of political hacks that are just as easily swayed by cash as the Congress.

So where is the damn difference?

There is none!  Both get what the person offering wants….they have to pay to play….and the politicians get flush with cash and that is why they all want to stay for decades in Congress….the more influence they have the bigger the payouts.

Time for this to change…..all cash should go into an election fund and all politicians share in it equally.

Just my take on this conundrum.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Dems Lame Theatrics

During the Presidential speech the Dems tried to be cute….one Dem got tossed for being mouthy and the small cadre held up signs like Musk Steals, Save Medicare, etc and some even filed out of the speech slowly.

To me as I have said it was theatrics only and was not effective only to the media for they had a spectacle they could put on the evening news for a few minutes

This is a video that pretty much echoes what I have already said.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

His First Time. (Again)

Last night I had the not so distinct chore of watching and listening to a speech packed with lies and back slappin’…Trump’s big night in front of the people (from behind a gilded door).

I can sum up my review in just a few words…..good go what absolute garbage!

A massage of his own deluded ego.

But for those that were smart enough to watch Ghost Hunters let me fill in the blanks for you.

President Trump addressed Congress and the American people Tuesday night and immediately proclaimed, “America is back,” to cries of “USA! USA!” in response. He made it just a couple of minutes into his speech before Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas was removed from the House chamber, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling Green’s behavior a “willful and concerted breach of decorum.” Standout lines from the president:

  • America is back: “We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in four years, eight years, and we are just getting started. … The American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before. The American dream is unstoppable, and our country is on the verge of a comeback. … Now for the first time in modern history, more Americans believe that our country is headed in the right direction than the wrong direction.”
  • Washington-level success: “It has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency is the most successful in the history of our nation … and what makes it even more impressive is that do you know who number two is? George Washington.”
  • A swing at Biden: “Illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. They hear my words and chose not to come. … Under Joe Biden, the worst president in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month, and virtually all of them, including murderers, drug dealers, gang members and people from mental institutions were released into our country.”
  • A swing at Democrats: “I look at the Democrats in front of me and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do. I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations … and these people sitting right here will not clap.”
  • A recap of his moves I: “I imposed an immediate freeze on all federal hiring, a freeze on all new federal regulations, and a freeze on foreign aid. I terminated the ridiculous new green scam. I withdrew from the unfair Paris Climate Accord … I withdrew from the corrupt World Health Organization and I also withdrew from the anti-American UN Human Rights Council. We ended all of Biden’s environmental restrictions that were making our country far less safe and totally unaffordable.”
  • A recap of his moves II: “We have ended weaponized government where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent like me. … I renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and likewise, I renamed for a great president, William McKinley, Mount McKinley again. … Our country will be woke no longer. … We have removed the poison of critical race theory from our public schools, and I signed an order making it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
  • Eggs: “Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control … and we’re working hard to get it back down.”
  • What’s coming: “A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy. … My administration is also working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world. … I will also take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the US.”
  • What’s coming II: “We’re also identifying shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud in the Social Security program for our seniors … believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119 I don’t know any of them. I know some people that are rather elderly, but not quite that elderly. … 3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149 and money is being paid to many of them, and we’re searching right now. … And over 130,000 people, according to the Social Security databases are age over 160 years old. We have a healthier country than I thought, Bobby.”
  • What’s coming III: “The next phase of our plan to deliver the greatest economy in history is for this Congress to pass tax cuts for everybody. … I’m calling for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security benefits for our great seniors. … I also want to make interest payments on car loans tax deductible, but only if the car is made in America.”
  • On tariffs: “If you don’t make your product in America, under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff, and in some cases a rather large one. Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries. … On April 2, reciprocal tariffs kick in, and whatever they tariff us, other countries, we will tariff them.”
  • The lines that got some of the loudest cheers: “Since taking office, my administration has launched the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history, and we quickly achieved the lowest numbers of illegal border crossers ever recorded. The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. We must have legislation to secure the border, but it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.”
  • On wokeness: “I also signed an order to cut off all taxpayer funding to any institution that engages in the sexual mutilation of our youth. And now I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body. This is a big lie, and our message to every child in America is that you are perfect, exactly the way God made you. … We’re getting wokeness out of our schools and out of our military, and it’s already out and it’s out of our society, we don’t want it. Wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad, it’s gone, it’s gone. And we feel so much better for it, don’t we feel better?”
  • Military goals: “My focus is on building the most powerful military of the future. As a first step, I’m asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland, all made in the USA. … I am announcing tonight that we will create a new office of ship building in the White House and offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America where it belongs. … My administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it.”
  • To Greenland: “I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it … And I think we’re going to get it one way or the other. We’re going to get it. We will keep you safe, we will make you richer. Together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”
  • An arrest: “Three and a half years ago, ISIS terrorists killed 13 American service members and countless others … during the disastrous and incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan. … Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice … and I want to thank especially the Government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster.”
  • Zelensky sent a letter: “Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine. The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians. … My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time.'”

All in all the speech was pretty much what you would expect from the king in waiting….rambling, babbling and full of lies.

Sometimes I wish I was not such a political junkie for I would have had nice night if not.

Every word of this about an hour and half speech was misinformation, lies and utter bullshit.

I’m tired….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

No Accountability

For years I have been preaching that the War Department is in the pockets of special interests and that this organization pisses away more money than any other…..we hear about all the money that is supposedly mismanaged by other offices but very few in Congress have anything to say about the Pentagon.

With the rise of food costs, healthcare sucks, that Congress does not want to tackle they instead reward the War department with a huge budget after it has failed numerous audits.

Despite the Pentagon’s repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.

The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.

The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.

Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, “Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home.”

“Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds,” they continued. “After a seventh failed audit in a row, it’s disappointing that our amendment to hold the Pentagon accountable by penalizing the DOD’s budget by 0.5% for each failed audit was stripped out of the final bill. It’s time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/ndaa-2025

With Trump we have 2 czars of spending reduction….does this mean the Pentagon will finally be held accountable? 

HAHA!

Not in this lifetime!

Some bitch and moan about all those people getting benefits from the government as a way to piss needed money away and yet could care less that the War Department pisses away money by the buckets full.  Why is that?

Something needs doing to rein the defense spending….but that will be for another Congress down the road.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”