This Week in the MAGAverse - Jan 29, 2025
Funding Freeze Fiasco - Trump continues to bust out orders implementing radical priorities at a rapid clip.
We’re officially in week two of the nascent Trump term, and yet so much has already transpired, that it can often be hard to follow. Many of his actions are unprecedented, controversial, and going to face challenges in the courts. Once again, here are some of the most notable happenings coming out of Trump’s new government:
Announces Freeze on Payments for Most Federal Funding, Then Reverses Action, Sowing Confusion
Nearly as soon as the announcement came, multiple government agencies and services, including some that provide direct aid (in spite of a promise from Trump’s White House not to impact these services), seemingly began to falter, with the Medicaid and Head Start websites going offline. It wasn’t entirely clear which programs would be impacted, and non-profits were also unable to withdraw funds. The order has since been rescinded. A federal judge has signaled that he will issue a restraining order preventing the White House from enacting this again.
The NLRB is a government agency dating back to the era of the New Deal with the authority to adjudicate matters between employers, employees, and unions. Notably, under appointments made during the Biden administration, the board had taken a much more activist position in recent years, helping to spur the uptick in union enthusiasm and secure or restore bargaining and organizing rights for workers.
It’s worth noting that, due to the timing of NLRB terms, a seat was vacated all the way back in December. Democrats narrowly had the votes to fill it, VP Harris then failed to show up to commit the tie-breaking vote, and then two senators subsequently rescinded their votes, leaving the seat empty to this day.
Had this procedural error not been made, it was assumed that Democrats could secure a majority on the board for at least two more years. However, Trump moved to fire not one, but two Democratic appointees, Jennifer Abruzzo and Gwynne Wilcox, the latter of whom has not technically been termed-out and now plans to challenge the basis of her firing in court.
As a result, in its current state, the NLRB is functionally hamstrung and cannot operate at its full capacity, leaving employers the ability to act against employees with relative impunity.
It’s also worth noting that various corporations (SpaceX, Amazon, Trader Joes, and Starbucks), including those owned by actors with close ties to Trump, are jointly seeking to challenge the NLRB’s constitutionality in the courts.
Transphobic Attacks
Trump restored his ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Some inmates are seeking legal recourse against Trump for his day one executive order which would move transgender women to prisons with men, as well as cease their ongoing treatments, an outcome that is almost certain to lead to rampant sexual violence against trans people (one study found that 59% of trans women housed with men were sexually assaulted).
Rescinds Biden-era EPA Limit on PFAs (Plastic Forever Chemicals) in Water
Attempts to “Buyout” Federal Workers, Offering Big Severance for Quitting
This is effectively a soft-layoff strategy often employed in the private sector designed to cull large numbers of workers without firing them officially.
