Trump regime

NBC News - House Republicans can’t meet their own budget target that is necessary to pass President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda without making significant cuts to Medicare or Medicaid, according to the official congressional budget scorekeeper.

That leaves Republicans in a deep predicament. The budget resolution, adopted by the slimmest of margins in the narrowly divided House, was the delicate product of negotiations among conservative hard-liners who demand steep spending cuts and swing-district GOP lawmakers who say they don’t want to slash funding for the health programs their constituents rely on.

New York Times  - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving to terminate Pentagon offices and positions that focus on preventing and responding to civilian harm during U.S. combat operations, according to three defense officials.

Employees at the Pentagon’s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response office, which deals with policy matters related to limiting the risk to noncombatants, were informed on Monday that their office would be closed, the officials said.  They were also told that the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, which handles training and procedures, would close as well.

NBC News -Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency abandoned some of its plans to slash contract spending for veterans' health care services this week after a revolt by front-line employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. What had been a list of 875 contracts scheduled for termination is now down to 585, the VA said this week. It's a rare public retreat for DOGE, which has come under fire for axing critical government services and overstating its savings to taxpayers. 

The list of contracts still on the chopping block has not been made public, but VA employees have identified 200 of the remaining scheduled cancellations to NBC News. Some of them appear to be central to patient safety, those employees said.

Senior financial reporter Gretchen Morgenson and senior investigative producer Laura Strickler report that among the contracts still set to be canceled are those covering:

→ Sterility certification for VA hospital pharmacy operations

→ Facility air quality and safety testing to prevent transmission of infections

→ Sterile processing services to decontaminate equipment and instruments

→ Support for the National Center for PTSD, which is the world's leading research and educational center on post-traumatic stress disorder. More 

House Republicans can’t meet their own budget target without making significant cuts to Medicare or Medicaid, the official budget scorekeeper confirmed.

President Donald Trump granted U.S. automakers a one-month reprieve on the new 25% tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico.

The Agriculture Department has been ordered to reinstate over 5,000 probationary employees. Trump called for the repeal of the CHIPS Act during his speech to Congress, but several Republicans said they have no plans to consider getting rid of the law any time soon. The chief of staff to House Speaker Mike Johnson was arrested for drunken driving after his car struck a Capitol vehicle following Trump’s speech.