I've been saying this for awhile now, but it seems like a good time to say it again: The blue states MUST stop sending taxes it collects for the federal government as long as they continue to violate the law and the constitution.
I've been saying that too, especially because CA & NY alone generate massive revenue used to support red states. He wants to extort the country? See how he likes it. Is it a possibility?
That’s not how taxes work. The 16th Amendment doesn’t work that way. States don’t remit taxes to the federal government, we do as individual and organizational entities. They are contributed through income, excise, estate, and gift taxes administered through the federal income tax structure. So enough with the nonsense… states don’t remit taxes. We do. So unless you’re interested in prison… there’s very little you can do here.
OK, now tell me how. I like the idea, but the fed money from paychecks goes straight to the fed. You pay taxes straight to the fed. I'm just not sure there is a way to capture the money without individually breaking the law by not paying your federal taxes. The system isn't set up to be able to divert the funds.
Thank you. I was already listening to the Senate Dems response. Angus King stated this is the 'most direct assault on the authority of the Congress in the history of the United States.'
Jay, you did a GREAT job on this, but I had to quit reading about halfway though, so, if you brought up a counterpoint to what I'm about to say, and I missed it because I didn't read far enough, please let me know. Now, on to my point:
.
You kept talking about what the laws are and what can and can't be done by Trump and his Nazis legally. So here's my question: What makes you think that Trump and his Nazis will pay any attention to the law whatsoever? Trump and his closest associates are fucking criminals, and everything they do every day, should disabuse you of the notion that filing paperwork (lawsuits and court orders) will be anything more than toilet paper to them.
.
And even if the courts do issue restraining orders, and cease and desist orders, and whatever other legal papers against Trump and his Nazis, WHO is going to enforce them?
.
Remember: "Vote for me this time and you'll never have to vote again!" You think he was kidding?
I've thought the same thing. He is simply bulldozing through law after law right now.
Scott Gilbert, I don't know how much this is worth, but there have already been lawsuits thrown at him for the garbage he's pulled today. The question remains, how much do the lawsuits matter if he doesn't do what he's told by the courts? Surely SCOTUS doesn't want him making them useless.
I have no idea how long it's going to be this turbulent, but I'm already finding myself wondering how to prepare for the worst. I am NOT giving in and not "obeying in advance."
Getting rid of Trump will mean nothing. He has become the patsy now; the sacrificial lamb. I think he'll be gone long before the year ends. The folks that were behind him with billions are the REAL power now. It's just going to take a while before it becomes obvious.
The thing is that trump has the ineffable something that bewitches people. I don't get it but he has it. While he is the patsy, he has power. If he drops dead, I don't think Vance has the drawing power that trump has. Vance will be equally ugly but I just don't think he has the peoples' hearts like trump does.
I don't know, they kept it up for the first four years he was in office. Now should he drop dead, they may have a harder time keeping it up. He stokes the fires in their hearts as well as being able to threaten them effectively. Musk is the only one with the threat ability but I don't know if he will lose interest when he realizes he can't fire the entire civil service workforce. He's not going to like losing to the little people.
I want to say that Vance admitted that earlier, possibly pre-election. That basically, no one can make them do anything even if they lose a court case. The SCOTUS is also their pet, so I don't know if any pushback will come from there. The Republican House isn't going to impeach him which would be the remedy but they are all in on this.
Good Lord. Direct correlation: people will die! Medicaid portal closed? The mass of institutions and services affected is worse than a fire hose. Paying attention to how we can turn this around and fast! Lawlessness! Thank you for the full description… Sorry to say this column is a keeper, for the reference. Have we bottomed out yet? I doubt it… Again, thank you.
Who is watching over the funds during the impoundment? With sums that big, even a fraction of percentage point or two of interest adds up to real money---is any of it enriching $Trump?
Given one particular person’s comprehension of how govt finances (and crypto, and tariffs, etc.) work, I have to wonder whether he’s thinking “if we withhold the money from them, I have tremendous ideas about how we could spend it!”
Yes, it will enrich Trump. It’s how he makes his living. He’s already fired the watchdogs, he’s not bothered by laws, Supreme Court’s said he is not going to face any consequences, and all his co-conspirators are running the country. Only one thing will stop this now.
What will happen to the 63% of residents in nursing homes do if their Medicaid is cut off? That would be devastating to them and their families! This administration is cruel to even the most vulnerable.
I think what she means is that none of the *administration* is poor enough to be impacted. They are the classic case of being rich enough to never have to feel the consequences of the decisions they're making for the country.
As of July 2024, Medicaid was the primary payer for 63% of nursing home residents in the United States.
Explanation
Medicaid is the primary payer for long-term care in nursing homes.
Medicare covers short-term stays of up to 100 days.
Many residents are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare Part A covers the first part of their stay, while Medicaid covers the rest.
Medicaid reimbursements are usually lower than the actual cost of care.
Medicaid's role in nursing homes
Medicaid covers about half of the cost of long-term care services.
Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of older Americans on fixed incomes.
Medicaid funds nearly half of long-term care nationwide.
My parents (mother with dementia, father with Alzheimer’s) gave up all their savings and property to be taken care of for their last years in a memory care facility, thanks to Medicare.
This is terrifying. I work at a nonprofit Data Management Center for medical research, mainly HIV/AIDS & cancer research. Our funding is through long term grants, mainly through NIH. One of our main networks focuses on Maternal, Adolescent & Infant populations to find dosing & treatment for pregnant mothers & their infants. This is life & death for people. Everyone in Congress, regardless of party, should be outraged & fighting against this illegal order, not that I actually expect that. He needs to be impeached!
Please call your Congress people and tell them this.
I'm feeling angry and sad at the amount of chaos and hurt, 34-time-Felon Trump's actions will cause children, the sick, the elderly, and folks in need. Chop Wood Carry Water has a lovely call script you can use to call your Senators/Reps today/tomorrow to push back Trump's impoundment.
I made my calls and signed the petitions. I don't know how much it will help but if enough folks do this, our electeds will at least be reminded WHO they are accountable for as well.
I'm sorry to tell you this but Republicans don't care. And they really don't care about women and children and once you add in AIDS and HIV, then they really don't truly don't care.
The Republicans in Congress are unlikely to push back beyond a mild "We'll have to look into that..." and pretending they know nothing about what is going on.
Kuo:"The White House’s plans could also be thwarted by a few members of the GOP House and Senate who don’t appreciate being made into potted plants with the power of the purse forcibly yanked from them. But we shouldn’t hold our breaths waiting for any of them to grow a spine..."
"potted plants "...? Better than "bitches" but try "MILITANT PLACEBOEES" for their cult followers...
Dr. Haidt(2022):"It’s Going to Get Much Worse ...'We are immersed in an evolving, ongoing conflict: an Information World War in which state actors, terrorists, and ideological extremists leverage the social infrastructure underpinning everyday life to sow discord and erode shared reality,'...our institutions, our political system, and our society may collapse...We must harden democratic institutions so that they can withstand CHRONIC ANGER AND MISTRUST... and... prepare the next generation..."
Along with many other of your subscribers, I wish to thank you for your breakdown of these actions.
Slashing every conceivable government expenditure is, of course, the only way to pay for the billionaire tax cuts that Trump has planned. That he is violating the law to do it doesn't really come as a surprise. This also represents a consistent modus operandi; Trump is a so-called billionaire in the first place because he has spent his entire life not paying his bills.
There must be at least a few Republican senators who do not want to see the OMB usurping their legislative powers. Perhaps they could be convinced NOT to confirm Russell Vought.
If the Democrats can get their act together and win both houses of Congress in 2026, Trump and Vance will already have violated enough laws for impeachment and removal from office.
It's not the Democrats that need to get their act together, it's the voters. The voters and those non-voters let everyone down. The voters were presented with two stark choices that were well laid out - mayhem, dystopia, hate, and chaos vs plans, progress, and hope. The voters chose hate. Because they didn't like the way Harris laughed.
That certainly is a big component of it. Greg Palast has a piece out however that you might want to check out. He claims that the Republicans very successfully suppressed the vote in this last election, and that if the votes of people that were wrongfully removed from voter rolls, had their ballots dismissed for minor technicalities, or had their mail in ballots thrown out, were all counted, Harris would've won. Democrats will need to turn the vote out with unassailable majorities going forward in order to win elections against those practices.
I simply don't understand why very few people are demanding their congress person to impeach Trump. If he's not impeached and convicted then the congress is participating in the suicide of America's version of a democracy under the rule of law.
This is beyond insane but the thing that shocks me about all of this is the complete lack of outrage. People should be marching in the streets and nothing is happening. Our leaders in the Democratic Party are posting on Facebook but doing little else. This has to be stopped and relying on the courts is a frightening prospect as well.
You set up a big march and he declares martial law. Then you end up with getting arrested. You think they will go easy on you? They got all the space now that they let out the insurrectionists.
This is likely to hit red states (and Magats) the hardest since they tend to be welfare queens, relying on the Fed. Gummint (which they despise) for a large portion of their funding.
I've been saying this for awhile now, but it seems like a good time to say it again: The blue states MUST stop sending taxes it collects for the federal government as long as they continue to violate the law and the constitution.
I've been saying that too, especially because CA & NY alone generate massive revenue used to support red states. He wants to extort the country? See how he likes it. Is it a possibility?
That’s a good idea, Chris.
Individuals and businesses in those states will need to do that and secure their assets against seizure
Absolutely agree 👍
The states don't have the tax money to send or withhold. It's individual people and businesses that send their taxes to the IRS.
That’s not how taxes work. The 16th Amendment doesn’t work that way. States don’t remit taxes to the federal government, we do as individual and organizational entities. They are contributed through income, excise, estate, and gift taxes administered through the federal income tax structure. So enough with the nonsense… states don’t remit taxes. We do. So unless you’re interested in prison… there’s very little you can do here.
OK, now tell me how. I like the idea, but the fed money from paychecks goes straight to the fed. You pay taxes straight to the fed. I'm just not sure there is a way to capture the money without individually breaking the law by not paying your federal taxes. The system isn't set up to be able to divert the funds.
Thank you. I was already listening to the Senate Dems response. Angus King stated this is the 'most direct assault on the authority of the Congress in the history of the United States.'
Jay, you did a GREAT job on this, but I had to quit reading about halfway though, so, if you brought up a counterpoint to what I'm about to say, and I missed it because I didn't read far enough, please let me know. Now, on to my point:
.
You kept talking about what the laws are and what can and can't be done by Trump and his Nazis legally. So here's my question: What makes you think that Trump and his Nazis will pay any attention to the law whatsoever? Trump and his closest associates are fucking criminals, and everything they do every day, should disabuse you of the notion that filing paperwork (lawsuits and court orders) will be anything more than toilet paper to them.
.
And even if the courts do issue restraining orders, and cease and desist orders, and whatever other legal papers against Trump and his Nazis, WHO is going to enforce them?
.
Remember: "Vote for me this time and you'll never have to vote again!" You think he was kidding?
I've thought the same thing. He is simply bulldozing through law after law right now.
Scott Gilbert, I don't know how much this is worth, but there have already been lawsuits thrown at him for the garbage he's pulled today. The question remains, how much do the lawsuits matter if he doesn't do what he's told by the courts? Surely SCOTUS doesn't want him making them useless.
I have no idea how long it's going to be this turbulent, but I'm already finding myself wondering how to prepare for the worst. I am NOT giving in and not "obeying in advance."
It's going to be this turbulent until he dies or is out of office. And even out of office he makes trouble, so I'm hoping for an early death.
Getting rid of Trump will mean nothing. He has become the patsy now; the sacrificial lamb. I think he'll be gone long before the year ends. The folks that were behind him with billions are the REAL power now. It's just going to take a while before it becomes obvious.
The thing is that trump has the ineffable something that bewitches people. I don't get it but he has it. While he is the patsy, he has power. If he drops dead, I don't think Vance has the drawing power that trump has. Vance will be equally ugly but I just don't think he has the peoples' hearts like trump does.
It may well be this turbulent for us, but it's hard to believe that he and his lackeys can keep up the pace of it indefinitely.
I don't know, they kept it up for the first four years he was in office. Now should he drop dead, they may have a harder time keeping it up. He stokes the fires in their hearts as well as being able to threaten them effectively. Musk is the only one with the threat ability but I don't know if he will lose interest when he realizes he can't fire the entire civil service workforce. He's not going to like losing to the little people.
I have never, EVER, understood what people find appealing or charming about that dirtbag.
Oh yeah by all means file lawsuits.
.
And three years down the road when they FINALLY make it to court...
.
Sure. Bring paperwork to a gunfight...
I want to say that Vance admitted that earlier, possibly pre-election. That basically, no one can make them do anything even if they lose a court case. The SCOTUS is also their pet, so I don't know if any pushback will come from there. The Republican House isn't going to impeach him which would be the remedy but they are all in on this.
Good Lord. Direct correlation: people will die! Medicaid portal closed? The mass of institutions and services affected is worse than a fire hose. Paying attention to how we can turn this around and fast! Lawlessness! Thank you for the full description… Sorry to say this column is a keeper, for the reference. Have we bottomed out yet? I doubt it… Again, thank you.
I'm guessing we haven't even come close to the bottom.
Who is watching over the funds during the impoundment? With sums that big, even a fraction of percentage point or two of interest adds up to real money---is any of it enriching $Trump?
I'm sure he's working on a way to fill his coffers even higher.
with digital crypto$, whatever those are.
We run a large deficit. Funds generally not spent sit in general accounts, though, not in direct control of any one person.
Given one particular person’s comprehension of how govt finances (and crypto, and tariffs, etc.) work, I have to wonder whether he’s thinking “if we withhold the money from them, I have tremendous ideas about how we could spend it!”
that's what we thought pre-47; now rules don't apply
Yes, it will enrich Trump. It’s how he makes his living. He’s already fired the watchdogs, he’s not bothered by laws, Supreme Court’s said he is not going to face any consequences, and all his co-conspirators are running the country. Only one thing will stop this now.
What will happen to the 63% of residents in nursing homes do if their Medicaid is cut off? That would be devastating to them and their families! This administration is cruel to even the most vulnerable.
Because none of them are poor enough to be impacted. I’m livid beyond what I was.
Can you share the data that shows that “none” of the residents of all nursing homes in the country rely on Medicaid?
I think what she means is that none of the *administration* is poor enough to be impacted. They are the classic case of being rich enough to never have to feel the consequences of the decisions they're making for the country.
AI Overview
As of July 2024, Medicaid was the primary payer for 63% of nursing home residents in the United States.
Explanation
Medicaid is the primary payer for long-term care in nursing homes.
Medicare covers short-term stays of up to 100 days.
Many residents are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare Part A covers the first part of their stay, while Medicaid covers the rest.
Medicaid reimbursements are usually lower than the actual cost of care.
Medicaid's role in nursing homes
Medicaid covers about half of the cost of long-term care services.
Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of older Americans on fixed incomes.
Medicaid funds nearly half of long-term care nationwide.
My parents (mother with dementia, father with Alzheimer’s) gave up all their savings and property to be taken care of for their last years in a memory care facility, thanks to Medicare.
tfg cut off support for his disabled nephew....said why didn't his brother just let his child die! This is what he thinks of anyone who is infirm.
Thank you for covering this, Jay. The fascists fired my partner last week, along with many other dedicated civil servants. Many like us still remain to protect our sacred democracy: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/dei-public-servant-fired
This is terrifying. I work at a nonprofit Data Management Center for medical research, mainly HIV/AIDS & cancer research. Our funding is through long term grants, mainly through NIH. One of our main networks focuses on Maternal, Adolescent & Infant populations to find dosing & treatment for pregnant mothers & their infants. This is life & death for people. Everyone in Congress, regardless of party, should be outraged & fighting against this illegal order, not that I actually expect that. He needs to be impeached!
Please call your Congress people and tell them this.
I'm feeling angry and sad at the amount of chaos and hurt, 34-time-Felon Trump's actions will cause children, the sick, the elderly, and folks in need. Chop Wood Carry Water has a lovely call script you can use to call your Senators/Reps today/tomorrow to push back Trump's impoundment.
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-128-91c
Moms Rising also shared this petition and call script you can use: https://actionnetwork.org/call_campaigns/stop-trumps-devastating-illegal-funding-freeze/?source=aap.trump-illegal-funding-freeze&akid=20535.3525029.gq42zr&action_id=29618830
I made my calls and signed the petitions. I don't know how much it will help but if enough folks do this, our electeds will at least be reminded WHO they are accountable for as well.
I'm sorry to tell you this but Republicans don't care. And they really don't care about women and children and once you add in AIDS and HIV, then they really don't truly don't care.
The Republicans in Congress are unlikely to push back beyond a mild "We'll have to look into that..." and pretending they know nothing about what is going on.
:(
We are under attack by our own president.
Time to impeach, AGAIN.
An impeachment, as we have found out, means nothing. There is no one to hold him accountable.
Never happen with Speaker Johnson and GOP majority in charge.
He warned us. I mean everyone here knows that.... just amazed at how many MAGATs don't realize it
Right? "He doesn't really mean it. That's just how he talks."
Yep. I hate how so many blew his rhetoric off including news outlets and the press. "Just trump being trump". So aggravating
Kuo:"The White House’s plans could also be thwarted by a few members of the GOP House and Senate who don’t appreciate being made into potted plants with the power of the purse forcibly yanked from them. But we shouldn’t hold our breaths waiting for any of them to grow a spine..."
"potted plants "...? Better than "bitches" but try "MILITANT PLACEBOEES" for their cult followers...
...science of "spine growth" below
😱🫣❤️🥷🤯🧠💡😁🤔🚣
1.)Obey the Law to Stop the Killing(see below)
https://youtu.be/it3N0j9fw8k?t=331
1.)Mission Impossible is afflicted by extreme case of American Gullibility
https://youtu.be/A8kYJodhYrw?t=2454
1.)Why did America "vote for"(aka "buy pills from") the Mass Murderer** over the First Lady's FREE HEALTHCARE and FREEDOM FROM FEAR?*
Why did Americans put the Mass Murderers pill in their mouth and swallow it*** 2.3 billion times in ONE YEAR?
Why did America ignore Ms.FDR. and believe the Mass Murder's "our pills aren't addictive?"
*science
**science denial by Purdue Pharma(used Valium sales to launch the opioid epidemic)
***Valium was the most prescribed medication for the years 1969-1982
Eleanor Roosevelt:"Do one thing every day that scares you."
The scientific consensus agrees. Two top scientists' statements are available on DM request... DONT SUBSCRIBE UNLESS YOU WANT TO JOIN OUR FOCUS GROUP.
...the law requires ...
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=5150
"At a minimum, assessment... shall be conducted and provided on an ongoing basis."
...but a Congressional Study found...
Congressman Kennedy:
https://www.patrickjkennedy.net/agenda#Quality
"...only about 18 percent of psychiatrists and 11 percent of psychologists in the U.S. routinely administer symptom rating scales..."
...the difference between the assessments required by law and the lack of routinely administered symptom rating scales may explain:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-therapy/200901/seven-questions-david-d-burns
"...one of the most common causes of suicide-the therapist..."
https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/#cdc_facts_stats_trends-far-reaching-impact
https://www.google.com/search?q=3+Great+Untruths
UC Berkeley Prof's documentary how corporations conspired to stigmatize/thwart part of democracy(torts):
https://youtu.be/psebm9RJDvU?t=4941
Mayo Research Clinic Director to NYTimes.com: "[among US licensed Mental Providers]we’re not treating people with what actually works"
nytimes.com/2017/10/11/magazine/why-are-more-american-teenagers-than-ever-suffering-from-severe-anxiety.html
https://jonathankligler.substack.com/p/why-the-past-10-years-of-american
...with my highlights:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11DgbKC5vJJ6uv1GuOKBRlx3CSwSS-bYsJlaaQ7DzMPc/edit?usp=sharing
Dr. Haidt(2022):"It’s Going to Get Much Worse ...'We are immersed in an evolving, ongoing conflict: an Information World War in which state actors, terrorists, and ideological extremists leverage the social infrastructure underpinning everyday life to sow discord and erode shared reality,'...our institutions, our political system, and our society may collapse...We must harden democratic institutions so that they can withstand CHRONIC ANGER AND MISTRUST... and... prepare the next generation..."
😱🫣❤️🥷🤯🧠💡😁🤔🚣
Along with many other of your subscribers, I wish to thank you for your breakdown of these actions.
Slashing every conceivable government expenditure is, of course, the only way to pay for the billionaire tax cuts that Trump has planned. That he is violating the law to do it doesn't really come as a surprise. This also represents a consistent modus operandi; Trump is a so-called billionaire in the first place because he has spent his entire life not paying his bills.
There must be at least a few Republican senators who do not want to see the OMB usurping their legislative powers. Perhaps they could be convinced NOT to confirm Russell Vought.
If the Democrats can get their act together and win both houses of Congress in 2026, Trump and Vance will already have violated enough laws for impeachment and removal from office.
It's not the Democrats that need to get their act together, it's the voters. The voters and those non-voters let everyone down. The voters were presented with two stark choices that were well laid out - mayhem, dystopia, hate, and chaos vs plans, progress, and hope. The voters chose hate. Because they didn't like the way Harris laughed.
That certainly is a big component of it. Greg Palast has a piece out however that you might want to check out. He claims that the Republicans very successfully suppressed the vote in this last election, and that if the votes of people that were wrongfully removed from voter rolls, had their ballots dismissed for minor technicalities, or had their mail in ballots thrown out, were all counted, Harris would've won. Democrats will need to turn the vote out with unassailable majorities going forward in order to win elections against those practices.
Voter suppression was definitely a factor. It's the problem with Republican lead state legislatures and judiciaries. They can do whatever they want.
Our response should be just simply “Fuck off and No.
I simply don't understand why very few people are demanding their congress person to impeach Trump. If he's not impeached and convicted then the congress is participating in the suicide of America's version of a democracy under the rule of law.
Because Republicans will not impeach him. Might as well expect a mountain to move into a valley.
Great article, Jay. Informative but also easy to understand. Thank you.
Thank you for covering this and for highlighting PEPFAR.
This is beyond insane but the thing that shocks me about all of this is the complete lack of outrage. People should be marching in the streets and nothing is happening. Our leaders in the Democratic Party are posting on Facebook but doing little else. This has to be stopped and relying on the courts is a frightening prospect as well.
You set up a big march and he declares martial law. Then you end up with getting arrested. You think they will go easy on you? They got all the space now that they let out the insurrectionists.
Especially relying on the Supreme Court.
This is likely to hit red states (and Magats) the hardest since they tend to be welfare queens, relying on the Fed. Gummint (which they despise) for a large portion of their funding.
I hope so. Freezing the Magats checks would surely put the red Gummint in chaos.
I’m hoping MAGAs start hurting enough to start rioting. They caused this, hopefully we can outlast it and they can do the work to fix it.